Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen set the processed documents aside and closed his eyes for a brief rest.
Though it was called resting, in truth he was constructing a Yin Seal that belonged solely to him.
The Yin Seal Technique was a method of collecting the chakra he let dissipate and storing it as backup energy…
If he did not pursue perfection, he would have already completed it…
But Hiruzen was different from ordinary ninja. As Konoha flourished, and as he entered a state of "second growth," he could feel his upper limit of chakra slowly increasing…
Therefore, his Yin Seal had to be designed with foresight…
On Hiruzen's forehead, a faint mark could be vaguely seen.
It was as though golden threads bound his brow; at the center between his eyebrows, two round imprints curved upward, resembling a golden band worn upon his head.
"It can also be considered a tribute to the Great Sage," Hiruzen murmured, rubbing the space between his brows with a slight smile.
Since his nickname was Monkey, he might as well draw inspiration from Sun Wukong and design his mark with that theme in mind.
A moment later...
Danzō knocked and entered.
Hiruzen acted as if he had not noticed, sipping his tea before raising his head to glance at him. "Mm, you're here…"
If he had not looked, it would have been fine.
But the instant he did, an inexplicable sense of amusement surged into Hiruzen's heart.
He thought of Tobirama-sensei, who at this very moment should be working overtime a hundred meters beneath the Hokage Rock, refining and repairing the cloned body he would later possess…
If those two were to meet, it would surely be interesting.
The matter of Tobirama being revived in the body of an Uchiha had already become an unspoken understanding between master and disciple, and would not be revealed to anyone.
Whether Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, or Mitokado Homura.
In the shinobi world, there were many ways to gather intelligence, and people's personalities differed…
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Senju Tobirama were confident they could conceal it, but the two Hokage had no confidence in others.
The more people who knew, the greater the chance of leakage.
Perhaps one day, even a slightly improper exchange of glances could be noticed by someone observant and cause trouble…
On the other hand...
Genuine emotion was the best acting. Danzō, unaware of Senju Tobirama's identity, toward an "Uchiha who did not know whether to live or die, and who imitated Senju Tobirama"…
Would certainly target him with full force!
That, by nature, was the best proof of Uchiha Tobirama's identity…
If he knew the truth, there would be none of Danzō's usual mass distribution of labels and reckless exaggeration…
At this thought, Hiruzen, rarely losing composure, swallowed a mouthful of tea in one gulp and choked several times.
Danzō looked at Hiruzen in confusion.
What did this mean? Could it be that his face was amusing? That made no sense…
He subconsciously touched the bandages around his forehead and eye socket.
Could it be they were not wrapped properly?
"Hiruzen, what are you laughing at?" After confirming there was nothing wrong, Danzō asked with a dark expression.
Although the bond between him and Hiruzen had been deepening day by day, he still could not break the habit of picking faults that he had kept for decades.
If he could not find fault with major matters, then he would pick at minor ones; otherwise, it always felt like something was missing…
"Ah, I thought of something interesting. Sorry…"
Hiruzen changed the subject. "Come, have some tea, have some tea."
He personally brewed Danzō a cup of hot tea, as a bit of compensation for what he would run into in the future.
The Hokage could only do this much.
'Trading barbs with sensei is beneficial for improving one's skill in political infighting. Rounding it off, it counts as preparing in advance to become Hokage…'
Hiruzen silently muttered to himself in his heart.
"The tea is not bad, but it still feels like something is off with you today…" Danzō stared at Hiruzen with suspicion.
"I was thinking about the bet." Hiruzen steered the topic aside.
"So, how is it—Kakuzu counts as working for Konoha now, right? Then shouldn't you pick a day to start the 'smiling-face inspection of the whole village' activity?"
"Remember to go to the Konoha Military Police Force. You're the ANBU commander—you need to build good relations with your brother unit."
Danzō's hand holding the teacup trembled.
To have him go over with a full smile and greet those Uchiha—still the kind where he grinned and bared his teeth like Might Duy?
This kind of thing was too dark!
Then where would the legacy of Tobirama-sensei that he had always prided himself on be, and where would the dignity of the Hokage's assistant be?
"Can that be counted as bathing in the Will of Fire?"
Danzō argued, "Didn't we pay him? Thirty million ryō! That's more than enough to buy the life of a famous jōnin from a major hidden village!"
"Hiruzen, don't mass-produce 'Will of Fire' labels for other people… We can't make Konoha cheap!"
Hiruzen could not hold back his laughter.
"You're slapping labels on me—on the head of me, the Hokage? You've really got some nerve…"
"Fine, then this time we'll count what you said as reasonable."
And inside, the Hokage silently thought: this is the fee paid in advance for Danzō and Tobirama-sensei to duel in rhetoric…
Mm, that is very fair.
"Then what counts?" Hiruzen's tone shifted. "There has to be a standard, right? In the future, everything in the village must be aligned toward standardization and institutionalization…"
"You and I—one Hokage, one assistant—must take the lead and set this example."
"If the carpenter's square is not correct, you cannot make a square; if the compass is not correct, you cannot make a circle; if small crookedness is not corrected, great crookedness will surely result…"
Hiruzen spoke as though chanting.
Danzō's expression immediately grew solemn.
Worthy of being his lifelong rival…
Even his skill at slapping labels was not the slightest bit weaker than his!
The moment he opened his mouth, he elevated it to principles and values—and his moves were even more subtle than his…
Mm, stolen! Write it down in the Hiruzen Quotations…
"If he can do one thing for Konoha without taking money, then I lose. I stand by my word!"
In Danzō's view, could a ninja like Kakuzu, who had fallen into the eye of money, possibly work without payment?
Absolutely impossible!
He had an extremely poor impression of Kakuzu, purely because he was a missing-nin from a wandering background—not at all because Kakuzu had said that his existence was an insult to the First Hokage's image…
Hiruzen shrugged. "Oh."
"If you want to back out once, fine—then we'll raise the stakes. You'll smile while saying, 'You've all worked hard.'"
In the Hokage's eyes, this matter was not difficult…
Judging from the fact that Kakuzu had spent his own money to exchange one move with him, curiosity had already taken root in his heart.
Once there was curiosity, he would draw closer to Konoha to explore, and in doing so, feel the Will of Fire…
For a person so adrift, once captured by the Will of Fire, the likelihood of his escape was not high…
And put another way, perhaps one day it would only take reminding Kakuzu that doing this would disgust Danzō…
He would likely be very willing.
The two of them simply did not get along.
"Raise it if you want." Danzō waved his hand indifferently. He did not believe Kakuzu could do it.
Danzō believed that this bounty hunter, whose mouth was like it had been dipped in poison, must harbor evil intent!
As the Hokage's assistant and ANBU commander, he would keep a constant watch on Kakuzu; once he found any flaw, he would have him eliminated…
"About the intelligence on Kusagakure—how long will it take to gather?"
"The terrain and landscape, defensive deployments, key leaders, spies from the surrounding major hidden villages…" Hiruzen raised one finger.
"One hour… Within one hour, capture all of Kusagakure's top leadership."
"And it must be done silently, so that the other major hidden villages only learn of it after the battle is over!"
Danzō nodded.
Although this special military operation against Kusagakure was not low in difficulty, it was not impossible.
After the experience of the surprise strike on Blue B, he had also felt that the present Konoha—now clenched into a single fist—was far stronger than before…
"At the latest, within three months, I will dig out all of their roots."
Hiruzen calculated the timeline.
Tobirama and Danzō were progressing at roughly the same speed.
When the time came and he went to the laboratory to find no one there, it would be the moment to formally beat the drums and stage this grand play.
"Hiruzen, what is that pattern on your forehead?"
Danzō suddenly noticed the detail and frowned. "Are you developing some new technique again?"
His Wind Release: Chakra Mode was still being explored in confusion…
If Hiruzen made further progress again, that would be somewhat difficult for him to accept!
"Mm, I've gained a little insight…"
"Yin Seal Technique - Modified. I gained some understanding while exchanging views with Mito-sama."
Hiruzen lightly tapped the desk with his knuckles. "For the strike on Kusagakure, I intend to have the Uchiha Clan participate as well. What is your opinion?"
Danzō's gaze sharpened. "Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
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