Hyuga Arin walked into Hiruzen Sarutobi's office.
Hiruzen was buried in paperwork. Hearing movement, he looked up.
"What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"
Frankly, he thought Arin was doing quite well there—
And had no intention of letting him out anytime soon.
"I've already taken leave from the hospital. I came to request leave from you as well," Arin said directly. "I'm going to travel the ninja world."
Hiruzen looked at him suspiciously.
"Ninja don't have 'leave.'"
Ninja were on standby 24/7.
Always ready to respond to the Hokage.
In theory—
It was a job with no days off, ever.
"Then should we talk about Jiraiya-senpai?" Arin said calmly.
He had come prepared.
Hiruzen's expression stiffened.
Jiraiya was his disciple—
But technically, even he shouldn't be wandering around freely.
Normally, no one brought it up.
But Arin was… different.
Hiruzen suddenly thought of an animal—
A honey badger.
Surprisingly accurate.
He rubbed his temples.
"Just tell me what you really want."
There was no way Arin just wanted to "travel."
This was the guy who had practically turned Danzo into a peace advocate.
"Just sightseeing. Relaxing a bit," Arin said confidently.
Hiruzen stared at him.
If it were anyone else—
He might've believed it.
"Tell me the truth."
"When have I ever lied?!"
When have you ever told the truth?
Hiruzen rolled his eyes.
After a moment of thought, he asked:
"How long?"
Arin was… currently in a strange position.
Too risky for external missions.
Too excessive for internal ones.
The hospital was the safest place for him.
Arin calculated the distance to the Land of Wind.
Even at a slow pace—
Over a month to get there.
Another month to return.
"Three months," he said.
(If he killed the Kazekage, he'd come back.
If not… he wouldn't need to.)
Hiruzen considered it.
Three months—
Enough time to reach any of the Five Great Nations.
"…You're really just traveling?"
"What do you mean by that?!" Arin slammed his hands on the desk. "You don't trust me? I have no credibility with you at all?!"
…Not really.
But Hiruzen chose his words carefully.
"If I answer honestly, you'll go kill a Kage on the spot," he thought.
After a pause, he said:
"I can grant the leave. But you must not cause trouble. And if you do—do not bring it back to Konoha."
Arin hesitated.
That was… a bit tricky.
"So you are planning to cause trouble!!!" Hiruzen immediately caught on, slamming the desk.
"No," Arin said, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
"LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU TALK, YOU BRAT!!"
"Honestly, you're not young anymore. Why are you always yelling?" Arin said casually.
"AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?!"
"Relax, I'm really just going sightseeing."
"THEN LOOK AT ME!!! STOP STARING AT THE CEILING!!!"
…
In the end—
Hiruzen still granted the leave.
After extracting repeated assurances that Arin wouldn't get caught causing trouble.
"Am I really that easy to read?" Arin muttered, pulling out a mirror.
He examined his face.
Perfectly harmless.
After thinking for a while—
He gave up and put the mirror away.
Leaving the Hokage Tower—
He spotted a green figure sprinting in the distance.
"This is youth!!"
A passionate voice echoed.
Might Dai.
It was Arin's first time seeing him—
Mostly because he rarely went out.
"If a war really breaks out… Konoha's actually in a strong position," Arin muttered.
Tsunade hadn't developed hemophobia.
Jiraiya could return anytime.
Hatake Sakumo was still alive.
Hiruzen and Danzo weren't old yet.
At the top level—
Konoha had enough power to rival the other great villages.
What it lacked—
Was mid-level manpower.
"But this time… I need to be careful. Can't get discovered."
Arin scratched his head.
That made things harder.
Instead of heading home—
He wandered through Konoha.
He had lived here so long—
Yet never properly explored it.
Unlike the Rain Country—
Konoha was prosperous.
Even more so than the Capital of Fire.
At least on the surface—
There were no rigid class divisions.
In the Capital—
Commoners had to kneel before nobles.
What a bunch of Celestial Dragons.
Though—
Now he was the biggest "Celestial Dragon."
So… never mind.
His incarnation hadn't been making any big moves lately.
Just playing the role of a useless Daimyō.
Which, honestly—
Was accurate.
Even though the entire Land of Fire nominally obeyed him—
The regional lords still governed themselves.
On the streets—
He saw many children.
"Konoha's next generation is starting to grow."
"Dr. Arin."
An Uchiha greeted him politely.
Arin smiled and nodded back.
Konoha's prosperity owed much to the Uchiha Police Force.
Even if they were a bit harsh—
They maintained order and fairness.
Still—
Being greeted by Uchiha felt… strange.
After all—
He had his eyes on their "drops."
They just didn't know it.
His identity as a doctor made him untouchable.
And his Root identity—
Anyone outside the organization who knew…
Was already dead.
Only Hiruzen knew.
As for whether Hiruzen knew what he'd done—
That was unclear.
"Lord White Fang!!"
Cheers erupted.
Arin leapt onto a streetlamp and looked into the distance.
Hatake Sakumo had just returned through Konoha's gates.
"That level of popularity…" Arin stroked his chin.
"…is bound to attract resentment, White Fang-senpai."
A faint, knowing smile appeared on his face.
Sensing his gaze—
Sakumo turned sharply toward the streetlamp.
Their eyes met.
Sakumo narrowed his eyes—
Then looked away.
He had no intention of getting involved with Arin.
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