Chapter 26: Konoha Has Many Geniuses, but They All Used to Call Me One
The room waited in a suffocating silence for Hiruzen's response.
To everyone's surprise, the Hokage didn't show a hint of displeasure. Instead, he gave Danzo a slow, appreciative nod.
"The issue Danzo raised is a reality of the field," Hiruzen said.
"This is why our messaging cannot be absolute. We won't lie and say a Jinchuriki is perfectly 'safe.' Instead, we frame it through the lens of sacrifice. We emphasize the host's dedication to the village."
"We must teach the villagers to distinguish between the girl—Kushina—and the Beast."
"That way, even if people are still afraid of the power, they will remain respectful of the person holding it back."
Hiruzen's expression grew intensely serious.
"I will personally speak with Lady Mito. We will conduct a rigorous assessment of Kushina's capacity. If she cannot hold the full weight of the Nine-Tails' chakra, we will find a way to split the seal."
"We don't need the whole beast if it's going to break the container. I'd rather have half a beast we can control than a whole one that levels our own home. Controllable combat power is real power. Anything else is just a liability."
Danzo kept his face like stone.
Monkey, why don't you just shout 'I'm the Hokage' like you used to? he wondered. Why are you being so... logical? It's harder to argue with you when you actually make sense.
"We have to remember one thing," Hiruzen continued, his voice echoing. "Even without the Nine-Tails, the foundation left to us by the First, the Second, and Lady Mito is more than enough to make us the strongest. Konoha stands on the shoulders of giants. We don't need a monster to fight a monster."
"We, the current generation, must shoulder the responsibility for our predecessors. Lady Mito is a living treasure of this village. Her value is worth infinitely more than a mere chakra battery."
"Does anyone have an objection?"
Hiruzen's gaze turned into a blade, scanning the faces of his council. He looked nothing like the warm grandfather of five minutes ago. He looked like a King.
"Where the Leaf flies, the Fire burns eternally. The old branches may burn to nourish the new, but their existence is the foundation. Without the trunk, the new leaves have nowhere to grow."
Hiruzen looked at Koharu. "Koharu, start with the Academy. We need to overhaul the curriculum to ensure the youth have a correct, strategic understanding of the Will of Fire. This is a matter of national security."
Sacrifice and service were to be honored—but not blindly demanded.
Hiruzen believed that if the village took care of its veterans and its "broken" weapons, the resulting loyalty and the "Soft Power" it projected across the world would be worth more than a dozen S-rank jutsu.
Ideology was the new battlefield.
"I understand," Koharu replied. "I'll draft a new syllabus immediately. We'll focus on the Uzumaki alliance and a modernized interpretation of the Will of Fire."
She had spent decades viewing ninjas as "tools of the state," but under Hiruzen's new pressure, she felt she had to adapt or be left behind. She glanced at Danzo, noting that even he had stopped barking.
"Hokage," Danzo said, finally breaking his silence. "I agree with the domestic policy. But we must address the Third Raikage."
"His Lightning Armor is a nightmare. The man tanked a Tailed Beast Bomb and got back up to fist-fight an octopus."
"My Wind Style is the natural counter. I am confident I can pierce his defense, but the battlefield is chaotic. The Raikage won't be alone."
"If a monster like that breaches our front lines, the casualties will be catastrophic."
Danzo smirked inwardly. Top that, Hiruzen. You can handle the politics and the money, but on the battlefield, the village needs its 'Darkness' to kill the unkillable.
He wanted to remind everyone that even a "rejuvenated" Hiruzen had his limits. Hiruzen was a jack-of-all-trades, but the Raikage was a specialist in raw, physical invincibility.
"The Third Raikage is indeed a freak of nature," Hiruzen admitted. "In terms of raw Lightning Style Nintaijutsu, he is likely the greatest in history."
"You're right, Danzo. Your Wind Style would be a key asset in taking him down."
Danzo's chest puffed out. He was about to offer a "magnanimous" promise to train harder when Hiruzen spoke again.
"However... you shouldn't worry too much about me being unable to reach him on the battlefield."
Hiruzen's tone was flat. Suddenly, the air in the room ionized.
ZZZT!
A blinding explosion of lightning erupted from Hiruzen's body. Arcs of high-voltage chakra danced across his skin, his hair stood on end, and his muscles visibly surged with power.
Lightning Style: Chakra Mode.
The light was so intense that Koharu had to shield her eyes. Danzo's smirk didn't just fade—it curdled.
"W-what?" Danzo stammered. "Since when...?"
Hizashi Hyūga, who had been standing in the corner as an Anbu guard, instinctively flared his Byakugan. He let out a gasp of genuine shock.
"It's only been ten days since we brought back the intel..." Hizashi whispered. "Lord Hokage... he's already achieved a 40% cellular activation rate? That's impossible!"
"Don't oversell it, Hizashi," Hiruzen said, the lightning crackling around his voice. "I'm nowhere near the Raikage's level yet. He's spent decades tempering his body for this. The entry-level is easy, but the peak is a long, grueling climb."
Hiruzen's eyes glowed with electrical discharge as he looked at his stunned old friend.
"But this jutsu suits me perfectly. one year of my training is equivalent to five years of his, right?. By the time the next war starts, I'll have a surprise waiting for him."
His voice was calm, but the sheer arrogance of the statement—and the power to back it up—shook the room to its core.
Jiraiya scratched his head, grinning like an idiot. "And here I was thinking I was the crazy one on this team."
"Want to go a round and test it out, Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked, turning a "deceptively kind" but terrifyingly electric smile toward his student.
"No! My mistake! I'm good!" Jiraiya slammed his head onto the table in a perfect "dogeza" bow.
He knew a "teaching session" with a Lightning-charged Hokage would end with him being used as a human grounding wire.
Orochimaru's eyes were wide with a mix of hunger and awe. This was the man he had looked up to as a child. Not the tired bureaucrat, but the Shinobi no Kami who could master any art in the blink of an eye.
Hiruzen placed a hand on Danzo's shoulder. The arcs of electricity hummed against Danzo's robes, a silent reminder of who held the ultimate power in Konoha.
Hiruzen smiled.
"Konoha has many geniuses, Danzo. But before they were legends... they all used to call me a genius."