When Katō Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique to relay Danzō's analysis back to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not in the Hokage Building.
He was at home.
Dressed in loose, comfortable clothes, Hiruzen sat cross-legged on the wooden veranda overlooking the courtyard. Resting comfortably in his arms was his youngest son, Asuma Sarutobi, who had recently turned three.
With his wife away working at Konoha Hospital, Hiruzen had taken the opportunity to relax without restraint. A pipe rested between his lips as he entertained his young son, casually puffing out clouds of smoke at the same time.
"Dad, do cigarettes taste good?"
Sitting on his father's lap, Asuma stared curiously as Hiruzen inhaled from his pipe and slowly released the smoke.
Hiruzen raised one hand and lightly tapped his son on the forehead.
"They taste terrible," he said with a smile. "That's why you're never allowed to smoke when you grow up. Understand?"
Asuma covered his forehead and glared at him indignantly.
If they tasted terrible, why was he still smoking them?
His father was obviously lying!
Stupid old man!
Seeing Asuma puff out his cheeks in frustration, Hiruzen's smile grew even wider.
Kizaru, whom Hiruzen had called over earlier, happened to enter the courtyard at that moment. The first thing he saw was the peaceful sight of the Hokage playing with his young son.
"Ooh…"
Kizaru looked at them with an amused smile.
"Sarutobi-sensei, skipping work in the middle of the day? How frighteningly irresponsible."
Hearing his voice, Hiruzen looked up and gently tapped Asuma on the back with his right hand.
Understanding the signal, Asuma climbed out of his father's arms and stood on the veranda before turning toward Kizaru.
"Uncle Kizaru!"
At this age, Asuma was still an obedient and well-behaved child. No one looking at him now would have imagined that he would eventually grow into such a rebellious young man.
Kizaru smiled and nodded. Walking over, he raised a hand and gently ruffled the boy's hair.
"Asuma, why don't you go outside and play for a while?"
"Okay!"
Asuma immediately ran out of the courtyard, his small legs carrying him away as quickly as they could.
Watching his son disappear, Hiruzen removed the pipe from his mouth and slowly exhaled a stream of smoke.
"Kizaru, in a few days, I want Asuma to become your student."
Kizaru chuckled and lowered himself onto the veranda beside Hiruzen.
"My uncle already told me everything you discussed with him."
Hiruzen nodded.
"He and I are both pleased that you're willing to shoulder the responsibility of becoming Hokage."
After saying that, Hiruzen turned toward Kizaru. A relieved smile appeared on his face.
"If I leave the position to you, I'll finally be able to retire without worrying."
"Sarutobi-sensei, you're only in your forties," Kizaru replied lazily. "You've still got plenty of years left to work."
"Hahaha!"
Hiruzen laughed loudly.
He brought the pipe back to his lips, took a deep breath, then slowly breathed out the smoke.
"An old man like me has been sitting in the Hokage's seat for far too long. Everyone must be tired of looking at the same face."
Although he spoke casually, there was genuine emotion behind his words.
Over the past three years, Hiruzen had gradually noticed that several shinobi and ninja clans within the village were becoming increasingly restless.
The Shimura and Uchiha clans were particularly noteworthy.
The two clans had once been openly hostile toward one another, yet recently, they had even begun cooperating.
Even Hiruzen had been surprised by that development.
"Tired of looking at you?"
Kizaru tilted his head, his tone playfully exaggerated.
"That seems a little cruel. I still think you're quite interesting to look at, Sarutobi-sensei."
"Hahaha!"
Hiruzen laughed again.
However, as he looked at Kizaru, his expression gradually became serious.
"Kizaru."
His voice carried the solemn weight of the Hokage.
"From now on, I'm entrusting the village to you."
Kizaru placed both hands on the wooden floor behind him and leaned back slightly, raising his gaze toward the sky.
After a moment, he released a quiet breath.
"I'll take good care of Konoha."
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"And Asuma too."
Hearing that promise, the smile on Hiruzen's face became brighter. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and across his forehead deepened as his expression relaxed.
As long as Kizaru remained in the village, Hiruzen could rest easy about both Konoha's future and the safety of his family.
Just like that, the transfer of Konoha's highest authority was quietly decided in a peaceful and cheerful courtyard.
Provided nothing unexpected occurred, Kizaru would officially succeed Hiruzen as Hokage one month later, witnessed by the village's shinobi.
Of course, Hiruzen still had many preparations to complete before then.
First, he had to announce Kizaru's nomination during a meeting with Konoha's senior leadership.
Second, Kizaru would have to receive a vote of confidence from the village's jōnin.
Once those two steps were completed, only the simplest matter would remain: informing the Land of Fire's daimyō of Konoha's chosen candidate and waiting for his formal approval.
In practice, the daimyō had never rejected a candidate officially selected and supported by Konoha's leadership.
As Hiruzen smoked his pipe and mentally arranged everything that needed to be completed before the succession ceremony, an ANBU shinobi suddenly leaped over the courtyard wall.
He landed on one knee.
"Hokage-sama, urgent intelligence has arrived from Sunagakure."
The moment Hiruzen heard the word urgent, the relaxed expression disappeared from his face.
He exchanged a brief look with Kizaru before they both turned toward the ANBU operative.
"What happened?"
"Elder Danzō has sent a report. He suspects that a faction within Sunagakure is secretly colluding with another hidden village. The recent scandal involving our stationed forces may have been deliberately orchestrated by Sunagakure."
Hiruzen immediately rose to his feet.
The gentle father from moments before vanished, replaced by the leader of Konohagakure.
"Return to the Hokage Building. Summon the two advisors and have Shinnosuke report to my office immediately."
"Yes!"
The ANBU shinobi disappeared from the courtyard in an instant.
"Kizaru, what do you think?" Hiruzen asked.
Kizaru remained seated, his expression calm.
"Konoha has been growing more prosperous by the day," he said. "It wouldn't be surprising if the other hidden villages were starting to feel anxious."
Hiruzen nodded, agreeing with his assessment.
At the same time, he sighed inwardly.
If Danzō's suspicions were correct, the shinobi world might soon be thrown into chaos once again.
"Kizaru, how is your senjutsu training progressing?" Hiruzen asked seriously. "If war breaks out, will you be able to fight?"
He had already begun preparing for the worst possible outcome.
Kizaru was currently Konoha's greatest military asset. His power was comparable even to that of the First Hokage.
If his senjutsu training prevented him from entering battle, the coming conflict would become far more difficult for the village.
"No problem," Kizaru replied.
His usual laziness remained, but there was no hesitation in his answer.
This concerned the possibility of war.
Even Kizaru would not make excuses or avoid responsibility at a time like this.
Hearing his response, Hiruzen felt the pressure in his chest ease.
With Kizaru protecting Konoha, even if the village were forced to face the other four great hidden villages at once, Hiruzen would not be afraid.
"The most important thing now is stabilizing Sunagakure," Hiruzen said. "We cannot allow them to side with another village."
Having experienced Konoha being surrounded during the First Shinobi World War, Hiruzen had no desire to let the village fall into such a passive position again.
"I already sent Uchiha Fugaku to Sunagakure with my orders," Kizaru said. "I imagine the people over there will still be willing to show me a little respect."
Kizaru was quite confident about that.
He might not possess some strange power capable of forcing others to give him face, but with the abilities of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he doubted anyone in this small shinobi world would dare ignore him.
The shinobi nations were not particularly large.
At Kizaru's speed, he could fly from Konoha to any of the major hidden villages in less than twenty minutes.
If Sunagakure refused to cooperate, then once Katō Dan's message reached Konoha, Kizaru could arrive there within twenty minutes.
After that, Sunagakure would either surrender…
Or Sunagakure would cease to exist.
More powerful villages such as Iwagakure and Kumogakure might be able to resist him for a little longer.
However, the already weakened Sunagakure had no strength capable of opposing both Kizaru and Konoha.
Hiruzen did not criticize Kizaru for issuing orders without consulting him. Instead, he appeared curious.
"What instructions did you give Uchiha Fugaku?"
Kizaru smiled.
"I told him that if anyone in Sunagakure causes trouble, he should ask them one question."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"What question?"
Kizaru's smile widened slightly.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen immediately choked on the smoke from his pipe.
As he coughed, he remembered that he would soon be handing the position of Hokage over to Kizaru.
For the first time, Hiruzen felt a trace of sympathy for the other hidden villages.
Becoming Kizaru's enemy meant enduring more than physical suffering.
Far worse was the mental torment that came with facing his infuriating personality.
What a miserable fate.
PS: Yoho ✋ everyone, I've got a new novel up called Naruto's Selfish Ninja Way.
This Naruto wants to get stronger and enjoy his life.
After the way Konoha treated him, he doesn't feel like he owes the village anything, especially after Hiruzen burned his ass with the Will of Fire.
There's action, romance, and plenty of him calling people out on their bullshit and getting back at the inherently evil villagers. You can find it on my profile or tagged below, give the first few chapters a try.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.