Naruto: Being a Shinobi with no System But...

Chapter 289 - 289: 288 - Sasuke - What it means to be Hokage...

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Stepping out of the Mizukage Building, they were greeted by Kirigakure's familiar gloom. Sunlight struggled through the dense mist, breaking into a pale, hazy glow that drifted down over the village streets.

Mei walked at his side in silence while Roshi sank into his own thoughts.

Warning Kirigakure to be wary of their Tailed Beasts being targeted had always been part of the plan. For now, Kabuto had more than enough experimental material; even if he missed out on Tailed Beast chakra once or twice, it didn't matter—so long as no one else captured the Tailed Beasts before he collected their chakra.

But in the meeting room just now, Gensui's gaze had been a little too direct. He clearly hadn't believed that "exchange students" were the only reason for coming.

"Roshi-kun looks like he's thinking about something," Mei's voice cut through the fog. "Is there some other problem with the meeting?"

"No." Roshi pulled his thoughts back. "I'm reflecting on something else."

"Oh?" Mei raised an eyebrow, interest flickering across her face.

"My personal image problem."

"...Eh?" Mei actually stopped in her tracks for half a step. "Image?"

"Yes." Roshi nodded, looking up at the mist-veiled rooftops lining the street. "I was thinking—if the one who showed up were Jiraiya-sama, everyone's first guess would be that he's either 'collecting material' or just traveling. But if I appear in the Land of Fire, or really anywhere outside of Konoha…"

The corners of Mei's lips lifted before she could stop herself. "Then, naturally, they'd assume Roshi-kun must be on some important mission or plotting something, and that it definitely wouldn't be for anything simple."

"Exactly." Roshi let out a breath. "This impression that I 'must be scheming something' seems to be firmly rooted."

Mei's eyes widened slightly—then she burst into laughter she could no longer hold back.

At first she tried to keep it in, but it quickly turned bright and clear, her laughter echoing along the mist-filled street.

"Roshi-kun," she said between laughs, eyes damp at the corners as she lifted a hand to wipe them, "you walked along so quietly, with such a serious face. I thought you were contemplating some grand strategy about the Tailed Beasts, Uchiha Madara, and the future of the entire ninja world… and it turns out you were actually agonizing over this?"

"This is very important," Roshi replied calmly. "It means I've lost the convenience of being a respected guest. Every move I make will be put under a magnifying glass."

"For example, this time my original plan was to properly enjoy two or three days of Kirigakure's hospitality, and then, as a return favor—or a friendly reminder—tell you that news right before I left."

He gave a small shake of his head. "But because I am 'me', everyone assumed I had deeper motives from the very beginning."

The smile between Mei's brows still hadn't faded; if anything, it deepened. "Since that's the case, our judgment of you wasn't wrong. You always have very serious purposes."

'This is bad. I need to reinforce the impression that I'm someone who just wants to have fun.'

Now that a framework for communication and exchange had been established, fewer and fewer matters truly required him to show up in person.

Which meant he either had to disguise himself when traveling or adjust his public persona. In many situations, moving around under his real identity was still the most convenient option.

"Convenient for being sneaky?" Mei leaned in a little closer and asked softly.

"Yes, convenient for being sneaky," Rōshi replied.

The kunoichi from the Hidden Mist suggested, "In that case, why don't you come to the Land of Water more often in the future, Roshi-kun?"

"Then I'll arrange the best hospitality for you—delicious cuisine, comfortable hotels, and leisurely sightseeing routes."

"As your visits become more frequent and time goes by, rumors that 'Lord Roshi of Konoha is actually an absurd fellow who knows how to enjoy life and prefers the style of the Land of Water' will naturally spread far and wide."

Rōshi thought for a moment. "Wouldn't that be a bit too expensive?"

Mei waved her hand with a smile, her dark blue skirt swaying gently with the motion. "How could it be? The user of Wood Release, the hero of Konoha—having such a powerful combat force frequently appear in the Land of Water and in the Hidden Mist Village is also a great boon for the Village's defense."

"After all, if we were to formally hire Roshi-kun, the Hidden Mist Village wouldn't be able to afford the fee. A little bit of official hospitality expense is actually nothing at all."

"How about it? This is something extremely beneficial for both Roshi-kun and the Hidden Mist Village."

After a brief silence, Rōshi nodded. "True."

"Then it's a deal. As a return favor, I'll make sure today's hospitality is arranged perfectly."

——

At the same time, in the Mizukage Building.

The window of the Mizukage's office stood open, letting the humid air stream continuously into the otherwise empty room.

Yagura didn't move to close it. He stood by the window, looking out over the village veiled in thick mist.

There were no secrets here that needed to be handled, and nothing that required careful safeguarding.

Gensui entered, leaning on his cane.

"Fourth Mizukage."

"Elder."

Gonbei brought over a chair for Gensui. After the elder sat down, Gonbei withdrew.

"The messenger from Konoha said that Uchiha Madara's ultimate goal is to collect all the Tailed Beasts."

Yagura finally closed the window. The glass shut out the damp air and the drifting fog. Only then did he ask, "What does the Village plan to do?"

"I've already ordered Utakata to be hidden and his outside missions suspended for now," Gensui said. "As for you, Fourth Mizukage—are you planning to step down?"

"Once Mei is ready, I can step down at any time," the Fourth Mizukage replied. "But right now, the village still needs a combat force capable of controlling a Tailed Beast."

"After the village bought back the Six-Tails and Three-Tails, we spent a long time perfecting the sealing jutsu, turning that burden into fighting strength.

"If we hide those weapons just because we're afraid they'll be stolen—and even pour more manpower into hiding them—then all the sacrifices and effort that went into perfecting the Jinchuriki Sealing Jutsu will lose their meaning.

"Jinchuriki exist for the sake of the village. If we refuse to use a weapon because we're afraid of losing it, and the village ends up losing a crucial combat asset because of that, then we're putting the cart before the horse."

Gensui studied him. "Your opponent once controlled you."

Yagura's expression finally shifted. "That's exactly why I know what choice a Jinchuriki should make when faced with an irresistible power.

"If I reach the point where I'm about to be captured, I know what I have to do.

"I will die—and I'll drag the Three-Tails to death with me."

"After a tailed beast dies, it takes time for it to resurrect. With the current alliance among the Five Great Ninja Villages, the odds of the Hidden Mist reclaiming it are very high. Before that happens…"

He stepped up to Gensui and lowered his head slightly. "What the Village needs to do is nurture someone else who can host the Three-Tails.

"Utakata still can't control a Tailed Beast's power, so his current arrangements should remain unchanged.

"As for me"—Yagura's gaze hardened—"until Mei is ready to take over, I'll continue to serve as the nominal Mizukage. When a crisis comes, I'll stand at the very front."

—

Out at sea.

Roshi was half-reclined on the deck of a small boat, legs casually crossed. The craft was plain and compact, something he had shaped on a whim with Wood Release when leaving the Land of Water—just big enough for one person to lie down with a bit of room left for luggage.

The agreement he'd reached with Mei had settled the matter of his future visits to the Land of Water.

After enjoying two or three days of hospitality in the Hidden Mist, he set out for Kumogakure. Since he was already in the Land of Water, detouring to the Land of Lightning was only natural.

It was the perfect chance to deliver the same message again.

As for Iwagakure, a letter would be enough. He already possessed the chakra of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails; there was no need to go in person.

So then—what would happen once everyone had been notified?

Rōshi could almost see it clearly.

Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure—unlike Sunagakure, these three had complete defense systems, and their Jinchūriki were mostly adults with fully developed combat ability. To them, Tailed Beasts weren't "burdens" to be handed over but vital "strategic weapons."

Before the Akatsuki truly started moving and producing results, those villages would never send their own strategic weapons to Konoha.

They would only do two things: heighten their vigilance and draw up countermeasures.

So the real objective of the next operation was actually very simple—disrupt the enemy's plans and stop them from succeeding.

As for their own side, with both Kirigakure and Kumogakure tightening control over their Jinchūriki, secretly siphoning chakra would only get easier.

If things really came to it, he could always negotiate openly. There would be a way; he wasn't demanding the Tailed Beasts themselves, just a bit of their chakra. There had to be room to talk.

The sea breeze rolled past, thick with salt. Rōshi closed his eyes again and let the small boat drift steadily toward the Land of Lightning.

—

On the training ground, three children darted back and forth. With Rōshi away, someone else was in charge of their special training.

At the edge of the field, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on a tree stump, pipe in hand, quietly watching the trio.

He had taken over from Rōshi two days ago, personally supervising this special training.

Gaara's identity alone made it impossible to look away. According to Rōshi's own assessment, he was the most likely candidate to become the next Kazekage.

A boy like that, training side by side with the village's Jinchūriki and a child of the renowned Uchiha clan—there was no way the Third Hokage wouldn't pay attention.

What surprised Hiruzen most was Naruto. Ever since learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, the boy had begun to show a talent faintly reminiscent of Minato Namikaze. He was still dead last in written academics, but in terms of a ninja's actual combat strength, his progress was remarkable.

"Enough," Hiruzen said at last, judging their condition.

All three stopped at the same time.

Gaara was breathing a little hard as the sand around him slowly sank back into the ground. After several days of training, his control over the sand had clearly improved. He was still far from completely suppressing its automatic defense, but at least during taijutsu offense and defense, the sand was appearing less often and with less force.

At this pace, he would soon be able to join the regular training at the Academy.

Naruto released his Shadow Clones and collapsed onto the ground, panting. "I'm so, so tired..."

"That's all for today," Hiruzen said. "Go back and get some good rest. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Yes!" Naruto bounced back to his feet first, flashing Gaara a wide grin. "Let's go, Gaara! How about Ichiraku Ramen today? My treat!"

Gaara looked at him and gave a small nod. "Okay."

The two boys left the training ground side by side. Naruto waved his arms animatedly as he talked the whole way, while Gaara walked in silence, only answering with a word or two from time to time.

Sasuke didn't move.

He stayed where he was, watching their backs grow smaller in the distance, something complicated flickering in the depths of his dark eyes.

With Roshi gone, he felt no urgency to take back his loss—yes, his fight with Naruto had ended in defeat, but with his Sharingan awakened, he was certain he could win next time.

Now, however, something else weighed on his mind.

An Uchiha problem.

The matter of the Police Force Headquarters and its branch.

From Sasuke's point of view, the branch was led by Hiashi Hyuga, the headquarters by his father Fugaku, and the branch answered to the headquarters. Everything about that structure seemed perfectly normal. He couldn't see what was wrong or what was supposed to be "fixed."

"Are they asking our clan to take back the branch?"

When he had asked Fugaku that, his father had only given him one reply: "It's not time for you to be thinking about this yet. I will handle it."

As for Itachi, he had simply said, "The existence of the branch is the village's will."

Neither his father's answer nor his brother's had cleared up Sasuke's confusion.

And now, standing before him, was the Former Hokage.

Someone who might give him a different answer.

"Lord Third."

"Is something troubling you, Sasuke?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked gently.

"Roshi-san once said that what makes me different from Naruto is the Uchiha Clan and the problems between us and the Hyuga Clan."

"Please tell me," Sasuke looked straight into the Third Hokage's eyes, "what kind of outcome… has to be reached to solve the clan's problem? Is it making the branch disappear, making the Hyuga completely submit? Or… something else?"

"What kind of outcome, hm…"

Hiruzen removed his pipe and lightly tapped it against a tree stump. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he gestured for Sasuke to sit on a nearby rock.

Sasuke hesitated, then did as he was told.

"I already know what expectations have been placed on you," Hiruzen said slowly. His gaze lingered on Sasuke's face, as if he were both observing him and remembering something.

To be honest, he still didn't understand why Roshi valued Itachi's younger brother more than Itachi himself. Itachi's talent, strength, and character were among the very best of his generation. But Roshi had chosen Sasuke, so he had to have his reasons.

"Sasuke, there are no problems between the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan that absolutely must be resolved."

Sasuke frowned, clearly not grasping what he meant.

"Or rather," the Third Hokage went on, "the real issue isn't which clan should bow to the other, nor whether the branch should exist at all."

"If you keep thinking only about how to face the Hyuga as an Uchiha—if you stay trapped in the positions of 'clan' versus 'clan'—then you may never become the person Roshi hopes you'll be."

"Everyone in the village is a comrade. To become Hokage, you must carry that resolve."

"Trust the people of the village, and be trusted by them in return."

"Protect the people of the village, and be protected by them in turn."

"That is what it means to be Hokage."