"Then isn't Great Clan Head Madara in serious danger?"
Obito spoke excitedly.
"Hokage-sama, we have to save him! We have to tell him about this!"
"Obito. When something happens, the first thing you must do is remain calm."
Hiruzen gave Obito a stern look, his voice severe.
Obito immediately settled down and obediently nodded.
"I'm sorry, Shishō..."
"With Uchiha Madara's personality, if you told him that someone was controlling his thoughts, he'd see it as an insult to his very identity. He'd be furious..."
"Such an intense emotional reaction could instead give the 'sage' hidden inside him an opening and further accelerate the process of taking over his body."
"Besides, this 'sage' is no fool. It won't allow itself to be discovered so easily. Words alone aren't enough. We need actual evidence..."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"Then, Shishō, how did you find out? Was it this tablet?"
Obito asked curiously.
"I have my own intelligence network. Once you become Hokage yourself, you'll understand."
Hiruzen waved a hand and raised an eyebrow.
Obito obediently murmured an acknowledgment and stopped asking questions.
Hokage-level classified information really wasn't something he had any right to pry into. Obito understood that much.
Even so, he couldn't help wondering just how terrifying Hokage-sama's intelligence network really was...
Even Madara and the sage all the way out at the Mountains' Graveyard had been discovered by it!
Obito couldn't help thinking that if someone told him the Sage of Six Paths was also part of Hokage-sama's intelligence network, he might actually believe them...
The Hokage was simply too mysterious. Even the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't see through him at all.
But Obito could feel the warmth of the Hokage's Will of Fire with his own heart, and that was enough.
Besides...
Obito had keenly picked up on one crucial detail...
Hiruzen had just said that he might become Hokage someday!
"I understand your situation now."
"I'll give you a Root identification token. From now on, you'll be part of my personal Hokage Guard, Obito."
"Once you're back in the village, people will inevitably ask what happened to you over the past year. Everything you've told me must remain strictly confidential. None of it can be leaked."
"All you need to tell them is that you've already reported everything to me. You'll answer directly to me, and I'll personally sign your Root token with my name. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hiruzen spoke softly.
Obito nodded repeatedly, but his thoughts had already gone soaring off into the clouds.
'Whoa!'
'A token personally signed by Hokage-sama? And a Root token at that!'
It had a distinct air of, 'Authorized by the Hokage—nothing is off-limits.'
And he was going to be a Hokage Guard!
Obito immediately imagined Kakashi coming over to ask what he'd been doing for the past year. He would coolly unfold the token in front of him.
"Kid, don't ask about things you aren't supposed to know..."
Wouldn't that feel incredible?!
Even after awakening Kamui and acquiring all those extraordinary abilities, Obito still directed this particular competitive streak entirely at Kakashi. All he wanted was to see that cold-faced brat stare at him in shock...
That was what really did it for him.
"As for Uchiha Madara..."
"You can go back and visit him from time to time. Bring him some local specialties from Konoha. You can even tell him some unimportant information. If you aren't sure what you can share, ask me first..."
"The most important thing is keeping Madara emotionally stable and preventing his sense of self from suffering any violent shocks. As for the sage inside him, I'll find a way to deal with it, Obito."
"Give me time."
"Madara founded Konoha and used his own body to seal away an evil sage. He is a hero of Konoha, and even of the entire shinobi world. I will personally bring him back to the village..."
"Even if I have to break both his arms and tear apart the sage inside him, I will do it."
"In the name of the Will of Fire."
Hiruzen's voice was solemn.
Obito's heart shook.
He had discovered that when it came to sheer intensity of emotion, Hokage-sama didn't seem to lose out to Great Clan Head Madara at all...
The difference was that beneath that intensity lay an unwavering stability.
Obito nodded firmly.
"I understand, Shishō!"
"By the way..."
"The fact that Madara allowed you to return means the two of you seem to have developed a fairly good relationship..."
"But knowing you, and knowing Madara's temper and personality, how did you actually manage that? Did one of the former Kage in the Crimson Organization give you advice?"
Hiruzen asked curiously.
Obito's eyes widened.
He felt as though Hokage-sama could see through absolutely everything about him!
He had never felt this way even while staring directly into Madara's Rinnegan...
'So this is what it means to be Hokage?'
Kaguya watched Hiruzen slowly unravel one of Obito's secrets after another through pure logic, her brow furrowing more and more deeply.
How exactly was he doing this?
Was this some kind of technique?
Damn it, she wanted to learn...
Kaguya couldn't help imagining how satisfying it would have been if she'd possessed Hiruzen's logic and eloquence. She could have beaten those two ungrateful sons, the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura, into the ground and then thoroughly lectured them afterward...
Unfortunately, she really was terrible with words. Once a sentence got too long, she could barely get it out properly...
"That—I'd actually forgotten about that!"
Only then did Obito remember that Hi-kun had asked him to mention its existence to Hiruzen if he ever had the chance.
It wanted Obito to help pave the way for its eventual transfer to Konoha...
"There's a White Zetsu..."
"Its name is Hi-kun, and it's really impressive!"
"It read Hiruko-sama's biography, Hizashi-sama's notes, and studied a lot of your writings and material about Konoha's institutions in depth. It now oversees all the White Zetsu..."
"Hi-kun really likes Konoha. It was thanks to its advice that I got along so well with Great Clan Head Madara, and it's always looked out for me..."
Obito kept putting in a good word for Hi-kun in front of Hiruzen.
"It really wants to become a Konoha shinobi!"
Now it was Hiruzen's turn to be surprised.
If his assumptions were correct, White Zetsu were some kind of incomplete copies of Hashirama...
And yet one had managed to learn step by step until it became the strategist advising Obito from behind the scenes?
From the sound of things, it had even earned Madara's trust and taken on a great deal of responsibility!
"Are there any other unusual White Zetsu?"
Hiruzen pressed.
"Others? Tobi is pretty unusual. They call it the Son of the God Tree. It's really good at Wood Release, which is why I can use it too..."
Obito thought carefully.
"There's also a black Zetsu that looks pretty unusual. It seems to be some kind of Yin–Yang Release creation. I heard from the other White Zetsu that it used to be Great Clan Head Madara's attendant, but Hi-kun later replaced it..."
Kaguya froze.
That could only be her third son, Black Zetsu!
Wait...
Black Zetsu had actually lost out to an ordinary White Zetsu?
Did the Will of Fire have the ability to make people smarter too?
At that moment, Kaguya suddenly developed an intense interest in the Will of Fire...
Just what kind of miraculous thing was it?
It could turn something utterly ordinary into something extraordinary...
As for Black Zetsu, Kaguya did want to contact him, but for now there didn't seem to be any good way to do so. She could only deal with things as they came...
"Hi-kun? Is that a name it chose for itself?"
Hiruzen asked.
"Yes, Shishō."
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
"Obito, from now on, you'll serve as the secret line of communication between Konoha and Madara. If anything happens with Madara or the Crimson Organization, report it to me immediately..."
"I understand the situation with Hi-kun now."
"Here's what we'll do. I have several copies of documents containing my usual comments and decisions on government affairs. I'll have the ANBU make copies later. Since Hi-kun is interested, let it study them. It can even give me its opinions and point out anything it thinks could be improved."
"Tell it that if it's interested, it can come speak with me. I'm looking forward to meeting it."
Obito smiled from the bottom of his heart.
He was happy for Hi-kun...
It had finally received Hokage-sama's recognition!
But he also wanted to see Hi-kun's reaction. Being the only one Hiruzen had completely seen through left Obito with somewhat complicated feelings...
Obito hadn't even mentioned Hi-kun, yet Hokage-sama had still figured out there had to be someone behind him!
Obito could hardly wait to get together with Hi-kun and gush about how incredible Hiruzen was...
A proper gathering of fans.
"Hmm..."
"There have been several talented students at the Ninja Academy recently. Yamato, whom Mito-sama raised; Fugaku's eldest son, Itachi; and Orochimaru's student, Kabuto. They're all exceptional talents."
"Minato's son Naruto and Fugaku's second son Sasuke have also shown abilities far beyond what you'd expect at their age..."
"Obito, you should take up Minato's old role. You are his student, after all..."
Hiruzen smiled as he smoked his pipe.
"These talented youngsters need a little pressure to motivate them to keep improving. Just don't go too far..."
Obito's eyes lit up.
'Oh...'
'Has the day finally come?!'
That evil blond had already moved on to focus on becoming a member of Konoha's council...
So as his student, it was only reasonable for Obito to inherit that role!
Obito could already barely resist the urge to use both Kamui eyes to play around with these Ninja Academy prodigies. Just imagining the pressure he'd once suffered appearing on the faces of the academy's new generation of elites made him want to laugh...
If Madara learned that this was the extent of Obito's ambitions after awakening both Kamui eyes, he'd probably pass out from rage.
Was that what both Kamui were for? Showing off to Kakashi, using the dimension as a storage room, and messing around with Ninja Academy students?
Forget Infinite Tsukuyomi—couldn't he at least aim a little higher?!
But these really were the happiest things Obito could imagine...
Hiruzen chatted with Obito for a while longer. After Obito left, the Hokage stretched.
He sighed and took a moment to collect himself.
Then he picked up the various reports.
Some concerned postwar compensation. Others covered construction of the economic belt linking the Land of Rain and Konoha's region, as well as further directives and funding requests concerning puppet techniques and development of the Dragon Vein in Rōran.
Hiruzen patiently reviewed them one by one.
"The push toward information technology is progressing faster than I expected..."
"It's already beginning to take shape?"
"But the Dragon Vein actually displays clear space–time properties, and there have even been unusual fluctuations?"
Hiruzen frowned and wrote a bold, heavily emphasized instruction on the report from Rōran.
It was to receive close attention and additional resources...
Kaguya silently watched Hiruzen handle government affairs.
After a long while, she finally couldn't resist asking, "Why? Why are you still dealing with these completely insignificant matters when you're already so strong? What can these people possibly do for you?"
Hiruzen paused with the document in his hand and answered naturally, "It's true that most of them can't do much for me. But I don't need them to make extraordinary contributions. I only need them to do what they're supposed to do and live their lives earnestly."
"If everyone does that, Konoha can maintain a relaxed, pleasant, and positive atmosphere."
"That atmosphere is like fertile soil. It allows ordinary shinobi to rapidly grow into remarkable people, stimulating their creativity and their desire to protect the shinobi world..."
"Have you ever grown a tree?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment. Based on the strange things Kaguya had said before, he decided to give her a more down-to-earth analogy.
"The shinobi are saplings, and I'm the gardener."
"It takes time for a seed to grow into a great tree. My job is to protect these saplings while they grow. Once they're fully grown, I'll be able to relax beneath their shade..."
"I believe they'll become very strong. So while I'm still capable of doing something, I want to protect this precious nursery as well as I can..."
Hiruzen smiled.
Kaguya fell silent.
She felt as though Hiruzen had stolen all her vocabulary...
Trees, nurseries...
If Hiruzen told her he was an Ōtsutsuki, Kaguya might actually believe him at this point!
In the past, Kaguya had looked down on the shinobi world. She had believed that shinobi simply didn't understand chakra.
Yet after spending only a few days with Hiruzen...
Kaguya had to admit that perhaps the shinobi weren't the ones who didn't understand chakra.
Perhaps she was!
Hiruzen alone had mastered methods similar to the five dimensions of Amenominaka, and he could even prevent her gravity from affecting him...
He also knew all kinds of Fūinjutsu, and his combat skills were every bit as formidable as hers.
Most terrifying of all, he had mastered a fearsome ability called "communication"! Somehow, he could make the shinobi under his command genuinely respect and follow him instead of constantly trying to figure out how to seal him away...
That was anything but ordinary!
Kaguya desperately wanted to interview Hiruzen's students...
Had none of them ever seriously considered attacking him?
"I have another question..." Kaguya spoke again.
"Review everything yourself first. I still have work to do..."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"I need to finalize matters concerning the Dragon Vein, and afterward I have today's regular training to complete. You should also think carefully about what you want."
"Whether you want methods for training in ninjutsu or chakra..."
"And you should seriously consider whether you're willing to tell me about your origins and identity."
If you were too eager, you weakened your own position.
Hiruzen understood that principle. If he lowered himself too much and answered every question Kaguya asked, she might instead begin to think that the Hokage wasn't worth very much.
Giving her some space from time to time would actually be beneficial, as long as there was a reasonable basis for doing so.
There was never anything wrong with focusing on his own responsibilities...
After Hiruzen refused her, Kaguya instinctively became somewhat annoyed. But when she saw him immerse himself in his work again, constantly planning for his "nursery"...
The progenitor of chakra thought about it and ultimately remained silent. She merely sulked while watching Hiruzen's work even more intently than before...
Because these were all fields she had never explored.
...
Several days later.
Hashirama and the Uchiha group finally returned to the village.
His appearance caused quite a commotion throughout Konoha.
The First Hokage spent his time touring the village while laughing boisterously. Every time he encountered some unfamiliar new building, he would react with exaggerated amazement, chatting with everyone he met and asking about the village's policies...
Despite being an Impure World Reincarnation, he even went around borrowing money from Isshin to buy all kinds of food...
What Isshin found hardest to believe was that Hashirama's reincarnated body could actually taste it!
It gave the uncanny impression that he was slowly coming back to life...
"Well, well..."
"If it isn't the First Hokage himself."
"What happened? You've been wandering around Konoha all day. Did you forget where your own home is?"
At that moment, a woman and a fox appeared behind Hashirama.
Hashirama stiffly turned around, his heart suddenly skipping a beat.
'Crap!'
He'd gotten a little too excited after returning to the village...
First he'd toured the Uchiha district and the Konoha Military Police Force, then the Research Department and the Ninja Academy. Every place he'd visited had left him thrilled and overflowing with praise...
And somewhere along the way, he'd completely forgotten about Mito.
He still had a wife who was alive...
The Nine-Tails was delighted. Perched on the shoulder of the coldly smiling Mito, it drawled sarcastically, "I get it now, Mito. I don't think this man remembers he even has a wife!"
"Ah, you've had it rough..."
"Looks to me like he doesn't have the Will of Fire at all! If he can't even take care of his own family, how is he supposed to take care of the village?"
The Nine-Tails unleashed one of Konoha's forbidden techniques upon Hashirama:
Will of Fire Deprivation and Stirring Up Trouble Technique!
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