Hokage Building.
Under the guidance of the ANBU, Orochimaru came to the door of the Hokage's office in a familiar way.
After a slight hesitation, Orochimaru raised his hand and knocked on the door a few times.
"Knock knock knock~"
"come in!"
The resonant voice of teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi came from the office.
Different from the usual soothing and tired tone, the teacher's voice sounded a little joyful to Orochimaru at this moment.
As soon as Orochimaru's hand reached the door handle, the door opened with a "swish" sound from the inside, and a big face with oil paint on both cheeks came into view.
"Orochimaru!"
"It's you..." Orochimaru frowned slightly, and then a smile appeared on his cold face, "Jiraiya...when did you come back."
"I just came back and came to see the teacher." Jiraiya grabbed Orochimaru's neck and pulled him into the office.
"You gloomy guy, did you go to some hot spring to hide in a hidden corner to collect materials? You actually let the ANBU look for you for so long."
"I'm not you." Orochimaru broke away from Jiraiya's hand with a hint of disgust, calmed his expression slightly, and greeted the smiling Sandaime Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Teacher, I'm late."
"It's okay, it's just that Jiraiya just came back from vacation. I just called you." The Sandaime looked at his most proud disciple with a smile, "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"No..." Orochimaru paused before saying, "I met that person at the training ground."
"Who?" Before the Sandaime could speak, Jiraiya came over again with gleaming eyes, "Is it a girl from whose family?"
Orochimaru pushed Jiraiya away with disgust, "Get away from me! You idiot!"
Then he straightened his clothes a little, looked at the teacher who still had a kind expression and said slowly: "That kid from the Uchiha family... Uchiha Tokumitsu."
The Sandaime nodded, with the usual relaxed smile on his face.
"That arrogant little brat from the Uchiha family? The deputy commander of the Northwest Frontier Defense Force?" Jiraiya was a little surprised. This name reminded him of his unpleasant experience of being defeated. "That narrow-minded kid is doing it again." What happened..."
Orochimaru ignored Jiraiya's nonsense and just looked at the Sandaime silently.
"How is it?" The Sandaime sighed slightly, leaned back on the chair behind him, and his waist suddenly relaxed.
"Not bad..." Orochimaru said.
"It's already the Sharingan of the Sanmagatama... Really, you can become a jonin at such a young age. The Uchiha bloodline is really enviable." Jiraiya continued and interjected: "But sensei, you actually let him Serving as Sakumo's second-in-command to the jounin has been surprisingly good to him."
Regarding the student Jiraiya's words, the Sandaime also smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Idiot!" Orochimaru reprimanded mercilessly, "Among Sakumo Jōnin's mobile troops, the main combat jounin are basically drawn from the Uchiha clan. If he doesn't take the command, how can others conquer those troops?" Will the ninja from the Ninja clan go to war?”
Orochimaru gave Jiraiya a hard look, "The power of the Ninja clan is an indispensable part of Konoha. If you mess around like you, sooner or later the Ninja clan will be pushed to the opposite side of the village!"
"But Shikaku, Haiichi, and Choza are also from the ninja clan..." Jiraiya defended unconvincedly, "If you ask me, the Uchiha clan members are a bit stingy, and they are not in the village either. I am attending a ninja school and have no feelings or bonds with my friends in the village..."
Orochimaru was too lazy to pay attention to Jiraiya who had another childish illness.
If you weren't the Hokage's apprentice, the heir to Inogacho wouldn't bother paying attention to you.
For Jiraiya, a fellow disciple, Orochimaru's heart is also very complicated.
They looked down on his lustful and libertine personality, but also admired his tenacity in some aspects; and they had been getting along with each other since childhood, from the ninja school to being accepted as a disciple by the third generation. After going through the tests of the genin and chunin periods, the three of them were finally promoted to the rank of ninja. Jonin, the friendship between each other cannot be shallow.
But in Orochimaru's view, Jiraiya sometimes seems to be too simple-minded, and often thinks of complex things too simply, and then acts recklessly regardless of the consequences. Although it may sometimes have an unexpected promotion effect, but more importantly More will only make the situation more dangerous and complicated.
"By the way, where is Tsunade?" Jiraiya continued to care for himself, "Doesn't she know that the handsome Lord Jiraiya is back? She is so negligent~"
"Mito-sama has been in poor health recently, and Tsunade is taking care of him." For Jiraiya, a disciple who was like a living treasure, the Sandaime had a headache despite his love for him, "You'd better not talk nonsense, or Tsunade will beat you again Stay at Konoha Hospital for a month..."
"Konoha Hospital is not bad, I remember a few young nurses who were very cheerful..."
Orochimaru ignored Jiraiya who was interrupting, and just looked at his teacher silently.
After the Sandaime filled the tobacco, he lightly rubbed it with two fingers to light it, and took a big puff.
"Have you tried competing with him?"
Orochimaru nodded silently.
"What do you think?"
"Illusion is very strong." Orochimaru said concisely and to the end, adding: "There is also the so-called Flame Release... it is not easy either."
The Sandaime nodded silently and took another drag on his pipe.
Covered by the thick smoke, the Sandaime with drooping eyelids sighed with some helplessness: "A ninja from the ninja clan with two blood successors... It's scary to think about it."
Orochimaru and Jiraiya were silent.
Although Jiraiya usually acts out of touch, he is actually a determined and reliable ninja. After a conversation between his teacher and his classmates, he naturally understood what they meant behind what they said.
Silence fell in the Hokage's office.
"I remember... Uchiha Tokumitsu is not yet ten years old, right?" Jiraiya couldn't stand the gloomy atmosphere and was the first to break the deadlock, "No matter how talented he is, he is just a child, it can't be too difficult to handle, right? "
The Sandaime and Orochimaru both shook their heads.
From the overall routine, the Naruto series and Big A are similar. At the beginning, he approached in an amiable manner, then got into the situation sincerely, and even conducted purposeful inducements through various vague but extremely tempting words, such as comments such as "Hokage's appearance". In the process, he would also Let the target get more or less benefits.
After the target truly gets to know each other, there will be a gentle decline or a bottom-line test with orders that are contrary to the family's position. If the test is successful and it is confirmed that he is a qualified heir to the "Will of Fire", then he will be trapped for the rest of his life. .
In the past, this routine inherited from the second generation Senju Tobirama was always successful. Through the Ninja School, a very useful propaganda tool, civilian geniuses and ninja elites entered the Hokage's pocket one after another, constantly enriching the Hokage's direct team. While the Anbu and other organizations were involved, it also gave the Hokage family the opportunity to intervene in the internal affairs of the ninja clan.
However, after several rounds of tests and trials, this move has been proven to be completely ineffective on Uchiha Tokimitsu, the most outstanding figure in the contemporary Uchiha clan.
"Okay." The Sandaime knocked the ashes from his pipe, "How about we go visit Mito-sama together? We can also see Tsunade by the way."
At the last sentence, the Sandaime blinked his left eye meaningfully at Jiraiya.
"Hehe..." Jiraiya nodded with a silly smile.
Orochimaru is incompetent.
The Sandaime picked up the bell on his desk and rang it, summoned an ANBU, whispered some instructions in his ear, and then waved him down to get ready.
As a Hokage, going to visit an elder of the ninja clan, especially the widow of the first Hokage, is quite complicated both in terms of procedures and etiquette.
The three masters and apprentices temporarily put aside the topic of Uchiha and started talking and laughing in the office.
When the Anbu's report was ready, the three of them headed to the Uzumaki clan under the escort of the Shadow Guards and Anbu.
…
Although he was a little dissatisfied with Sarutobi Hiruzen's neglect in the battle to rescue the Uzumaki Country, Uzumaki Mito felt that after a round of beatings, Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude had become much softer, so he no longer sneered at him. .
Uzumaki Mito received Sarutobi and the other three in the main hall of the Senju Mansion, accompanied by Tsunade and Uzumaki Kushina.
Perhaps it was because his granddaughter had been accompanying him recently or the Uzumaki clan had settled down, allowing Mito Uzumaki to feel at ease, so his complexion looked much better than before.
After the few people talked for a while, Uzumaki Mito motioned to Tsunade to take the somewhat sleepy Uzumaki Kushina down. Sarutobi Hiruzen also knew what he meant, so he also asked Jiraiya and Indifference, who were already ready to move, to sit on one side. Orochimaru also went out for a walk.
"My time is running out." After a moment of silence, Uzumaki Mito said: "Perhaps I will go to the Pure Land and meet Hashirama before long."
"Mito-sama..." Sarutobi Hiruzen was a little stunned when he heard this.
As the most famous figure of the founding generation, Uzumaki Mito is a figure who dominates the ninja world in terms of personal prestige and personal strength.
In terms of prestige, as the wife of the "Ninja God" Senju Hashirama and the princess of the Uzumaki clan, everyone in the ninja world has to give her some respect.
In terms of strength, as a strong woman who has awakened the bloodline power of the Uzumaki clan, she is uniquely the strongest among the Uzumaki clan even in its peak period, not to mention that she still has the power of the Nine Tails to control at will.
Although Uzumaki Mito is getting older, no one dares to despise her. It is with her support that Konoha F4 can successfully succeed and lead the Konoha ninja to win the war. The second half of the first ninja war.
Now, after hearing this bad news, it came from Uzumaki Mito himself, which made Sarutobi Hiruzen not panic.
"Hiruzen... I am already very old and very tired." Uzumaki Mito waved his hand to stop what Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to say, "Although I am already an octogenarian, I am not old and stupid yet. You know what you’re talking about, but don’t panic.”
Just like scolding a child, Uzumaki Mito silenced Sarutobi Hiruzen with a few words.
"There are three things that concern me most, and they will be arranged before leaving for the Pure Land." Uzumaki Mito continued.
"The first thing is about Tsunade and Fushu. They are both my descendants and Hashirama's bloodline... Hiruzen, you have to teach them well, just like Tobirama did to you all back then."
"I understand, Mito-sama." Hiruzen Sarutobi replied solemnly.
"The second thing is about the Senju clan." Uzumaki Mito sighed, "The Senju bloodline can no longer withstand the struggle. In the future, we will continue the policy when Tobirama was still there and let the surviving clansmen go into seclusion. , the Thousand Hands Clan... will become a historical name from now on."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded silently.
"The third thing is about the Kyuubi." Uzumaki Mito raised his head and glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was obviously getting nervous, "Do you have anything to say?"
"Mito-sama...if the Nine-Tails were drawn out in advance, wouldn't it be..." He did not continue, but Uzumaki Mito also knew what he wanted to say.
"I should still have a few years to live." Uzumaki Mito said slowly, "In these days, I will teach Kushina well. In the future, she will succeed me as the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki and continue to protect the village..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something but did not say it.
"If you have anything to say, just say it, don't hold it in your stomach." Uzumaki Mito glanced at him, "Don't be like that little devil Danzo, hiding all his shady thoughts."
"I dare not..." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled bitterly and saluted Uzumaki Mito, "It's just that the relationship between the Uzumaki clan and Uchiha is a bit too..."
"I can't interfere with Ashina's affairs. He has his own ideas, but..." Uzumaki Mito changed the subject, "Hiruzen, have you ever thought about why Ashina and the Uzumaki tribe are willing to fight with the people who have been together for thousands of years?" Is the opponent Uchiha getting closer?"
"We are both ninjas...and we have asylum."
"It's because I, the Hokage, am incompetent..." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed with a bitter smile.
"What you did was not wrong, Ashina was not wrong either." Uzumaki Mito squinted his eyes slightly, seeming a little tired, "It is normal that the position of the ninja clan conflicts with the interests of the village, but as the Hokage, you have to deal with it To improve the relationship between the two, what the village wants is balance..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
"What you are worried about is that Kushina will follow the family to the Uchiha clan..." Uzumaki Mito saw through Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also smiled bitterly and remained silent.
"Kushina will be raised in the Senju Clan..." Uzumaki Mito leaned back in his chair, "When she gets older, let her go to a ninja school to study. As for the family, I will also tell them not to have anything to do with Kushina. Contact Xinai..."
"But... Uchiha is always one..."
In front of Uzumaki Mito, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't speak too directly.
"Although Uchiha are arrogant, they are reliable partners and comrades..." Uzumaki Mito raised his eyelids slightly and stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen, "...you won't forget the mirror, will you?"
"No..." Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his head and replied, "It's me..."
"You are the Hokage!" Uzumaki Mito decisively interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen, "As the leader of the village, naturally you have to do what others cannot do! You must endure what others cannot tolerate!"
"Yes!" Sarutobi Hiruzen replied in shock.
"Don't you prefer your apprentice Orochimaru? I think Uchiha Tokumitsu is a good whetstone..."
When Sarutobi Hiruzen heard this, he was also speechless.
"Hashirama suppressed Madara, Tobirama killed Izuna..." Uzumaki Mito glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen again, "Sarutobi... you are also very good..."
"But if Orochimaru can convince that Uchiha Tokko, doesn't it mean that your choice is right?"
"Mito-sama... what you are saying is..."
(End of chapter)
