Chapter 8: Class Assignments Decided

Chapter 8: Class Assignments Decided

**Hokage's Office**

On Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk lay a file containing recent mission and action records regarding Kakashi.

Kakashi had already clashed with his new teams for the third time, and the relationships were deteriorating to the point where it was becoming difficult for him to perform his duties properly.

Anbu leader Danzo stood before Hiruzen's desk, leaning on his cane. In a low voice, he said, "...It seems you can't find a place for that child, Hiruzen. If that's the case, why not leave him to me?"

Hiruzen, holding a pipe, glanced at Danzo and responded, "You want to turn Sarutobi's child into an emotionless tool?"

Danzo remained expressionless, saying, "Leave him to me, and he won't make the same mistakes as Sarutobi. He'll become a ninja greater than Sarutobi."

Hiruzen snorted, rising from his seat. "Don't tell me you came all this way just for this, Danzo."

Danzo gave him a deep look, then replied, "No. I came here because I heard about Kakashi. I want to ask you about your attitude towards the Hidden Mist village. Are you preparing for war, or..."

Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, exhaled a ring of smoke, and walked over to the window. After pausing for several seconds, he finally spoke, "We'll take some deterrent action. Their recent probing has gone too far. I'll leave this matter to you."

"Understood."

Danzo nodded and walked towards the door, adding, "...Hiruzen, don't waste that child's talent."

Hiruzen did not respond. After Danzo left, he turned to the direction where Danzo had disappeared and sighed. He shook his head, and the image of Sarutobi flashed in his mind.

Sarutobi's death had a big impact on Konoha.

The other major ninja villages had been testing Konoha more frequently lately, partly because Konoha had lost its 'White Fang'—a powerful force.

Kakashi, too, was affected by Sarutobi's death. No matter which team he was assigned to, there were always conflicts with the seniors. More than two years had passed since his graduation, yet he still hadn't found a proper team. Danzo's suggestion wasn't without reason.

"Your child is an outstanding ninja, Sarutobi, but his way of dealing with people is too immature..."

Hiruzen murmured to himself.

Sarutobi's two children, Ryo and Kakashi—if Ryo could be considered 'outstanding,' then Kakashi was undoubtedly a genius, seemingly inheriting Sarutobi's talent. Kakashi might become the second 'White Fang' in the future.

Now, how to handle Kakashi was the problem. Hiruzen had assigned him to several teams already, but every time, he ended up in conflict, unable to stay for long.

Handing Kakashi over to Danzo wasn't an option.

Although Root was indeed a good fit for Kakashi, doing so would betray Sarutobi, who had been at odds with Danzo before his death. Sarutobi would never want his son turned into a tool by Root.

"...This will do," Hiruzen muttered after considering many thoughts, then whispered towards the empty ceiling, "Call Minato over."

Ordinary Jonin would be hard to handle Kakashi, and the few that Hiruzen had considered before all didn't get along with Kakashi. The only option left was Minato Namikaze.

After Sarutobi's death, Minato was the most suitable candidate to succeed as the Fourth Hokage. Among the Three Ninjas, Jiraiya and Tsunade had no intention of becoming Hokage, but Jiraiya had recommended his disciple, Minato, and he was an excellent choice.

If Minato were to succeed as the Fourth Hokage, he would need to cultivate his own direct disciples. Handing Kakashi, this genius, over to Minato was just the right fit.

"Understood."

The Anbu agent on the roof responded quickly and vanished.

Hiruzen sat back in his chair and took another puff from his pipe. He shook his head, chuckling, "...I didn't expect I'd have to bother Minato after all."

Because of the tense situation in the ninja world, many places needed Minato, and Hiruzen had considered him for a long time but hadn't made a decision. Now, after all this, he had come full circle.

He wasn't worried about leaving Kakashi in Minato's hands. After all, Minato was his chosen successor for the Fourth Hokage. Teaching a genius like Kakashi would be a simple task for him.

While contemplating, Hiruzen took out a file.

It was a list of students from the ninja academy for the current year, sorted by their relationship with Kakashi.

At the top was Ryo's personal information, but Hiruzen only glanced at it and set it aside.

It wouldn't be appropriate to place siblings in the same team, especially since Minato was a candidate to become Hokage. If Ryo had the same talent as Kakashi, it might have been possible to ignore such concerns, but now he had to consider the village's opinion.

"Guy... Uchiha Obito... Nohara Rin..."

Hiruzen thought for a moment before making a choice.

First, Uchiha Obito—placing this Uchiha clan member under Minato's guidance would prevent any major opposition from the Uchiha clan regarding Minato's succession as Hokage.

Finally, he chose a civilian child—Nohara Rin. Being a girl, she was the perfect fit to balance things out in the team.

*Thud.*

After making his decision, Hiruzen took another puff and chuckled softly.

Even the Hokage, the leader of the village, had to think carefully about assigning a single ninja and even personally involved himself in the class assignments for the students graduating from the academy next year.

But Kakashi's talent was certainly worth such attention, and Minato was trustworthy enough to make the decision confidently.

There shouldn't be any major problems.

After deciding Kakashi's team, Hiruzen lost interest in the other students and set aside the file about Ryo and the others, no longer looking at it.

"I hope Danzo's actions can bring some stability to the Mist village."

Hiruzen glanced at the ceiling, exhaling a puff of smoke.

What truly troubled him now was the state of the ninja world. Conflicts between the major ninja villages were growing more frequent, and it was essentially becoming a situation centered around Konoha.

The reason was simple: The Land of Fire was the most resource-rich nation, and Konoha had gained substantial benefits in the Second Great Ninja War. This had caused the other villages to focus on Konoha.

But he couldn't back down when it came to interests.

In the ninja world, if one gave in once, it would lead to a second time. Strong measures had to be used to resist external threats in order to maintain peace, and Hiruzen knew this all too well.

So, if the situation couldn't stabilize and a Third Great Ninja War broke out, Konoha would have to fight with all its strength!

With that thought, a cold gleam appeared in Hiruzen's eyes.

Having gained rich resources in the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha's core strength was solid and vast. Even though they had lost the 'White Fang,' his disciples Orochimaru and Jiraiya had grown into formidable ninjas, and rising talents like Minato were also emerging.

If war did come, Konoha wouldn't fear any other village!

*(End of Chapter)*

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