146. The Thoughts Of Third Hokage
Arriving at the Hokage's office, Yagami noticed that many Jōnin were already present. His gaze lingered momentarily on Kakashi.
Kakashi's Sharingan had been taken by Obito, but fortunately, Danzō had provided him with another Sharingan beforehand. However, due to its high chakra consumption, it had been temporarily sealed.
Even without the Sharingan, Kakashi's title as the Copy Ninja might have diminished, but this had given him time to refocus on his family's swordsmanship. His current strength was not necessarily weaker than when he had the Sharingan. After all, at this point, he had yet to awaken the Mangekyō. The Sharingan's primary utility was observation and copying, after all.
Since Kakashi was here, Yagami thought it unlikely he would take the First Class. That thought gave Yagami some relief; he had no desire to be a Jōnin mentor, especially not to the two protagonists of this era.
There was always the chance the old man, the "Six Paths Sage," might be observing from the shadows. Interfering with his plans could result in dire consequences. After all, the Six Paths Sage's Susanoo could rival the Ten-Tails, and the division of yin and yang chakra allowed Naruto and Sasuke to combat Six Paths Madara.
Even knowing the Sage was long gone, Yagami did not dare to be careless. He had a deep understanding of the power of yin and yang chakra.
"It seems everyone is here. The matter at hand is simple," the Third Hokage said, glancing at Yagami before addressing the group with a smile. "A new batch of Genin has graduated from the Ninja Academy. Before they can grow into independent shinobi, they need guidance from Jōnin."
With that, the Third Hokage presented a box containing assignments for the incoming Genin teams. The Jōnin would draw lots to determine their students.
As expected, the results of the lottery were the same as in Yagami's memories. However, the subtle manipulations of the Third Hokage were evident to him. He couldn't help but wonder if Sarutobi Asuma realized what his father was doing for him.
Due to the butterfly effect of Yagami's presence, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was still alive. However, the failure of the Rain Shinobi Village war meant the Third Hokage couldn't fully restore his eldest son's standing. Currently, Shinnosuke is outside the ninja world, searching for the Akatsuki organization.
Was the Third Hokage now investing in his second son, Asuma, because the eldest had no chance of succeeding as Hokage? The position of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio clans in Konoha was indeed unique.
"Since it doesn't seem like there's anything here for me, why did you ask me to come?" Yagami remarked, glancing into the box to confirm its emptiness.
"Kakashi will remain here while everyone else can go meet their students," the Third Hokage announced, pausing briefly before continuing. He turned to Yagami and Kakashi.
"Yagami, the Seventh Class, including Uchiha Sasuke, will be led by Kakashi. Sasuke's Sharingan has already reached three tomoe, and the Uchiha Clan's fighting style is something no one outside the clan can truly teach.
"Currently, the Uchiha Clan resides in the Nightless City, and Sasuke has had little time to receive proper family training. Moreover, Obito took back Kakashi's Sharingan. We cannot guarantee that Sasuke will master the Sharingan or Uchiha-style tactics on his own. Therefore, we applied to Fugaku to send someone to train Sasuke."
The Third Hokage spoke, though his true intentions were far from what he expressed aloud. The growing strength of the Uchiha Clan had long been a source of unease for him. How could he genuinely hope for the emergence of another powerful Uchiha?
Still, Uchiha's influence had grown to the point that the Third Hokage could no longer afford to ignore them. Openly sabotaging Sasuke's training would be too obvious and counterproductive. Moreover, Konoha still required the Uchiha Clan's support. By addressing Sasuke's development openly, Sarutobi could leave a favourable impression on Fugaku.
As for the suggestion that Yagami assists in leading Team 7, there was no way the Third Hokage would allow that to happen. The team included not only Sasuke but also Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Allowing a Uchiha to guide the Jinchūriki was far too risky.
"So... you plan for me to cooperate with Kakashi in leading Team 7? It's not just because of Sasuke," Yagami said, narrowing his eyes. When one understands the darkness of another, it's easy to discern their true motives.
The idea of having Yagami assist with Team 7's leadership was primarily about Sasuke, but that wasn't the sole reason. The real motive was keeping a closer watch on the Nine-Tails.
Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly didn't trust Yagami's contact with Naruto. By making Kakashi the primary guiding Jōnin, he ensured that someone loyal to him would maintain oversight. The old man certainly had a cunning mind.
In the Third Hokage's original plan, Kakashi, with his Sharingan, was the ideal guide for Naruto. On the one hand, the Sharingan could suppress the Nine-Tails. On the other, Kakashi's loyalty to the Hokage lineage ensured Naruto would remain under watchful eyes.
However, with Obito reclaiming Kakashi's Sharingan, that plan was no longer viable. Without the Sharingan, suppressing the Nine-Tails became significantly more challenging.
If the Nine-Tails were to go berserk, there was no second Namikaze Minato to perform the sealing. Every time the tailed beasts rioted, a powerful shinobi had to sacrifice their life to contain them. Repeating such events would eventually leave Konoha depleted of its strongest assets.
Thus, preventing the Nine-Tails from rioting was paramount. The Third Hokage saw only two viable options: the Sharingan or Wood Style.
Unfortunately, Yamato's Wood Style was far inferior to the First Hokage's. Jiraiya had previously approached the Third Hokage, suggesting that Yamato assist Naruto in mastering the Nine-Tails' power. While Yamato's abilities did have some suppressive effect, they were insufficient against the full power of the Nine-Tails. Jiraiya ultimately abandoned the idea.
This left the Sharingan as the sole reliable tool to keep the Nine-Tails in check. By placing Sasuke and Naruto on the same team and assigning Yagami to assist, Sarutobi could position the Sharingan near Naruto while maintaining control through Kakashi.
Yagami quickly pieced together the Third Hokage's intentions. It didn't surprise him. What puzzled him was why the Third Hokage was so preoccupied with suppressing the Nine-Tails' power.
Could it be that something had occurred with Naruto, forcing Sarutobi to take additional precautions?
"You'll understand when you take charge of Team 7. Naruto is Kushina's child, and she cared for you deeply. You can't let anything happen to him!" the Third Hokage replied cryptically, unconcerned about whether Yagami saw through his motives.
Yagami frowned. Kushina took care of me? Since when?
When he travelled through time, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina had already gone to meet the Sage of Six Paths. Or rather, Kushina had gone to meet the ancestor, and Minato was locked in the Shinigami's stomach, caught in a perpetual struggle with the Yin half of the Nine-Tails. Where was there room for care?
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion