Chapter 18: Family Comes First
Not to mention Danzo's efforts "for the sake of the Hokage."
In the office, Homura and Koharu didn't leave immediately.
Unlike Danzo, who could turn on his heel and storm out, they were Hokage advisors—still expected to assist Hiruzen in handling village matters. Causing a major rift wouldn't benefit them.
After all, their authority in front of other shinobi came entirely from Hiruzen's title as Hokage.
"We're sorry, Hiruzen…"
The two sincerely apologized, saying they had spoken rashly and never meant to disrespect the Hokage's authority.
The Third waved his hand. "It's fine. You may leave now. I'd like some time alone."
"In that case, please call for us if anything comes up."
With that, Homura and Koharu exited, leaving the Hokage's massive office in complete silence.
"Should I establish Root?"
The Third pondered to himself. He hadn't outright rejected Danzo's proposal. The threat posed by the Uchiha Clan remained, and even if Danzo hadn't brought it up, he would have made preparations regardless.
But… Danzo's ambition to replace him was no secret. Hiruzen was fully aware.
Danzo's lack of any high-level official post since Hiruzen became Hokage was entirely intentional.
Why didn't he let Danzo into the upper echelons?
Because Danzo, just like the Uchiha, had always harbored the desire to take his place—to become Hokage himself.
So, Hiruzen never gave him a chance to climb higher.
Had that not been the case, he might have offered his once battlefield comrade at least a token position, a share in the prestige of Hiruzen's reign.
But after so many years, with his position now secure, the Third considered that perhaps Danzo could be given some power.
Besides… the nature of Root's duties meant Danzo would never gain any popularity from it.
Without public support, there was no way Danzo could overthrow him and take the Hokage seat.
Compared to Danzo, the current and future threat of the Uchiha to Hiruzen's reign seemed far more pressing.
With that thought, the Third made his decision.
…
"Clan Head, you called for me?"
In the eastern part of the village near the Sarutobi clan compound was the Shimura clan's estate. In the main hall, an ANBU ninja wearing a white mask with wave-like markings knelt on one knee before Danzo.
Danzo was now the head of the Shimura Clan.
Though the Third Hokage barred Danzo from taking any high-level post, many Shimura shinobi still held official positions throughout Konoha—personally appointed by Hiruzen himself.
Among them, three were currently active in ANBU.
Given ANBU's exclusivity, most clans were only allowed one member to avoid power imbalances that could weaken the Hokage's control.
After all, Konoha was, at its core, an alliance of clans.
Every shinobi in Konoha bore not just the village symbol, but their clan identity. And when interests clashed, clan loyalty often came first.
To minimize external clan influence, ANBU typically accepted no more than one member from any given clan.
That the Shimura Clan had three in ANBU said a lot about the Third's trust in them.
It made sense. The Sarutobi and Shimura clans had been allied since the Warring States Era, always supporting each other.
Danzo and the Third had grown up together—their bond ran deeper than Hiruzen's with Homura or Koharu.
That's why Danzo, despite being just a "civilian jōnin" with no official role, was free to enter and leave the Hokage's office and now summoned his ANBU clan member for questioning.
"Who did the ANBU bring back last night?"
Like the two Uchiha boys the night before—and many others—Danzo was curious.
After all, when even the Hokage personally escorts someone to ANBU HQ, people take notice.
"I don't know. It was Baku's team on the mission. Whole thing lasted less than thirty minutes. The prisoner was taken straight to Interrogation Room Three. Baku's squad is handling the guard detail. No one else is allowed near or allowed to speak of it—any violation will be treated as treason."
The Shimura ANBU revealed everything he knew, completely ignoring ANBU secrecy laws.
Because compared to being tried as a traitor by the Hokage—
Defying the clan head could result in his entire family being punished.
His worldview was simple: family came first.
So he didn't think reporting ANBU secrets to Danzo was wrong.
Such was the relationship between clans and the village in this era—loyalty to the clan took precedence.
"Looks like this person is important," Danzo murmured, his gaze sharp.
The fact that the same squad handled both the capture and the guarding suggested an effort to minimize leaks.
Such secrecy meant the prisoner in Room Three held a significant secret—something Hiruzen clearly wanted for himself.
Danzo instinctively wanted to order the clan shinobi to investigate further—
But in the end, he held back.
Now was not the time to provoke the Third. Whatever secrets lay in Room Three—once Root was established, all of ANBU's secrets would be his to command.
"You may return. Don't actively probe into Room Three, but if anything useful comes your way, report to me."
He waved the ANBU off, then turned to his study to continue drafting Root's organizational structure.
He could feel it—Hiruzen would definitely let him lead Root.
…
Hokage's Office.
The Third looked up from his paperwork to the wall clock—almost time for the first class at the Ninja Academy to end.
"Emi, go to the Academy…"
He addressed his secretary, Chiba Emi, instructing her to summon Minato's homeroom teacher.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
With her dark-purple split skirt hugging her ripe peach-shaped curves, Emi walked out, her figure swinging rhythmically as she moved. The Third couldn't help but glance.
This is what it means to be Hokage.
How could I ever give this up?
He sighed internally. The pleasures of being Hokage—only those who held the seat could truly understand them.
Soon after—
The stunningly beautiful, curvy Chiba Emi returned with Minato's teacher.
"Hokage-sama."
The teacher looked visibly nervous, voice trembling slightly. He glanced at the Third with admiration before quickly lowering his head, not daring to look him in the eye.
This was the Hokage, after all.
The Third smiled faintly—he loved this feeling of reverence.
This was why, no matter how bold the Uchiha became, they would never shake his position.
Among the chunin and genin—the largest groups in Konoha—his prestige was untouchable.
As long as they supported him, backed by the major clans, the Uchiha would never dare make a move.
The thought passed in an instant. The Third softened his gaze and spoke gently, "Mokure, I asked you here because there's something I need to tell you."
He knows my name…!
Mokure was overwhelmed. He didn't even register the Third's words at first. For a regular chunin like him, the Hokage was an untouchable legend.
Now that legend knew his name—how could he not be excited?
"Mokure," the Third repeated.
Snapping back to reality, Mokure's face flushed red. God, I spaced out while the Hokage was talking to me…
"I'm so sorry, Hokage-sama. I lost focus just now."
"It's fine, don't be nervous." The Third chuckled, then continued, "Your student, Kimura Yō, apparently took his parents' deaths very hard last night. His body suffered a shock and has entered a vegetative state. ANBU medics are working on it, but he won't be returning to class for a while."
Kimura Yō… but didn't he seem fine yesterday? Mokure furrowed his brow.
The Third went on, "I'd like you to inform his classmates not to worry. As the Hokage, I will never abandon a single child of Konoha."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I'll explain it to them," the teacher replied, pushing down his doubts—after all, these words came from the Hokage himself.
The Third offered this explanation to prevent speculation about Kimura Yō's sudden disappearance. Unchecked, it could cause unwanted gossip.
At the Ninja Academy.
During the second class, Mokure conveyed the Hokage's message about Kimura Yō.
The classroom erupted with concern.
Only Minato sat silently, his heart sinking—anxious suspicions swirling through his mind.
He was worried, but didn't rush to the Hokage.
Not until after school did he go straight to Hokage Tower.
Inside the office, the Third met with Minato personally.
"Hokage-sama, what happened to Yō?"
Minato got straight to the point.
The Third fell silent for a moment, then replied truthfully, "I'm sorry, Minato. Kimura Yō died a week ago. The person you saw yesterday was no longer him."
Died…
Minato froze. Images of Yō flashed through his mind, up to their interaction yesterday.
"…Hokage-sama, may I ask—who killed Yō?"
After a long silence, he finally asked—his voice brimming with cold killing intent. For the first time, he felt true hatred toward someone.
"The enemy has been captured."
The Third responded, "They will pay with their life. You don't need to worry about it. What you should focus on now is your training."
The Third had high hopes for Minato and didn't want him to live burdened by vengeance at such a young age.
"…I understand, Hokage-sama."
Minato took a deep breath. He wasn't an ordinary child—he quickly realized this was classified and beyond his current reach.
"I'll head home now, Hokage-sama."
He said nothing more. After bowing, he turned and left.
But in his heart, one thing was clear: he wasn't strong enough.
Not strong enough to protect a friend.
That—would never happen again.
(END CHAPTER)