The next day, in the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage was frowning as he looked at the documents in his hand when a voice came from outside the door: "Hokage-sama, Hyuga Hizashi has arrived."
The Third Hokage put away the documents and nodded: "Please ask him to come in."
The door pushed open, and a man with calm eyes and a stern expression walked in, asking respectfully: "Hokage-sama, you asked for me?"
The Third Hokage picked up his smoking pipe and tapped it on the desk, smiling as he asked: "Hizashi, you haven't been a team leader for graduating Ninjas since becoming a Jonin, right?"
Hizashi nodded: "Yes."
The Third Hokage smiled: "You are recognized in the village as a master of Taijutsu. I was thinking of entrusting two youngsters who are following the Taijutsu path to your care. What do you think?"
Hizashi was somewhat surprised. The village rarely assigned high-ranking Ninjas from great clans like him to be team leaders for Ninja Academy's graduates.
'Why was I chosen this time? Weren't there still plenty of strong Taijutsu specialists in the village?'
Although puzzled, he didn't ask for the reason and simply accepted the task respectfully: "Yes, I will definitely complete the task."
The Third Hokage smiled: "One of those two children is very interested in Tenketsu Strikes. You can guide him a bit more in that."
"Tenketsu Strikes?" Hizashi was inwardly astonished, 'Without the Byakugan, how could an outsider possibly strike Tenketsu with the naked eye?'
"Yes." Hizashi agreed solemnly, his mind filled with thoughts as he walked towards the door, where he happened to meet a man with a bandage over his right eye entering.
"Danzo-sama!"
Danzo nodded, walked up to the Third's desk, and said sternly: "Hiruzen, I heard that Kumogakure is demanding you hand over the perpetrator. This must not be allowed!"
"Kumogakure... perpetrator..." Hizashi was startled, worried he might hear something he shouldn't. He quickened his pace and left.
The Third frowned slightly. He had originally wanted to remind Hizashi to be careful of Setsuna's strength and that it would be best not to personally test the team's combat power himself.
But Hizashi left too quickly, so he didn't have time to stop him. Moreover, he didn't really want Danzo to know too much about Setsuna.
'Never mind, that child Setsuna should know his own limits.' The Third sighed inwardly and responded to Danzo's question unhurriedly, "The demand from Kumogakure just reached me, and you already know about it. Old friend, your reach is a bit too long."
Danzo frowned slightly: "That's not the point. The point is that we absolutely must not hand anyone over. Otherwise, how would the outside world view Konoha?"
The Third Hokage shook his head: "Although the Second Great Ninja War ended many years ago, the local conflicts between Konoha and Kumogakure have never ceased. How could I possibly bow to the enemy?"
Danzo couldn't help but sneer: "Are you saying that if it were peacetime, you would hand someone over?"
The Third Hokage's tone was calm: "You are not sitting in my position, so of course you can be a hardline uncompromisingly. It wouldn't be you bearing the responsibility if a war broke out anyway."
Danzo snorted coldly: "When it comes down to it, the current Konoha is just too weak. If the First Hokage were still here, would those bandits from Kumogakure dare to threaten us like this?"
The Third Hokage smiled: "Given the First Hokage's personality, they might actually dare."
Danzo clenched his fist tightly: "So we should nurture another Ninja as powerful as the First Hokage, one who can be used by us."
Sensing the implication in Danzo's words, the Third Hokage frowned: "A powerhouse like the First Hokage cannot be created simply through cultivation."
"How can it not?" Danzo said in a tempting tone. "Don't we have the First Hokage's cells?"
The Third's expression instantly turned cold: "You want to restart that experiment? I will never agree! Too many volunteers have already sacrificed their lives in that experiment. One such painful failure is enough!"
"Failure? It wasn't a complete failure, actually." Danzo lowered his voice.
"What do you mean?" The Third Hokage asked, puzzled.
Danzo took a deep breath. He did not mention that he and Orochimaru had secretly restarted the experiment, only speaking vaguely: "Actually, there was one successful case back then. I took that child and raised him myself. He has now successfully mastered Wood Release!"
"Truly mastered Wood Release?" This time, the Third Hokage was genuinely shocked, 'Could it be that the First Hokage's immense power, which once subdued the Tailed Beasts, was about to reappear in the Ninja World?'
But he quickly noticed something wrong: "Wait, all the volunteers back then were adult Ninjas. But you just said a child?"
Danzo bluffed: "He was a posthumous child. One of the volunteer Ninjas back then was pregnant, she just didn't know it. Anyway, that's not the point."
The Third Hokage asked suspiciously: "You've hidden this for so long, why tell me suddenly? This isn't like your style."
Danzo looked rather embarrassed: "Perhaps there was some deviation in the experiment back then. That child's Wood Release doesn't possess the great power of the First Hokage's. Of course, it could also be because he is still young and cannot unlock the true potential of Wood Release."
The Third Hokage was a bit confused. In the Ninja World, Wood Release was synonymous with great power. He couldn't quite imagine what 'not powerful enough' Wood Release would be like, 'It couldn't that the Wood Release can only be used to make house, could it?'
"So what is your meaning?"
Danzo said gravely: "I thought about it carefully later. It's very likely because his physical body isn't strong enough. According to legends, the First Hokage could fight Uchiha Madara's Susanoo with his bare flesh."
The Third Hokage somewhat guessed Danzo's purpose and his voice turned slightly cold: "You might as well speak more plainly."
Danzo's voice was calm: "I heard the village has produced a Taijutsu genius with no talent for Ninjutsu. Having no talent for Ninjutsu means he won't reject Wood Release. A powerful physique means he might be able to bear the power of Wood Release. He is rare material for the Wood Release experiment. Perhaps we can recreate the First Hokage's great power and Konoha's glory through him."
"Enough!" The Third Hokage slammed the table. "I won't pursue the matter of you privately concealing a Wood Release User, but don't even think about that child."
Danzo said coldly: "You must be able to sense it too, right? The clouds of war are approaching. The Land of Fire occupies the most fertile territory in the Ninja World. Once war breaks out, we will inevitably become the target of everyone again. It's not impossible that we might have to fight one against three, or even one against four, just like the last Great Ninja War. If we cannot strengthen our power quickly, we might very well lose the war, lose the future. Your womanly kindness will only bring greater losses to the village!"
The Third rebuked sharply: "That child's parents have already sacrificed themselves for the village. If even their bloodline cannot be continued, then what is the meaning of the village's existence?"
Danzo did not yield an inch: "The meaning of the village's existence is, of course, for the future of more people. Ninjas are weapons of war, and this is the destiny of a Ninja. Moreover, it's not necessarily dangerous for him. He might even master the strongest power in the Ninja World because of it?"
The Third Hokage recalled the power he witnessed yesterday and shook his head slightly: "How do you know he cannot become the strongest in the Ninja World by his own power in the future?"
Danzo frowned: "Are you serious? A Taijutsu specialist?"
Seeing that the Third wouldn't relent, Danzo said again: "Hiruzen, are you really going to stop me from inheriting our Sensei's will?"
The Third said mockingly: "I don't remember our Sensei ever passing on that kind of will to you."
Danzo said in a deep voice: "Don't play dumb. After being Hokage for so many years, you should have known for a long time that our Sensei conducted no fewer human experiments than I did."
The Third was silent for a moment, then said: "Regardless, our Sensei never experimented on the bodies of Konoha's Ninjas."
"Is that true?" Danzo sneered. "Our Sensei conducted many experiments on Uchiha Madara's corpse. Although Uchiha Madara did betray the village, the First Hokage never truly labeled him as a Missing-Nin."
The Third, however, did not want to continue on this topic: "There's no need to say more about the past. Let it be."
"You..." Danzo wanted to say more, but was directly interrupted by the Third.
"I said, this is my decision. Don't forget, you are only the Hokage's advisor. I am the Hokage!"
These words seemed to pierce through Danzo's mental defenses. His face became very ugly: "Hmph! You will regret this!"