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Hokage's Office.
On Hiruzen's desk lay a document containing recent mission and activity records concerning Kakashi.
Kakashi had already conflicted with new teams and had a discordant relationship for the third time, making it difficult to carry out missions normally.
Advisor Danzo, leaning on his cane, stood before Hiruzen's desk and gravely said to Hiruzen,
"...It seems you can't find a suitable place for that child, Hiruzen. In that case, why not entrust him to me?"
Hiruzen, puffing on his pipe, glanced at Danzo and said,
"Are you going to train Sakumo's child into an emotionless tool?"
Danzo said expressionlessly,
"If you let me train him, he won't make the same mistakes as Sakumo and will become an excellent ninja surpassing Sakumo."
Hiruzen snorted, stood up, and said,
"Don't tell me you specifically came to me just for this matter, Danzo."
Danzo deeply gazed at Hiruzen and said,
"No, I just happened to hear about Kakashi. I came this time to ask about your stance on the Hidden Mist Village. Are you preparing for war, Hiruzen, or..."
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe.
He exhaled a ring of smoke.
He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the sky in the distance, and after a few seconds of pause, spoke in a deep voice,
"Let's take some deterrent measures. Their recent probing has been too much. I'll leave this matter to you."
"Good."
Danzo nodded and walked out of the office, saying at the same time,
"...Hiruzen, don't waste that child's talent."
Of Sakumo Hatake's two sons, Shin was fine, but Kakashi's displayed talent did concern him somewhat, otherwise he wouldn't have brought it up. However, if Hiruzen disagreed, he didn't have much time to specifically deal with such matters right now.
Hiruzen didn't respond until Danzo had left, then turned his head to look in the direction Danzo had disappeared.
He shook his head, the image of Sakumo appearing in his mind, and sighed.
Sakumo's death had quite an impact on Hidden Leaf.
The major ninja villages were now frequently probing Hidden Leaf, partly because Hidden Leaf had lost 'White Fang,' a powerful combat force.
And Kakashi was also affected by Sakumo's death. No matter which squad he was assigned to, he would clash with his Senpais. It had been over two years since his graduation, and he had never been able to be placed in a suitable squad. Danzo's suggestion also had its reasons.
"Your child is an excellent ninja, Sakumo, but he's a bit too naive in his dealings with people..."
Hiruzen pondered.
Sakumo Hatake's two children were Shin and Kakashi. If Shin could be called 'excellent,' then Kakashi was undoubtedly a genius, seemingly having inherited Sakumo's talent, and perhaps could become the second White Fang of Hidden Leaf in the future.
How to place Kakashi was now a problem. He had already arranged Kakashi into several teams, but each time, Kakashi wouldn't stay long before the issue came back to him.
Entrusting Kakashi to Danzo was also out of the question.
Although Root was indeed suitable for Kakashi, doing so would be too unfair to the deceased Sakumo. Sakumo and Danzo were very much at odds during Sakumo's lifetime, and he would absolutely not want to see his son being trained as a tool by Root.
"...Alright then."
After many thoughts flashed through Hiruzen's mind, he finally made a decision and quietly said to the empty ceiling,
"Go call Minato over."
It was difficult for ordinary Jonin to keep Kakashi in check, and the few potentially suitable Jonin he had considered before didn't get along with Kakashi. In that case, the only remaining candidate was Minato Namikaze.
After Sakumo Hatake's death, the most suitable candidates in the village to succeed as the Fourth Hokage were the Sannin. Among the Sannin, Jiraiya and Tsunade had no intention of becoming Hokage, but Jiraiya's recommended disciple, Minato, was very good.
If Minato were to inherit the Fourth Hokage position, then Minato indeed needed to train some of his direct subordinates. Entrusting a genius like Kakashi to Minato for training seemed quite appropriate.
"Yes."
The ANBU on the roof responded and quickly disappeared.
Hiruzen returned to his chair, took another puff of his pipe, and shook his head,
"...I didn't expect to have to trouble Minato in the end."
Because the ninja world situation was tense, and Minato was needed in many places, he had thought of Minato a long time ago but had not made a decision. Now, after going in a circle, he was back to him.
He was naturally not worried about entrusting it to Minato. After all, Minato was his chosen successor for the Fourth Hokage, and teaching a genius boy was merely child's play.
While pondering, Hiruzen took out a document.
The document contained detailed information about the current batch of Ninja Academy students, listed in order of their proximity to Kakashi.
Shin's personal information was at the top, but Hiruzen just glanced at it and put it aside.
It wasn't appropriate to put biological brothers in the same team. Moreover, Minato was the chosen successor for the Fourth Hokage. If Shin had the same talent as Kakashi, it would be one thing; they could ignore these considerations to train the rising stars of the younger generation. But now, they had to consider the voices within the village.
"Might Guy... Obito Uchiha... Rin..."
Hiruzen pondered for a moment and made his choices.
First was Obito Uchiha. Entrusting this member of the Uchiha clan to Minato would ensure that the Uchiha clan would not have too much opposition to Minato becoming Hokage.
Finally, he would choose a child from a civilian background. Might Guy was a boy, so he was excluded. Rin was a suitable choice, as she could balance things from all aspects.
Clack.
After making his choices, Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and chuckled.
The dignified Hokage, contemplating and intervening in the class assignments for next year's Ninja Academy graduates just for one ninja's placement.
However, Kakashi's talent was indeed worth noting and focusing on, and Minato was even more so. Having him personally decide the candidates made him feel more at ease.
There would basically be no problems.
After deciding on Kakashi's class placement, Hiruzen lost much interest in other students. He put the documents regarding Shin and others back and set them aside, no longer looking at them.
"I hope Danzo's actions can stabilize the Hidden Mist side a bit."
Hiruzen looked up at the ceiling, exhaling a puff of smoke.
What truly troubled him now was the situation in the ninja world. Friction between the major ninja villages was constant, and it was almost all centered around Hidden Leaf.
The reason was simple: the Land of Fire was the richest country in resources, and Hidden Leaf had won the Second Great Ninja War, gaining a significant share of profits. This was why all the other villages were looking towards Hidden Leaf.
But he couldn't back down on the matter of interests.
In the ninja world, if you concede once, there will be a second time. You must use strong measures to counter external covetousness to maintain peace. Hiruzen knew this all too well.
So, if the situation truly could not be stabilized and the Third Great Ninja War was destined to break out, then Hidden Leaf could only fight with all its might and let war do the talking!
Thinking of this,
A cold glint appeared in Hiruzen's eyes.
Hidden Leaf, which had gained abundant resources in the Second Great Ninja War, had a stable and vast core force. Although it had lost one White Fang of Hidden Leaf among its top combatants, his disciples Orochimaru and Jiraiya had both grown into formidable ninjas capable of standing on their own, and rising stars like Minato were also brilliant.
If war truly broke out, Hidden Leaf would not fear other villages!
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