After settling the distraught Tsunade, Arisu turned and left the morgue.
He arrived at the Hokage's office.
The Fifth Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk with a pipe in his mouth. Guilt filled his eyes.
"I failed to fulfill my duty as Hokage."
"I couldn't even protect Lord Second's grandson, Nawaki..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked sorrowful.
Arisu stood before the desk, straight as a pine tree.
He didn't believe Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually grieving for Nawaki.
As far as he remembered, when Hiruzen's father died, White Zetsu had reported that Hiruzen was drinking with Danzo.
He had even heard that Hiruzen dragged Danzo off for drinks right in front of Sarutobi Sasuke's grave.
Arisu spoke calmly, "Hokage-sama, there's no need to blame yourself. On the battlefield, life and death have always been unpredictable."
Just a simple sentence.
"Sigh..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh. He lightly tapped his pipe against the ashtray, producing a soft sound.
Looking up at Arisu, he spoke earnestly, "For the next few days, don't rush back to the Land of Wind battlefield."
"With Sakumo there, nothing will go wrong."
"Stay in Konoha and spend more time with Tsunade. That child is stubborn. The hurdle in her heart is probably something only you can help her get over more quickly."
Having lived to this age, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been good at reading people.
He had long noticed the feelings in Tsunade's eyes whenever she looked at Arisu.
Because of that, he believed only Arisu could ease some of the pain of losing her younger brother.
"Alright."
Arisu did not refuse. He simply nodded and accepted.
"There's one more thing."
Hiruzen paused and softened his tone further.
"I'd like you to serve as a jonin squad leader during your stay in the village. Of course, if you're unwilling, just say so. I won't force you."
Arisu's brow twitched slightly.
"Which children do you want me to lead?"
Hiruzen reached out, picked up a scroll, and slowly opened it.
Three names were clearly written on the paper.
"Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Shinnosuke Sarutobi."
The moment he saw those three names, Arisu's eyes narrowed slightly before he nodded in understanding.
None of these three children were ordinary.
Minato Namikaze was a civilian genius who had emerged in Konoha in recent years. His talent and determination were both top-tier.
Kushina Uzumaki was a girl from the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha's chosen next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It was Arisu himself who had brought her back from the destroyed Land of Whirlpools.
As for Shinnosuke Sarutobi, he was the only son of the Fifth Hokage and had perfectly inherited Hiruzen Sarutobi's talent for all five nature transformations.
"Are you willing?"
Hiruzen looked up, his eyes full of undisguised anticipation.
This arrangement contained both personal and public motives.
Personally, he wanted his most valued son to learn under a top expert acknowledged throughout the ninja world, to refine his character and improve his strength.
At present, the only masters of all five nature transformations in the village were himself and Arisu.
As for public reasons, they involved Minato and Kushina.
Looking across all of Konoha, there was no teacher more suitable than Arisu.
He and Minato were both genius civilians, so they would naturally understand each other better.
And Kushina had been brought back to Konoha by Arisu, so the two of them would certainly get along well.
Arisu hesitated slightly.
To be honest, he didn't really want to become a squad leader.
The main reason was Minato and Kushina. These two were the parents of the next Ashura reincarnation.
He was worried that having this connection might lead to other complications.
"Forget it. I'll just do whatever feels right."
Arisu quickly came to terms with it.
"Alright, leave it to me."
He nodded slightly and accepted the assignment.
———
On the rooftop, a gentle breeze blew by.
Arisu stood with his hands behind his back and calmly looked at the three young boys and girls before him, their eyes shining brightly.
"My name is Arisu. Starting today, I will be your guiding teacher."
As soon as the words fell, surprise and joy instantly appeared in all three of their eyes.
Kushina Uzumaki had never imagined that Brother Six Paths would become her teacher.
Minato Namikaze was deeply shaken. His fingers tightened slightly.
This was Konoha's recognized number one civilian genius.
No, he was Konoha's true number one all-around genius.
Being able to study under him was an opportunity countless people dreamed of.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi's eyes burned with admiration. His clenched fists were even trembling.
He was also following the path of mastering all five nature transformations. Deep down, he did not worship his father, the so-called "Professor of Ninjutsu."
The only person he truly idolized was the one standing before him.
Arisu's use of the five nature transformations was what a true genius should look like in his imagination.
"Brother Six Paths! No, no, Teacher!"
"I'm Kushina Uzumaki! My dream is to become Konoha's first female Hokage!"
Kushina stepped forward first and spoke brightly.
Arisu nodded slightly.
Kushina was more cheerful now, and closer to how she was in the original story.
He remembered how timid she had been when she first arrived in Konoha.
Now she was obviously much more open and outgoing.
"Hello, Teacher Arisu. I'm Minato Namikaze."
"My dream is to become Konoha's first civilian Hokage. Please take care of me."
Minato immediately composed himself and bowed respectfully.
Arisu nodded slightly.
Minato Namikaze, a gentleman, refined and gentle as jade.
Just like in the original story.
"Teacher! I'm Shinnosuke Sarutobi!"
"I'm your number one fan! My dream is to become Konoha's second Hokage to master all five nature transformations!"
Shinnosuke stepped forward and shouted loudly.
Arisu nodded.
This should be the father of Konohamaru Sarutobi from the original story.
According to the original story, Konohamaru called Asuma his uncle.
Hiruzen Sarutobi only had two sons, Asuma Sarutobi and Shinnosuke Sarutobi.
Based on that, Shinnosuke was probably Konohamaru's father. He simply never appeared because he died young.
Looking at the three of them, Arisu rubbed his forehead.
'They all wanted to become Hokage?'
"Alright, then I officially announce the establishment of Konoha Team One!"
Arisu lightly clapped his hands as he spoke.
After that, Arisu did not organize a bell test.
He felt those things were unnecessary and there was no need to do them.
That very afternoon, he directly took the three of them and selected an A-rank mission.
"Arisu, this A-rank mission is pretty difficult!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked worriedly at the squad led by Arisu.
Although all three of them were geniuses, starting out with an A-rank mission still made him uneasy.
"Not a problem. My Team Arisu has never been afraid of high-rank missions.", Arisu answered directly.
"You're not worried about failing?", Hiruzen asked hesitantly.
Arisu shook his head.
There was no way he would fail.
Unless the mission was to lead all three of them through the Otsutsuki ancestral world without a scratch.