Upon hearing the voice behind him, a look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the ANBU ninja codenamed "Crane".
Although this wasn't his fastest speed, it shouldn't be something a newly-minted ninja academy kid could keep up with.
In the next instant, the crane increased its speed.However, no matter how fast the crane sped up, the aura behind it remained firmly attached to it.
Soon, the two arrived at the Hokage Building one after the other, and Tsuru led Hatake Kaede to the Hokage's office.
Standing in the Hokage's office, seeing Hatake Kaede standing there without taking a breath, Tsuru felt a surge of frustration.
Tsuru quickly put aside her complicated thoughts, took a deep look at Hatake Kaede, and then knocked on the door and called out, "Hokage-sama, the assessment is over, and Hatake-kun has been brought here."
Upon hearing He's report, a slightly weary voice came from inside the door.
"Thank you for your hard work, please come in, Hatake-kun!"
The crane outside the door nodded to Hatake Kaede and then disappeared.
Hatake Kaede straightened his clothes and gently pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.
This was the first time that Hatake Kaede had met the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still young and vigorous, with his sideburns and chin still covered in black beard.His aura still exuded the charisma of a "Shinobi Hero".
Perhaps due to the long hours spent dealing with Konoha Village's affairs, he looked somewhat tired.
Hatake Kaede walked to the desk and stood there, saying, "Lord Hokage, Hatake Kaede is here to report for duty."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, put down his brush, looked up, and smiled, "Oh~ Maple, you've come."
"First of all, congratulations on passing the test and on officially becoming a Konoha ninja.I hope you will continue to work hard and protect our village."
Hatake Kaede straightened up and replied with an upright expression, "Yes, I will follow the Hokage's teachings."
The Third Hokage waved his hand and said with a smile, "Hehehe.No need to be so formal.Feng, you have now become a formal ninja.May I ask why you wanted to become a ninja?Or what your dream is?"
Here comes the terrifying test of the Will of Fire.
Hatake Kaede immediately changed his expression, exuding an aura of righteousness and majesty.
"Lord Hokage, my ambitions aren't particularly grand; I just want to live a simple life.I'm a member of the village, and my family and friends live there.I don't want them to get hurt.So, in order to have the power to protect them, I became a ninja."
"I will continue to work hard, become stronger, and protect the people I cherish."
After listening to Hatake Kaede's words, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took a deep drag on his pipe and then said to Kaede with a serious expression, "Kaede, I can feel your desire to become stronger in order to protect your comrades.So please keep going and don't give up halfway."
"Of course, Hokage-sama.I will keep this protective heart and continue on my journey."
The Third Hokage nodded with a satisfied expression, then took a headband from his office drawer.
He handed the headband to Hatake Kaede and said, "Since you have passed the ninja test, consider this headband a gift from me."
Hatake Kaede happily accepted the headband from the Third Hokage.
"Thank you, Hokage.I will take good care of this headband.I will wear it as I go."
"Good, good boy.Now that you've got the headband, you can go back now!In a few days, I'll arrange for you to team up.You can start your official ninja life."
Hatake Kaede quickly agreed, grabbed his headband, and left the Hokage's office.
After walking a distance from the Hokage Building, Hatake Kaede carefully sensed his surroundings, confirming that no one was watching him and he didn't have any strange feeling of being spied on.Only then did Hatake Kaede's joyful and excited expression fade.
Earlier, on the school's battle arena, Hatake Kaede had a vague feeling that someone was watching him.It wasn't until he met the Third Hokage in the Hokage's office that Hatake Kaede realized it was Hiruzen Sarutobi's telescope technique.
Back home, Hatake Kaede let out a long sigh: "Dealing with those old foxes is really troublesome!"
"Old fox?What old fox?" Hatake Sakumo came out of the room, looking at his son with a look of satisfaction.
He already knew that his son had applied for early graduation from the Ninja Academy and had passed the examinations.Moreover, the fact that his son had returned home with his headband meant that his son had officially become a ninja.
"Sakumo, you want to know?I just came back from the Hokage's office, what did you call an old fox?"
Hatake Sakumo paused for a moment after being retorted so bluntly by his own son.
Upon hearing that he had just returned from the Hokage's office, Hatake Sakumo quickly changed the subject with a laugh.
"Alright, old man.I've become a ninja now too.I might become your subordinate.So, Captain Hatake, please guide me from now on." Hatake Kaede solemnly extended his hand, facing his father, Hatake Sakumo.
Seeing his son's solemn expression, Hatake Sakumo understood his son's determination.He reached out and firmly grasped his son's still somewhat immature hand.
Holding his son's hand and watching the child grow up in front of him, Hatake Sakumo felt a complex mix of emotions.
Although his son often completely ruined his composure, Hatake Sakumo knew very well that his son was shrewd and never caused him any worry or concern.
My son's strength is also gradually improving, and maybe in a few years I won't be able to spank him anymore.
Hatake Sakumo felt a mix of joy and loss.He was happy that his son was gradually becoming a strong and capable man, but lost because he himself was still.Before you know it, your child has grown up.
Releasing Hatake Kaede's hand, the father and son walked side by side into the living room, where a gentle woman was waiting for them.
At the dinner table, the family chatted and laughed.Outside the room, the moonlight gently bathed the room in its evening glow.A breeze blew by, and the saplings beside the big tree in the yard rustled softly.
......
"Bang!" In a corner of Konoha, the one-eyed Shimura Danzo suddenly overturned the table in front of him, and the documents on the table were thrown into the air and then floated to the ground.
The numerous ninjas standing before Danzo immediately knelt on one knee, their heads bowed low, and remained silent.
Danzo Shimura gritted his teeth and said, "Get out, get out of here, you bunch of useless trash."
Upon hearing Shimura Danzo's roar, the numerous ninjas quickly left the room, leaving the space to Shimura Danzo alone.
Once everyone had left the room, Shimura Danzo dared to roar, "Damn it, damn old geezer!If you're so old, just die already!How dare you come out here and give orders.And damn monkey, why do you listen to that old bastard so much?You're such a coward."
"-sensei, you see!I am the one truly suited to be Hokage, I am the one who can lead Konoha to greatness again, I am the one who truly inherits your will.I am."
After venting his anger with a loud roar, Shimura Danzo sat down in a chair with a sinister expression.Then, he touched his bandaged right eye and let out a chilling laugh.
"Hehehe~ As expected of Uchiha Kagami, as expected of the Uchiha member valued by the -sensei, this Sharingan is truly amazing.How could those brutes of the Uchiha clan possess such a wondrous Sharingan?"
"The power of the Sharingan must be in my hands.Only I am truly for Konoha.The Sharingan of those evil Uchiha clan members will surely fall into my hands.I think those brainless Uchiha clan members will be very honored."
"However, I still need to lie low for now and wait until this storm passes before plotting for the Sharingan!My immediate priority is to expand my own power and replenish my subordinates who are loyal to me.Relying solely on the members of the Shimura clan is still insufficient."
Danzo Shimura's fury was not without reason.After hearing Hatake Kaede's words that day, Tsunade returned home filled with confusion.
She told the "patriarch" of her family, Mito Uzumaki, everything that Hatake Kaede had said and all the confusion in her heart.
Seeing her devastated granddaughter, Mito Uzumaki reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking Tsunade's hair.
She soothed her beloved granddaughter in a kind voice: "Xiao Gang, Xiao Gang, get some rest!When you wake up the next day, everything will be alright."
With Mito's comforting touch, Tsunade quickly fell asleep.Smoothing her furrowed brow, they gently covered her with the blanket.
With a blank expression, Mito Uzumaki said to the hidden members of the ANBU outside the courtyard, "Bring the monkey to me immediately."
Soon, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived at the Senju family ancestral home to meet with Mito Uzumaki.
Mito Uzumaki made no attempt to keep anyone in suspense, stating directly, "I know the ninja world is currently in turmoil, with signs of another ninja war.At this time, we must not disrupt the unity of the village, and some rumors need to be stopped."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, nodded quickly and readily agreed.
After leaving the Senju family home, the Third Hokage returned to his office with a dark expression.
Immediately afterwards, the Third Hokage summoned all the members of the Second Hokage's guard team and gave Danzo Shimura a dressing down in his office.
The other members initially wanted to defend Shimura Danzo, but the Third Hokage simply said, "Lady Mito is very angry." The other members immediately joined in criticizing Shimura Danzo.
The Third Hokage was also angry.Shimura Danzo had done something dirty, and someone had caught him red-handed.Especially now, with undercurrents swirling in the ninja world, war could break out at any moment.
Now is the time to unite all the major ninja clans, especially the incredibly powerful Uchiha clan.How can you, Shimura Danzo, expect people to fight for you with such actions?
Thus, Hiruzen Sarutobi suffered mistreatment at the Senju family's ancestral home, while Danzo Shimura suffered mistreatment in the Hokage's office.
Danzo Shimura was the kind of person who would argue even when things were unreasonable, so how could he hold back?In the end, the Third Hokage ended the match with a single sentence: "I am the Hokage, and I will not regret it," leaving Danzo Shimura with a belly full of "grievances."
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