Facing Danzo's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a cold huff.
"Hmph! Danzo, you've got the nerve to ask me what I'm up to? I should be asking you that! What exactly are you scheming?
Who gave you the authority to snatch a student from the Ninja Academy without permission?
Danzo… don't tell me you're starting to see yourself as the Hokage!"
Caught off guard by Hiruzen's scolding, Danzo found himself at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say—that he did think of himself as the Hokage?
"Hmph! Hiruzen, don't tell me you came here just to lecture me about this! If you've got nothing else, leave. I've got paperwork to deal with!"
"Paperwork?" Hiruzen shot back. "What, you dragged Hirofumi Ito here to help you with your paperwork?"
Faced with Hiruzen's relentless pressure, Danzo, no matter how unwilling, had to back down for now.
"Heh… I just heard that Hirofumi Ito did well in yesterday's sparring session at the Academy. As a Konoha elder, is it so wrong for me to want to personally commend him?
Everything I do is for the good of Konoha!
What, as an elder, don't I even have that much authority?"
Bang!
Just as Hiruzen was about to respond, a figure burst in, frantic.
"Lord Hokage! Is Hirofumi Ito okay?!"
It was Iruka, a chunin who couldn't match the speed of Hiruzen or the Anbu. He'd rushed over as fast as he could, his forehead dripping with sweat.
The moment Iruka arrived at the Root base and spotted Hirofumi, he darted to the boy's side, shielding him protectively.
To be honest, Hirofumi had been a little annoyed that Hiruzen interrupted his plans. But seeing Iruka's panicked state now, his heart swelled with gratitude.
To have a teacher like Iruka as a student… that was true luck.
No wonder Naruto Uzumaki never went down a dark path in the anime. Besides the influence of Asura's chakra, a big part of it had to be thanks to Iruka, right? After all, when Naruto married Hinata Hyuga, he'd asked Iruka to stand in as his father at the wedding!
"Teacher Iruka! I'm fine, don't worry!" Hirofumi reassured him.
Iruka turned back, giving Hirofumi a comforting look. "Don't worry, Hirofumi. With the Hokage here and me by your side, you'll be safe!"
Hiruzen, seeing Iruka's resolve, gave a quiet nod. "Iruka really is an exceptional teacher," he thought.
Then, turning to Iruka, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Iruka, everything's under control. Take Hirofumi back to the Ninja Academy. No one will stop you."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Iruka replied.
With that, Iruka grabbed Hirofumi's arm. "Come on, Hirofumi, let's get back to the Academy!"
"Yes, sensei!" Hirofumi responded.
Seeing the situation, Hirofumi knew there was no chance of learning the Kotoamatsukami today. He followed Iruka back to the Academy.
Meanwhile, in the summoning realm…
Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, and Minato Namikaze—the first batch of summoned spirits—were gathered together, eating a meal. As they ate, they observed the outside world through the summoning realm.
When Madara saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, show up, he let out a cold snort. "Hmph! Looks like there's no show to watch today. Hiruzen got here pretty fast. I was just about ready to go out there and take out that Danzo guy myself!"
"Madara~~" Hashirama, sitting beside him, grabbed his arm. "You're still the same, always ready to fight and kill! Not cool, man.
Sure, this Danzo guy doesn't seem like a good person. He's ugly, a one-eyed creep, and I can sense Sharingan chakra on him. Plus, he's targeting a kid from our village… ugh, you know what? Now I'm ready to take him out!"
Tobirama, sitting nearby, looked grim. His former student was an embarrassment, plain and simple. How had he ended up teaching someone like this?
Everyone had seen what Danzo was up to—trying to harm a child from their own village! Even his big brother, the ultimate nice guy, was angry enough to say he wanted to take Danzo out.
Hashirama hadn't furrowed his brow or flared his chakra, but Tobirama, as his brother, could tell—he was genuinely pissed. Hashirama had never openly threatened to kill anyone before.
If Konoha was Hashirama's bottom line, then the village's children were his untouchable reverse scale.
Especially since Hirofumi had revived them all…
Tobirama sighed. How many foolish things had his so-called "great" students done? The worse they were, the more it made him look like a failure as a teacher.
Fugaku Uchiha spoke up casually. "That's just how Elder Danzo is. No tolerance for anyone who doesn't bow to him. Either you're his dog, or he destroys you. As the Uchiha clan head, I've dealt with it for years. Heh…"
Hearing his friend, Minato chimed in. "Good thing the Third Hokage arrived in time. Otherwise, this could've gotten messy. Hirofumi's strength isn't something to underestimate anymore."
Minato, unaware of what his son Naruto had been through, still saw Hiruzen as a great, shining figure—a goal to aspire to.
Mito Uzumaki, wearing a gentle smile, served everyone a bowl of soup. Minato and Fugaku were a bit stiff.
"Thank you, Lady Mito!" they said in unison.
Mito just laughed. "No need to be so formal, you two. I'm no 'lady.' One of you is Madara's descendant, and the other is little Kushina's husband. We're all Konoha, all family!"
Madara, never one for formalities, grabbed his bowl and downed the soup in one go. Back when Hashirama got married, Madara used to visit their home for meals all the time. Mito's cooking was as good as ever.
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