He had already realized—this child no longer cared about Konoha.
Even though Shigeo had caused a huge uproar in Iwagakure, he absolutely hadn't done it for the sake of Konoha. As for what his true reasons were? Probably only this child himself knew.
Besides, they couldn't pressure him any further. Since he was able to return to Konoha safely after causing chaos in Iwagakure, he could just as easily leave Konoha behind.
And he was only six years old. If the Third Hokage allowed a child who could already defeat kage-level opponents at the age of six to abandon the village, it would be his own great failure—especially now, when Konoha was short on capable shinobi.
"What? Hiruzen, you want me to leave? For the sake of one child, you're actually asking me to leave?" Danzō glared at the Hokage furiously.
"I'm asking you to leave. And from this moment on, I don't want to hear another word about sending this child to 'Root.' Leave now." The Third Hokage repeated firmly, his tone utterly serious.
"You… you…"
Danzō gave Hiruzen a dark, seething look, then turned his gaze briefly toward Shigeo. With a violent flick of his sleeve, he stormed out of the Hokage's office.
The instant Shimura Danzō departed, the tense atmosphere in the office eased greatly. Hiruzen had originally wanted to ask Shigeo many things, but now it seemed this boy harbored deep misunderstandings toward Konoha.
And considering how much he had already experienced at such a young age, Shigeo probably wouldn't trust anyone except those who had truly shown him kindness.
If only Tsunade were here—perhaps she could have helped smooth things over.
But today, under no circumstances, could they push this child any further. No matter what, they had to keep him steady.
"Shigeo, don't worry. We only invited you here to talk. The Iwagakure shinobi are gone. I only want to ask one thing—just one question. Did you really attack Iwagakure half a month ago, defeat Ōnoki, and capture their jinchūriki?"
The Third Hokage's eyes bore intently into him. Beside him, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both stepped forward nervously, as if afraid to miss his answer.
Of course, they knew this was a question that hardly needed to be asked. Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, had ruled for over forty years as a kage-level figure—how could his words possibly be false?
Still, their curiosity burned. They wanted to hear the answer from Shigeo himself.
Hiruzen's fingers tightened together, his head slightly bowed, his gaze fixed on the boy. Even Jiraiya, standing off to the side, was unusually tense, his eyes locked on him.
He truly hadn't expected it—that this child had destroyed Iwagakure so thoroughly.
Seeing that no one was trying to force anything else on him, Shigeo simply nodded. "Yes."
That single word made the four adults in front of him all exhale in relief. No wonder Iwagakure had been the first of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to announce its withdrawal from the Third Great Ninja War—they had been gutted at their core, unable to continue fighting.
"Then… may I ask one more question? Just one more."
The Third crouched slightly so that his eyes were level with Shigeo's, his tone especially gentle, as though afraid the boy would refuse.
"Go ahead…" Shigeo replied calmly.
"What about the jinchūriki? What happened to Iwagakure's jinchūriki you captured?"
As soon as the question was spoken, the other three elders fixed their eyes on him again.
"I let them go," Shigeo answered flatly.
"What a waste… such a waste…" Koharu nearly jumped in frustration, but she quickly steadied herself.
"Well… good, good. You released them… perhaps that's for the best." Hiruzen smiled faintly as he stood back up. He wanted to ask so much more—so many details—but he couldn't risk pushing further.
"Can I go home now?" Shigeo asked. At this moment, he had to admit his respect for Sarutobi Hiruzen. No wonder this man had been able to serve as Hokage.
Back when he walked out of the Academy in front of Ōnoki and Konoha's leadership, Shigeo had already been prepared—if Konoha tried to force him to do things against his will, he would leave the village forever. If they forced him into Root, he would kill Danzō and then leave.
But instead, the Hokage had expelled Danzō in front of him.
Not only that, Hiruzen had forbidden any further mention of Root, and had treated him with kindness—asking only two questions, nothing more.
That gave Shigeo room to remain in Konoha—a wide, safe space. And this was still his home, with friends and teachers he cared about. How could he possibly walk away so easily now?
The Third Hokage truly lived up to his name. A masterful move.
That afternoon, Jiraiya took Shigeo to the public bathhouse. Neither of them attended class, instead soaking in the hot water all afternoon. Later, Jiraiya gave him a gift.
When Shigeo unrolled the scroll, his jaw nearly dropped. He glanced around nervously, worried someone might see, then stared at Jiraiya in disbelief. "Sensei… this is a forbidden technique?"
"Yes. It's what you need." Jiraiya arched his brows knowingly.
Making sure no one else was near, Shigeo carefully opened it. The very first line read:
"Personally written by Senju Hashirama!"
Seeing those words, a chill shot down his spine, every hair on his body standing on end. He looked back at Jiraiya, his heart pounding.
He did possess Mokuton chakra, but only because he had copied Uchiha Obito's Wood Release. Since Obito's Mokuton was weak, Shigeo's was also limited.
Even though he had trained hard and learned to use Mokuton chakra more freely, he faced one major problem—Mokuton ninjutsu.
Uchiha Obito never knew Senju Hashirama's Wood Release techniques. He could only use the most basic Mokuton ninjutsu: simple growth and Sashiki no Jutsu (Cutting Technique), along with Jukai Kōtan (Deep Forest Emergence). Anything beyond that was impossible, due to both his limited chakra and his lack of knowledge of the necessary seals and formulas.
Even Uchiha Madara and Danzō, who had implanted Hashirama's cells, could only use the most basic Mokuton. The deeper, original techniques were beyond them.
But Shigeo was different. He possessed all eight chakra natures. If he wished, his Mokuton chakra could be as natural and pure as Hashirama's own.
The only thing missing was knowledge of the jutsu themselves and the correct methods of training and hand seals.
And now, Jiraiya had given him Hashirama's personal notes. This was a priceless treasure.
Shigeo looked at Jiraiya, eyes shining. Jiraiya put a finger to his lips. "Shh. I stole it from the restricted vault. Tell no one. Not even Tsunade."
Shigeo nodded eagerly, his eyes burning with excitement. In a low voice, he asked, "Sensei… how did you know I could use Mokuton?"
"Last night, I saw you make a sapling sprout," Jiraiya answered quietly. "I don't really understand this stuff. Just read it carefully. I'll check the next room…"
(End of Chapter)
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