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Right after that, Haru went out with Kazuki. On their way, they stopped in an empty room. Once inside, Kazuki said, "Haru, since you want to be a part of the Hidden Guard, I will tell you what we are and what we do."

Haru nodded at her and paid attention to what she was going to say. "Our first responsibility is to protect the clan and the clan head. We receive a lot of our orders and tasks from the head, and it is our responsibility to do them to the best of our abilities," Kazuki said.

Seeing that Haru understood and was keeping up with her, she continued, "Our tasks vary greatly, from information gathering inside and outside the village, to a wide variety of different tasks that we do outside the village. Your task is to listen and execute whatever your superiors tell you."

There was nothing new that Haru didn't already know so far, but the next part caught his attention. "Once you are doing those tasks, you will have no name and no title. You will just do them anonymously. The fewer traces you leave, the better. Don't ask and don't question. Just do what you are ordered."

As Haru looked into Kazuki's deep gaze, he didn't flinch and simply replied, "Okay, I understand." He noticed a slight hint of worry and questioning in her eyes. Reflecting on how important Kazuki had been in his life for the past years, Haru softened his voice and asked, "Kazuki-san, do you have anything to tell me?"

Kazuki was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Haru, I don't think it's my place to say this, but I've watched you and Nawaki grow up. This job is very challenging, and I know how talented you are - even more talented than all of my current subordinates. You have many opportunities ahead of you. Why do you want to do this?"

Haru looked at the older woman and decided to be more honest with her. "Even if it's hard, someone has to do it. Neither Tsunade nor Nawaki are capable, at least mentally, of doing such a thing. If I don't do it, it will fall into the hands of someone else. I could just ignore it and continue with my life, but we don't have that luxury, all of us," he said.

Hearing his last words, Kazuki's pupils shrank a little. Then she heard him continue, "You and I both know that Grandma isn't going to be here in the future. With Tsunade's personality, she can't be in charge even temporarily. You are the most likely person to take the leading position for some time, at least until Nawaki grows up," he said with certainty in his voice.

As she continued to listen, her face became more and more expressionless, and her gaze on Haru became sharper. Haru didn't pay her any mind though and continued unhurriedly, "But we all know that with your current position, that would be a little hard. So I expect both you and Mito to start changing that and to clean up your image in the next couple of years so that when you take the position, no one will oppose you."

Haru didn't think that Nawaki would be taking the position any time soon. He was still too immature. The Senju clan would need to wait at least until he was in his late teen years. Looking at Mito, he was sure that she wouldn't live to that time. This conclusion came not only from his knowledge of sealing but also from his senses and observations of her.

The way Kazuki looked at Haru changed again. It seemed that her emotions had clouded a lot of her judgment. Haru, from the beginning, was far smarter than his age. He was more like an adult in his thinking, and from today's conversation, she decided to treat him as such. So she said, "Then your plan is to take my position?"

Haru hummed in acknowledgment. Once Mito was out, the Senju clan would be in its weakest state. Even with the strength of Kazuki and Tsunade, who were both close to Kage level, it still wouldn't be enough.

Once you are inside the Senju clan, you could realize how powerful they are, even in their decline. It shouldn't have been possible for them to go out in that fashion. With their status and the love from the village, it wasn't possible for them to end up like the Uchiha. It couldn't have been by force. The most likely reason is by political means.

Haru didn't underestimate the ninja world and didn't think that they would be stupid. So if he wanted to play the dirty game of politics, he had to start from somewhere and go down. His best choice was the Hidden Guard. Even though Kazuki didn't elaborate much, Haru knew just from observation that the mechanics of how the clans work inside the village were very complicated, and the guard was at the center of this.

Thinking of this, he said in a more cheerful tone, "That's not all. I think you're underestimating yourself a lot. I'm sure you can teach me a lot, Kazuki-san. From now on, I'm under your care." Kazuki just nodded before she went out. Today really had an impact on her. Haru also went to bed, knowing that tomorrow he would officially start his work in the hospital, and this time, unlike in the past, he would be a doctor.

The next morning, Haru started working at Konoha Hospital under the supervision of an older doctor. He remained calm as he cleaned the wounds of a younger child before using the Chiyute no Jutsu (Healing Hands Technique). This technique was a c-ranked skill that could be used to heal wounds by focusing chakra in the hands and creating a small ball of healing chakra. However, the amount of chakra used depended on the severity of the wound.

The older female doctor looked at Haru with a kind smile. She had witnessed his hard work in the past and his steady character, which was why he was allowed to attend to the patients by himself. Originally, he was only supposed to be her assistant.

After Haru finished, he talked to the boy and gave him some medical advice before he left. When he turned around, he saw the woman smiling at him encouragingly. "You did a really good job, Haru-kun," she said.

Haru replied humbly, "Well, thank you for giving me the opportunity." Hearing this, her smile grew. People liked to hear praise, and she was no exception. Even though she didn't teach him anything, she said, "Well, aren't you a polite one? Then I hope you can help this old lady more. I will leave some patients in your care."

"I will do my best," was all he said before he left.

After dedicating his efforts to building a positive reputation at the hospital, Haru was finally able to enjoy the benefits and advantages that came with it.

As he was working in the hospital, Haru found himself with some free time around noon. Following his routine, he made his way to Tsunade's office and found her doing her usual tasks of reading and writing reports. Haru settled down and began to read some papers from her desk.

After a while, Tsunade finally noticed Haru and said, "You are getting way too comfortable. You didn't even knock." Haru just chuckled and said, "Well, I know you are very focused. I didn't want to disturb you."

Tsunade hummed and said, "I heard from the nurse that you did a good job today, Haru. You are quite popular here."

"What can I say? I'm quite likable," Haru replied. "There's nothing I can do about it."

Upon hearing Haru's statement, Tsunade chuckled and remarked, "Your personality is quite fitting for a doctor. Patients prefer a calm and composed person to treat them." This held true as patients often feel anxious, and having a doctor with a soothing energy can help alleviate their stress. Even Tsunade herself seemed more composed while working.

Haru responded jokingly, "I must have been born for this. Maybe I was a doctor in my past life." Tsunade laughed and resumed her work, while Haru stayed for a while longer before returning to his own tasks.

The hospital was busy throughout the day, and Haru didn't get much rest. He attended to a lot of patients, and it wasn't until evening that he finished and headed home with Tsunade. On their way, they stopped to eat something.

While they were eating, Haru asked casually, "I wonder how Nawaki is doing?" Tsunade replied, sounding bored, "I guess Orochimaru did the same test as the teacher, so he should be fine." Seeing Haru's confusion, she went on to explain that it was the same test that Naruto had taken and that it seemed to be a tradition for all of the Hokage's disciples to take it. Hearing this, Haru lost interest and simply said, "Yeah, he should be fine then."

Suddenly, Tsunade seemed to think of something and smiled slightly as she said, "Well, the fun starts now. With his strength, Nawaki should be even more impatient. It will be fun to see him struggle with D-ranked missions." Haru thought the same, and the smile on their faces was almost identical. "That sounds interesting. I'm really looking forward to it," he replied.

Seeing Nawaki's impatience and how Orochimaru would handle him was sure to be fun. These two people with different personalities, being a teacher and a student, would be very amusing, at least to Haru and Tsunade.

This was another reason why Haru chose not to go the usual route of joining a genin team. His current strength was much greater than any of his classmates', and being on a team with any of them would result in him being slowed down a lot. The imbalance in power would lead to both parties not growing well. Additionally, having a jonin on his head to report all his actions to the Hokage would not be beneficial. If he could have learned something from a jonin, Haru would have put on an act at the very least. However, with most jonins not bringing him any benefit, he decided to just go straight to the hospital to work.

Haru rested for a while after arriving home, then prepared himself by donning the plain and unremarkable clothes that had been provided in his room. With their nondescript appearance, no one could easily determine his identity. As a finishing touch, Haru donned a white, featureless mask that completely altered his demeanor. He was now someone else entirely, and his every move from this point on would remain shrouded in secrecy.