Chapter 26: Danzo's Surprise
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood deep in thought, watching the still-dazed Sasuke, Kakashi, and others.
The commotion from the fight had been significant enough for the Anbu to notice, and it hadn't escaped Hiruzen's attention either.
Although he had missed most of the battle between Sasuke and Lee, he had seen the latter half of Sasuke's fight with Guy.
From the moment Guy was forced into position by Sasuke's use of projectiles, to Sasuke unleashing his Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation, every detail left Hiruzen lost in thought.
"It seems my assessment of Uchiha Sasuke was still inaccurate."
"This boy… he could actually contend with Guy."
While the fight had ultimately ended in Sasuke's defeat when Guy got serious, the underlying issue was simply Sasuke's glaring gap in taijutsu.
He couldn't keep up with Guy's speed, and that alone had determined the outcome.
In the future, as Sasuke grew older and honed his taijutsu, if he could hold his own against Guy in close combat, his terrifying talent in ninjutsu would make Guy the one struggling.
The situation today might be drastically different once Sasuke improved his taijutsu.
"Sasuke's potential as an Uchiha must not be allowed to stray down the wrong path.""I'll need to take measures to guide him."
As Hiruzen was mulling over his plans, the office door was suddenly kicked open with brute force.
Hearing the noise, Hiruzen didn't even need to look up to know who it was.
"Danzo, how many times have I told you to knock before entering?"
Danzo barged in, utterly unfazed by Hiruzen's reprimand.
"Sarutobi, how are you even fit to be Hokage? A brat from the Uchiha clan with such incredible talent, and you've let him grow unchecked until now! You even paired him with the Jinchūriki!"
"You refused to let me take control of the Jinchūriki, and now you won't even manage that Uchiha boy?!"
Bang!
"Enough!"
Hiruzen slammed his hand on the desk and stood upright, radiating an imposing presence. Even Danzo couldn't help but frown at the sudden surge of authority.
"I am the Hokage. I don't need you to tell me how to do my job!"
"Fine! You're the Hokage. Then tell me, what do you plan to do about the Uchiha boy?"
Danzo pressed on, his tone sharp.
"Hand him over to me. That Uchiha brat I'll train him into Konoha's most formidable weapon!"
"He'll become the sharpest sword in the shadows of Konoha. With that kind of talent, I guarantee that in less than two years"
"Impossible!"
Hiruzen interrupted decisively.
"Sasuke Uchiha will not be handed over to you."
"Hiruzen… you'll regret this."
Danzo turned and stormed out of the office.
Had his Root operatives not reported that Guy, one of Konoha's elite jōnin, had actually fought Sasuke, Danzo might never have realized such a prodigy existed right under his nose.
And more importantly, he was an Uchiha.
"Sarutobi, if you won't entrust that Uchiha to me, then I'll handle this in my own way."
Danzo's thoughts turned to Uchiha Itachi.
If Sasuke lacked such extraordinary talent, Danzo wouldn't have paid him any attention.
But Sasuke's abilities left Danzo no choice.
How many jōnin in the entire ninja world could stand toe-to-toe with Might Guy? And Sasuke was only a freshly graduated genin.
A mere kid!
A twelve-year-old kid had achieved what countless jōnin could not.
"Uchiha… Sasuke!"
Danzo glanced out the window before swiftly leaving the Hokage's office.
Meanwhile, inside the office, Hiruzen slowly sat back down.
"That Danzo… he's not going to stay quiet!"
Sasuke is worth nurturing.
If Danzo decided to target Sasuke from the shadows, Hiruzen couldn't always be there to intervene.
It seemed best to have Sasuke leave Konoha for a while.
And during that time, Hiruzen could also arrange for Team 7 to bond as a unit.
With ties of friendship, they could be better guided onto the right path.
Hiruzen's gaze shifted to the crystal ball in front of him.
Kakashi was talking to Might Guy about something, but Sasuke had already disappeared from the scene.
"Send someone!"
Swish!
An Anbu ninja appeared before him.
"Lord Third, your orders?"
"Find Kakashi and bring him to me. Also, prepare the list of recently submitted missions in Konoha."
"Understood!"
The Anbu ninja vanished, and before long, Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office.
At that moment, Hiruzen was reviewing a C-rank mission request.
The mission involved escorting a bridge builder back to the Land of Waves.
This request had been rejected multiple times, raising red flags for Hiruzen.
Though the Land of Waves was just a small nation on the edge of Konoha's territory, Hiruzen could sense that something unusual was behind the mission.
Based on his experience, such missions often involved threats from rogue ninja, likely of B-rank strength at most.
"Kakashi."
"I'm here, Lord Third. What are your instructions?"
"Tomorrow, take Team 7 and accept this C-rank mission."
A C-rank mission? That worked well enough, as Kakashi had already been planning to have Sasuke and the others take one.
However, he suspected there was more to Hiruzen's directive than just assigning a simple mission.
"After a month of training, Team 7 has more or less built some synergy. But they need a true trial by fire to forge a genuine bond among themselves," Hiruzen said.
Kakashi understood immediately.
"I see, Lord Third!"
"Good. Both Naruto and Sasuke share remarkably similar childhoods. I believe they'll become close friends," Hiruzen said with conviction.
"And in the future, they'll support one another in protecting the peace of Konoha."
Kakashi nodded. "They certainly will."
While Kakashi and Hiruzen were orchestrating plans to strengthen the bonds between Naruto and Sasuke, Sasuke had just returned home.
Bursting with excitement, he opened the system interface.
"Exceptional Physique!"
"I wonder how much this will change things for me!"
The change Sasuke most desired was an increase in chakra reserves.
If his chakra volume expanded, he would become like a dragon entering the sea, ready to soar to unimaginable heights.
"Claim reward!"
[Confirmed]
[Reward is being processed. Please wait...]
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