October 3rd, Year 43 of Konoha.
Early morning.
Uzumaki Mito's funeral was held at the Konoha Cemetery.
The funeral was not grand, but the attendees were all clan heads and elders, making it a solemn affair.
Tsunade cried more bitterly than anyone else.
Sayan wanted to offer her his shoulder, but he was rejected.
It seemed the road to winning Tsunade over was still very long.
After Uzumaki Mito's funeral ended, Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to his Hokage Office.
Because he had been busy with other important matters for the past two days.
As a result, there was no room left on his desk to review documents, and even the guest sofa was now covered in files.
"Sigh... busy! It's good to be busy!"
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Technique)
Poof! Poof! Poof! Three Kage Bunshin appeared behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Now then, for the sake of Konoha, let's begin!"
"Yosh!" x3
...At eight o'clock in the evening, as the three Kage Bunshin vanished, Sarutobi Hiruzen slumped into his office chair without surprise.
Right now, he only wanted to go back and have a good sleep; he didn't even have the heart to smoke.
"Alright, time to clock out!"
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen walked out the door, a middle-aged man in a green jumpsuit hurriedly approached him.
"Halt! Do not come any closer!"
Anbu hiding in the shadows appeared instantly, stopping the newcomer from approaching.
"Forgive me! Hokage-sama, I know I shouldn't disturb you at this time, but I truly have an important matter to report!"
After saying this, he bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Mm, stand down."
Seeing that the man had business with him, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved away the Anbu, stepped forward to help the man up, and spoke softly.
"Your name is Maito Dai, right? Tell me what's on your mind."
"Yes, thank you for remembering me, Hokage-sama. It's like this..."
As the story unfolded, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression became solemn. After all, anything involving the Kazekage was no small matter; that guy was shrewd.
"You mean the Sandaime Kazekage just happened to have a whim to play the role of a hidden master helping a child achieve their dreams, then happened to meet your son on the street who was sad about his mother's impending death, then happened to be able to treat your wife, and finally happened to discover that you've been hiding your strength?"
"Yes, that's right!"
[Heh, I don't believe it! If the Sandaime Kazekage didn't do this on purpose, I'll let Danzō become Hokage in that case!]
[Danzō: I testify that it was just a coincidence!]
"So, what are your plans?"
"Hokage-sama, Nanako is truly important to me. I cannot lose her, and I don't want my child to lose his mother at such a young age!"
"Mm, I understand you, Dai! But can you take me to see her? As the number one Shinobi village in the Ninja World, I believe Konoha can treat your wife!"
"Really? Hokage-sama, I'll take you there right away."
With that, Maito Dai led the way.
"Go call Tsunade and Orochimaru. Also, investigate the truth of this matter and get all the files on Maito Dai!"
"Yes!"
Soon, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at Maito Dai's home.
Seeing the surroundings and furnishings, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt some doubt.
Of course, he didn't doubt whether the Sandaime Kazekage had been there; he believed no one would dare lie to him about that.
What he doubted was whether Maito Dai truly hid strength that even the Sandaime Kazekage found impressive.
This place didn't look like somewhere a powerful Shinobi should be living.
"Hokage-sama, we're here. The place is a bit simple; I hope you don't mind."
"It's fine. Seeing such conditions makes me feel that I, as the Hokage, haven't done enough. Sigh..."
"Hokage-sama, it's not your fault. It's just that I only know Taijutsu, and no one is willing to take me on missions."
"Don't say that, Dai! You just haven't found your path yet. Believe in yourself; one day, you will surely become an excellent Taijutsu Specialist."
"Wuwuwu, Hokage-sama, I will definitely work hard!"
...Soon, Tsunade and Orochimaru arrived.
The two of them followed Sarutobi Hiruzen inside.
They both began to examine the unconscious Nanako.
"Well? Can she be saved?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"If it were half a month ago, I could have tried to save her. But now... she's terminally ill! It's beyond help!"
Tsunade finished her examination first and spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I can use drugs to stimulate her body; she'll seem normal for a week, but after that, death is certain!"
Orochimaru's voice also rang out then.
"As expected, the Sandaime Kazekage didn't lie to me."
After hearing Tsunade and Orochimaru's diagnoses, Maito Dai muttered to himself.
But everyone present was a powerhouse, and they all heard those words.
"Oh! The Sandaime Kazekage? It seems there's a story here I'm unaware of."
Hearing what Maito Dai said, Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued.
Sarutobi Hiruzen saw their expressions, so he explained the whole situation.
"Kekeke! Interesting, truly interesting. I can't wait to see how the Sandaime Kazekage plans to save her."
"Sarutobi-sensei, remember to call me when the treatment happens. I'm already looking forward to it!"
With that, Orochimaru walked out. Since things were settled, why stay?
"Me too. I also want to know what kind of Iryō Ninjutsu (Medical Ninjutsu) can achieve this."
Following Orochimaru, Tsunade also spoke up and then left the place.
"Dai, let me go back and think of another way. I will definitely give you an answer tomorrow morning!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama! Thank you for your trouble!"
"It's no trouble; this is what a Hokage should do."
After saying that, he also walked out.
Inside the Hokage Office.
The lights were turned on once again.
The Konoha F4 gathered.
"That's the situation. What do you all think?"
"What's there to discuss? He's just a middle-aged Genin; how much strength could he possibly be hiding! My Ne (Root) has many things to attend to, so I won't stay!"
Bang! The sound of the door closing echoed.
"Hiruzen, don't mind him; Danzō is just like that. However, there really is no other way to handle this. He's doing it for his wife and has told you everything; it's not a betrayal. It's just that we truly can't cure his wife! At this point, we can only agree and gain a good reputation in exchange."
"True. After all, this happened right outside the Hokage Building, and there were witnesses. But does Sunagakure really have that kind of medical capability?"
"Indeed, I don't believe it either. A disease that even Konoha can't cure... I don't believe Sunagakure has a way."
"Hiruzen, how about you agree, but on the condition that we supervise the treatment? First, it prevents Sunagakure from playing tricks, and second, we can find out what method they use so Konoha can see if it's something we can learn."
"Mm, Koharu makes sense. Let's do that."