13: A gift sent from heaven

[Hokage's Office]

"That's the full report, Hokage-sama."

The words of the silver-haired ANBU echoed in the room.

Hiruzen had a grave expression, his hands clasped under his chin as he thought with concern.

"I see... you may leave, Kakashi."

Upon hearing Hiruzen's tired words, Kakashi nodded and silently withdrew.

For a brief moment, the Hokage's office was enveloped in a heavy atmosphere.

"Hahahaha."

Hiruzen's hysterical laughter erupted. On his face, a clear expression of joy and satisfaction was evident.

"Good things happen to good people... Konoha finally has a ray of hope."

Hiruzen was more than pleased with Kakashi's report. He had never expected anything more than the blind loyalty of the Hoshino clan, whether from Kasuya or his son, Seiji. But that family always brought him joy. The father was a loyal subordinate who provided a large number of seals for free, beyond his obligations. His son... was a star illuminating the darkness in the village's future.

Hiruzen was worried about Konoha's future. The political tensions were too many, to the point of fracturing the village's stability. The problems Konoha faced were overwhelming: Danzō's schemes, the Uchiha clan's situation, the Hyūga's discontent over the incident with the patriarch's daughter, the council of elders... these were just the tip of the iceberg.

Hiruzen was concerned about the Hokage position. While it was nice to be in power, Hiruzen had to admit he wasn't as strong as he used to be. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single acceptable candidate. Danzō was too radical, Fugaku was an Uchiha, Jiraiya hadn't returned to the village in years, and Tsunade... had wallowed in grief over a man.

"She's a woman after all... sigh."

Hiruzen didn't want to think about his old apprentice. He decided to focus on Kakashi's report.

Seiji was a child full of surprises from the moment Hiruzen met him. At first, his massive chakra reserves made Hiruzen anticipate his growth and the large number of seals he would create by continuing Kasuya's legacy. But the new information was surprising and pleasant.

Seiji had an affinity for all five chakra natures, just like Hiruzen, something incredibly rare. Hiruzen thought about training him personally, as only he understood the challenges the boy might face.

However, the boy had even more surprises in store. A massive chakra reserve and all five natures weren't enough for him. Seiji had an incredible learning talent, to the point of mastering chakra sensing and manipulation the moment it was taught to him. An achievement that would take a normal child days, even weeks... he learned it in seconds.

"Kasuya left one last gift for the village... an incredible one."

Hiruzen decided to train Seiji as the next Hokage, one as good as Minato, if not better.

Hiruzen could see Minato in Seiji, not just in his incredible talents, but also in his personal life.

Seiji, like Minato, had charmed Konoha's jinchūriki, something Hiruzen saw positively, knowing the loyalty of both.

Though Seiji had inherited his father's nature, albeit unconsciously, it seemed. According to a report from Shisui, Hiruzen learned that Seiji had also charmed Fugaku's youngest daughter.

"Well... I guess in the future, we'll have another loyal Sharingan user, just like Shisui and Itachi."

Seiji was a gift from the heavens. He seemed like a star illuminating Konoha's otherwise dark future.

"There's also the situation with Hiashi's daughter..."

Hiruzen never understood the reason behind Kasuya and Hiashi's agreement. He never understood the friendship between the two men, as the Hyūga clan was known for being quite closed off in such matters.

Seiji had some protection from the Hyūga clan due to an agreement between the patriarchs of the Hyūga and Hoshino clans. Now, adding the Uchiha clan, Seiji had considerable political influence, though the boy wasn't aware of it.

"I hope it's enough to keep Danzō in check..."

Danzō had met Seiji. Surprisingly, he didn't try to "claim" the boy for "Root," as he had done with other talented children. And while Hiruzen didn't understand the reason, he was grateful to have avoided that argument with his old friend.

*Sigh.*

Hiruzen sighed wearily. In his heart, he knew that his old friend's inactivity wasn't a good sign, but he decided to ignore it for now.

Now it was time to plan Seiji's future path. His life needed to be as perfect as possible and tied to Konoha's future.

His training... Hiruzen couldn't intervene personally until the boy graduated from the academy. For now, he decided to entrust that to Shisui or Kakashi. Additionally, Hiruzen remembered that Seiji was frequently visited by Kurenai.

Thinking of Kurenai, a bitter smile crossed Hiruzen's face. He still remembered when his son asked him to keep Kasuya away from Kurenai, as his son had become obsessed with her. However, Hiruzen didn't want to lose Kasuya's blind loyalty over a mere Jōnin, which led to his relationship with his son becoming distant.

*Sigh.*

As for Seiji's personal relationships, Hiruzen didn't see too much of a problem. As long as he didn't get too involved with the Uchiha, it was fine.

As for his slightly twisted romantic life, there was nothing wrong with it. After all, the boy would need to rebuild his clan and expand it, so a couple of extra partners weren't an issue.

"What a considerate Hokage I am..."

=======

If you're enjoying the reading, please leave me a comment. I would also appreciate some power stones.