Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 47 The Buried Root

"Hiruzen, where have you been? I thought you were dead."

Danzo waited in the small room for a long time. When he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi finally come out, and smelling alcohol on him, he frowned and said irritably, "Hiruzen, you've become lazy since becoming Hokage. You've actually become addicted to alcohol. That's outrageous."

Alcohol can numb a ninja's senses; a qualified ninja should never forget the need for battle.

If a battle were to break out suddenly, this alcohol would cost the ninja his life.

Faced with accusations from his subordinate and friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't take it to heart, laughing it off: "Don't worry, this is the Daimyo's residence, it's very safe here. Besides, aren't you all here?"

Danzo snorted coldly: "What were you talking about in there? Why did it take so long?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, without blushing or skipping a beat, said, "It's nothing, we just discussed the specific amount of the budget allocation."

"How much are they prepared to contribute?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't speak, but extended one finger.

Upon seeing this, Danzo estimated the amount and frowned in dissatisfaction. With the Second Hokage dead, the budget allocation had been cut so drastically.

Before Danzo could even get angry, Hiruzen Sarutobi told him a jaw-dropping figure: "With such a huge budget, how did you convince them to agree?"

I sacrificed my looks, you know.

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained: "The Land of Fire has a uniquely favorable environment and fertile land, but it is surrounded by enemies on all sides. There are many people who covet this land. After the Second Hokage died, our village's strength was greatly reduced. The daimyo is afraid that the war will affect him, so he naturally has to increase his investment in our village to ensure their safety."

Being Hokage isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about understanding human relationships and social dynamics.

Unlike the first generation, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not possess such immense power that he could disregard these cultural dregs.

To be a good Hokage, he had to resort to some underhanded methods.

His father often taught him that the higher a person climbs, the more careful they should be about keeping the ladder clean.

But this is very difficult. Unless one possesses the immense power of the First Hokage, normal people will inevitably be tainted by the darkness of the world during the climb.

In fact, most people are like trees; the more they yearn for the sunlight above, the deeper their roots must extend into the dark earth.

When the Second Hokage established the Anbu, it was based on this theory, but Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that it was not enough.

The Anbu is too superficial. After all, any normal person can easily figure out that what the Anbu does is what the Hokage intends.

This won't do. The Hokage must be a paragon of virtue and righteousness, without a single blemish.

Therefore, he needs a force, a force even deeper than the hidden forces.

If something goes wrong, they can unhesitatingly pin the blame on this person, claiming they knew nothing about it and that it was all this person's unauthorized decision.

There's a specific political term for this type of person—the black glove.

Thinking of this, he gave his friend Danzo a meaningful look.

Danzo is certainly very resentful now. Take advantage of this and deliberately show weakness in a certain matter. Danzo will definitely stand up without hesitation, show his tough side, and prove that he is a better being. With a little guidance, he will eventually take on the dark side of the village.

Seeing his friend's meaningful look, Danzo asked, puzzled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing, it just feels so good to have you by my side."

These words sounded so gay that Danzo was speechless: "I'm not interested in men."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily.

Don't blame me, Danzo.

I did all this for the village...

……

……

Konoha Village, medical department.

Since the Second Hokage's unfortunate passing, Aokiji hasn't seen Tsunade at the medical team for some time, which suggests she's in a bad mood.

Seeing that Aokiji had been training for several hours without rest, Biwako told him to take a break: "That's enough, take a rest first."

Aokiji wiped away his sweat, stopped the treatment, and sighed, "I never imagined that the seemingly simple Palm Healing Technique would be so difficult."

Biwako laughed and said, "Of course, this ninjutsu is an A-rank ninjutsu. But you're quite impressive, mastering the knack so quickly. I reckon it won't be long before you can officially learn the Palm Healing Technique."

While they were chatting, Aokiji asked a question he was particularly concerned about: "Biwako-sensei, now that Konoha and Kumogakure have formed an alliance, does that mean we don't have to fight anymore?"

Biwako thought for a moment and replied, "Yes."

Aokiji raised his hands high, waving his arms and legs excitedly: "Yay!"

Seeing his naivety, Biwako shook her head, unwilling to dampen his enthusiasm. Even if there was no war now, war would still be inevitable in the future.

After finishing a day of medical ninjutsu lessons, Aokiji immediately set off for the Uchiha clan's territory, where he was thrilled to hear that ninjutsu would be taught that day.

Developing ninjutsu is too time-consuming; it's much more efficient to just use what we have now.

When the young boy Fugaku saw Aokiji arrive, he ran over excitedly, intending to have a spar with him.

Aokiji looked at the other person with disdain: "You're always cultivating, don't you need to study?"

Fugaku asked, puzzled, "Reading? What kind of books?"

Aokiji: ? ? ?

It seems that Fugaku is being trained according to the standards of a clan leader, like a spark. Judging from this, this kid really doesn't need to study.

Fugaku said impatiently, "Alright, enough of this nonsense, let's have a spar. I recently learned a ninjutsu."

Defeating Aokiji is now his biggest dream.

Aokiji scratched his head. "I'm really defeated by you. After we fight today, you won't contact me for at least a month."

Fugaku is so competitive, he keeps coming to cause trouble for me every few days. Even Aokiji is annoyed, not him.

Fugaku readily agreed.

The two separated by a distance and performed a pair of opposing hand seals according to procedure. Fugaku took the initiative and immediately prepared to use a ninjutsu.

The hand seals involved many steps and looked impressive, but Aokiji didn't know what kind of ninjutsu it was. Anyway, he interrupted the spellcasting and kicked him away.

Fugaku got up, covered in dust and grime, cursing under his breath.

Aokiji mocked, "Your lousy ninjutsu has so many steps. By the time you use it, everyone will have run away. Who was the idiot who taught you that?"

At that moment, Uchiha Akane suddenly blurted out, "I taught him."

High-level ninjutsu hand seals are often very complex. However, once mastered, these hand seals can be significantly reduced to just a few steps.

Fugaku was just starting to learn, so he naturally had to take it one step at a time. In addition, his hand seals were not fast, so he had many openings and was easily defeated by Aokiji.

Aokiji gave an awkward smile; this was quite embarrassing.

But it doesn't matter, his greatest strength is his thick skin: "Red Jonin, can you teach me some ninjutsu? I only know one Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique so far."

Uchiha Akane snorted coldly, "Today, I'm not the one teaching you ninjutsu."

Aokiji was completely bewildered: "If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

"it's me."

An aged voice rang out, and Aokiji looked in the direction of it. It was an old man with white hair—Elder Itachi.

(End of this chapter)