Chapter 11: I Am the Hokage
Hirofumi remained quiet, merely echoing the words he had spoken earlier to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The students in the classroom had lost all interest in continuing their lessons after the dramatic events of the day; it had certainly been quite an eventful experience for everyone involved.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Tower...
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen puffed thoughtfully on his pipe, the smoke curling around him and obscuring his expression. Across from him sat Danzo Shimura, his expression unreadable but intense.
"Hiruzen, what do you make of today's events?" Danzo inquired, his tone revealing a hint of urgency.
"What do I make of them? I witnessed everything unfold with my own eyes," Hiruzen replied, maintaining his calm demeanor.
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly, leaning forward in his seat.
"Hiruzen, you should know precisely what I mean."
At this, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow in feigned confusion.
"No, I don't quite understand your insinuation."
Gripping his cane tightly, Danzo pressed on.
"Hiruzen… I request that you hand Hirofumi over to me. I will train him to become an exceptional ninja and a valuable asset for Konoha."
"Danzo, aren't you overreaching a bit? Your Root is already brimming with capable ninjas. Every year, many talented individuals join your ranks. I fail to see how adding one more—Hirofumi—would make a significant difference," Hiruzen countered, voice steady.
"Hiruzen, everything I do is for Konoha's benefit…" Danzo's words dripped with conviction.
Hiruzen took another deep drag from his pipe, pondering Danzo's motives.
Everything you do is for Konoha, huh?
"Hiruzen, why aren't you responding?" Danzo pressed, his frustration evident.
"Danzo, there's no need to revisit this matter. Hirofumi will not be placed in your hands. I've already informed Jiraiya, and he will return to the village to mentor the boy," Hiruzen declared resolutely.
At this declaration, Danzo's frown deepened, clearly displeased by Hiruzen's determination to keep the boy under his care.
"Hiruzen, don't you think you're being too selfish? Sasuke Uchiha, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—both are prime examples of your favoritism. Now there's Hirofumi, and you still refuse to share," Danzo accused, his single eye narrowing as he glared at Hiruzen, who wore the Hokage hat with pride.
"Danzo… Watch your language. What do you mean by selfish? I am the Hokage of Konoha. Everything I do is for the betterment of our village," Hiruzen retorted.
For a moment, Danzo was rendered speechless. This was supposed to be *my* line, right?...
"Hiruzen…" Danzo wanted to press further but Hizuren cut him.
"Danzo, the discussing regarding the kid ends here. Hirofumi will not be joining the Root, so I suggest you abandon those thoughts entirely," Hiruzen asserted, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"Hiruzen... You'll regret this," Danzo warned, a hint of menace creeping into his voice.
"Danzo... I am the Hokage. I have no regrets, only shortcomings." Hiruzen reminded him, standing his ground.
"You..." Danzo was once again left without a retort.
'Fine, you win. You're noble. You're the high and mighty Hokage. You're the grand tree with flourishing branches. And me...? I'm merely a root hidden deep in the shadows.' Danzo complained internally like that annoying gold digger girlfriend.
"Danzo, do you have anything else to discuss? If not, I have work to attend to," Hiruzen said, signaling the end of their meeting.
"Hmph. I understand..." Danzo replied before turning to the exist.
Bang!
Danzo rose abruptly and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Hiruzen remained seated at his desk, lost in thought as he reflected on the words Hirofumi had spoken earlier. He realized he didn't know much about the Three Great Sage Lands, especially compared to his three disciples, who had a far better understanding of those places.
However, Orochimaru had defected, Tsunade had left Konoha disillusioned, and Jiraiya wandered the world like a vagabond, seemingly unconcerned with his responsibilities.
*Sigh…*
With this thought weighing heavily on him, Hiruzen let out a long sigh before picking up a stack of documents to read.
He wasn't particularly worried about Hirofumi. He trusted the boy's words entirely, as the Itou family had always demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the Hokage.
The previous head of the Itou clan, Taiga Itou, had served as a member of Hiruzen's personal guard during his youth. When he grew older, Taiga had chosen to retire, preferring a peaceful life at home.
The current clan leader, Aoyama Itou, was equally a staunch supporter of the Hokage.
Thus, from every angle, Hirofumi appeared to be a fine young man—upright and trustworthy.
Meanwhile, back at the ninja academy...
After school, Hirofumi walked home alone, his mind swirling with thoughts of the earlier events.
He hadn't anticipated that the day's occurrences would not only alarm the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, but also draw the attention of Danzo.
The Third Hokage was a character with a mixed reputation in the original story. In his youth, he had been revered as a formidable ninja. However, as he aged, his strengths began to falter.
While he was weak in handling external threats, he maintained an iron grip on internal matters. He had allowed his old friend Danzo to stir trouble within Konoha, leading to tragedies such as the suicide of Sakumo Hatake and weak diplomacy that resulted in the death of Hizashi Hyuga. His three disciples either abandoned him or left the village.
Moreover, he had manipulated Naruto Uzumaki, letting the entire village become aware of his identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, which incited widespread hatred against the boy. All the while, he claimed to protect Naruto by withholding the revelation of his true nature.
But in reality, even the average villagers knew who Naruto was; what difference did it make if his identity was officially acknowledged or not?
Even so...
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, would never act against him.
In fact, Hiruzen would likely try to win him over.
Just as he had hinted at wanting Jiraiya to take Hirofumi as a disciple during their earlier conversation at the academy.
So, there was no real reason to fear the old man resorting to underhanded tactics against him.
But Danzo… that cunning old fox.
Danzo was notorious for employing any means necessary to achieve his objectives, and today's events indicated that he had already set his sights on Hirofumi.
Just then, Hirofumi felt a disturbance within his summoning space…
"Brat..." a familiar voice called out.
At that moment, Madara's visage appeared, his expression unusually grim.
Hirofumi continued his walk toward his family's estate, but within his summoning space, he focused his chakra and saw Madara there, waiting for him.
Ever since acquiring Indra's chakra, Hirofumi hadn't noticed a dramatic increase in his overall power. However, he did feel himself becoming more adept at manipulating chakra.
His chakra extraction speed had significantly improved, and he could sense that his body was undergoing inexplicable changes.
Yet, he perceived these changes as a positive development.
After all, his body was growing stronger.
And Hirofumi could feel this transformation taking place within him quite distinctly.