Chapter 74 – You, Deal with the Uchiha!
Sarutobi Hiruzen shot up from his chair like a spring, his expression dark and uncertain as he glared at Minamoto Ren.
Damn it. He knew this brat was up to no good! At first, he thought the rumors about Tsunade and Ren were nothing but baseless gossip. But now? The damn thing was real!
From the side, Orochimaru gave Jiraiya a pitiful glance. Everyone in Konoha knew that Jiraiya had liked Tsunade since they were kids—he had chased her with a dogged persistence for years. He thought he was playing the long game, slowly boiling the frog in warm water. And yet, while he was still waiting, Tsunade was already sharing her bed with her student.
What Jiraiya couldn't let go of, Ren had already taken in stride.
Jiraiya's face looked like a painter's palette—green, red, blue, and white all mixed together. It took him a long moment to force his emotions down. To be fair, he did have the magnanimity to respect Tsunade's choice; she had no obligation to reciprocate his feelings. Still, the fact that she had gotten involved with her own disciple… it was a bitter pill to swallow.
But—damn it! This was too fast!
From the day Ren became her student to the two of them getting tangled up, it hadn't even been a year. And Jiraiya? He'd chased her for ten years!
Unfair! The world really was rigged by looks and talent, and Ren's "character model" was simply too high-definition, too overpowered!
"This matter—I do not approve. Your battle merits will be stripped, and that's final. Get out!" Hiruzen snapped, his tone cold.
Ever since Tobirama's death, he had regarded Tsunade as a daughter. And now this brat was the boar trying to root through his cabbage patch? Absolutely not. Especially since Ren had the gall to break the news right after causing chaos in the Hokage's office. It was infuriating.
"Come on, Lord Hokage," Ren coaxed shamelessly, his voice taking on a wheedling tone, "Tsunade and I are truly in love~"
At his age, this kind of playful nonsense actually worked. A few years older, and it wouldn't fly.
"No." Hiruzen's refusal was firm and unyielding.
"Then take my battle merits, I don't care. I've got enough on my plate with training anyway. But at least give me another mission—A-rank, S-rank, whatever. I guarantee I'll get it done!" Ren thumped his chest in promise.
"You swear it?" Hiruzen's face was still like stone, but his tone loosened a fraction.
"Of course I do… though, you're not about to send me after Hanzō, are you?" Ren's voice wavered slightly. He was genuinely worried the Hokage might snap and order him to assassinate Hanzō or the Third Raikage.
Danzo, silent at the side, already had a good guess where Hiruzen was going with this.
"Recently, Uchiha Hachidai has been making remarks within the clan that displeased me. I was considering who to send… now I know."
Hiruzen suddenly gave a cold laugh. His hand shot out, the air heavy as his finger jutted toward Ren.
"You. Deal with the Uchiha! Make them behave. Bring Uchiha Hachidai to the ANBU prison, and make sure the clan causes no trouble. Do it well, and I'll turn a blind eye to you and Tsunade. Fail… and you know my methods."
Ren bowed his head slightly, listening carefully. Then, slowly, a grin tugged at his lips.
To secretly collude with the Uchiha was one thing. But being ordered by the Hokage to handle the Uchiha? That was an entirely different game. What Hiruzen thought was a trap, Ren saw as an opportunity. When lower-ranking Uchiha had approached him before, he had already formed a plan—it was only a matter of choosing the right entry point.
"Done deal, Lord Hokage. If there's nothing else, I'll go back to see my teacher now…" Ren agreed instantly, then turned to leave. He had already had his fun—insulting Danzo, gauging where everyone stood, and sowing just enough chaos. For him, the curtain on this performance had closed perfectly.
Hiruzen didn't respond, only puffed at his pipe, his eyes deep with thought.
Ren was the first to leave, followed soon after by Namikaze Minato. Minato understood now: Hiruzen and Danzo were bound together as one. The dream of toppling Danzo through Hiruzen was a fantasy.
If Minato wanted to fulfill his own vision of the "Will of Fire," his only choice was to align with Ren. Ren's ideology could still be shaped and refined; but with Hiruzen, even if Minato rose to the top, he'd never be more than "Hiruzen the Second." Reform would be impossible.
Yūhi Shinku gave Danzo a deep look before bowing to the Hokage and leaving. He had already reached his conclusion: Hiruzen wasn't old yet, but his style of muddling through conflicts would only grow more dangerous with age.
Contradictions never disappeared because you tried to blur the lines. They only accumulated—until the day they exploded.
As for Hatake Sakumo, he was left confused. From a shinobi's perspective, Ren hadn't actually done anything too wrong. At worst, he was hot-blooded and reckless… and perhaps a little too indiscreet in his personal life.
In White Fang's eyes, these were all minor issues… In fact, he was already considering whether Kakashi should formally acknowledge Minamoto Ren and Namikaze Minato as his godfathers. It would do wonders for Kakashi's future.
As for the silent spectators—Orochimaru and Jiraiya—Orochimaru understood exactly what had just played out, but he didn't care. Who Tsunade chose to be with was her own affair. Ren might be young, but as a partner, he wasn't a bad choice at all.
Jiraiya, meanwhile, pressed a hand to his forehead in despair. He had already made his decision: for the rest of his life, he would dedicate himself to the artistic creation of Make-Out Paradise. And of course, more frequent "research trips" to women's bathhouses would be required.
"You two still standing here? Get out."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved Orochimaru and Jiraiya away. Danzo clearly had something he wanted to say, and as long as the two of them were around, he wouldn't open his mouth.
Once the Sannin were gone, the office fell into silence. Only Hiruzen and Danzo remained—one seated, one standing. Neither spoke for a long time.
"Stop the surveillance on Sakumo. Keep Root quiet for now. In two months, you can send a smarter team to shadow Ren and Minato instead."
Hiruzen's tone was flat as he continued reviewing documents, but his words were laced with disappointment.
"Just look at what you've turned your Root shinobi into—mindless puppets with no wit, no adaptability. Danzo, you've truly disappointed me."
Today's conflict had ended theatrically under Ren's lead, but Hiruzen still felt an undercurrent of unease. For the first time, he realized that his grip over Konoha was slipping.
Not in the sense that he couldn't still crush dissent with the weight of the Hokage's authority. But in the sense that seeds of doubt had begun to sprout in people's hearts.
Ren. Minato. Yūhi Shinku. Sakumo. Even the Sannin. They had started questioning the legitimacy of the Hokage's decisions.
And Danzo—his reckless methods had handed Ren the perfect excuse to seize momentum.
"I'll reorganize Root from the ground up…" Danzo's voice was steady, almost earnest. "But Hiruzen, are you truly going to let Ren marry Tsunade? She is Senju, and Ren already has the loyalty of Hyūga Haining. If the Senju and Hyūga both stand behind him… then whether or not he wears the Hokage's hat, he is the Hokage."
It was the hard truth. In every world, the one with strength and soldiers was the true shadow.
"Koharu and Homura will be back soon. I'll have them assist you." Hiruzen cut him off, his tone cold but calculated. He clearly had his own plans to balance power. "Anything else?"
"No."
Danzo had nothing more to say. With the three Root operatives—looking like drowned dogs after their humiliation—he turned and left the Hokage's office.