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Chapter 35: I Am the Hokage!
🕑 Added 2025-02-20 14:38:23 +0000 UTCChapter 35: I Am the Hokage!
Danzo was the kind of man who acted the moment he had an idea.
The very next morning, he barged straight into the Hokage’s office to confront his old friend.
Before coming, he had mentally prepared himself.
An argument was inevitable—he might not win, but at least he could vent some frustration.
Because he had had enough.
BAM!
Without knocking, Danzo shoved the door open.
The hidden Anbu in the shadows didn’t dare say anything, but Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly jumped in surprise.
Quickly, he turned off the crystal ball on his desk, then asked,
“Danzo? What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Danzo glanced at the desk and instantly knew what his old friend had been up to.
That made him even angrier.
No wonder Jiraiya turned out the way he did!
This was the Ninjutsu professor he had lost to…
His teacher, he had been too slow to stop from making the wrong choice.
His mind was filled with resentment, but his face remained expressionless as he said,
“This is about the Chūnin Exams.”
“The Chūnin Exams?”
Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He immediately thought of Uchiha Itachi, but kept his face neutral.
“Since when do you care about that?”
“Don’t play dumb, Hiruzen.”
Danzo wasn’t in the mood for games.
He got straight to the point.
“Itachi Uchiha is taking the exam, isn’t he?”
So that’s what this is about…
Hiruzen sighed.
He knew very well how much Danzo distrusted the Uchiha.
Truthfully, even Hiruzen found the Uchiha clan troublesome at times, but he still wanted to integrate them into Konoha.
“…Yes.”
Shaking his head, Hiruzen admitted,
“Itachi is an exceptional talent. Both his age and skill level meet the qualifications for the Chūnin Exams.”
“But his teammates are dead.”
Danzo’s voice was cold.
“He has no full squad, and forming a temporary team isn’t ideal.
He does not meet the exam requirements.”
“Rules are made by people.”
Hiruzen sighed again, rubbing his temples.
“This is an internal Konoha exam. Even if he takes it alone, it’s not a problem—”
“That makes it even worse!”
Danzo immediately pounced on the argument.
“Yes, rules are made by people. But we can’t change the rules just for one person!
That’s unfair to the others!
And don’t forget—he’s an Uchiha.
He’s strong, but his clan is unstable.
If he takes the exam alone and passes, it’ll cause an uproar and embolden the Uchiha—”
“The Uchiha are part of Konoha too!”
Hiruzen’s patience finally cracked.
Unfair?
And you think what you do is fair?!
Danzo had the nerve to lecture him about fairness?
Ridiculous!
“I know you dislike them, but the Uchiha can change.
Don’t forget Uchiha Kagami!”
“Kagami was an exception. After he died, the Uchiha only produced more radicals like Uchiha Setsuna.”
Danzo shot back immediately.
He knew Hiruzen was getting angry, but he didn’t care.
Because he came here to argue.
And he wasn’t wrong.
Under his own influence, the Uchiha had become more extreme than ever.
Uchiha Setsuna’s ideology had spread through the entire clan.
And Setsuna himself had been a dangerous lunatic.
He had attempted to assassinate their teacher, was labeled an extremist, and had been thrown in prison.
If it weren’t for the war forcing Konoha to rely on Uchiha manpower, Setsuna would have rotted in that cell until he killed himself.
“We should have followed our teacher’s will and wiped them out completely, not hesitated like you have.”
“You’ve crossed the line, Danzo!”
Hiruzen’s face turned ice-cold.
“I’m just stating facts.”
Danzo remained stone-faced.
“Enough! I AM THE HOKAGE!”
“……”
For a moment, Danzo wanted to curse him out.
Using his title to shut down the argument?
That was cheap!
He even considered storming out of the office.
But then he remembered—he hadn’t accomplished his goal yet.
So, gritting his teeth, he held back his temper and said,
“You’ll regret this one day.”
“Then that’s my regret to bear.”
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, calming himself down.
He knew his old friend’s personality—Danzo was vindictive and petty.
So he softened his tone.
“As Hokage, it’s my duty to unite the village.
If there’s even the slightest chance of peace, I have to pursue it.”
“Hmph!”
Danzo snorted, but he knew it was time to offer his deal.
“Fine. Let Itachi participate. But I have one condition.”
“Oh?”
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
So this is what you were after.
“Go on.”
“I want a specific proctor assigned to him.”
Danzo didn’t beat around the bush.
“This kid is far from ordinary. At eight years old, he defeated one of my Root operatives.
A regular exam proctor won’t be able to properly test his limits.”
“…And who do you have in mind?”
“I’m not recommending someone. I’m assigning someone.
I want Haruta Shigaru to be Itachi Uchiha’s proctor.”
“……”
Hiruzen stared at Danzo silently.
This wasn’t about ‘testing’ Itachi.
This was blatant retaliation.
Yes, Itachi was exceptionally talented—awakening the Sharingan at a young age and defeating a Root operative at only eight.
But Haruta was no ordinary ninja either.
He infiltrated Sunagakure, stirred up chaos, and escaped unharmed.
If he proctored Itachi’s exam, Hiruzen had no doubt it would be a brutal challenge.
“…This decision…”
But after a moment of thought, Hiruzen realized—this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Danzo knew him too well.
He did want to recruit Itachi into Anbu.
Itachi was highly intelligent, closely tied to Shisui, and—most importantly—the son of Uchiha Fugaku.
If Shisui’s influence could sway Itachi, it would benefit both Konoha and the Uchiha clan.
And Haruta was Shisui’s teammate.
If he subtly hinted at this to Shisui, then maybe…
“…Alright. Itachi’s skills are exceptional, and it would be hard to find a proper challenger.
Haruta is a strong candidate for the role—plus, he’s Anbu, so his schedule can be adjusted easily.”
“……”
Danzo’s face remained blank, but inside, he was annoyed.
Did you have to mention that he’s Anbu?
He was seriously regretting sending Haruta there.
But at least he had achieved his goal—so this trip hadn’t been wasted.
“Since you think so highly of him…”
Danzo’s eyes gleamed with cold amusement.
“…Then I’ll make sure he suffers a humiliating defeat.
Even if Itachi passes, he won’t walk away unscathed.”
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