After a round of fireworks, the feast arranged by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was ready.
This great war had confirmed the birth of Konoha's new god, solidifying its position as the leader among the five great nations. It had decisively secured Konoha's peace for the next few years, even decades.
As the Hokage, Hiruzen's joy was beyond words, but his gaze toward Uchiha Ryun in the distance was filled with warmth.
He lightly raised his cup under the moonlight and drank it all in one go. The sweetness and slight spiciness of the Japanese sake brought him a sense of pleasure.
The table he sat at was the closest to the center of the village. Surrounding him were Danzō Shimura, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Akimichi Torifu.
Seeing Hiruzen raise his cup, the others exchanged glances and also drank theirs in one go. Shinnosuke's eyes flickered as he secretly poured himself a cup, eager to taste it.
But his Uncle Danzō grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly. "Kids shouldn't drink alcohol. There's juice over there."
With that, he stood up and poured Shinnosuke a glass of juice. Shinnosuke pouted. He wasn't a kid anymore! He was already a little genius, wasn't he? He had just mastered the C-rank Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and could fight evenly with a Chunin uncle!
Of course, no one mentioned how much that Chunin had gone easy on him.
Hiruzen laughed when he saw this. "Danzō, come on, if Shinnosuke wants to try, just let him. What's the big deal?"
"Here, Shinnosuke, I'll let you taste it!" At this moment, Hiruzen had set aside his Hokage dignity and just wanted to tease his son.
"Hmph, Hiruzen, need I remind you of the time you got drunk as a kid and caused trouble? You drank a little too much and challenged the teacher, only to get beaten up and hung from a tree..." Before Danzō could finish, Hiruzen's expression changed, and he quickly covered his mouth.
He muttered, "That was ages ago. Have some shame!" After saying this, he glanced around and saw that, aside from his old friends, no one else had arrived yet. Only then did he relax.
"Shinnosuke, listen to your Uncle Danzō. Don't follow your father's example. Wait until you're an adult to drink. And if you want to learn, learn from Uchiha Ryun. He's someone worth studying for a lifetime." Danzō's handsome face had already mastered the art of smiling. To be fair, his looks far surpassed Hiruzen's.
The speaker might not have intended anything, but the listener took it to heart. When Hiruzen heard Danzō's suggestion, he froze for a moment before slapping his thigh. "You're right, Danzō! Exactly! Ryun's strategies, ninjutsu, courage, diplomatic skills, and strategic vision—no one in Konoha, no, in the entire ninja world, can match him!"
"I need to find a time to have Shinnosuke become Ryun's disciple!" At this moment, though Hiruzen was the Hokage, he was also a father. A father's hope for his son's success was only natural. Previously, he had only thought of letting Shinnosuke study at the Ninja Academy, as he himself had no time to teach him much.
Now, with Ryun in charge of external campaigns and internal governance, he should have some free time. If Shinnosuke could learn even a fraction of his skills, it would be a tremendous help for his future!
Moreover, the villagers strongly supported Ryun becoming the Fourth Hokage. If Shinnosuke became his disciple, then the Fifth Hokage position in the future...
Danzō knew Hiruzen too well. He could already tell that Hiruzen was determined to have his son become Ryun's disciple.
He also hoped Ryun would take Shinnosuke under his wing. After all, this was his nephew. Despite past arguments between Hiruzen and Danzō, their bond was unshakable.
Koharu and Homura remained silent. Today, they seemed drained of energy. Originally hoping to gain some benefits, the establishment of the Discipline Department had crushed their ambitions.
Who would have thought that in their old age, their reputations would be ruined? Thus, they said nothing.
Torifu nodded. "Hiruzen, if Ryun takes your son as his disciple, you won't have to worry for the rest of your life. Given Ryun's personality, he would teach his disciple everything he knows."
Hiruzen felt a surge of excitement, but how could he convince Ryun to take his son? A thought flashed through his mind.
Tsunade! Yes, his beloved student Tsunade! Starting with her might make things easier. With so many years of master-disciple bonds, surely she wouldn't refuse to help him.
That settled it. Hiruzen's eyes were firm as he looked at his son, thinking to himself, 'Kid, your old man is ready to throw away his dignity for your future.'
Who was Uchiha Ryun? Just a few months ago, he was a Genin. Now, he was Konoha's strongest. His strategies? From the start of the war until now, Konoha's total losses didn't exceed 5,000.
Konoha's enemies? Hanzo of Amegakure had lost all ambition. Sunagakure's fighting force had been decimated, unable to recover for at least a decade. Iwagakure had lost 4,000 to 5,000, but their foundation remained. Yet Konoha's losses were less than 600. Such a casualty ratio was terrifying.
Even the brutish Kumogakure had quieted down. Sure, the Third Raikage was tough—maybe he could withstand the Susano'o and the True Several Thousand Hands—but what about the other Kumo-nin?
They didn't have Iwa's sturdy defense techniques or the Light-Weight Rock Technique. If they dared to fight, Ryun alone could cripple their army!
Hiruzen didn't expect his son to awaken any special Kekkei Genkai, but even if he only learned some strategies from Ryun, it would benefit him for life.
Shinnosuke raised an eyebrow. "Father, is this Uchiha Ryun really that impressive? I remember Uncle Danzō used to always say the Uchiha were a bunch of naturally evil brats..."
Before he could finish, Danzō covered his mouth again. "What nonsense! That's nonsense! Your Uncle Danzō would never say such things! Don't spread lies!"
Sweat dripped down his back because he saw Ryun and Tsunade approaching.
The two empty seats at the central table were reserved for them, and Ryun had been informed beforehand. After their intimate moment, Ryun and Tsunade naturally headed this way.
If Ryun heard this and misunderstood Danzō, what then? He was the Vice-Hokage now! Though he had once been Danzō's subordinate, even the actual Hokage, Hiruzen, couldn't confidently say he could suppress Ryun anymore.
"Mmph—!" Shinnosuke's face turned red from being muffled. The others, including Hiruzen, burst into laughter.
Danzō gave Shinnosuke a stern, warning look. "Nephew, remember—your uncle never said such things. Understood?"
Shinnosuke was clever. He nodded to show he understood. Only then did Danzō relax and remove his hand.
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