Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

"Original intention?" Danzo slammed his cane down heavily. "Hiruzen, look at the ninja world now. The war is not over yet. What Konoha needs is real power."

"Power is not everything! Danzo, power without the heart will only bring destruction."

"Hiruzen, you are always so naive and weak. What is Wood Release? It is the power that the First Hokage used to quell the chaos of the world. Do you want to nurture such a power like a flower in a greenhouse?"

"Danzo, are you at a loss for words? It seems you've already said these things once before, regarding the Qingwu incident."

"Hiruzen!!!"

Danzo didn't want to say any more. "I didn't argue with you about Senju Seigo because he was just one of my targets, while 'Kō' was a subordinate I personally trained!"

Danzo stepped forward, almost face to face with the Third Hokage: "Give me back my men!"

His meaning was clear: even if you're the Hokage, you can't keep "stealing" my people away from me. And when Qingwu was mentioned, Danzo inexplicably felt an uncontrollable rage.

In response, the Third Hokage's expression also turned cold.

"Danzo, have you forgotten?" The Third Hokage's voice was eerily calm. "I am the Hokage. This village, including you and the Root, must listen to me."

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"A is a patient at Konoha Hospital and is under the direct protection of the Hokage."

"No one, including you, may touch him, much less take him away, without my permission!"

Danzo stared intently at the Third Hokage, his single eye blazing with fury and resentment.

Sometimes he doesn't even know what he's doing.

Deep down, he knew that no matter how many arguments they had, they would all end with him saying, "I am the Hokage."

But every time he starts, he always has a "delusion" that he can convince his old friend this time!

Therefore, Danzo became even more greedy for the position of Hokage.

He hopes that one day, when others refute him, he can end the controversy with the phrase "I am the Hokage!"

The stalemate lasted for a full minute.

Finally, Danzo snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."

His voice came from the doorway, "And... do you really think 'A' will listen to you?"

The footsteps faded into the distance.

The fact that the door wasn't slammed this time surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaving him somewhat dazed.

And Danzo was right, that child was difficult to deal with.

As the Hokage, he inquired for a long time but only learned a code name called 'Kai', without obtaining any other information.

That's why he kept it under the guise of "treatment".

The Third Generation let out a long sigh, leaned back in his chair, and wearily rubbed his temples.

"Lord Hokage," an Anbu member appeared, "should we strengthen the security at the hospital?"

"Yes!" The Third Hokage nodded. "Work in shifts 24 hours a day, and make sure no one gets near that child."

"Yes."

The dark areas disappeared.

The Third Generation was left alone in the office again.

He lit his pipe and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, a faint, aged laugh could be heard.

"Qingwu...you're even smarter than I thought...or rather, you're good at scheming?"

The third generation leader felt a mix of joy and worry about this "trouble".

However, he did not dislike Qingwu, who caused trouble.

In the ninja world, naive people are easily killed. Knowing how to protect oneself and how to use others' strength against them is a good thing.

"Splash splash splash!"

It started raining heavily outside the window.

The Third Hokage's gaze was drawn to the raindrops. "Two Wood Release bloodlines... does that mean the rebirth of Konoha...?"

Whoosh!

At the same time, Danzo, leaning on a cane, appeared on the rooftop opposite the hospital.

He stood in the rain, looking across the street with one eye.

That was the ward where A was "detained".

"Hiruzen... do you think you can control Wood Release like this?" He chuckled coldly in a low voice.

"Lord Danzo!" A Root ninja appeared silently: "Are we going to forcibly bring Kagami back?"

"No," Danzo shook his head: "Taking him away by force would be tantamount to completely breaking ties with the Hokage. It's not the right time yet."

“That Jia…”

"He will make the right choice."

"But what if the seal is broken..."

"Hmph, unless I remove the 'Seal of the Root of Tongue Calamity' myself, any attempt to break it will directly destroy it, and Hiruzen will not take the risk."

It rained harder and harder.

Danzo turned and disappeared into the rain.

……

Whoosh!

Qingwu sat in the wooden house, gazing at the rain curtain in the forest.

I felt that...bone-chilling loneliness again.

Even a Tier 5 Deadwood Guardian only possesses a little intelligence, capable of accepting more commands and engaging in simple communication.

Chapter 36 I Have a Friend...

The same applies to a Tier 5 Deadwood Guardian.

Other basic Tier 1, 2, and 3 units are even more...

Even the wood elves, which look the most "human-like," can only accept simple action commands.

"Ugh……"

A soft sigh drifted from the wooden house.

So, is the path of a lord destined to be lonely?

He has too many secrets, which he cannot even tell his best friend Iruka.

So he agreed to train with Iruka in order to dispel his loneliness as much as possible.

Otherwise, he'd be the only "living person" in the entire forest, and it would always feel...

Life is truly as lonely as snow.

Qingwu, only 13 years old in this life, utters sentiments like an adult...

The next day.

Iruka, who arrived early in the morning, once again brought a hot breakfast.

While eating, Qingwu discussed the content of their cultivation with Iruka.

He has no intention of training in ninja tools.

With "No-Seal Ninjutsu" in hand, practicing that stuff is unnecessary.

Iruka's physical skills are quite good.

His parents were both ninjas, which laid a solid foundation for him from a young age.

Therefore, even with mediocre chakra talent, one can still graduate and become a ninja by relying solely on the Three Body Techniques, taijutsu, and ninja tool throwing.

After breakfast, Qingwu received physical training from Iruka.

His physique is much stronger than before.

However, Iruka was not surprised at all.

After awakening Wood Release, everyone believed that even if Qingwu's body was not as good as the First Hokage's, it would definitely undergo a tremendous change.

With strong physical fitness as a foundation, Qingwu learns very quickly.

Iruka's crisp and clean physical movements made him feel increasingly inferior the more he instructed him.

During their sparring sessions, Qingwu had to "hold back."

After finishing his training for the day, Iruka hesitated and said, "Qingwu, I... don't think I can be of any help to you."

"Don't mention it." Qingwu stretched his body. "My parents died early, so my foundation is much weaker than yours."

"..." Iruka wanted to say: But you learn too fast.

“Iruka,” Qingwu said, “Don’t underestimate the importance of a strong foundation. Right now, I only have physical abilities, so honing my fundamentals is very important to me.”

Iruka breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll come again tomorrow."

Qingwu smiled as he saw Iruka off, then looked up and called out:

"senior?"

"Kakashi-senpai?"

"..."

The forest was silent; Kakashi didn't seem to be here today.

……