Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to his desk and sat down, while Chishimo stood respectfully in front of it.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, pointing to the sofa nearby and said, "Since we're here to chat, what's with you standing? Sit down."
Chishimo, however, shook his head, as if overwhelmed by the honor.
"In front of Hokage-sama, how dare a junior like me sit!"
"What's with all these rules?" Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out his pipe, took a puff, "My identity right now isn't the Hokage, but an old man from Konoha Village. We're just talking about life and ideals, so you can sit now, right!"
Chishimo pretended to think for a moment, and finally reluctantly compromised, sitting down on the sofa.
Seeing Chishimo sit down, a smile once again appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face.
"Chishimo, may I call you that?"
"Of course, Hokage-sama!" Although he had sat down, Chishimo remained respectful.
"Actually, I've been paying attention to you for a long time. You're a very excellent child, and I deeply regret the death of your parents." Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile faded, his eyes filled with sorrow and self-reproach.
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi mention his parents, an endless melancholy appeared on Chishimo's face, which was not feigned.
But immediately after, Chishimo's melancholy was replaced by determination and respect.
"No, Hokage-sama needn't apologize. This is not your fault. Moreover, Mom and Dad sacrificed themselves for the Village's peace. I am proud of them."
Seeing Chishimo's high "awareness," Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but nod in satisfaction. But then he still said with guilt, "As the leader of the Village, I am ashamed of all the heroes who sacrificed themselves, but to achieve peace, someone must sacrifice. I hope you can understand my painstaking efforts!"
Chishimo nodded, indicating understanding.
"What a good child!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that he had successfully "resolved" Chishimo's inner turmoil, and a satisfied smile once again hung on his lips.
"Were you just here to collect your Ninja certificate?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again, knowing the answer.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Saying this, Chishimo took out his certificate from his 懷 and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took it, symbolically glanced at it, nodded, and returned it.
"Congratulations! It's rare for someone to become a Ninja at this age. Fugaku has certainly taken on a good disciple!"
How could Chishimo not detect Hiruzen Sarutobi's probing intention? He quickly went along with it, saying, "This is all thanks to the guidance of the teachers at the Ninja Academy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. I will definitely work tirelessly for Konoha's future, dedicating my life and blood!"
Looking at Chishimo's clear, dark eyes, which showed no trace of pretense, Hiruzen Sarutobi almost certainly believed that the young man in front of him had perfectly inherited the Will of Fire. His fondness for Chishimo grew even stronger.
"Dedicate life and blood?" Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, then laughed, "Good child, having that intention is enough. Don't talk about blood or life; it's inauspicious! Even if there's a sacrifice, us old bones will be at the forefront for you!"
Chishimo looked excited, unconsciously standing up, and said, "Yes, Hokage-sama, I will definitely live up to your high expectations!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly. He was now increasingly satisfied with Chishimo. This respect for him and loyalty to the Village didn't seem feigned in any way.
But just in case, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to test him again.
He slowly stood up, walked to the cabinet on his right, pulled out the second drawer, and took out a scroll no bigger than a palm.
A big question mark appeared above Chishimo's head. What new trick was this old man up to now?
The next moment, Chishimo's question was answered.
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll in his hand, and on it was an extremely complex Sealing Technique. With Chishimo's current proficiency in Sealing Technique, opening this would undoubtedly be a fool's errand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi began to form hand seals. The speed of his hand seals was not fast, as if to allow Chishimo to see clearly.
He formed about ten seals, which took nearly half a minute. As Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand onto the Sealing Technique on the scroll, a scroll much larger than the previous one appeared out of thin air.
At this moment, a word finally popped into Chishimo's mind—sealed book!
Sensing Chishimo's surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, "Chishimo, do you know what this is?"
Chishimo barely managed to suppress the excitement in his heart. After all, it was the sealed book, filled with secret techniques developed by previous Hokage. Who wouldn't want to see it quickly? But it was clearly not the right time, and even looking at it for too long might arouse the Third Hokage's suspicion.
"This junior does not know." Chishimo replied, feigning confusion.
In fact, the moment the sealed book appeared before him, Chishimo already understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's previous actions.
So, he still wants to test me, huh? This old fox really doesn't trust others easily! In that case, I'll continue to play along with you and see who outwits whom!
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with a slight hint of smugness and said, "This is the sealed book, and it contains countless powerful forbidden Ninjutsu from Konoha over the years!"
"That amazing?" Hearing this, Chishimo's eyes brightened even more as he looked at the sealed book. "Then, Hokage-sama, how can one learn the Ninjutsu on it?"
"If you can make outstanding contributions to Konoha in the future, you will naturally have the opportunity to learn them," Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly.
"I understand. I will continue to work hard!" Although he thought this on the surface, Chishimo was sneering inwardly, noncommittal about the grand promise made by the Third Hokage. He probably wouldn't get to learn the forbidden Ninjutsu on it even if he made some contributions, after all, he was an Uchiha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with satisfaction upon hearing Chishimo's reply. That's the effect he wanted!
Then, under Chishimo's reluctant gaze, he put away the sealed book, sat back in his seat, and smoked his pipe.
"Chishimo, you must understand, where Konoha's leaves dance, fire will continue to burn. You are the future of the Village, the new sprouts of Konoha. Your most urgent task now is to lay a solid foundation and firm your resolve, only then can you grow strong..."
After a dose of inspirational talk, Chishimo finally successfully walked out of the Hokage Office, rubbing his ears, and internally exclaiming that he couldn't take it anymore.
It seems that when people get old, they like to chatter a lot. This saying is really true, even the Hokage, who holds a high position, is no exception.
Shaking his head, Chishimo quickly went downstairs at the fastest speed, afraid that Hiruzen Sarutobi would call him back in to talk about life again.
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just dished out a large bowl of inspirational talk, was in a great mood, muttering, "What a good child, he seems worth cultivating!"
"Since that's the case," the Third Hokage pondered for a moment, "I'll put you in Asuma's team. It can also motivate that kid!"
Having made his decision, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again and happily began to smoke.