Talk-no-jutsu

(Third PoV)

As Shisui Uchiha sat down in front of the Hokage Office, with signboards and cats, an ANBU appeared before him.

"Don't cause trouble for the village-"

Shisui ignored the ANBU, and gazed at the window of the Hokage Office. He was sure that Hiruzen was watching him through the one-way window.

"I am not causing any trouble, ANBU-san. I just want the Third Hokage to fulfill his promise to protect the Will of Fire."

Shisui replied to the ANBU while smiling.

Onlookers were curious about the commotion, along with the constant cute meows from the cats.

Seeing the signboards, they looked at him with pity. It seemed to them that he was quite the fan of the Fourth Hokage.

The ANBU was about to pick Shisui up and drop him to the Uchihas, but Hiruzen appeared. ANBU weren't quite familiar with political inclinations afterall.

He gave a grandfatherly smile to Shisui and the onlookers, and patted Shisui's head.

"How about we discuss things inside the office?"

Rejecting him in front of everyone will not be ideal. Afterall, it was quite known that Shisui was a genius, on par with Kakashi and Minato. Even as a genin, his Body Flicker, combined with clones and afterimages, was something that even some new jonins will have trouble with.

While Hiruzen didn't have a direct hand in the Uchiha Massacre in the og series, he certainly was responsible. Without the Hokage's approval, the Uchiha clan couldn't be moved to the outskirts, and the surveillance should have stopped at most a year or two after the Kyuubi attack, but it continued until the massacre.

According to some things he had read on the internet, Shisui knew that Hiruzen didn't actively engaged in conversation with the Uchiha clan too, only using Itachi and Shisui to keep an eye on the Uchiha clan.

Resisting going to his office would be a bad choice, so he sealed the signboards in a scroll, and patted the cats.

"Wait for me here. And let the villagers cuddle you all, please? I don't know medical ninjutsu, but I know that you guys have the power to heal hearts."

"Meow!"

The cats were obedient. Afterall, these actors were offered lots of boxes and fish when all of this is over.

Shisui pulled out some boxes from another scroll, and put them on the ground, in which the cats instantly jumped in.

Hiruzen quietly witnessed this with a smile.

He saw a reflection of Kagami in Shisui. While he didn't intend to take in Shisui as a disciple, which will directly put him as a candidate for the next Hokage, he certainly saw Shisui's desire to help the village.

Shisui patter a cat one last time, and followed Hiruzen to the office.

"Hokage-sama, I am sure that with your guidance, I will be able to become like the Fourth Hokage, and even surpass him."

Shisui said along the way to the office.

"Hahaha! Hmm, you don't want to surpass me?"

Hiruzen teased, but Shisui said innocently.

"Doesn't surpassing Fourth Hokage automatically mean that I will surpass you?"

Hiruzen kept smiling, and even laughed heartedly.

"Yes yes. Minato had indeed surpassed me."

Hiruzen readily admitted that.

In the Fourth Shinobi War, Hiruzen was the most useless Hokage. Minato, without any arms and Kurama was more useful than him. Even during the Kyuubi attack two days ago, if not for Minato teleporting Bijuudama and Kurama out of the village, Konoha wouldn't be standing right now.

As Hiruzen and Shisui entered the office, Shisui saw a bunch of dangos on the table.

"Shisui, why don't you eat?"

Shisui's favourite food was dango, and Hiruzen knew that. That's creepy.

"No, Third Hokage. I won't eat unless you accept me formally as a disciple, and teach me the Flying Thunder God. Without the Fourth Hokage present in the village, we are in constant danger."

Hiruzen nodded and sat on his chair. He expected Shisui to kneel, but he didn't. Instead, Shisui took out some papers.

"Third Hokage. These are my plans to rebuild the village. The Kyuubi attack has effected the village both physically and mentally. So, I plan to open a Cat Cafe in the new Uchiha district so that people can recover from their trauma. Please help me co-operate with the Inuzuka clan so that they open a Dog cafe."

Hiruzen looked over the paper.

Opening a cat cafe in the Uchiha clan will be beneficial for the village. It will give an excuse to non-Uchihas enter the Uchiha clan compound, and keep an eye on the Uchiha.

Though as someone who rejected Tsunade's valid proposal to train atleast one medical ninja on each team, mental health was something that he disregarded even more.

But he found Shisui's desire to help the village impressive, atleast.

Well, he will take a test of Shisui, and then reject him. It doesn't seem like stalling will work.

"Alright. Do as you wish with the Cat and Dog cafe.

As for becoming my disciple, you will have to pass my test-"

"Third Hokage. Why don't we do the test in public? It will alleviate some tension in the village with some entertainment, and I don't want others to question whether I became your disciple just because my Grandpa was one of the Second Hokage's student, and saved your life several times.

I am talented, and I want to prove it without any connections."

Having Hiruzen test him in private, and give him the chance of rejecting him? That isn't something that Shisui would allow.

"You don't trust me, do you? Shisui?"

Hiruzen asked Shisui with a teasing tone, but Shisui nodded.

"Yes. The Second Hokage could definitely have returned to the village with his Flying Thunder God, even at the cost of some students that weren't as strong as him even if they combined all their strength.

As long as he survived, Konoha would be at a greater height. It was logical from every standpoint.

But, he chose to protect the younger generation instead, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

That's Will of Fire. The village was formed by the Senju and Uchiha clan because they didn't want their kids to suffer. Then clans like Hyuga, Sarutobi, Ino-Shika-Cho, and all the clans of Konoha came because they couldn't do anything against either the First Hokage, or Madara. Much less their strength combined.

My parents told me that Grandpa witnessed the battle between First Hokage and Madara. That in front of their strength, even if the Second and Third Hokage in his prime would only be a hindrance to the battle.

The Kyuubi was as effective as a toy in front of the First Hokage. After witnessing Kyuubi two days ago, I can't even imagine what was the size of the 1000 hands Buddha Statue.

I believe that if the Fourth Hokage had time, even if he couldn't match the First Hokage's strength, he could have atleast surpassed the Second Hokage.

Yet during the Kyuubi attack..."

Shisui stopped what he was trying to say, looking uncomfortable.

Afterall, he was essentially telling Hiruzen that he should have been the one who died instead of Minato.

Hiruzen sighed.

"Yes... I should have been the one who should be dead instead of Minato..."

Hiruzen said, while he actually thought so, he also wanted to see Shisui's reaction.

Instead of denying this line of thought though, Shisui actually nodded!

"The one behind the Kyuubi attack was most likely a rogue ninja from the Uchiha clan like Madara, or someone from either the Senju or Uzumaki clan who wanted revenge on Konoha, both clans which met their end during your tenure, which would have been impossible if the Second Hokage was there.

In a way, you are responsible for the Kyuubi attack and the countless lives lost. Even the four year old Itachi had to fight in the Third Ninja War simply because the Hokage at that time was weak, and old.

Your Will of Fire has died down with your age! You betrayed the First, Second, Fourth Hokages, and the whole village!

And now you are trying to cause internal strife in the village too! Even a kid like me can tell!

Third Hokage, I won't let you get any reason for rejecting me to become like my idol, the Fourth Hokage.

Even though you have betrayed the Will of Fire and the village, the last thing you can do for the village is to train the next generation who will inherit the village, and have to deal with the problems caused by you adults who care more about playing politics than ensuring that children don't have to die in wars, the reason because of which the village was created.

Third Hokage, you disgust me. I won't play your little political game that will only bring more destruction to the village.

If you have any Will of Fire still left in you, test me in front of the whole village, drop your bias and blame game for your own shortcomings. And if you still reject me even while the whole village watches, give me the mission to convince Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama to return to the village, and abdicate.

You are the weakest, and most disgusting Hokage. Sacrificing the young and more powerful and wise just to keep yourself in power."

Shisui fully expressed his anger and dissatisfaction, and stormed out of the office.

For weak willed people like Hiruzen, and old people who may be able to see through any act, it's best to display the true feelings and be harsh.

As Hiruzen saw Shisui returning to his spot outside the Hokage Office, about to bring out his signboards again, Hiruzen felt like the fire inside of him which has been subdued by age, fatigue, and thinking, lit up again, even stronger than when he was young.

'Shisui thinks more like the Hokage than me, at such a young age.'

In an instant, Hiruzen appeared before Shisui, ignoring the glances of many ninjas around, which also included the Uchiha clan head Fugaku, and the five year old Itachi, who had to go to the battlefield at the mere age of four, and looked at Shisui in the eyes.

The eyes of the eight year old were crystal clear, showing a clear goal to become the Hokage, and a fire that geniuses like Orochimaru and Kakashi didn't have at that age.

Hiruzen saw the reflection of Minato in Shisui, who was also determined to become the Hokage.

"Shisui Uchiha, I have decided. I will make you my student. The village needs young people with potential instead of an old geezer like me. But before that, you need to accomplish a mission."

Just as the young kid, no. Just as the young man has convinced him, Hiruzen wanted to see if he could convince a certain person from the rival clan of the Uchiha. Even if he ultimately failed, Hiruzen will still teach Shisui.

"Bring Tsunade back to the village."

And he will abdicate the position of the Hokage to her.

And this way, he will be able to avoid paperwork. He definitely doesn't want to abdicate just because of this though.

Shisui was shocked with the change in Hiruzen's demeanor.

'Am I that good at Talk-no-jutsu?'