No one knew exactly what Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo discussed that night.
It was only later, according to an unnamed ANBU operative, that some details emerged.
Apparently, when he left, Danzo was furious—storming out in a rage, or rather, slamming the door as he exited. Even after he had walked some distance away, Sarutobi could still faintly hear his bitter voice echoing back:
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this! You will regret this!"
"To hell with regret," Hiruzen snapped back as he came to his senses. "But that bastard Danzo better pay for my damn door!"
---
As the silver moon faded and the morning sun rose in the east, a new day quickly arrived.
Even after such an exhausting day, Aoshi still rose early—his three-month training had turned morning exercise into a solid habit.
After finishing his routine, he planned to send a shadow clone to the Senju compound to study sealing techniques while his real body headed, as usual, to work at Konoha Hospital.
He hadn't forgotten his primary job.
But then an ANBU's sudden appearance threw his schedule off.
"Hirakawa Aoshi. The Hokage has summoned you." With that, the masked ninja vanished without a trace.
Unbothered by the abrupt delivery, Aoshi changed course and made his way toward the Hokage Tower.
On the way, he ran into Minato and Kushina. Upon arriving, he found that Uchiha Nai and Hyuga Yu had also been summoned.
Aoshi had a pretty good idea why Hiruzen had called them.
"In this Chunin Exam, the five of you performed exceptionally. You are all hereby promoted to Chunin. I hope you continue working hard and earn your Jonin titles soon."
As expected, thought Aoshi. Starting today, he was no longer a world-breaking Genin of Konoha. He was now a perfectly ordinary Chunin.
An ANBU member then stepped forward, presenting each of them with the flak jackets worn only by Chunin and above.
"Aoshi, stay behind. I have something else to discuss with you."
Once the others had left, Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and smiled at Aoshi. "You performed brilliantly during the Chunin Exam incident. Therefore, I've decided to add an S-rank mission to your record and award you an S-rank jutsu."
Many shinobi never even encounter an S-rank mission in their lifetimes, let alone complete one that gets recorded in their official record.
This also meant a mission reward of at least one million ryo.
But compared to that, the S-rank jutsu was even more valuable. S-rank jutsu were the pinnacle of ninja techniques—difficult to learn, often dangerous, and some were even classified as forbidden and sealed away.
To master one was to elevate one's combat power to an entirely new level. Most shinobi, however, would never gain access to even a single S-rank jutsu in their lives.
So this was no small reward, and it demonstrated just how much Hiruzen valued him.
Aoshi understood this clearly. "Thank you for the reward. I was only doing what I should."
As he spoke, he accepted the scroll handed to him.
Opening it, he saw it recorded Water Release: Water Severing Wave—a jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
This technique involved unleashing a high-pressure stream of water from the mouth, sharp as a blade and capable of slicing through nearly anything—rivaling Wind Release in cutting power.
In the original timeline, Tobirama had used this technique to cut through the roots of the Divine Tree. It was an immensely destructive, pinpoint water-style attack.
"If you have questions, feel free to come ask me. Though I doubt you'll need help—your talent speaks for itself."
With the rewards out of the way, Hiruzen's expression turned serious.
"The village's investigation is complete. Satori was released by the Hidden Grass, with the Hidden Cloud aiding them. Their goal was the destruction of Konoha."
"Now, Aoshi, you'll be heading to the Hidden Grass with Tsunade. Your mission is twofold: demand accountability from them and participate in negotiations with the Hidden Cloud."
"This is an S-rank mission."
At that moment, a displeased voice cut in. "So this is why you dragged me here first thing in the morning?"
It was Tsunade, of course.
Dressed in her usual extravagant yet casual attire, her silky blonde hair flowed freely in the breeze. She walked into the office while still yawning—clearly having just gotten out of bed.
Hiruzen's mouth twitched at the sight. "Tsunade, this mission is no small matter. As a senior, you need to set an example."
Sensing the start of a lecture, Tsunade quickly interrupted, "Alright, alright. I'll do the mission properly."
She patted Aoshi on the shoulder. "This mission is important. Don't mess it up, kid."
By rights, Aoshi shouldn't have even been considered for a mission like this. He was still technically a Chunin—not even authorized to accept A-rank missions, much less S-rank ones.
Clearly, this was Hiruzen deliberately building momentum for him. He truly intended to groom Aoshi for the Hokage candidate.
But it wasn't out of preference—it was necessity.
To Hiruzen, the ideal successors were his three students. But one had gone astray—Orochimaru. One was unreliable—Jiraiya. The last had given up completely—Tsunade.
None of them was suitable.
As for Hatake Sakumo—strong enough, yes, but temperamentally, he wasn't cut out for leadership. He was better suited as a battlefield commander, not a village leader.
Danzo? As the head of Root, he was too steeped in darkness to ever stand in the light, which left only one true candidate—Aoshi, who had seemingly emerged from nowhere.
But becoming Hokage wasn't just about strength. It also required accomplishments and reputation.
Strength Aoshi already had—in spades. At just eighteen, he already rivaled an Elite Jonin. And he had vast potential to grow stronger still.
Reputation and merit, though—those had to be earned over time.
This mission was part of laying that groundwork. Still, since Aoshi was young, Hiruzen assigned Tsunade to accompany him—someone who could offer support if needed.
Tsunade understood the old man's intentions.
Had it been anyone else, she would've refused without a second thought. But since it was Aoshi, she was willing. Just as long as no one tried to make her Hokage.
"In that case, I'll be counting on you, Lady Tsunade."
After Aoshi spoke, Hiruzen added, "Oh, by the way—the Hidden Sand will also be sending a representative to participate in the talks."
At that moment, another figure entered—it was Pakura, who was still stationed in Konoha.
"Lord Hokage. Lady Tsunade. Lord Aoshi." She offered a respectful greeting to the three of them.
--
--
Show your support with Power Stones, everyone!
If we make it into the top 10 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 5 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
P@treon/Lord IM(30+ Advanced Chapters)