Master, Please Become a Hokage

Perhaps the higher-ups really didn't intend to kill Sakumo Hatake, but Sakumo Hatake ultimately chose to die to prove his integrity, resolutely refusing to collude with the Leaf's upper echelons and vindicating his innocence.

As a loyal subject, a strong individual who rendered countless meritorious services to the Leaf, to end up in such a state is truly lamentable... and infuriating.

"Young Master... what are you thinking about?" Yamanaka Kei asked, holding a steamed bun in her hand.

"Nothing." Sarutobi Ryo shook his head and devoured the bun in one bite.

......

After breakfast, the two walked along the street towards the end of the road leading to the Hokage Building.

A row of buildings called "Document Warehouse" rarely sees visitors.

And one of these warehouses is the location for Anbu reporting, as well as Danzo Shimura's "Anbu Office."

Of course, this is just the facade; the intricate underground structures and networks of the Leaf are the true roots of Danzo.

Arriving at the office door, Sarutobi Ryo happened to run into his own father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and mother, Biwako Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, in his prime, was full of vigor.

In the thermal imaging vision of his right eye, his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was like a sun, radiating unimaginable light and heat.

And Danzo Shimura, who was beside him, was equally formidable.

"Father, Mother, Lord Danzo."

Sarutobi Ryo casually greeted them.

His indifferent demeanor, devoid of smiles, was almost identical to his mother, Biwako Sarutobi.

In terms of appearance, Sarutobi Ryo inherited the handsomeness of his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in his youth.

Anyone could tell at a glance that Sarutobi Ryo was his biological son.

But only Sarutobi Ryo himself knew that his soul... came from another world.

"Sarutobi Ryo, after joining the Anbu, it's not like home. Don't act like a young master; start from scratch..."

Biwako Sarutobi was also from the Anbu.

Back then, she was among the first ninjas of the Anbu established by Tobirama Senju.

So she understood the operational logic of the Anbu even better.

After a series of earnest instructions, Sarutobi Ryo naturally nodded in agreement.

"Your son's upbringing is not a problem, but I highly doubt his abilities..."

Danzo stared at Sarutobi Ryo, repeating his old refrain.

Hiruzen, your son... isn't dark enough; he's not suitable for the Anbu.

He didn't reveal his emotions easily, only giving off a sense of gloom and ambition.

Sarutobi Ryo had never seen Danzo smile; he managed his emotions very well.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to carry out plans and actions such as killing Shisui, deceiving Itachi into exterminating his clan, and killing Yahiko...

"Hmm..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly, his gaze shifting back and forth between his son, Sarutobi Ryo, and his old classmate, Danzo Shimura.

"Even if he's not successful, it will be a good experience..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sized up his eldest son before him. This eldest son of his had a personality like his mother, taciturn, but not as stern.

Usually, when completing missions, he didn't stand out or show off. But he was ruthless and didn't talk much, and his attacks were extremely precise. This could be judged from the wounds on the corpses of the enemies he had killed.

If there was a flaw, it was probably that he was too upright and somewhat aloof, which led to him not being as sociable as Minato Namikaze.

And the Hokage... had to be recognized by everyone to become the Hokage.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi had a sudden inspiration, and he asked, as if by some divine guidance: "Sarutobi Ryo, what kind of person... do you think... can become the Hokage?"

"Replying to Father, only someone recognized by everyone can become the Hokage..."

Sarutobi Ryo blurted out without the slightest hesitation, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes changed, and a smile began to emerge.

This was the standard answer, and it was also a manifestation of having the Will of Fire.

But Sarutobi Ryo's next sentence made him frown.

"But sometimes, if the masses are deceived by a small group of people, then... continuing to cater to the preferences of the masses at this time is tantamount to colluding with a few people... ultimately, the blind leading the blind, and the blind entering the fire pit... Even if one becomes the Hokage, it will instead lead everyone into the abyss, thereby causing the village and everyone to be doomed... This is not a true Hokage, but merely selfishness for the sake of obtaining the title of Hokage."

After Sarutobi Ryo finished speaking, his mother, Biwako Sarutobi, also began to frown.

The atmosphere on the scene began to become strange.

For a time, the two did not understand what their eldest son meant.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako Sarutobi looked at each other, pondering their eldest son's thoughts.

Danzo spoke.

"Hiruzen, I take back what I said earlier... Your son... might become the most outstanding Anbu ninja in history..."

Danzo's sudden change of evaluation made Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly stunned.

Immediately, Hiruzen Sarutobi beamed with joy: "Danzo, since you say so, then I am relieved... Sarutobi Ryo."

Sarutobi Ryo: "Yes."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Danzo is your elder, and he has made great achievements in the Anbu..."

In short, follow your Uncle Danzo and work hard.

"......"

Finally, Sarutobi Ryo watched his father and mother leave before walking into the gloomy Anbu office with Danzo...

Chapter 20: Anbu Mission

"You should have heard it from Hiruzen Sarutobi..."

Danzo opened his squinting eyes, while Sarutobi Ryo listened expressionlessly.

Yamanaka Kei, on the other hand, looked around, surveying the dark room.

Most people in the village thought that Danzo was just the Anbu commander, but they didn't know that he also had another team under him called "Root."

The composition of Root's personnel was complex, not only consisting of ninjas from the village but also children brought back from other villages and even foreign countries.

The room was very dark.

Even during the day, sunlight could not penetrate here, and huge candles burned in the four corners of the walls.

The shadows shrouded Danzo's figure, making him look even more sinister and terrifying.

"I originally thought... you weren't very suitable for the Anbu..."

But Sarutobi Ryo's words just now made Danzo change his mind.

Just as Danzo believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had inherited Hashirama Senju's weakness, sometimes, the thoughts of the majority did not represent the truth.

Danzo disapproved of some of the First Hokage's beliefs. This could be seen from his unfriendly attitude towards Tsunade.

As one of the disciples of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, Danzo inherited Tobirama Senju's dark side and extremely admired Tobirama Senju's sharp and ruthless side.

A small number of people, elitist politics... To put it bluntly, Danzo believed that he was the only one who was sober while everyone else was drunk, and only he was suitable to control the Leaf and become the Hokage.

"......"

Sarutobi Ryo frowned.

Old geezer, are you misunderstanding something?

Sarutobi Ryo, who knew the Naruto series well, could of course guess Danzo's thoughts.

But clearly, he had misunderstood what he wanted to express.

The Leaf's past and current ailments lay in the fact that all the upper echelons had embarked on the path of the Will of Fire.

The Will of Fire had been distorted.

The so-called blind leading the blind, and the blind entering the fire pit.

With such high-level figures existing, they would drag the Leaf into the abyss sooner or later.

"Of course, we still need your merits to prove yourself..."

Danzo slowly opened a scroll and began to assign Anbu missions to Sarutobi Ryo and Yamanaka Kei.

Sarutobi Ryo's previous words had made him change his opinion.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's son was now under his command and might join the Anbu.

Danzo's mouth curled up, and a rare joy could not help but emerge in his heart.

If he could use the Anbu mission to make Hiruzen Sarutobi's son gradually accept his thoughts, wouldn't that mean that he could prove that Hiruzen Sarutobi was wrong?

Danzo... was very much looking forward to this future.

"The Second Shinobi World War has ended, and we have currently recovered the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools..."

Danzo used Sarutobi Ryo's Jonin assessment as the beginning of his explanation.

"In addition to this, there is still a lot of other work to be done..."

Sarutobi Ryo thought for a moment, and several possibilities emerged in his mind: "Is it a purge?"

"Smart..."

Danzo generously praised Sarutobi Ryo and cast an approving look.

"Sarutobi Ryo, you really possess a mind no less than your father's..."

Not only intelligence but also a keen sense of politics.

Danzo: "During the war, acts such as espionage, selling domestic property, and defecting to the enemy... were very common..."

During wartime, it was inconvenient or too late to take action.

Now that the war was over, it was time to settle the score properly.

"What I want you to do is to go to a port town on the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire and kill a few people... These people are all ordinary people."

Danzo paused slightly here.

What does he mean?

Sarutobi Ryo stared at Danzo.

Was he afraid that he wouldn't be able to kill ordinary people?

If he thought that he would be emotional and hesitant, then he was thinking too much.

"Even ordinary people should be punished accordingly for profiting from national crises."

Hearing Sarutobi Ryo's reply, Danzo nodded with satisfaction: "Very good... These people colluded with 'Kirigakure' and sold the property of the Land of Fire during the war. According to my subordinates' observations, even now, this situation is still continuing..."

Danzo began to introduce the specific actions of this Anbu assessment mission.

If it was just simply killing a few ordinary people, there would be no difficulty at all.

Even a Genin could easily do such a thing.

"What kind of people are supporting them behind the scenes..." Sarutobi Ryo asked the core of the mission.

If no one was supporting them, no matter how bold they were, a few ordinary people wouldn't dare to do this.