After listening to the Anbu's detailed report about Naruto's Declaration of Youth at Might Guy's home, the Hokage Office fell into a long silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat there silently, his pipe extinguishing and relighting multiple times. Unbeknownst to him, the tobacco in his pipe had been replaced three or four times.
White smoke swirled around his wrinkled face, obscuring his exact expression at the moment. Only the complex light flickering in his deep eyes revealed the turmoil within him.
After a long while, a sigh filled with endless emotion slowly escaped his lips.
If the Konoha Hokage Building were recruiting administrative staff, that kid Naruto could probably make the cut without a doubt, just based on that speech.
This was no joke.
When others scored ninety-five on the Hokage Building's essay examination, it was because they only had ninety-five points of ability.
But Naruto could get a perfect score because that was the maximum score possible.
That speech, which closely linked personal struggle, protecting comrades, and the future of the Village, contained a spiritual core that was a vibrant embodiment of the will of fire, even purer and more fervent than what many adult Ninja understood!
What surprised and made the Sandaime ponder even more was that all these changes seemed to be related to Might Guy.
Could sending Might Guy to teach Naruto really produce such miraculous results?
The Sandaime recalled his decision to tacitly allow Naruto to train in Taijutsu with Guy. At the time, it was mostly due to Naruto needing a stronger physique, and Guy's pure character meant he wouldn't reject Naruto due to rumors.
He never expected that Guy's seemingly straightforward, even somewhat reckless, 'Youth Theory' would subtly guide Naruto towards such a positive and bright direction.
Might Guy... what astonishing talent for nurturing people!
The Sandaime sincerely marveled once more in his heart.
He thought back to the teachers at the Ninja Academy, each with different personalities and teaching methods, and then compared them to the surprising effect Guy had achieved.
We have a colleague who usually seems hot-blooded, impulsive, and even a bit unreliable, but unexpectedly, he's a master at teaching others!
Excellent! This is truly excellent!
In the future, when Might Guy retires from the front lines and is no longer suitable for high-risk missions, he can definitely be assigned to the Ninja Academy as a teacher!
At that time, he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would be the first to raise his hand in approval!
This discovery filled him with immense relief.
To think that child Naruto, growing up in such a difficult environment, isolated and ostracized, should have been filled with gloom and resentment.
Yet, after training with Guy for a few years, he became so cheerful and optimistic. Not only was there no hatred for the Village in his heart, but instead, it was filled with love for the Village and such pure and fervent will of fire.
This was undoubtedly the most ideal development direction for Jinchuriki management.
After the initial excitement subsided, a thought emerged in the Sandaime's mind, growing clearer and clearer.
He could almost imagine how Guy's infectious enthusiasm would ignite the hearts of many young Ninja, cultivating more excellent young sprouts for Konoha with unwavering beliefs and strong physiques.
The overwhelming sense of relief and passion gradually faded, and the cold, pressing reality resurfaced. The Third Hokage tapped his pipe, his brows slightly furrowed.
Although many Ninja retire from the front lines in their forties or fifties due to declining physical capabilities and transition to teaching or administrative work, by the time Might Guy reaches that age to retire and contribute his remaining energy to the school? His own old bones would probably have long been buried in the cemetery next to the Memorial Stone.
No, Konoha's future cannot wait.
A clear realization formed in his mind: he must quickly find a reliable successor capable of stably taking over the Hokage position, someone worthy of entrusting the Village to.
His thoughts immediately focused on his two most outstanding, yet most troublesome, disciples.
He must bring Jiraiya or Tsunade back as soon as possible.
Whether it was Jiraiya, powerful and wise in grand strategy, or Tsunade, whose Medical Ninjutsu was unmatched in the Ninja World and who possessed unparalleled prestige, they were currently the most ideal successors.
Although one wandered the world for years and the other was addicted to gambling, escaping her past, only they had the ability and prestige to shoulder this heavy burden.
The figures of the younger generation also appeared in his mind.
Among the Fourth's generation, only Shikaku was most suitable, but Shikaku's strength was ultimately far inferior.
The next generation down was his youngest son, Asuma's generation.
Kakashi of the Anbu, whose strength, intelligence, and experience were all outstanding, could be called a leader among the younger generation.
Among the young people, it seemed only Kakashi barely had the qualifications to inherit the Hokage position.
However, the word "barely" revealed the caution in his heart.
Kakashi still carried the shadows of the Sakumo Hatake incident and the deaths of Obito and Rin. Although he had a considerable reputation and powerful strength, he still needed time and experience to be tested.
He even thought of his own son, Asuma Sarutobi.
Asuma was undoubtedly an excellent elite Jonin, but he lacked the capacity to command the entire situation and deter all sides, as well as the absolute strength.
His loyalty to Konoha was also hard to say, as he had become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Daimyo.
Even Asuma was far from qualified to inherit the Hokage position.
Thinking of this, the Sandaime felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier.
The matter of finding a successor must be put on the agenda.
This thought brought not only the urgency of the task but also a desolate sense of limited life.
He didn't have many years left to live.
As an old man who had experienced three Great Ninja Wars and was advanced in years, he knew the mercilessness of time better than anyone.
The Sandaime let out a long puff of smoke, as if to expel the accumulated gloom from his chest.
Then, with his pipe, he gently, yet with an unquestionable resolve, tapped twice on the hard office desk, producing a crisp sound.
His voice was steady, yet carried the absolute authority of the Hokage.
"Effective immediately, all direct Anbu are to cease daily surveillance of Uzumaki Naruto. Only necessary protective attention is required."
He paused slightly, his gaze sharpening, and added, this sentence sounding more like it was directly addressed to a certain old friend hidden in the shadows:
"Even Root is no exception. If any Root member is found to be monitoring Naruto without my permission..."
His tone suddenly turned cold, "...then bring that person directly to me. Let Danzo Shimura come here personally to retrieve them."
This order was not just a change in attitude towards Naruto, but also a clear warning and boundary setting for Danzo and his forces.
"Yes."
The silver-haired Anbu with the Dog Mask instantly appeared before the Sandaime, then left using the Body Flicker Technique.
And the Nine-Tailed Beast felt it the moment the Anbu withdrew.
He told Naruto about the Anbu's withdrawal, and Naruto made no extra moves, simply acknowledging it in his mind to the Nine-Tailed Beast.
After all these years, that guy Sandaime finally decided to relax his guard against him!