"Hiruzen is kind, gentle, and refined—truly worthy of being the leader of a village's Kage."
Stepping out of the Hokage's office, Kushina said joyfully.
Minato Namikaze nodded along with a smile on his face, clearly in a great mood too.
The Third Hokage was a legendary Kage-level ninja whose reputation had spread far and wide across Konoha—a title often associated with Konoha's strongest ninja.
He bore many titles:
"The Shin'yū (Heroic Ninja)," "The Ninjutsu Doctor," "The Master of All Ninja Techniques," and "Konoha's Strongest Hokage."
You could say Minato grew up listening to stories about this man. Seeing him in person and finding him just as warm and kind as described felt like meeting a childhood hero.
"Satori Hyūga, why do you look so unhappy?" Kushina asked, glancing at Satori.
"I am happy—it's just that I didn't receive the reward I was expecting," Satori replied.
He had been hoping that rescuing Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, would earn him some generous rewards.
But instead, all the Third Hokage did was call him over for a brief compliment, then dropped the matter entirely.
What a tightwad.
Satori had also secretly hoped to take a peek at the Scroll of Seals and study some of its forbidden jutsu.
Alas, things didn't go his way—he got ahead of himself.
Once they were gone, the Hokage's office fell silent again.
At that moment, Danzo limped out from the side, leaning on his cane.
"Hiruzen, let me train Minato Namikaze. I'll make sure he becomes a capable ninja."
Hiruzen refused without hesitation. "No. I've already decided where Minato will go. Once he graduates, I'll have Jiraiya personally guide his training."
"Danzo, don't interfere with these three. From now on, their affairs are my responsibility."
Danzo's gaze turned icy with barely concealed rage. "Jiraiya can't even teach worth a damn! Minato might end up just like him—a perverted stalker and total creep!"
"Hand him over to me, and I'll forge him into a real ninja—one as sharp and unyielding as a battle-tested blade."
He had studied Minato's recent performance and recognized the boy's potential, sparking strong interest in recruiting him.
Saving the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from Cloud Village ninjas before even graduating? That was impressive.
Once he graduates, give him some proper training, and he'll take off like a rocket.
He intended to invest heavily in Minato, grooming him to become one of his most powerful subordinates.
Once the timing was right, he planned to overthrow his so-called "close friend" and claim the title of Hokage for himself.
"No. You don't know how to cultivate a ninja," Hiruzen cut him off sharply.
"Minato possesses an unshakable Will of Fire—an understanding deeper than most. He will never belong to your Root."
"And besides, those rumors about peeping? They're slander. Jiraiya told me himself—Minato was only observing people for inspiration while writing."
"It's not necessarily perversion if it has purpose. You must have misunderstood…"
Hiruzen declared with a noble tone while quietly tucking away the crystal ball from the Telescope Jutsu—like he hadn't been peeking at all.
In any case, he would absolutely never approve anything Danzo proposed.
Furious, Danzo's resentment toward Hiruzen deepened further.
Not only did he accept bribes and share none of the benefits, he didn't even spare a single commoner ninja for himself.
The Root organization he painstakingly built was on the verge of disbanding without Hiruzen Sarutobi's support.
Those who remained in Root were mostly kept loyal through Danzō's manipulation and financial incentives, aside from members of the Shimura clan.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said impatiently, "then hand over Satori Hyūga to me."
"You promised him to me before," Danzō added.
With Satori Hyūga under his control, he could use the authority of the Main House to dominate the Branch House members to the fullest extent.
Moreover, Satori was accompanied by at least an elite Jonin-level Taijutsu master.
If he could bring that person into his ranks, Root's strength would see a major boost.
Hiruzen saw right through Danzō's intentions and replied calmly, "That was then, and this is now. The situation has changed."
"Satori Hyūga has already been quietly taken in as Orochimaru's apprentice."
"If you want Satori, go talk to Orochimaru about it yourself."
Hiruzen spoke so decisively because he knew Orochimaru's personality well.
Orochimaru would never easily hand over his own apprentice to Konoha's covert and morally ambiguous faction—Root.
Even if he did, Danzō wouldn't necessarily dare to accept him.
Danzō was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on.
"Orochimaru took Satori as his apprentice?"
He immediately connected the dots. No wonder Orochimaru had asked him for the Shadow Clone Jutsu earlier.
His brows furrowed deeply, and a flicker of hesitation flickered in his eyes.
To him, Orochimaru was nothing more than a rising newcomer.
Everything changed after the Second Great Shinobi War, when Orochimaru became one of the legendary Sannin.
Thanks to his status as a Konoha hero, his unique charisma, and persuasive skills, Orochimaru had won the attention and loyalty of many within the village.
Even Danzō could only cooperate with Orochimaru rather than force him into servitude.
Recruiting his disciple would certainly pose a problem.
There was no telling whether Satori Hyūga might turn out to be a spy planted by Orochimaru inside Root.
In an instant, Danzō's suspicion flared.
Satori was temporarily ruled out.
As for Kushina, Danzō knew full well that Hiruzen would never hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
He shot Hiruzen a glare and uttered a phrase familiar only to the two of them.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
Hiruzen: "…."
Regret what?
With a loud *thud*, the door slammed shut, startling Hiruzen.
"What's wrong with Danzō? Is he going through a midlife crisis or something?"
He shook his head, pulled out a hidden crystal ball, and activated the Telescope Technique.
His target: the Hyūga clan.
Previously, Uchiha came first, followed by women's bathhouses in second place.
Now, Uchiha still ranked first, while Hyūga came in second.
"The Hyūga clan seems quiet and obedient, secluded within their compound—but behind the scenes, they've been concealing considerable strength."
Hiruzen had even been misled by intelligence reports, believing the Branch House's hidden experts were responsible.
Thus, he began paying closer attention to the Hyūga—the second-most powerful Dojutsu clan.
"Ahh, my eyes!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi covered his eyes, as though spiritually scarred.
His Telescope Technique scanned across the Hyuga Clan's territory, accidentally coming to rest on a secluded and concealed training ground.
The place was isolated and well-hidden, as if concealing something.
When Hiruzen finally saw it, he was immediately taken aback by a group of figures resembling green goblins practicing there.
What a horrifying sight.
Figure after figure clad in green jumpsuits was doing frog jumps across the training ground.
Not only were they wearing green jumpsuits, but their faces were also painted with all sorts of patterns.
But they weren't just doing ordinary frog jumps—they were stacking themselves into human towers.
Layer upon layer, one person climbed onto another's shoulders, followed by another leaping atop them, continuing the upward stack.
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