Chapter 37
Even though he understood why Konoha was a shinobi village, it didn't feel quite right to call it merely a village. Perhaps in the early years of its establishment, it was just that, but now, with its numerous districts, clans, and parks, it seemed inadequate to label it as such. Especially considering he had to walk for half an hour from his office to the blacksmith.
Of course, he could have run there or jumped across the rooftops. As unrefined as a shinobi he was, he had reached the level to do that. Still, he refrained for one reason: he feared ruining his image. Just imagining what others would think if they saw him darting and leaping through the village made him feel nauseous.
What if they thought it was an emergency? If people saw the Hokage rushing somewhere, some might quickly conclude that something was wrong. Conversely, if he strolled leisurely through the village, humming a tune and greeting everyone with a smile, the image of peaceful times would be further reinforced. Everyone would feel reassured and safe.
"Tenten! Stop running! No! Don't touch that! Tenten, dear, please put it down. No! Don't put that in your mouth!"
Unlike the serene streets, the shop he entered was chaos incarnate. A middle-aged man sprinted around, trying to catch a little girl who was giggling joyfully. In other settings, it would have been a charming sight. But in the weapon shop, it transformed into a battlefield. Sharp and dangerous weapons whirled in all directions.
"What the?" Hiruzen exclaimed as he walked into the shop, only to be greeted by a shuriken aimed at his face. "How the hell?"
"Oh, Hokage-sama! Please forgive me!" Hiruzen ignored the shop owner as he looked at his hand, which had just parried an unexpected and deadly attack. Confused, his mind struggled to catch up, but his body moved instinctively. "Tenten! Here we go."
At last, the father managed to catch his daughter, but before he could even scold the two—or maybe three-year-old girl, she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and fell asleep. Hiruzen could only gaze at the sleeping creature who had nearly killed him. She was only third behind Danzo and Orochimaru in terms of how close they had come to causing his demise.
"How cute." Hiruzen forced a smile, still focusing on the girl and not daring to let his guard down.
"Please forgive me, Hokage-sama!" The shop owner bowed deeply in sincere apology. "This little devil was just too much for me. If only her late mother were here."
"Oh." How could Hiruzen respond to that? "It's good to see children so full of energy. It's just a sign that she'll grow to be as lively as she is now."
"Thank you. Oh, look at this mess." The father surveyed his wrecked shop. "How am I supposed to find your order now?"
"No worries," Hiruzen waved his hands. "I'm in no rush."
"Thank you again for your understanding, Hokage-sama." The man seemed to relax finally. "If only my wife were so considerate. I swear she has no sense of time; she's always running late. She was supposed to be here an hour ago to pick up our daughter."
'Wait? Is that what he meant when he said her late mother wasn't here?' Hiruzen's smile faltered, and his eye began to twitch. He was growing rather annoyed, to say the least, with this family. Maintaining his pleasant old man's visage, he assisted the man in cleaning up his shop. After locating his order, he quickly exited, hoping never to encounter them again for the rest of his life.
…
After gathering his things, Hiruzen was more than happy to return to his office and forget what had just happened. Thanks partly to Shizune, the girl was a true blessing. In just one day, she organized Hiruzen's work to the point that it wasn't even a hassle to manage. His efficiency doubled, and the more experience she gained, the better it would be.
"Excellent work." Hiruzen smiled with joy at how much work she saved him from.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Shizune replied shyly, leaving Hiruzen feeling guilty. Although she was incredibly talented and he valued her support, he realized that one day was enough for him to clear his mind and understand that he couldn't truly compel her to do his work. Moreover, the way he had persuaded her to assist him wasn't exactly motivating. Why had he agreed to gamble with Tsunade for her?
"You did great." Hiruzen decided to let her go. "You can return to Tsunade's side. And if you'd like, you can tell her that you're still working for me and can take some time off. I think you deserve it after dealing with Tsunade and her antics."
"Hah," Shizune sighed. At first, Hiruzen thought it was a sigh of relief, but her change in demeanor took him aback. "You both are the same. Forcing yourselves until you can't take it anymore, and just as you're about to ask for help, you push people away."
"Heh." Hiruzen found that comment a bit off-putting. "Kid, you shouldn't worry about the adults; live your own life. I agree; we can be stubborn and act childishly at times, but we have our responsibilities, and we shouldn't force them onto others. Thank you for being concerned about me, but these old bones still have some strength left. And Tsunade needs more help than I do."
"Tsunade lost on purpose."
"What?" This time, Hiruzen was truly shocked. "Come again?"
"Of course, she was angry that you wanted to take me away. But she quickly realized that you do need help, and I believe the same, Hokage-sama. Since you are the one who asked for help, it's clear you need it. And after just one day, I can confidently say this is all a mess."
"It isn't that bad."
"You have hundreds of unanswered letters."
"I just pretend they don't exist."
"What about all the complaints about various shinobi and officials?"
"I do the same." The look on her face was intimidating as Hiruzen responded. "Well, I do look into it if it keeps coming up."
"You're even more of a mess than Tsunade." That stung quite a bit, but Hiruzen had nothing to counter. "And what do you mean I have some time off? Did you forget you were going to have a party with your kids to celebrate Asuma's promotion?"
"Oh, right, I completely forgot about that."
"So? What are you still doing here?"
"Then I'll leave the rest to you." Hiruzen didn't want to argue with Shizune and quickly left.
"You forgot your gift!"
Hiruzen walked back to his office, not daring to look at Shizune as he picked up the box he had just received from the weaponsmith earlier. He felt too embarrassed. It was the first time in his life that someone had told him off so casually. He couldn't come up with a response, and it was done by a teenage girl who somehow seemed more mature than he was. His self-esteem couldn't take any more of her sharp remarks.
…
When Hiruzen arrived at his favorite ramen restaurant, Asuma and Kazuki were already waiting for him. Hiruzen noticed Kazuki laughing and playfully tossing Asuma's hair. At that moment, Hiruzen realized that Kazuki was more of a father figure to Asuma than he was, and it was already too late to change that. Still, he could at least show his support for Asuma.
"Sorry I'm late."
"I thought you wouldn't even come, Pops," Kazuki said cheerfully. "Finally, we can order. The aroma alone was making me salivate."
"When did you start calling me that?" Hiruzen asked with a smile as he sat next to Asuma.
"Just came to mind," Kazuki laughed. "Or do you want me to call you old man?"
"I'm not that old yet." Hiruzen didn't want to be seen as some older guy when, at heart, he still felt so young.
"Are you done?" Asuma asked. "I'm starving. Let's order already. Teuchi! Three miso ramen!"
"Look at him, it hasn't even been a day since the promotion, and he's already ordering people around," Kazuki laughed. "But he's still too scared to order a drink with his older brother and Pops."
"Give us your best soju bottle," Hiruzen said to Teuchi, who smiled and nodded. "It's time to make a man out of you."
Hiruzen and Kazuki spent most of the evening working together to embarrass Asuma as much as possible, making fun of him and annoying him to the best of their abilities as Asuma tried to keep up with their drinking. After all, it would probably be the last time they could do this. From now on, Asuma was a Jonin, one of the elite protectors of the village.
"This is for you," Hiruzen finally presented his gift. "It will serve you well."
"Thrench knives?" Asuma asked as he opened the box and found a pair of blades with brass knuckles.
"Oh, these aren't just some blades," Kazuki said, recognizing the blades. "They are chakra blades. You can flow chakra into them, giving the weapon additional properties. It's way too expensive, in my opinion, but the metal is very rare."
"Don't worry about such small details," Hiruzen laughed it up. "It will enchant your taijutsu, and that is all that matters."
"Thanks, Pops."
"Not you too," Hiruzen facepalmed at the nickname.
"I will use them well."
"Then let's drink for that." Kazuki filled our glasses again. "By the way, why to your ANBU look so concerned about you, Pops?"
"Ignore them; they can be a bit overdramatic," Hiruzen replied.
After a few more bottles, both Kazuki and Asuma passed out, leaving Hiruzen to sigh at their antics. He had warned them not to try to outdrink him, but they took it as a challenge. Now, both of their heads rested on the table while Hiruzen finished the last bottle. It was a peaceful evening, and he couldn't ask for anything more.
"How is Ayame, Teuchi?" Hiruzen finally mustered the courage to ask.
"I'd love to say she's fine," Teuchi replied while finishing up cleaning the kitchen. "But no kid could be fine after what she went through."
"Sorry for asking," Hiruzen said. "I should've known."
"She's getting better," Teuchi said without seeming to mind. "The nightmares are less frequent, and she isn't afraid to go out anymore. But like everything, it takes time."
"I'm not done yet, Pops," Kazuki groaned before falling asleep again.
"Well, I should take these two home before they embarrass themselves further."
Hiruzen didn't feel right staying any longer. He felt sympathy for Teuchi and his daughter, as well as for the other children and their families who had suffered at the hands of Orochimaru and Danzo. He would have liked to see how they were doing, but he didn't think it was right to intrude on their lives, so he satisfied his curiosity by reading reports about their well-being.
Observing the groaning Asuma, Hiruzen felt a wave of concern for him. Though he was no child, Hiruzen struggled to see him as a man just yet. At seventeen, he was still very young. At that age, Hiruzen was focused solely on video games and girls, but Asuma didn't enjoy such leisure. Now a Jonin, he had only one girl on his mind.
Hiruzen understood from his experience that there was no real reason to worry. Asuma would grow to become a great shinobi and an even better man. Yet, the worry persisted. Asuma would now have to make choices that would determine the course of his life. He was no longer a boy, but not quite hardened enough to be a true man in this world.
Asuma might pretend as much as he liked, but his attempt to outdrink Hiruzen only revealed how much Asuma himself was worried about his future. Nevertheless, Asuma demonstrated his strength in the test set by Shikaku. Even the Jonin commander was impressed by Asuma's decision-making skills and resilience. He had improved tremendously in the past year.
"What's so important that you're interrupting me now?" Hiruzen asked as he saw an ANBU emerge from the shadows.
"A message from Genma Shiranui."
Hiruzen took it and grimaced. Ebisu had discovered several shinobi watching Kusagakure, likely from Iwa, though he wasn't entirely certain. Hiruzen realized that sooner or later, his involvement with Kusagakure would come to light, but with news of Akatsuki moving, it became more urgent.
"Ding!!! New guest: Save Kusagakure from destruction. Ding!!!"
Reward: Random memory
Failure: War
Hiruzen concluded that they were caught because they began observing Kusa more closely in preparation for an attack. Understanding that they couldn't do it alone, as they would break the peace treaty, they likely hired Akatsuki to handle the dirty work. And as everything fell into place, the system decided to confirm it.
Name: Hiruzen Sarutobi
Age: 56/83
HP: 100%
Chakra: 100%
Strenght: 8
Speed: 8
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 9
Charisma: 7
Ninjutsu: 8
Taijutsu: 8
Genjutsu: 8
Fuinjutsu: 8
Ninjutsu skills: Shadow Clone, Fireball, Body Flicker, Body Substitution, Transformation, Mud Slide, Fireball, Kirin, Ash Pile Burning.
Taijutsu skills: Shurikenjutsu (Advanced level), Drunken fist (Advanced level), Bo-staff mastery (Advanced level), Basic taijutsu (Master level), Chakra Enhanced Strength (Novice Level), Parry.
Genjutsu skills: Bringer of Darkness, Temple of Nirvana.
Fuinjutsu skills: Negative Emotion-sensing, Explosive Tag, Sealing Tag.
Considering all his skills, Hiruzen felt proud of how much he had achieved. Too bad everything he had was utterly useless. Did he really have to face two S-rank shinobi? That was a death wish. But sending anyone to Kusa would only confirm Iwa's and other villages' suspicions about his involvement with them, and there weren't many who could survive those two either.
And knowing how cunning that old geezer Tsuchikage was, the attack would likely coincide with the Chunin Exam. After all, it was no secret when that would be. He definitely couldn't ignore it either, since war was the last thing he wanted. There wasn't much time to devise a counter plan either. He was starting to think that everything he had done so far was coming back to bite him in the ass.
A.N. Sorry for not posting last week. I was forced to touch grass with family. Somehow I survived.