One day, when Hiruzen Sarutobi had some free time, he called Isamu over to his house for a chat.
"Not bad, not bad. It seems your chess skills have improved after being idle for a few years!" Hiruzen Sarutobi praised repeatedly as he watched Isamu trading moves with him back and forth across the board.
"Sigh, to be honest, I'm not even interested in chess. There's just nothing else to do, so I end up finding people to play with. Practice makes perfect, I guess," Isamu said helplessly with a shrug.
"You've got some nerve saying that. I asked you to help train people in the Anbu before, but you refused. And now you sit here saying you have nothing to do!" Hiruzen Sarutobi rolled his eyes.
Isamu waved his hand dismissively. "Forget training people. I'm really not suited for teaching. Haven't you seen that brat at my house basically being raised free-range?"
Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi was instantly speechless. Not suited for teaching? He didn't believe a word of it. Isamu had taught Senba plenty while he was younger. Now that Senba had become a Chunin, he naturally needed less guidance. This guy just wanted an excuse to laze around.
"By the way, Sarutobi-bro, you didn't call me here just to play chess, did you? Something going on?" Isamu asked suspiciously.
"You brat, can't I just invite you over for a chat? Though… I do have a small matter to ask about today," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied calmly.
As expected. Isamu immediately knew there was a catch. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were exactly alike—if nothing was happening, they'd never come looking for him, but the moment they needed something, they appeared instantly.
"A small matter? Let's hear it."
"I heard you gave your old house to little Kushina. Is that true?"
"It's true. She's an outsider in Konoha and doesn't even have her own home. Now that she's grown up, she can't just keep living at my place forever, right? Besides, giving her a home helps her develop a sense of belonging to the village. What's wrong? Are you finally planning to compensate me? If so, just give me a few hundred million Ryo."
As he spoke, Isamu shamelessly extended his hand toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Get lost!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slapped his hand away immediately. "You were the one who gave away the house. What does that have to do with me? A few hundred million Ryo? You really dare to ask! Besides, your family doesn't even lack money."
"Money is one of those things where the more you have, the better," Isamu replied seriously. "I don't know anyone who complains about being too rich."
In truth, Isamu had his own reasons for letting Kushina Uzumaki move out. If she weren't the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, it wouldn't matter. But now that she carried the Nine-Tails, too many eyes were constantly watching her. Isamu hated being monitored all the time, especially when he had plenty of secrets of his own.
"Fine, fine, I know you're not actually interested in money," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a sigh. "I heard that Minato Namikaze and Kushina are very close lately. What do you think of Minato Namikaze?"
"Opinion? What opinion could I possibly have? Genius is basically his middle name. Besides, didn't Jiraiya take him as a disciple already? You should ask Jiraiya instead."
"Heh, if I ask Jiraiya, all I'll hear is endless praise. When it comes to judging people, I trust you more," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.
Isamu immediately started overthinking. What is this old fox trying to do? Choosing a future Hokage already? No… Orochimaru hasn't gone rogue yet, so Hiruzen should still favor him. Then why suddenly ask about Minato?
Seeing Isamu go silent, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the chessboard.
"Stop overthinking. I don't have some hidden agenda. Since Jiraiya accepted Minato as his disciple, Minato is my grand-disciple too. I'm just wondering what kind of gift I should give him."
"Damn it, you made me think it was something serious. You're the Hokage—just give him a few million Ryo!" Isamu said speechlessly.
"Giving money is too tacky. Besides, Ninja earn plenty from missions. Minato comes from a civilian background, has no clan backing, and possesses talent rivaling Orochimaru's. I want to give him something worthwhile… and maybe win him over a little."
"Senba is a genius too. How come I don't see you giving him anything?" Isamu immediately rolled his eyes.
At that moment, he finally understood. Minato's biggest advantage was that he wasn't tied to any major clan. Someone like that was perfect material for the Hokage faction.
"It's not favoritism," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a bitter smile. "Little Senba lacks absolutely nothing. Your family has money, status, and more Ninjutsu than I do. He's the great-grandson of the First Hokage. Tell me—what exactly could he possibly need?"
"Tch, don't feed me that nonsense. Whether he lacks something or not is one thing. Whether you give him anything is another. As the Hokage, you can't be biased."
"Alright, alright. I'll compensate little Senba sooner or later. As long as I'm still Hokage, I'll satisfy whatever he wants. Happy now? Anyway, let's get back to Minato."
"That works too," Isamu nodded. "You'd better remember those words."
Naturally, Isamu knew Hiruzen Sarutobi was drawing him a giant empty promise. Unfortunately for Hiruzen, he himself didn't realize just how many more years he would continue serving as the Third Hokage. He would remain in that seat until the day he died, so those promises would eventually come back to haunt him.