Hatake Sakumo left the Hokage building somewhat dazed.
Countless thoughts echoed in his mind, and even with his composure, he couldn't process everything at once.
"Sakumo-sama."
A gentle voice rang out, and a streak of yellow appeared in front of Sakumo's eyes.
"You're... Minato, right?"
Recalling the name Hiruzen Sarutobi had just mentioned, along with the recent rumors about the young man around the village, Sakumo gave a slight smile while subtly sizing him up.
"Yes, Sakumo-sama."
Minato didn't know why Sakumo was here. He had just been summoned unexpectedly, told that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to see him.
Sakumo had made his name long ago, and most of what Minato knew about him came from Jiraiya.
Even though they knew each other's names, there wasn't much to say when they actually met.
After a brief farewell, Minato entered the room Sakumo had just left and found Hiruzen Sarutobi absentmindedly putting a pipe into his mouth.
Facing someone from his own grand-student generation, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared much more relaxed.
"Minato, I've read the reports from Kumogakure. You've worked hard these past few days."
Hearing the elder's tone, Minato bowed respectfully.
"Everything is for the sake of Konoha."
"The reason I called you here isn't anything complicated—I just want to ask if you're interested in joining the Anbu."
Skipping any unnecessary preamble, Sarutobi looked at Minato and got straight to the point.
"Anbu?" Hearing that word, Minato immediately thought of the shinobi who monitored Kushina every day.
"Yes, the Anbu—exactly those shinobi you're thinking of."
Sarutobi saw right through Minato's thoughts and confirmed them, then gave his reasoning for the arrangement:
"I'm sure you've heard. Due to the situation with Iwagakure, I've submitted a formal request to the Daimyō to have Konoha led by a Fourth Hokage. As for the candidate..."
Sarutobi paused briefly.
Minato quickly caught on. Thinking back to the man he had just run into, realization dawned.
"It's Sakumo-sama, isn't it?"
"That's right." Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction.
The young man before him had strength, strategy, and an excellent mind.
If not for his youth and the fact that he lacked Sakumo's prestige, Sarutobi would have wanted to recommend him to the Daimyō himself.
But doing so would undoubtedly provoke Danzo's opposition. The delicate balance the two had built would be destroyed.
So, the young man before him would have to be patient for now.
"Sakumo, as the Fourth Hokage, will need to build his own team—including an Anbu unit. That's why I recommended you, hoping you'd serve as its leader."
Upon hearing this, Minato showed no sign of hesitation or discontent. After a brief moment of thought, he accepted the task.
This way, he could protect Kushina even more effectively.
That was what Namikaze Minato thought.
...
"Namikaze Minato..."
Back at home, Sakumo sat quietly in a small room, going over everything Hiruzen had told him.
It was his first time learning that Namikaze Minato's lover was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Kushina's identity had been well protected. Aside from Konoha's high command, no one knew that this bold, boisterous girl was actually the Nine-Tails' host.
"Uzumaki Kushina—one of the few remaining orphans of the Uzumaki Clan after their fall. Because of her massive natural chakra reserves, we brought her to the village and chose her as the next host for the Nine-Tails. She is the first key individual within Konoha to be closely watched."
"The Nine-Tails' chakra is too overwhelming. Aside from the late Mito-sama, no one else has been able to control it perfectly."
"However, as Kushina grows older, the Nine-Tails hasn't rampaged for some time."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face had been serious as he spoke.
"Still, we cannot be careless. Even now, the village maintains a powerful barrier to keep the Nine-Tails suppressed."
"The second person to keep an eye on is Shimura Takeshi."
Sakumo hadn't expected to hear Takeshi's name under these circumstances.
"In this recent battle, Takeshi was ambushed by an unknown member of the Uchiha Clan. Through a twist of fate, he seized control of the Three-Tails from Kirigakure. This information has been classified as top secret, and very few know of it."
Sakumo was stunned by Takeshi's boldness, but once the surprise passed, he felt gratified.
That once-fragile little boy had now grown into an extraordinary shinobi.
"Takeshi is currently being monitored by Root under Danzo's command. That said, after a period of observation, he hasn't shown any signs of rebellion."
There was a lot of information packed into Hiruzen's words—he had not only told Sakumo about a rogue Uchiha operating outside the village, but also indirectly indicated the extent of Danzo's power.
These would all be issues for Sakumo to manage once he became Hokage.
Internal stability would always be more dangerous than outside threats...
"The Uchiha Clan—"
Sakumo instinctively clenched his fist.
...
Meanwhile, in the underground tunnels of Root...
Shisui, known as a prodigy, had returned to the village and continued acting as Takeshi's bodyguard. At Danzo's command, he had entered the tunnels to investigate the flickering lights.
Holding a maintenance logbook left behind by his predecessor, Shisui easily found the cause of the malfunction by following the notes inside.
"This is such a useful log. If I get the chance, I'd love to meet this Ikku-senpai in person."
Looking at the signature that had clearly been altered, Shisui respectfully put the notebook away. He couldn't help but recall the hostile expression of the Root shinobi who had handed it to him.
Even here, the prejudice against the Uchiha Clan couldn't be erased?
It seemed he would have to work even harder to change their minds.
Following the directions in the notebook, Shisui found a toolbox hidden in a secret compartment and got to work.
"This Ikku-senpai sure was knowledgeable. He even studied the lighting system used by the police force..."
As he repaired the system, Shisui couldn't help but admire how wide-ranging the man's expertise had been.
Once he finished repairing everything and the lights returned to full brightness, he climbed out from a side entrance to the tunnel—just in time to run into Takeshi returning home with a child.
"What are you doing here?"
After gently laying the now-sleeping Yamato onto the couch, Takeshi asked in a low voice.
"Uh..."
Shisui hesitated. Fixing the lighting system probably wasn't classified, and he was about to explain when Takeshi interrupted him.
"Forget it. That's not important. Since you're here, and my old man isn't coming home tonight, we'll have to make dinner ourselves. Come help me out in the kitchen."
Without waiting for a reply, Takeshi dragged Shisui off to the kitchen.
Leaving only Itachi standing in the room, looking at the sleeping Yamato with a confused expression.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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