Hiruzen turned to Shikaku as soon as Team Choza left his office. Hiruzen set the mission scroll down on his desk. His face lost the warm grandfatherly smile he had worn for the genin.
In its place came the sharp, tired expression of a man who had carried the weight of a village through three wars, one as a battlefield commander and two as the Hokage.
"You felt it, Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked seriously as he turned to his jonin commander.
Shikaku leaned back in his chair. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Yes. Despite me not being a sensor, I could still sense it." He took a long sigh. "The amount of chakra that boy has is unbelievable. I have never seen a kid with so much chakra. Even Uzumakis do not have reserves like that. It almost feels like he is a jinchuriki. It seems that the reports about his chakra were not lying."
"Yes," Hiruzen agreed. He walked slowly to the window and looked out over the village. "And it seems that he has very little control over it. The boy is radiating so much chakra. Anyone very sensitive to chakra might just faint from the pressure alone. If he ever loses focus during a fight, the leakage could knock out civilians nearby. We need to train that control as soon as possible."
Shikaku folded his arms across his chest. "Choza said that the boy already knows tree walking and water walking. And with him training Shunsui in chakra Augmentation, it seems that chakra control is not the issue. We would have to get the boy to learn how to suppress his presence. Anyways, I heard rumors of a Kiri boy from the Hoshigaki clan also having immense reserves. They are calling him the tailless tailed beast."
Hiruzen gave a small chuckle. "Guess we have our own tailless beast."
He turned away from the window and looked at Shikaku with a knowing smile. "You like the kid, do you not, Shikaku?"
Shikaku raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Hokage-sama?"
"You must have already heard about the boy's personality from Choza. Have you not? Does he not remind you of yourself? He is lazy, calm, and pretty laid back about everything. But when it comes to serious situations like combat, his attitude takes a turn. He uses his abilities sharply to his advantage, just like you use your Nara clan techniques."
Shikaku let out a tired sigh. "Nah. I am not that troublesome, Hokage-sama." He paused, then added in his usual deadpan tone, "Besides, I at least pretend to work hard when people are watching. From what Choza told me, the kid is even lazy and tries to play with his opponents while fighting."
Hiruzen chuckled again. But the moment passed quickly. Hiruzen's expression turned serious once more.
"Give me the current scenario of the war fronts."
Shikaku straightened in his chair. He pulled a scroll from the pile beside him and unrolled it across his desk. "Orochimaru-san is keeping Toroi of the Magnet Release and Kumo busy on the northern border. He has been hitting their supply lines hard. Elder Danzo is on the Iwa front dealing with their Four-Tails jinchuriki. Roshi has been a problem, but Elder Danzo has managed to keep him contained so far. Jiraiya-san is on the Suna front. Kiri has not yet moved against us directly."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "I am glad that Danzo is not here. He would surely want young Shunsui in Root for having such an absurd ability. And that would have resulted in endless debates about using Konoha resources effectively."
"Lord Third," Shikaku said, "Forgive me, but you should limit the number of shinobi in Root as well as clan shinobi going to him. Some clans are already unhappy about Danzo taking their orphaned children."
Hiruzen sighed deeply. "You and I both know that Root and Danzo are essential for the Leaf. Someone has to do the work no one else wants to talk about."
"While that might be true," Shikaku replied, "The clans are starting to whisper. Those kids lost their parents in the war. Now they lose their children to Root. I don't think that they would be able to contain themselves for longer."
Hiruzen looked down at his desk. His fingers tapped slowly against the wood. "I will think about it. Back to the war."
Shikaku noticed the deflection but did not push. He knew when the Hokage needed time. Instead he continued with the report. "Suna is going to back away soon. They have suffered too many casualties at both our hands and Iwa's. Kiri and Suna are still fighting in the east. Pakura of the Scorch Release is leading their front there."
Hiruzen nodded. "Then send Jiraiya to Kumo to help Orochimaru once Suna surrenders. If the Third Raikage joins the fight there, it would take both of them together to survive. I might have to go there myself if the Third Raikage comes personally."
Shikaku agreed silently. The Third Raikage was a monster. His speed, his durability, his lightning armor. Even two sannin working together would struggle to hold him back without heavy losses.
"Elder Danzo also needs support," Shikaku added. "He is already fighting Roshi of the Four-Tails. If the Third Tsuchikage comes to that battlefield, he might be in trouble."
"He refused additional help," Hiruzen said. "Besides, he has Kagami supporting him. So he should be fine for now. Besides, Onoki is called a fence-sitter for a reason. He would not go to the battlefield without a good reason. He prefers to wait and see who weakens first."
Shikaku rolled the scroll closed. "With Suna soon surrendering to us, they might take part in the chunin exams which are next in Konoha. And Kiri might be another participant. Should we send them an invite?"
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. His pipe had gone out. He relit it slowly, drawing in a deep breath as he spoke.
"Considering Konoha's next generation looks very promising and brimming with talent, of course send them an invite. Let us show them Konoha's strength."
Shikaku gave a small nod. He stood up and gathered his scrolls. "Understood, Lord Third. I will handle the preparations tonight."
------------Author Notes----------
The support and love I've received from all of you has honestly been incredible. Whether it's through Patreon or even something as simple as voting with Power Stones, every bit of support motivates me to keep writing and improving the story.
Because of that, I've decided to increase the number of extra chapters on Patreon from 15 to 20!
The extra chapters will start being posted over the next couple of days, so keep an eye out.
Thank you all so much for supporting this novel. I truly appreciate every single one of you.
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