[Ding! Original protagonist recruited as subordinate.]
[Fusion +10%]
With the pleasant chime,
Sarutobi Hakuto's power was further enhanced.
An increase in fusion meant a new ability had been unlocked.
Thinking of this,
Sarutobi Hakuto couldn't help but excitedly sense the changes in his body.
Right now, the abilities he most wanted were obviously Flight and Laser Silver—
The rest held little appeal.
But soon,
Sarutobi Hakuto's excitement turned to disappointment.
The ability he had unlocked this time was… Super Hearing.
Though a bit underwhelming,
it was still a new skill,
and he could reluctantly accept it.
After feeling out his new ability,
Sarutobi Hakuto turned to Naruto, who was gazing at him with admiration:
"Alright, that's enough for today~"
"From now on, come straight to the Sarutobi Clan for training!"
"Make sure you train properly!"
With that,
he left the barbecue restaurant with Izumi.
As for Naruto,
he quietly pumped himself up,
determined to train hard and keep up with Big Brother.
It wasn't long before Sarutobi Hakuto and Naruto's actions reached the upper echelons of Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo had already been informed
and had communicated about it,
but there were still two others in the higher ranks:
Mito Monen and Tenjin Koharu.
If it were just Sarutobi Hakuto, the two wouldn't have said much.
But seeing Uchiha Izumi, a maid, following him, they immediately panicked.
"Hiruzen! We can't let Sarutobi Hakuto act recklessly!"
"How can we let someone from the Uchiha clan get close to a jinchuriki?!"
"This is far too dangerous!"
"Exactly, Koharu isn't wrong."
Looking at the two before him,
Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless.
"This is something Danzo and I already agreed on, yet you two still have objections?"
Bound by long-standing friendship,
Hiruzen didn't press further.
He simply sent for Danzo.
After all, confronting these two was Danzo's specialty—
Hiruzen could manage Danzo, but others were a different story.
Soon,
Danzo arrived in the office.
Seeing Tenjin Koharu and Mito Monen, he immediately understood the situation.
"What is it? You two have objections?!"
Danzo's blunt tone made the two flinch.
But they quickly thought:
Because of Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto, Hiruzen and Danzo were back on friendly terms—
For them, this wasn't good.
Their advisory positions were already tenuous,
and if the two kept getting along like this,
their influence would be even weaker.
They had to assert themselves today.
"Hmph! Of course we have objections!"
"We don't mind Sarutobi Hakuto contacting the jinchuriki, but this Uchiha Izumi—"
"Have you forgotten the Nine-Tails' attack?"
Koharu and Monen not only laid out their stance,
but subtly tried to exclude Sarutobi Hakuto from the issue—
Their focus was entirely on Uchiha Izumi and the Uchiha clan,
emphasizing the Nine-Tails incident.
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat:
"Izumi is already Sarutobi Hakuto's personal attendant, and may even be renamed Sarutobi Izumi in the future."
"In other words, she's basically one of us now~"
"Can't even trust your own people?"
Listening to Hiruzen's rambling,
Koharu and Monen were dumbfounded—
As if a name change magically erased her Uchiha identity.
"No! We must question Izumi ourselves!"
"We need to ask her in person!"
Seeing the two overreaching,
Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a glance.
Knowing Sarutobi Hakuto's temper,
they immediately sent word to him.
"You two are looking for trouble—don't blame us for being ruthless."
When it came to Sarutobi Hakuto,
Hiruzen and Danzo were unusually united.
A perk of his transmigration,
Sarutobi Hakuto received their unlimited favoritism—
A super golden finger in present-day Konoha.
Soon,
an ANBU agent blocked Sarutobi Hakuto and Izumi.
"Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto, Third Hokage requests you both come to the Hokage's office."
Seeing the purple-haired ANBU,
Sarutobi Hakuto instantly recognized her—
Hokage-direct ANBU, Uzuki Yuyaka.
Knowing his grandfather wanted him, Sarutobi Hakuto wasted no time,
and headed to the Hokage building with Izumi.
They soon arrived at the office.
Seeing the gloomy faces of Tenjin Koharu and Mito Monen,
Sarutobi Hakuto immediately understood the matter.
Unconsciously,
perhaps because of Danzo's favor over the past decade,
Sarutobi Hakuto found Danzo's expression almost kindly,
while these two old-timers looked grim and unpleasant.
As Sarutobi Hakuto and Izumi entered,
Koharu and Monen, unable to wait, immediately targeted Izumi.
"Uchiha Izumi! How dare you approach the jinchuriki!"
"What are your intentions?! Or is the Uchiha clan plotting some cruel scheme again?!"
"Tell us the truth, now!"
The barrage of questions left Izumi stunned,
not knowing how to respond.
Sarutobi Hakuto suddenly stepped in front of her:
"I allowed Izumi to make contact~"
"What?"
"Any objections?"
Sarutobi Hakuto's disdainful tone instantly enraged Koharu and Monen,
making them jump to their feet.
"Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto! What's your attitude?!"
"Do you even respect us?!"
"Hiruzen! Danzo! Is this how you raise your grandson?!"
Over the years,
the rapid development of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had made Koharu and Monen extremely jealous.
All their grievances had built up, and now they exploded.
Seeing Koharu get increasingly worked up,
and Sarutobi Hakuto's expression growing colder,
Mito Monen felt a rising sense of danger.
Sarutobi Hakuto, unconsciously, stepped right up to Koharu.
By the time she realized,
Sarutobi Hakuto's half-smile was the only thing in her vision.
A chill instantly ran through her entire body.
"Sa…Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto?!"
"What do you want to do?!"