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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 324
🕑 Added 2025-02-14 09:00:06 +0000 UTCChapter 324: A Mission Concerning Konoha’s Future
After returning to the Hokage’s office, the Third Hokage angrily swept everything off his desk.
Staring at the now-empty surface, he took a deep breath to calm himself and began recalling his conversation with Danzo from half an hour ago.
In order to minimize casualties on the front lines, he had agreed to all of Danzo’s conditions in exchange for his commitment to head to the battlefield.
To be honest, Danzo’s conditions weren’t particularly excessive.
As the Hokage, he should be aware of and approve all of Root’s actions before they were executed. However, this also meant he would be held accountable for Danzo’s actions.
Many of the things Danzo did in the shadows could never be exposed to the public. If he were to officially acknowledge and approve them, his carefully cultivated reputation would crumble in no time. But at this point, he had no other choice. If things continued as they were, his faction’s power would dwindle significantly, and even the village’s safety would be at risk.
After calming himself, the Hizuren picked up the latest intelligence reports from the battlefield.
Upon seeing that Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki had caused hundreds of casualties among Konoha’s forces, his facial expression was grim, and his gaze shifted toward the direction of the Ninja Academy.
If Konoha’s own Jinchuriki had been combat-ready, the front lines wouldn’t be in such dire straits. Danzo had stopped provoking him face-to-face, but his words had carried a veiled threat. However, Naruto was still too young. Sending him to the battlefield now would only make him a liability.
Still, even though Naruto couldn’t be deployed immediately, he had already been in the Ninja Academy for four years—only two more years remained before his graduation.
It was time to start considering who should be Naruto's Jonin instructor. Finding the right mentor was crucial.
At that moment, the Third Hokage suddenly thought of Kakashi. Kakashi was the disciple of Minato Namikaze and the strongest among the younger generation of Jonin. Making Kakashi Naruto’s mentor was the best possible choice.
There was no need to wait until Naruto graduated. The training could begin now.
With that decision made, the Third Hokage turned to the Anbu beside him and ordered, “Summon Kakashi. I have a crucial task for him.”
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Not long after, Kakashi appeared before the Third Hokage, dressed in his Anbu uniform.
Looking at the Hokage in confusion, he asked cautiously, “Lord Third, what do you need from me? Are you sending me to reinforce the front lines?”
Kakashi believed the request had to be related to the war.
Since leaving Danzo’s Root, he served directly under the Third Hokage in Anbu. He had only recently returned to the village after completing a mission to track down enemy spies hidden within Konoha.
The Third Hokage shook his head and replied, “While the war is important, I have an even more critical task for you—one that concerns the village's future.”
Kakashi was surprised. A mission that concerns the future of Konoha?
But high-ranking officials often exaggerated. Whether or not it was truly that important was another matter.
The Third Hokage could sense Kakashi’s skepticism and asked, “Do you still remember Naruto Uzumaki?”
Kakashi’s expression shifted, and he quickly responded, “Naruto? He’s the son of Lord Fourth and the Nine-Tails’ Jinchuriki, right? Is someone like a villager or a ninja targeting him?”
“No, he’s not under threat. His reputation in the village is actually quite good, much like Obito back in the day.”
The Third Hokage shook his head and continued, “Naruto is well-protected by the Anbu. I summoned you here because I want you to interact with Naruto and begin training him early—to guide him into becoming a proper ninja.”
The Hokage emphasized the word proper.
Kakashi hesitated and said, “Hokage-sama, as far as I know, Naruto is still attending the Ninja Academy. The instructors there are more specialized in teaching students than I am. I’ve never taught anyone before. If you really want me to train Naruto, wouldn’t it be better to wait until he graduates? By then, I might have gained some experience as a teacher.”
The Third Hokage sighed.
“In times of peace, I would naturally let Naruto stay in the Academy longer. But with Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki threatening us, if Naruto isn’t properly trained as a Jinchuriki himself, our casualties on the front lines will continue to rise.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “Besides, you’ve been in Anbu for so long—haven’t you ever considered leaving and living a normal life?”
“A normal life?”
Kakashi fell silent. He had nearly forgotten what a normal life even meant.
Unlike most ninjas in the village, he had no family, no romantic relationships. Everyone he had ever cared about had been lost to war. The only ninja he still interacted with was Might Guy.
But Guy wasn’t exactly normal either. Every time they met, it was just another challenge, another training session. How Guy managed to maintain his endless optimism and energy remained a mystery. For Kakashi, life in Anbu and life as a regular ninja weren’t all that different.
After a moment of contemplation, Kakashi finally spoke. “I’m not particularly interested in living a normal life. But if it’s an order from you, Hokage-sama, I will do my best to interact with Naruto. Do you want me to take him as my student right away? Or should I find another way to connect with him?”
The Third Hokage fell into deep thought.
Ideally, Naruto would become battle-ready as soon as possible. If he could be trained into a Jonin within six months and sent to the front lines, that would be even better.
But even if Naruto were a genius, reaching Jonin level within five years was the best they could realistically hope for.
After some deliberation, the Hokage told Kakashi, “For now, I won’t have Naruto graduate early and join a team under you. Instead, you should find another way to interact with him. Over the years, Naruto has lived alone and endured many hardships. I hope you can look after him. But most importantly, I want you to guide Naruto in his daily life—to shape him into a great ninja like his father.”
A great ninja like Minato-sensei…
Kakashi’s mind flashed back to the image of Minato Namikaze before shaking his head.
So many years had passed since Minato’s death, yet the pain still lingered. He could only hope that Minato’s child would truly become the kind of ninja his father had been. But was he really the right person to guide Minato’s son?
For the first time in a long while, Kakashi doubted himself.
