BANG!
The heavy oak doors of the Hokage's office flew open, slamming violently against the walls.
"HIRUZEN! You saw that, didn't you?!"
A raspy, aggressive voice roared through the room. Danzo Shimura marched in, his solitary visible eye gleaming with dark, opportunistic ambition. He completely ignored the assembled Jonin and marched straight toward the Hokage's desk.
"Let me take custody of that Uchiha orphan! He possesses the eyes of a rebel! I will break him down and mold him into the perfect, emotionless soldier for the village!"
"...."
The entire room fell dead silent.
Hiruzen, who had just been massaging his temples over Sasuke's violent outburst, stared at his old comrade in exhaustion. "What are you doing here, Danzo?"
"The boy was about to murder his own classmate just because his fragile pride couldn't accept defeat! You cannot leave a threat like that unmanaged!" Danzo argued fiercely, completely ignoring the dangerous glares from the other shinobi in the room.
"Don't even dream of it, Danzo," Hiruzen said, his voice dropping into a cold, authoritative tone. "Sasuke will remain under my jurisdiction. In fact... Kakashi, you will handle his team, correct?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi stepped forward, his visible eye completely devoid of its usual lazy warmth. He knew exactly what Danzo's "molding" entailed. Thinking of his own Sharingan, and the tragic legacy of the Uchiha family, Kakashi knew he had to step up. It was the only right thing to do.
(If Suzuki knew what Kakashi was currently thinking, he probably would have rolled his eyes at the sheer amount of impending drama.)
"Kakashi..." Danzo slowly turned his head, narrowing his eye dangerously at the silver-haired Jonin. "Do you truly believe you are capable of guiding a demon child carrying that much darkness?"
"I can handle it, Danzo-sama," Kakashi replied smoothly, not giving an inch.
"There. You have heard him, Danzo," Hiruzen stated, tapping his pipe against his desk. "I will not change my decision. Sasuke will be under Kakashi's care from now on."
"YOU WILL REGRET THIS, HIRUZEN!"
"I AM THE HOKAGE, DANZO!"
"Hmph!" Danzo scowled fiercely. He desperately wanted to argue further, but he knew he couldn't push it. His official position was lower than Hiruzen's, and the Third Hokage's anger was beginning to leak into the room. With a sharp turn, Danzo stormed out, slamming the damaged door behind him.
BANG!
"..."
Hiruzen let out a long, bone-deep sigh. He struck a match and lit his pipe again, taking a long drag to calm his nerves. Yup. Nicotine is a lifesaver.
Meanwhile, back at the Academy training grounds, Suzuki was slightly surprised when a fully armed ANBU operative suddenly dropped in to escort him. But, being pragmatic, he quickly nodded. "Understood."
In the hidden village, the Hokage was essentially a god-king. Like in any strict military organization, the orders of the supreme commander were absolute. If the Hokage wanted to see him, Suzuki was going to go.
"Suzuki-kun..."
Before he could leave, Hinata quickly rushed over to his side, her pale eyes filled with lingering worry from Sasuke's sudden attack.
"I'm fine," Suzuki reassured her smoothly. "If I don't come back before the academy bell rings, just go wait for me at my place, Hinata."
"Um." Hinata nodded obediently, her cheeks dusting pink at the thought of waiting at his home.
Ino, however, absolutely refused to lose ground. She pushed her way forward. "Hey! What about me?"
"...If you really want to come, then just come."
"Why do you sound so reluctant about it?!" Ino huffed, crossing her arms.
"I'm not. You are always welcome at my place, Ino."
Ino still didn't look entirely satisfied with his lack of overwhelming enthusiasm, but the ANBU escort let out a pointed, polite cough to hurry them along. Ino sighed, "Fine. I will reluctantly wait for you, too."
As for Sasuke, a swarm of worried fangirls had immediately rushed him the moment he hit the dirt. The teachers had swiftly evacuated the unconscious Uchiha to the infirmary, mostly just to escape the deafening, annoying screeches of his fan club.
"Okay, see you two later."
It might seem strange to an outside observer, but Suzuki truly didn't overthink his relationship with Ino and Hinata. Mentally, he was a full-grown adult. Physically, he was twelve. He firmly viewed both of the girls as cute, slightly troublesome little sisters. Romance was the absolute last thing on his mind.
"You seem incredibly close to the heiresses of the Hyuga and Yamanaka clans."
As they walked away from the academy, the ANBU escort suddenly spoke up. Even though she wore a porcelain cat mask, Suzuki could easily deduce she was female. The long, vibrant purple hair and her soft, feminine voice were dead giveaways.
"I am just a civilian-born orphan," Suzuki answered calmly, keeping his eyes forward. "They are both the literal princesses of two noble clans. We are not on the same social status."
Despite possessing a twelve-year-old body, Suzuki possessed an adult's absolute understanding of societal hierarchy. This self-awareness was the exact reason Hiashi Hyuga allowed Hinata to interact with him in the first place. Suzuki knew his place.
No matter how talented he was, he wasn't Naruto—who had the secret backing of the Uzumaki bloodline and the legacy of the Fourth Hokage. Suzuki was a nobody. He knew perfectly well that a civilian boy playing house with the Hyuga heiress was a political landmine he had no intention of stepping on.
As for Ino? Her clan was slightly more relaxed, but the age gap in his mind made it an absolute non-starter anyway.
"...You aren't bad at all," the ANBU murmured, sounding genuinely dumbfounded by his incredibly mature, cynical answer. She felt a sudden, helpless urge to support the boy. "But if you keep working hard and rising through the ranks, their families might eventually view you differently."
Shouldn't a young man work hard to win the heart of the woman he admired?
"..."
Suzuki just looked at the ANBU operative with a deeply strange expression before nodding politely. "Thank you."
"Do your best, boy." The ANBU gently patted his back, trying to encourage him.
Suzuki looked at her even more strangely. Weren't ANBU supposed to be emotionless, highly efficient killing machines? They were supposed to be the perfect, silent tools of the Hokage. Then again, Suzuki mused, their monthly income is fantastic, and they get premium hazard pay. It really is the ultimate dream job for a ninja.
"Have you ever thought about becoming—"
"Tanaka Suzuki."
Before the purple-haired ANBU could finish her sentence, an incredibly cold, raspy voice cut through the air. The ANBU instantly froze, her back straightening as her combat instincts screamed in alarm.
An elderly man wrapped in heavy medical bandages suddenly stepped out of the shadows of an alleyway, flanked by two featureless, masked shinobi.
"..."
Well, shit, Suzuki thought. He had a lot of colorful curses running through his head. He never expected to be intercepted by Danzo Shimura on a simple walk to the Hokage's office.
"You are a very promising seedling," Danzo said, his single eye locking onto Suzuki with a menacing, predatory weight. "Have you thought about what you will do in the future?"
"....."
"Have you thought about supporting this village in a... different way?" Danzo stepped closer, his aura suffocating.
"...A different way, sir?" Suzuki asked, keeping his face perfectly neutral.
"Yes. Where there is a blinding light, there must be a deep shadow." Danzo narrowed his eye. "You have the mind for it. You seem perfectly fit to become—"
"DANZO!"
A booming voice shattered the tension. Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly shunshin'd into the street, flanked by his own elite ANBU guards. He glared at his old friend in absolute disbelief. "What do you think you are doing?!"
"Hmph!" Danzo scoffed, not backing down. "Instead of letting you take a perfectly good seedling and making him soft and useless, let me have him, Hiruzen! I will forge him into a perfect soldier for Konoha!"
"Your 'perfect soldier' is nothing but a mindless tool, Danzo!"
"A ninja is a tool, Hiruzen! Do not be so naive!"
"You are the one who is naive! A village cannot be managed by emotionless tools alone!"
"I could manage this village perfectly!"
"But you are not the Hokage!"
"..."
Danzo ground his teeth. He knew any further argument in the middle of the street was meaningless. He would lose purely based on hierarchy.
If only I were the Hokage... Danzo thought bitterly. This village would be as great and terrifying as it was meant to be!
Before he turned to leave, Danzo looked back down at the civilian boy. "You. Boy."
"Sir?" Suzuki looked up, his expression wide and expectant.
"What is your dream?"
Suzuki stared at the terrifying old man. He knew exactly what he needed to do. He needed to bore Danzo to death.
"To become a good, honest ninja and serve Hokage-sama with all my heart, sir!" Suzuki declared, his voice ringing with absolute, manufactured sincerity. "That is my dream! And... I wish to protect a village where everyone can live in peace and smile together every day!"
It was the most sickeningly sweet, generic "Will of Fire" answer a human being could possibly construct. To the ANBU and Hiruzen, he looked like a nervous, genuine child.
"....."
Danzo stared at him for three long seconds.
"Trash," Danzo finally sneered, completely losing interest in the boy. A child infected with Hiruzen's soft ideals was useless to Root. He turned his back. "Let's go."
Suzuki didn't say a word as the bandaged man vanished into the shadows. He kept the innocent expression plastered on his face, but internally, he was incredibly relieved. He had successfully branded himself as a naive idiot in Danzo's eyes.
Seriously, Suzuki thought, letting out a quiet breath. I really, really can't wait for Sasuke to finally kill that old bastard.
He adjusted his jacket and looked up at the Hokage, feeling glad that he had the Manager.
Yup, I am so glad.