Hiruzen Sarutobi looked helplessly at the pink-haired girl beside him, then glanced at Doto Kazahana, who sat opposite them, tied up like a bundle of festive logs with even his mouth gagged by Sakura.
Hiruzen quickly ran through potential solutions in his mind.
Should I hide this guy, give him a new identity, and have him secretly research Chakra Armor for Konoha?
No, that won't work.
Setting aside whether the man would even be willing to conduct research for Konoha, there were already two factions who knew he was currently in the village.
One was Iwagakure, and the other was the Land of Snow.
If these two groups decided to cause trouble using Doto Kazahana's identity in the future, Konoha wouldn't be able to prove its innocence when the Daimyo of the Land of Fire came calling with questions.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his graying beard, quickly formulating a counter-strategy.
Since he couldn't prove his innocence, he would go directly to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and demonstrate just how valuable Doto Kazahana was. This way, he could even secure research funding for the Chakra Armor from the Daimyo.
He believed that even the Daimyo could not resist the temptation of a mere physical object that could elevate a Chunin's combat effectiveness to the level of a Jonin.
"Fine, fine. You're always finding trouble for this old man."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a helpless smile and patted the pink-haired girl on the head.
"You've worked hard during this period. Just stay at home and behave yourself for a while."
"Consider it a vacation."
Seeing Hiruzen looking like he was about to head out, Sakura scratched her head.
"Where are you going, Old Man?"
Hiruzen looked back at Sakura, his tone filled with indulgence and affection.
"This old man is going to clean up your mess."
Upon hearing this, Sakura sank directly into the sofa and waved her hand dismissively.
"Someone come take him down. Provide him with good food and drink."
Sakura was, of course, referring to Doto Kazahana.
Immediately, an ANBU operative appeared and escorted the bound man out of the Hokage's office.
"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we've shared a meal."
"Come over to my place tonight."
Seeing Hiruzen's nostalgic expression, Sakura nodded. As people grew older, they enjoyed the company of the younger generation; Sakura understood that.
"By the way, is Old Ma back?" Sakura tilted her head.
During the last mission to the Land of Rivers, "Old Ma" couldn't join due to another assignment, which was why Karin had replaced him.
"He's back."
At the mention of Asuma, Hiruzen let out a long, weary sigh.
Tsk, that useless brat. He's been pursuing the Yuhi girl for so long and hasn't made a single bit of progress.
He's nothing like his old man! Back when I was Asuma's age, Shinnosuke Sarutobi had already been born!
NightSarutobi Residence
Warm light illuminated the entire house. A tall man with a full beard held a spatula, stir-frying the final dish in the kitchen.
In the living room, Hiruzen Sarutobi was dressed in casual clothes. He took a satisfied sip from a small sake cup, then used his chopsticks to toss a peanut into his mouth, chewing slowly.
Sakura sat opposite Hiruzen, holding a glass of orange juice. Her gaze fell on the small bottle of sake by the old man's hand.
Is that stuff really that good?
Noticing Sakura's gaze, Hiruzen spoke with a smile.
"Sakura, you aren't an adult yet. You can't drink."
Sakura shook her head. "Hmph, who'd want to drink that stuff?"
Just then, Asuma brought the final dish to the table.
"But if you really want to, you could sneak a little sip. There are no outsiders here anyway."
Seeing Asuma's teasing grin as he egged Sakura on to drink, Hiruzen grew irritated.
"You brat! What kind of example are you setting as a senior?"
Asuma had always been a bit of a rebel. Even though his five years serving the Daimyo had matured him significantly, he still had a streak of defiance in him.
"It's going to happen sooner or later anyway. A couple of sips early on won't hurt," Asuma said nonchalantly. He sat down next to Sakura, took the sake bottle from Hiruzen, and poured himself a cup.
"Eh? Can I drink too?"
Konohamaru, who had been shoveling rice into his mouth next to Hiruzen, looked up.
"No!" Asuma and Hiruzen shouted in unison.
"Cheapskates..."
Faced with the combined suppression of his grandfather and uncle, Konohamaru successfully shut his mouth.
Hiruzen looked at Konohamaru, who went back to his rice, a look of affection flashing in his eyes.
"Speaking of which, it seems Sakura is about to have another little brother or sister, right?"
Sakura picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, giving a muffled hum of affirmation. The old man looked out for her parents, so he naturally knew about her mother being pregnant again.
"It's wonderful. Another child coming into the world."
Hiruzen's eyelids drooped slightly.
"If you don't think this old man is meddling too much, how about I choose a name for the child?"
Sakura tilted her head and swallowed her food. "Of course. That's fine."
With Hiruzen's seniority, status, and reputation, letting him name her sibling was perfectly appropriate. She was sure even her parents would gladly accept.
Hiruzen stroked his beard and fell into thought.
"How about 'Mirai'?"
While Hiruzen was still thinking, Asuma, sitting next to Sakura, was the first to speak up.
"Mirai?"
Sakura was a bit stunned.
Isn't that the name of Asuma's daughter? Though Old Ma's daughter looks a bit like Shisui Uchiha...
Hearing the name "Mirai," Hiruzen's eyes brightened slightly, but he looked at Asuma—the kid had just been arguing with him.
"You brat! How dare you steal the name I was just thinking of?"
Hiruzen acted like a grumpy old man, looking at Asuma with feigned anger.
"Yeah, yeah, my mistake, alright?"
Sakura was somewhat surprised. It seemed the old man really liked the name Mirai too.
She glanced at Konohamaru, who was still focused on his food.
Konohamaru, Mirai.
The name Asuma chose really fit Hiruzen's style.
Mirai it is then... Mirai Haruno.
As for what Asuma's future daughter would be named? Who cared. He could call her Kusari, Orihime, Kagome, or Rin for all she cared.
Dinner passed quickly amidst the occasional bickering between Hiruzen and Asuma.
Sakura stayed the night at the Sarutobi residence. Tomorrow, Hiruzen would seek out the Daimyo to discuss the fate of Doto Kazahana.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:
pat reon .com/yuuwand