Reminded by Danzō's words that he indeed hadn't paid much attention to Asuma, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat ashamed. He pressed his pipe against his temple, a flicker of defeat crossing his face.
"I don't possess the Second Hokage's abilities to handle the village's affairs with such ease. Between the greater good and one's family, sacrifices must be made, mustn't they?" Hiruzen spoke with his back to Danzō, seeming to respond to him while also consoling himself.
"Save that talk for your son. I don't want to hear it." Thinking of his own education of Feng Bai, Danzō felt that while he'd spent his entire life losing to Hiruzen, when it came to family matters, he could claim a small victory.
"Hehe, Asuma will understand. Or rather, anyone who possesses the Will of Fire will understand. Danzō, what exactly are you..." Seeing Asuma's figure entering the school building, Hiruzen turned to face Danzō.
"Can such a thing truly protect Konoha?" Danzō met Hiruzen's gaze with his single eye, extending his bandage-wrapped arm: "Will cannot protect Konoha, Hiruzen. Only iron and blood can protect Konoha. For this village, I've paid the price of an arm and an eye. You should know this well."
"..." Hiruzen fell silent.
He had witnessed Danzō's sacrifices firsthand. This was why, even when Danzō's actions sometimes crossed the line, he still shielded him and even deliberately indulged him.
After all, Danzō was genuinely fighting for this village.
As for how much personal ambition was mixed in, Hiruzen consciously chose to ignore it.
"What are your thoughts on this year's incoming students?" Setting down his pipe, Hiruzen abandoned the previous topic.
Every year among the students, Danzō would pay attention to children with exceptional talent, preparing to recruit them into ANBU at the appropriate time.
After all, Root's true name was "ANBU Training Division." Aside from members personally appointed by the Hokage, most learned here before serving in ANBU.
As for the Root ninja under Danzō's direct command, he personally scouted talent and trained them separately to keep by his side.
"You're the Hokage—isn't it entirely up to you who gets chosen?" Due to Feng Bai's impending enrollment, Danzō hadn't been particularly focused on other students lately, instead concentrating his energy on cultivating his own son.
"This year we have quite a few promising seedlings—Kurenai Yūhi, daughter of Shinku Yūhi; Kakashi Hatake, son of Sakumo Hatake; Genma Shiranui, son of Kazama Shiranui; plus Aoba Yamashiro, Raidō Namiashi, and others..."
Taking out the enrollment roster, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the densely packed names, his lips curving into a slight smile.
These are Konoha's green leaves. As long as they're properly cultivated, Konoha will flourish endlessly, and someday the First Hokage's vision will be realized.
"In the end, those who pass the assessment are inevitably members of established ninja clans. True civilian children can only find opportunities to join during recruitment seasons when clan children are scarce." Danzō spoke with subtle sarcasm, shattering Hiruzen's fantasy.
"As long as these ninja clans exist, especially the Uchiha, Konoha will never truly know peace." A glint flashed in Danzō's single eye: "I know what you're thinking, Hiruzen. Back then, the First Hokage, to truly unite Konoha's ninja clans, voluntarily stripped away the Senju surname and had his clansmen integrate into Konoha. But what about the other families? They simply schemed to divide up the assets left behind after the Senju clan's disappearance."
"Look at your student Tsunade. As the First Hokage's granddaughter, all she owns now is just one old building, isn't it?" Danzō's words made Hiruzen uncomfortable.
He wanted to say that Tsunade was so poor because she'd gambled away her family fortune, but considering she was his student after all, directly exposing her shortcomings would damage his own reputation. Moreover, most of the vast Senju clan grounds had been converted by Hiruzen into Konoha's public property for village development.
Though it was for the village, combined with Danzō's recent words, he couldn't help but feel like one of those unscrupulous ninja clans Danzō was describing.
Damn Danzō, even at a time like this, he doesn't forget to needle me.
After being repeatedly stung by Danzō, Hiruzen decided not to speak with him for at least an hour.
...
"Four to a group, enter the rooms." Inside the school building, a teacher pointed at several rooms, instructing the children to enter in groups of four for assessment.
Feng Bai's group consisted of himself, Anko, Genma Shiranui, and...
"Yo, hello everyone!"
A guy with a bowl cut wearing green tights flashed them a gesture and revealed brilliant white teeth.
"My name is Might Guy. Please take care of me!"
Holy shit, Red Beast—no wait, he's still Little Red Beast now. Actually, Green Beast is more accurate.
So the voice I heard earlier really was Might Guy.
Genma Shiranui, with a toothpick in his mouth, glanced at Might Guy but didn't engage, simply nodding before turning away.
Anko, however, studied Might Guy with interest, then leaned close to Feng Bai's ear to whisper: "I think I've seen this guy before. He's always doing handstand walks on the street, shouting about 'youth' and stuff."
"Really? How come I've never seen him? Where did you spot him?" Feng Bai whispered back to Anko.
"On my way home. Oh right, you live in the village center, so you wouldn't see him. His family seems to live at the very edge of Konoha." Anko patted Feng Bai's shoulder, reminding him about his residential location.
"I see." After hearing Anko's explanation, Feng Bai showed understanding, then extended his hand before Anko could react: "I'm Shimura Feng Bai, this is Mitarashi Anko, and the guy with the toothpick is Shiranui Genma. Please take care of us, Guy."
"Oh! Let's embrace our youth together, Feng Bai-kun!" Seeing Feng Bai's extended hand, Guy was momentarily stunned, then enthusiastically grasped it while delivering his signature line.
"Alright, next group."
Before the group could continue chatting, the teacher's voice came from inside the room, and the four children who had entered earlier emerged with varying expressions.
Some looked dejected, others elated, and some appeared confident.
Although assessment results would be posted in the village the following week, from the teachers' tone and attitude, many children could roughly guess their outcomes.
"Shiranui Genma, right? Throw a shuriken for me to see." The male teacher sitting at his desk looked up at the somewhat cocky Shiranui Genma, pointed at the shuriken on the table, then indicated the target on the wall.
🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]