After leaving Danzo's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the location where Anbu and Root members stood facing off.
Hiruzen said to Danzo, "Then, hand over Kinoto, Danzo."
Reluctantly, Danzo gave a subtle signal to a nearby Root member.
The Root member quickly brought Kinoto forward.
Danzo looked slightly pained as he said to Kinoto, "From today on, you are no longer a member of Root."
Kinoto showed no expression at all and replied indifferently, "Understood."
Hiruzen turned to Kinoto and said, "From now on, you belong directly under the Hokage's Anbu. Come with me."
Hiruzen led Kinoto away, followed by all the Anbu members, departing from the Root Base.
Kakashi was about to leave when Hiruzen called him back, saying, "Kakashi, come to my office. I need to talk to you."
Kakashi slightly frowned but nodded and answered, "Yes."
Inside the Hokage's Office,
Hiruzen sat in his chair while Kakashi and Kinoto stood before him.
Hiruzen asked Kinoto, "From this day forth, you're an Anbu member. Do you have a name?"
"No."
Hiruzen smiled kindly, "Then I'll assign one to you. Your new name shall be Yamato. Is that acceptable?"
Kinoto looked puzzled.
Is that acceptable?
Kinoto couldn't grasp what Hiruzen meant by "Is that acceptable?"
Since childhood, in Root, all orders had been clear commands; nobody ever asked for his opinion.
Therefore, he didn't know how to respond right away.
Hiruzen naturally knew about Danzo's training methods aimed at erasing individuality.
But even without such training, Kinoto, having grown up in Root, had already become exactly what Danzo wanted — someone who merely obeyed orders without question.
Hiruzen kindly added, "You just need to know that from now on, your name is Yamato."
Now Yamato could respond, simply replying, "Yes."
Hiruzen continued, "From today, you officially become an Anbu ninja. Someone will soon work alongside you on missions, and your codename inside Anbu will be Tenzo."
Yamato felt nothing now.
In his mind, he had merely transitioned from obeying Danzo to obeying Hiruzen.
"Alright then, you may leave now. There will be an Anbu outside to escort you to the base."
Yamato left the office.
Watching Yamato walk away, Hiruzen felt quite satisfied.
Although Yamato showed no emotion now and acted only like a tool following orders,
once emotions developed in him, they would be deeply loyal — to both Lord Hokage and Konoha.
A ninja possessing the [Wood Release] kekkei genkai would be an immense asset to him.
Kakashi observed everything in silence.
Hiruzen looked at Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, I also hope you'll consider joining Anbu."
Kakashi's eyes sharpened instantly, and he firmly declined, "Sorry, Lord Hokage, but I have no intention of joining Anbu."
"Please don't rush to refuse," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a wave of his hand. "Chinya-sensei has trained you and regarded you as a close student. I think you know that Chinya is now almost irreconcilable with us.
However, Kakashi, I want you to remember—you are a ninja of Konoha. You've inherited the Will of Fire and should remain loyal to the entire village rather than just being personally devoted to Chinya.
Your father was also an heir to the Will of Fire. He worked tirelessly for Konoha until his last breath. His death has always been my regret. Therefore, as the son of Konoha's White Fang, you should carry on your father's legacy and continue protecting Konoha.
You're an exceptionally talented ninja. I hope you will walk the right path instead of going against Konoha."
Kakashi cast his gaze downward, fists clenched tight.
He was furious inside.
Rage boiled beneath his calm exterior.
How could this Hiruzen Sarutobi have the face to mention his father?
Kakashi asked in a deep voice, "Lord Hokage, how did my father die?"
After taking a puff from his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi said regretfully, "Kakashi, I know you've always held resentment about Sakumo Hatake's death. It's also been a constant regret for me. At that time, the Shinobi World was in chaos. I had to consider the overall situation and unfortunately neglected what happened to Sakumo. When I wanted to address this matter... Alas, it was already too late."
Kakashi's right eye stayed as still as a dead pool of water, fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
So they really thought he was a fool to be easily deceived?
Wasn't it the high-ranking officials of Konoha themselves who had stripped his father, Sakumo Hatake, of all his positions?
Saying they neglected his father's matters? They hadn't forgotten when stripping him of his position, right?
Now Kakashi saw right through everything—Hiruzen wanted to turn him, trying to make him betray Chinya and serve him instead.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "It was precisely because I always felt guilty toward Sakumo Hatake that I silently paid attention to you all along. Seeing you grow up, I truly feel gratified. Kakashi, you've inherited Sakumo's manner well.
However... I originally believed Chinya-sensei would be a good mentor for you, but apparently that's no longer the case. Kakashi, I don't want you to go down the wrong path. You're one of the next generation's finest—capable, courageous, insightful, and talented. I want to cultivate you as my successor."
Confused, Kakashi asked, "Thank you for your recognition, Lord Hokage. But why do you say Chinya-sensei isn't a good teacher?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed Danzo's so-called evidence against Chinya toward Kakashi.
"Take a look, Kakashi."
The reason Hiruzen Sarutobi had arranged for Kakashi to participate in this mission today and let Kakashi witness his arrangements for Yamato was precisely to prepare for turning him.
He wanted Kakashi to understand that he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, truly valued talent.
Today's plan was supposed to end once Yamato was properly set up.
But since he unexpectedly acquired the accusations against Chinya collected by Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to observe Kakashi's reaction.
If Kakashi indeed didn't know about these crimes committed by Chinya, then there would be a possibility of turning him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze remained fixed on Kakashi's face. Although half of Kakashi's face was covered by his mask, with Hiruzen's sharp perception, just one glance at Kakashi's right eye told him everything.
Kakashi picked up Chinya's evidence and started going through it.
As Kakashi read the crimes pinned on Chinya, his right eye widened slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he was reading.
Hiruzen silently took a puff from his pipe. So far, it seemed like Kakashi really knew nothing about what Chinya had done.
Then again, there was a chance Kakashi had been turned.
Still, it was too early to jump to conclusions. More observation was needed.
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