**Chapter 15: You’ll Regret This, I’m the Hokage**

"Let's give it a try."

Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk, mulling it over for a moment before nodding. "You handle the arrangements."

"Though that girl wields immense power, she doesn't seem inherently malicious—maybe even more level-headed than most Uchiha. If we play our cards right and help her form bonds with Konoha's people, we might be able to harness her strength for the village's benefit. You know as well as I do that things have been tense lately, both inside and outside the village. Kumo's looking for any opening. We can't afford any slip-ups right now."

"Understood."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke accepted the order and left.

As he opened the office door, he nearly bumped into a grim-faced man wrapped in bandages, half his face obscured.

"…Lord Danzō."

Shinnosuke's brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly, as he dipped his head in greeting.

Shimura Danzō, the leader of Root.

On paper, Root was a branch of Anbu, but the two operated independently, with no direct chain of command. Plus, Danzō held the title of Hokage Advisor, outranking Shinnosuke, the Anbu commander, by half a step. So, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was obliged to show respect.

"Shinnosuke, huh?"

Danzō, exuding a dark aura, gave a curt nod. He paused at the doorway, waiting for Shinnosuke to leave before stepping inside.

Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly closed the report he'd been reading, folded his hands under his chin, and looked up. "What's the matter, Danzō?"

"Heh."

Danzō's face twisted into a cold smirk. "An Uchiha from the Warring States era wakes up in our village, kills an entire Anbu squad on the day she breaks her seal, and makes contact with the Nine-Tails jinchūriki… Monkey, this is a massive issue, and you've kept it under wraps, not leaking a single word to us!"

"…So you've heard?"

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Root's intelligence network is as sharp as ever, I see."

"Hmph. I already checked with Koharu and Homura—they're completely in the dark too."

"If I hadn't gotten a tip in time, were you planning to keep us out of the loop indefinitely?"

Danzō let out a scornful grunt, his tone dripping with dissatisfaction. "Hiruzen, as the Hokage of Konoha, you're letting a dangerous figure like her roam freely in the village and even allowing her to live with the jinchūriki. What are you thinking? Was the carnage from the Nine-Tails incident four years ago not enough? Are you trying to let history repeat itself?!"

Faced with Danzō's aggressive accusations, Hiruzen's expression darkened.

"Of course I'm aware of everything you're saying, but this situation is different. I've met with Uchiha Hikari-san, and she's… trustworthy, for now. If we rashly provoke her, *that's* when Konoha would truly be in danger…"

Killing or controlling Uchiha Hikari wasn't an option Hiruzen hadn't considered.

But even in the best-case scenario, it would cost the lives of over ten elite jōnin—or possibly his own, as the Third Hokage. That was a loss Konoha couldn't bear. And if anything went wrong and Naruto got caught in the crossfire, the Nine-Tails incident from four years ago could repeat itself, potentially with even worse consequences.

So, as long as Uchiha Hikari showed no clear hostility, maintaining this uneasy peace was the best course of action.

As for the jinchūriki…

They could figure out how to approach him later.

In such a short time, there was no way Uchiha Hikari could fully gain Naruto's trust.

That's what Hiruzen thought.

But Danzō clearly had a different perspective.

"Monkey, do you hear yourself? You *know* what the Uchiha are like. And you're choosing to trust a stranger you've barely met over your old comrades who've fought and bled beside you?!"

Danzō took a deep breath, then shifted his tone. "Fine. If you think this Uchiha is so trustworthy, then… hand her over to me. I'll make sure she's truly loyal to Konoha—a sharpened blade for the village!"

"?"

"Absolutely not!"

Hiruzen's voice was firm, leaving no room for debate.

"Monkey, you'll regret this!"

"Danzō, *I'm* the Hokage!"

*Bang!*

The door to the Hokage's office slammed shut as the meeting between Konoha's top brass ended on a sour note.

Danzō stormed out of the building, his face shadowed with menace.

A gust of wind stirred.

One of his subordinates appeared silently at his side, speaking in a low voice. "Lord Danzō, we've got word from Konoha Hospital. Morino Ibiki has woken up and described the fight with that girl, Uchiha Hikari. Based on existing intel, it's highly likely she possesses a Mangekyō Sharingan similar to Uchiha Shisui's…"

"I see."

Danzō glanced back at the Hokage building, his voice low and cold. "Keep monitoring that female Uchiha and the Nine-Tails jinchūriki's movements. Report any changes to me immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

…

Uchiha Hikari had no idea about the undercurrents stirring in Konoha's shadows.

She'd been busy the past couple of days preparing for her trip to the *Dragon Ball* world.

Unsure if her Sharingan genjutsu would work on people there, she packed more than just spare clothes. Her bag was stuffed to the brim with ninja tools and soldier pills.

—All paid for with Namikaze Minato's money, of course. She'd already cleared it with Eienniita in the group chat.

She'd also wanted to stock up on explosive tags, but those seemed to be regulated items, only sold to ninja. Regular shops didn't carry them.

Naturally, her preparations didn't go unnoticed by Anbu.

That very evening, Utsuki Yugao showed up at her door, subtly probing if she'd run into any trouble.

"No trouble," Uchiha Hikari replied. "I'm just planning to leave the village for a bit."

She'd already been considering whether to inform the Third's side, so she decided to be upfront. "Probably in the next day or two. I'll be back in about half a month."

"Leave the village?"

Yugao froze for a moment before quickly adding, "Ninja need to request approval from Lord Third to leave the village. Only with permission can—"

"But I'm not a Konoha ninja," Hikari cut in without missing a beat. "I don't belong to any ninja village or faction, for that matter. If anything… I guess you could call me a civilian. A civilian who happens to know a bit of ninjutsu."

She held up her hand, gesturing a "tiny bit" with her fingers.

"?"

Yugao's expression turned downright strange.

Wiping out an Anbu squad on the day she woke up, putting Morino Ibiki in the hospital where he still hadn't been discharged, reportedly clashing with the Third Hokage himself in a genjutsu battle, and then not only avoiding punishment but being allowed to act as the jinchūriki's guardian…

And you call that a *civilian*?

(End of Chapter)