Chapter 66: The Uchiha Under Genjutsu
"I'm getting old, and settling on a Hokage candidate early would make the village more stable."
After a few seconds of staring at Tsunade, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly took a drag from his pipe and said.
"Why are you asking me?" Tsunade huffed. "Shouldn't you be asking Danzō? I'm sure he'd love to answer."
"You know Danzō can't be Hokage," Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately dismissed the idea.
"Then why do you indulge him so much?" Tsunade demanded.
"There's shadow wherever there is light. Some things need to be done by Danzō," Sarutobi Hiruzen said nonchalantly. "As long as he's kept firmly in check, there won't be any major problems."
"You're confident you can control Danzō, but what about the next Hokage?" Tsunade said with a serious expression. "If they can't control him, the consequences could be disastrous."
"That's why the choice of the next Hokage is so important," Sarutobi Hiruzen admitted. "At the very least, Hatake Sakumo won't do; he can't handle Danzō."
"So you already knew about the rumors about Hatake Sakumo," Tsunade said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked a little awkward.
It was impossible for him to be completely unaware.
The Anbu Root wasn't an independent organization; it fell under the regular Anbu. He would have received some information about it, one way or another.
"Aside from Hatake Sakumo, only you three have the qualifications to become Hokage," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, clearing his throat and changing the subject.
"I'm not interested!" Tsunade said without a second thought.
"If you're not interested, why are you getting involved with the Hatake Sakumo situation?" Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Tsunade, you actually care deeply about the Leaf Village."
"I care about the Leaf Village, but that doesn't mean I care about being Hokage," Tsunade retorted.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I know it's because of—"
"Don't bring him up!" Tsunade cut him off.
"You're like this, and so is Orochimaru," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed.
Nawaki's death had affected both of his students at once.
"Orochimaru is a better fit than me," Tsunade said casually after he brought it up.
"In terms of strength and methods, that's true," Sarutobi Hiruzen paused slightly. "Are you really not going to contend for it?"
Tsunade opened her mouth, but then she thought of Hanekawa, and a hint of hesitation crossed her mind.
"You have quite a few advantages," Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed her expression and continued. "Especially with the Land of Fire's nobility; you are more famous than anyone else."
It was Senju Hashirama who ended the Warring States period and established the one-nation, one-village system.
Tsunade was his granddaughter and a powerful medical ninja herself, so the Land of Fire's daimyo and nobles were all quite familiar with her.
She was also the only ninja to be called a princess.
"Who do you want to choose?" Tsunade looked at him and asked.
"I don't know," Sarutobi Hiruzen said honestly.
He was leaning toward Orochimaru and Tsunade.
He hadn't made up his mind on which one yet.
As for Minato Namikaze, he was currently just an unremarkable jonin with little influence.
"Well then, take your time choosing," Tsunade threw the problem back at him.
"I just wanted to remind you that if you want to contend, you should plan ahead," Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but complain. "Gamble less and take on more missions. Look at you—you haven't done a single mission recently."
He left one thing unsaid.
Even if she didn't want to be Hokage, she couldn't let Hatake Sakumo become too prominent.
He was not from the Hokage lineage, after all.
"I've been too busy teaching Hanekawa to have any time," Tsunade said without a blush.
Sarutobi Hiruzen twitched his mouth and asked, "Speaking of Hanekawa, as his teacher, shouldn't you occasionally take him out on a mission to get some experience?"
"He's still too young," Tsunade refused.
"He's a genius; age isn't an issue. His current strength is not inferior to a chunin's," Sarutobi Hiruzen said earnestly. "And it would be too late to start training him once the war begins."
"War?" Tsunade's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"
"It's information that Minato sent back," Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't hide it. "The Cloud Village has purchased a lot more ninja tools and supplies this year than in previous years. They might be preparing for war."
When armies march, provisions come first.
In war, logistics were an extremely important part of the process.
While it didn't necessarily mean the Cloud Village wanted to start a war, it was important to be prepared.
"I understand," Tsunade said in a serious tone.
The reason Nawaki died was because of his lack of experience on the battlefield, which led him to fall for an explosive tag trap.
She would absolutely not allow Hanekawa to meet the same fate.
"Class dismissed."
Eiichiro picked up his textbook and left the classroom.
Hanekawa tidied up his desk, preparing to head to the agreed-upon location with Uchiha Tekka for a true battle of men.
"Hanekawa," Nohara Rin walked up to him.
Behind her were Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito.
"Can we come watch?" Nohara Rin asked with an eager expression.
Although Uchiha Tekka was a nobody in Hanekawa's eyes, he was quite famous at the academy, being the top student in the second year.
"I don't want to. I'm just passing by," Uchiha Obito mumbled.
In reality, he did want to watch, but he wanted Uchiha Tekka to win, not Hanekawa.
"Sure," Hanekawa nodded slightly. "Let's go to Training Ground Three."
Along with Yuhi Kurenai, the five of them left the classroom.
"They're here!" Uchiha Tekka said, his voice full of anticipation as he saw Hanekawa in the distance.
"Tekka-san, remember the strategy we just discussed," Uchiha Shisui reminded him. "Be careful of his genjutsu."
"I know," Uchiha Tekka patted his shoulder. "It won't be that easy to beat me."
"Mhm," Uchiha Shisui said no more.
He had sparred with Uchiha Tekka many times and knew his strength. Even if he couldn't beat Hanekawa, he wouldn't be completely defeated.
"Let's start," Uchiha Tekka looked at Hanekawa and walked into the field.
"Hanekawa! You can do it!" Yuhi Kurenai clenched her fists and shouted loudly.
Nohara Rin was a bit more reserved and didn't shout, but she waved her hand in support.
Uchiha Obito saw this and was tempted to cheer for Uchiha Tekka, but he held back in the end.
Hatake Kakashi wore a calm expression.
Uchiha Tekka couldn't even beat him, so he was naturally no match for Hanekawa.
The only question was how long he would last.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Uchiha Tekka formed the hand seals and spat a massive fireball from his mouth.
Hanekawa stood still, drew his samurai sword, and slashed down.
The fireball split into two, flying off to the sides.
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Uchiha Tekka had anticipated this and, without stopping, performed a new Fire Style jutsu.
The flames he spat out, like phoenix flowers, scattered and completely trapped Hanekawa.
"I won!" Uchiha Tekka said excitedly.
After consulting with Uchiha Shisui, they had decided on a long-range strategy.
They would use Fire Style to keep Hanekawa from getting close and thus secure a victory.
But to the onlookers, Uchiha Tekka was arguing with a tree.
Uchiha Shisui looked as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.
He had seen it clearly.
After Hanekawa used his sword to cut the fireball, he immediately used a Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death.
His hand seal speed was too fast, and combined with the brief visual obstruction from the fireball, Uchiha Tekka hadn't realized he had fallen into a genjutsu.
Uchiha Shisui's expression became incredibly grave.
Uchiha Tekka had not only failed to force Hanekawa to use his full power, but he had also made him seem even more terrifying.
....
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