Not just the clansmen accusing Shikage — even Shikaku and Shikage himself were stunned by Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer.
This wasn't the Third Hokage's usual style at all.
A few of the opposition members, full of confusion and rage, were about to speak up and challenge him.
But the second they raised their heads, their leader shot them a sharp warning glare.
They only wanted to save face — they weren't suicidal.
Hiruzen had already made his stance crystal clear. Pushing any further would just piss him off and burn every last bridge with Shikaku and Shikage.
The leader stole a careful glance at Shikage, heart filled with nothing but bitterness and fear.
Only now did he finally "understand" why Shikaku had dared to move so boldly against the Danzō faction.
—They already knew the Third Hokage would back them!
—They already knew Danzō had thrown us away!
He thought he finally saw the whole board.
Everything Shikaku had done might not have been to crush his political rivals at all — it could have been a direct order from Sarutobi Hiruzen!
All because Nara Shiozuki had been secretly working with Orochimaru.
He hadn't believed it at first, but now… it had to be true.
Otherwise why would Danzō abandon them so completely?
Swallowing hard as the realization hit late, the leader quickly bowed low, nodding and scraping, accepting the Hokage's decision without another word.
After offering sincere apologies to both Shikaku and Shikage, he led his people out with their tails between their legs.
Staying to cause more trouble now would be pure suicide.
He needed to get back immediately, find every possible way to suck up to Shikage, and scrape the "Danzō faction" label off his back as fast as humanly possible.
At the very least he had to publicly cut all ties with Nara Shiozuki.
Otherwise, who knew when Anbu operatives might show up for a midnight "home visit"?
Once the troublemaking Nara clansmen had scurried out, Shikaku pulled Shikage down with him into a single-knee kneel.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen gave a gentle smile and waved his hand.
"Shikage did nothing wrong. Where's the 'help' in that?"
"I've looked into Shikamaru — he's a very well-behaved, clever boy. As for that other Nara kid… he was already a problem child in the Academy, constantly getting scolded by the teachers…"
He went on for quite a while, seemingly comforting father and son, but in truth he was mostly convincing himself.
Deep down, Hiruzen did feel Shikage had gone a little too far. A broken arm or leg would have been one thing, but the boy had been left with full-body fractures and permanent disability.
Still, he kept those thoughts carefully hidden.
Because in Shikage he saw a spark.
A spark of possibility — the possibility of becoming Hokage.
Hiruzen hadn't settled on a Fifth Hokage yet, but he had very clear criteria.
First, strength at least on Minato's level — the stronger the better.
Second, support from more than eighty percent of the major clans and political heavyweights.
Third, a heart that truly carried the Will of Fire.
Fourth, decisive, ruthless when necessary, iron will, and nerves of steel.
Yes — he was selecting exactly to Tobirama Senju's template.
That was also why, even now, he still hadn't found a satisfactory successor.
Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Asuma…
None of them quite fit. They all lacked something.
There had been a few candidates over the years, but every one fell through for one reason or another.
People always crave most what they themselves lack.
The older Hiruzen grew, the more indecisive he became — and the more he envied and admired those who could act decisively with a clear view of the entire board.
His teacher's mark from his youth had been burned too deep. Even today, Hiruzen still felt he fell short of Tobirama.
—If Sensei hadn't met with that accident back then, Konoha would never have turned out like this…
Right now Shikage didn't meet the first three criteria at all, but his actions quietly matched the fourth — exactly the "courage" Hiruzen lacked.
Decisive, efficient, ruthless but not excessive.
Yes, the Nara boy had been badly hurt… but he was still alive and could live out his days peacefully as a civilian, right?
If it had been Danzō, the grave would already be three meters tall with weeds.
Thinking of that, Hiruzen's gaze toward Shikage grew warmer and warmer.
—Eldest legitimate son of the Nara main house. Born politician.
—Taught at the Academy while still a student — excellent reputation, beloved by the kids.
—Personality isn't bad either.
—The only weakness is strength.
The more he weighed Shikage's qualities, the brighter the old man's aged eyes shone.
If properly nurtured… wasn't this the perfect Hokage seed?
Shikage had no idea that holding back just enough had made Hiruzen view him so favorably — even consider grooming him as the next Hokage.
He could feel the goodwill the Third was sending his way, and while it felt pretty damn good, he still kept his basic caution.
After all, some of Hiruzen's decisions in the original story had been… truly bizarre.
Even if the old man was fundamentally a good person, trusting him too much was never wise.
"How is Shikage's strength right now?"
Hiruzen asked with a kindly smile.
Shikaku answered for his son:
"Just reached mid-chūnin level."
In truth he had vaguely sensed Shikage was hiding his real power — far beyond mid-chūnin.
But out of caution, he still gave the safe answer.
—Mid-chūnin…
—Twelve years old and already mid-chūnin. Not bad at all, but…
Compared to Itachi, Shisui, or Kakashi, the talent looked painfully average.
Hiruzen sighed inwardly, then continued:
"Not bad, not bad at all."
"The village is preparing to hold the next Chunin Exams soon."
"Shikage, are you interested in participating?"
He wanted to see the boy's true level with his own eyes. If the ability and strength were decent, he wouldn't mind taking on another personal disciple.
—Chunin Exams?
—That's basically playing house.
With Shikage's current strength, even one of his shadow soldiers could solo the entire exam.
He had zero interest in wasting time on something like that.
He still needed to join Anbu and farm monsters for levels!
So he answered immediately:
"Lord Hokage, I remember there are other ways to be promoted to chūnin besides taking the exams, right?"
Hiruzen blinked, momentarily confused by the question.
"Mm… yes, there are other paths."
Joining Anbu or Root, distinguished military service in war…
All of those could bypass the exams and grant rank promotion.
"You mean…?"
"Lord Hokage, I wish to join Anbu!"
Hiruzen froze again.
Surprised?
Of course.
But mostly delighted.
Anbu was his direct, personal force — even more loyal than the Nara clan itself.
If Shikage could enter Anbu, he could personally mold him into exactly the kind of successor he wanted!
However…
"Shikage, you know joining Anbu has conditions."
"You must pass the Anbu entrance exam."
Honestly, with Shikage's "current" displayed strength, passing the real Anbu test wasn't very realistic.
But as long as Hiruzen himself wanted it, who could stop the boy from joining?
Shikage wasn't surprised at all. He simply nodded.
"Understood."
Seeing the serious look on the boy's face, Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction.
"In that case…"
"You…"