Sarutobi Hiruzen—the Third Hokage, the God of Shinobi, Commander-in-Chief of Konoha's military, and the man who trained the legendary Sannin. A survivor—and arguably the victor—of not one, not two, but three world wars. A man who could only be described as the GOAT: the Greatest of All Time.
And now, I was standing before him.
Terrified.
I admired him deeply, but I feared him just as much—not because of his immense strength, but because of his office and everything it represented. Among those responsibilities was maintaining the strength and security of Konoha's military. I had always assumed I was far beneath his notice, but the very fact that I was here told me otherwise.
It meant I wasn't beneath notice at all.
It meant I was worthy of his attention. A potential asset.
Was I about to be conscripted?
"Guy?" Hiruzen asked.
"Izuku used a technique today," Guy began. "I've never seen it before—never even heard of anything like it. I assume it's self-created."
The Hokage leaned back in his chair, and the room fell into a contemplative silence.
"Izuku-kun," Hiruzen said as he leaned forward, his expression unreadable. "The technique you used—did you create it?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," I replied. There was no point in lying. I doubted I could deceive the Fire Shadow himself even if I tried.
"I see," he said thoughtfully. "Do you understand how this might pose a problem, Izuku-kun?"
"Hokage-sama…" I faltered, scrambling for something to say—anything to avoid a forced enlistment into the military.
"The creation of jutsu is a dangerous discipline," he continued. "Far more dangerous than the early stages of fuinjutsu. You could have died."
I blinked at the genuine concern in his voice. Then again, he was a shinobi—he could have been faking it.
"I was very cautious, Hokage-sama, and made sufficient preparations," I replied respectfully.
"Oh? Such as?" he asked, eyebrow raised.
"I memorized the effects of each hand seal by monitoring my chakra carefully. Then I practiced until I could execute them without the physical gestures. This gave me an…. Intuition for what would work and what wouldn't"
I hadn't planned on revealing that, not yet—but I assumed I wasn't the first to try it. The brief flash of astonishment on the Hokage's face said otherwise.
"To master the individual seals themselves… how novel," he murmured, letting out a soft chuckle.
"That's unique?" I asked, not bothering to hide my skepticism. "I assumed every skilled ninja would do the same."
"Perhaps unintentionally," he said. "As a side effect of mastering many jutsu. But to deliberately master each individual hand seal? That's completely unintuitive. It runs contrary to what most ninja strive for—getting a jutsu off as fast as possible, by speeding through hand signs with maximum efficiency. Your approach—slowing down, deconstructing the jutsu, mastering its components—that's the opposite of what we're taught."
He took a puff of his pipe, then continued.
"Brilliant."
I… I was speechless. A blush crept up my cheeks.
"Hokage-sama," I said after composing myself, "I just did the best I could with what I had."
"Indeed," he replied with a smile—one that quickly faded. "But there are repercussions."
I swallowed hard.
"Am I being conscripted?" I asked.
"No," he said. "Not right now. But if you continue progressing at this rate, I will have little choice."
Of course he wouldn't have a choice. I didn't doubt the Third's power as the undisputed leader of the village, but even from that position, there was only so much he could do if his entire administrative body pushed for something. Denying them would risk appearing tyrannical—which might be acceptable in other villages, but not in Konoha. Especially not now, with the blood purge in Kiri making Konoha's clans more than a little uneasy.
The funny thing was, most of those advocates wouldn't even see it as conscription. They'd see it as placing a young man where he was "supposed" to be—where his talents could serve Konoha best.
Forcing me into a life of murder and espionage.
With the best intentions of course.
I wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.
"There must be a solution, Hokage-sama," Guy said, surprising me. I knew he'd grown fond of me over the time I'd spent with his team, but I hadn't expected him to speak for me in front of the Hokage.
Even if it changed nothing, I was deeply grateful.
The Hokage leaned back in his chair.
"There is a possible solution," he said, then reached for a pen and began writing. When he finished, he held out the paper—and it vanished from his palm.
I blinked.
Some kind of jutsu?
Moments later, an ANBU appeared at his side—seemingly from thin air—and offered him a sheath of papers before disappearing just as suddenly. Sheesh. I knew I was weak compared to actual ninja, but not even being able to see them?
My musings were interrupted as the Hokage placed the freshly delivered papers in front of me. He gave me a reassuring, grandfatherly smile and a slight nod.
I glanced down.
My eyes widened as I read the contents.
After reading it again—and then a third time to be sure—I slowly set the papers down and looked up to meet the amused, knowing gaze of the God of Shinobi.
It was a contract.
It offered me something called proxy status. In effect, I would receive a great number of privileges in exchange for granting Konoha the right of first refusal on any jutsu I created, as well as the ability to classify those jutsu as confidential. Naturally, there was a clause allowing me to share my creations with a future spouse or children—got to keep the clans happy, even here.
In return, I would gain access to resources, and security from the village, all scaled according to my contributions and how valuable I was deemed to be. It was a sweet deal.
But I didn't understand how this would protect me.
"I'm grateful to be considered for such a prestigious position, Hokage-sama," I said, frowning slightly. "But how exactly does this prevent conscription?"
"The proxy position was created by Hashirama-sama," the Hokage began, "to maintain political ties with external organizations—financial firms, artisan guilds, and others who, for one reason or another, had no interest in coming under Konoha's authority. It allowed for formal relations without binding their fates to the rise or fall of the village."
He paused, then continued with measured calm.
"The bylaws governing the treatment of proxies were written specifically to avoid political entanglements. By design, a Proxy cannot hold any official rank within Konoha's military. Signing this contract will legally bar you from joining the shinobi forces."
My eyes widened. At that point, I was already sold.
But Lord Third wasn't finished.
"You will also be entitled to compensation proportionate to your contributions, a permanent shinobi escort, and favorable trade agreements with village suppliers."
"This…" I whispered, stunned. "Lord Hokage… it's generous."
Far more generous than I expected—more than I'd even hoped for. I would have been grateful just for protection from political entanglements. But this? Complete separation from Konoha's military infrastructure, plus privileged treatment?
It was almost too much.
And yet, if I wanted to continue as I had—if I wanted to pursue my goals without interference—I couldn't refuse. I could only accept it with sincere gratitude and a determination to repay the kindness shown to me.
Still, part of me couldn't help but wonder if that was the true play: to bind me in unseen chains of reciprocity, ensuring my loyalty without the need for force. It was clever. Subtle.
But for that kind of ploy to work, the Hokage would need to understand me well—intimately well.
Was his intelligence network truly so capable?
Or was I just that easy to read?
By the God of Shinobi?
I looked into his ancient eyes—grandfatherly, kind, but sharp with layers of calculation. Calculation I could only perceive because he allowed me to.
There was no doubt in my mind that this was the game—and that he had revealed just enough of it to me on purpose. Not as a threat, but as a gesture of transparency.
My gratitude deepened once more.
I bowed where I sat.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Lord Third accepted my thanks with a nod, acknowledging it in the spirit it was given.
"Now, onto the matter of your shinobi escort," he said with a smile—but said nothing further.
As the silence stretched, his smile gradually became strained, brittle even, until he finally turned and glared at the seemingly empty space to his right. A moment later, that space was no longer empty.
Standing there was an ANBU operative, wearing a dog-painted mask and sporting gravity-defying silver hair. He stood at attention beside Lord Third, seemingly oblivious to the Hokage's growing annoyance.
"This," Lord Third began with a sigh, "is Dog."
He gestured toward the masked figure with something between resignation and exasperation.
"He will be your ANBU escort."
My eyes widened in shock.
"Hokage-sama, this is too much," I said.
ANBU were the elite of the elite. Assigning one as my personal guard—especially when I wasn't even leaving the village—was complete overkill.
"I have faith in your ability to live up to my expectations," he said with a smile. "Besides, this decision serves multiple purposes. Dog will be taking on a genin team soon, and he could use the experience of interacting with younger shinobi."
I tried to suppress my reaction to being called a shinobi, but judging by the twinkle in Lord Third's eye, I failed.
"He will also be giving you an education in jutsu—its theory and application. The more you know, the more jutsu you can create to enrich the village."
I doubted I'd be taught anything truly classified, but even access to standard shinobi techniques could accelerate my development by years.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," I said, bowing once more.
Then, as if perfectly timed—though for all I knew, it was—Naruko came hurtling through the window.
"Jiji! Izuku is innocent!" she shouted, landing in a dramatic superhero pose before rushing to stand between me and Lord Third, who raised an amused brow.
"Izuku-kun is not in trouble, Naruko-chan. Quite the opposite, in fact," he said with a chuckle.
"Really?" she asked skeptically.
"Really," he confirmed.
She didn't look convinced.
"Is this like the fox thing? Are you keeping more stuff from me, Jiji?" she asked, sounding genuinely upset as she glared at the commander-in-chief of the most powerful village in the world. Miraculously, the old man wilted under her gaze.
I, on the other hand, was still trying to process the fact that Naruko's so-called Jiji was the actual freakin' Hokage.
Lord Hiruzen had me wait outside while he spoke with Naruko alone. A private, heart-to-heart conversation, he'd said. I tried to keep an open mind, but the pieces I was putting together in my head didn't paint a pleasant picture.
A child sealed with a living natural disaster. Isolated from the rest of the village. Kept in the dark, by law, about the reason for that isolation. And one of the only people she seemed to admire—maybe even love—just so happened to be the military dictator of the very village that shunned her.
It was… convenient.
Too convenient.
Raise the container with affection. Make her love the village that fears her. Ensure her loyalty before she ever learns the truth. Then recruit her into the very machine that created her suffering.
It was bleak. A disturbing picture of a system far more calculated—and colder—than I had expected.
I told myself I was being paranoid.
But it made too much sense.
Naruko's chakra reserves were absurd. Some of it could be a kekkei genkai, maybe. But more likely, it was the fox. The Nine-Tailed Fox. Sealed tight, but still there. How powerful could she become if she ever accessed it?
A living weapon. A military asset.
"That's quite an intense look, ne?"
A voice broke me out of my spiral, and I flinched. Dog stood beside me, relaxed and unreadable beneath the porcelain mask. His posture was loose, almost lazy, despite the flawless ANBU uniform.
I shot him a glare, but before I could respond, another voice cut in.
"Dog-san! Izuku-kun is a boy of deep thought and intense reasoning!" boomed Guy, appearing suddenly at my side like some kind of loud, green ghost. I had almost forgotten he was there."Traits that will serve him well under your tutelage!"
He grinned at me, all gleaming teeth and sincerity.
Dog didn't even blink. He pulled out a bright orange book and started flipping through it casually.
I recognized that cover. I had seen it at some of the bookstores I frequent.
It was smut.
He was reading smut.
On duty.
In front of the Hokage's office.
Guy slumped with a theatrical sigh, staring at Dog like he was the pinnacle of cool.
"So hip… so effortlessly aloof…" he whispered in awe.
I looked at both of them, feeling my brain begin to fray at the edges. Was psychosis a prerequisite to becoming an effective ninja?
The office door creaked open.
Naruko stepped out alone.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she was smiling. Wide. Genuinely happy.
I exhaled in relief. Though a part of me couldn't help but wonder…..
Was Naruko being manipulated towards some nefarious purpose?