In the office of Konoha's Third Hokage, several people were lost in their thoughts.
One of them, dressed in white with the words [Third Hokage], was a short elderly man with white hair. Smoke drifted from his pipe as he gazed at the sky.
"Hokage-sama, are you sure about this?" asked an Anbu hunter, wearing a Boar mask, indicating his captain rank with his white attire.
"We have no choice," replied Hiruzen, exhaling smoke from his pipe, feeling quite vulnerable himself.
"But Hokage-sama, we can always threaten him; he has..."
"That won't work!" Hiruzen interrupted the Anbu hunter, sighing at the suggestion.
"The kid has us cornered; any wrong move, and Konoha will fall."
Hiruzen looked at his hunters, unable to see through their masks but sensing their helpless gazes.
He, too, felt defenseless, experiencing the unsettling feeling of being manipulated for the first time. It was something he disliked, but accepting the request seemed to be their only option.
*Knock, knock
After a moment of silence, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Hiruzen said without turning around.
"Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama has arrived," announced a woman in her mid-20s, visibly a Jonin with her special attire.
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen's expression turned serious, and the Anbu hunters also adjusted their demeanor under their masks.
"Let her in."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Minutes later, a beautiful woman with brown eyes and long blonde hair entered. She had a violet diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, but what stood out the most were her large breasts.
"Now, what did the brat do?" Tsunade asked, getting straight to the point. She didn't want to waste time on this, as it was always the same routine: a lecture about the kid, a warning, and then she was free to go. She was getting tired of it.
"It's better if you take a seat, Tsunade," Hiruzen said, pointing to an empty chair from his main seat.
"No, I don't want to waste time on this, old man. Just tell me what the brat did, and I'll punish him accordingly."
Hiruzen sighed; it was becoming a routine. Tsunade uttered the same words every time, and the kid always managed to evade consequences. Obviously, Tsunade hadn't harmed him.
Little did Hiruzen know, Tsunade had tried many times to discipline the kid, but Yuki was a master at escaping, leaving Tsunade frustrated. Now she understood how powerless those who played with him were.
Tsunade had a headache; she was called two to three times a week. It was becoming more of a routine, but it couldn't be avoided. After all, she was his guardian.
"It's true that I called you about the kid, but this time, it's nothing bad."
A bit surprised, Tsunade raised her eyebrows.
"What do you mean, old man?"
"This time, I want to recruit the kid to be an Anbu hunter," Hiruzen calmly responded, blowing smoke from his pipe.
Tsunade frowned at this; she quickly glanced at the three Anbu hunters in the office, one of them being a captain.
She hadn't paid much attention to them before, but now...
"Why? What does this mean?!" Tsunade said with a deep voice, unable to hide her frustration.
*Click, click.
The Anbu hunters quickly grabbed their weapons, blinking as they surrounded Tsunade with their weapons.
Tsunade remained calm; she completely ignored them, just continued looking at her master.
"Enough!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
A bit bewildered, the Anbu hunters put away their weapons, returning to their original positions.
Hiruzen blew more smoke from his pipe.
"I hope you calm down, Tsunade."
"How do you expect me to calm down, old man? You're trying to recruit my godson!"
Indeed, this is why Tsunade was summoned by the Hokage – to handle Yuki's messes. More than a year ago, Tsunade adopted him as her godson, making her responsible for his actions. Hiruzen didn't care much when he learned about the adoption, but later, with Tsunade behind him, the kid made his life more difficult.
"Don't take it the wrong way, Tsunade. I recognize the kid's talent; it's a waste for him to remain in the academy."
"This isn't the issue! Why do you want to recruit him?!"
Slightly sighing, Hiruzen closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened them again.
"This is a punishment. The kid has committed many offenses, and it's fair that we punish him. But don't worry; he'll have a high rank. The kid's skills are exceptional; you've trained him yourself, so don't worry."
Tsunade was surprised by this. She looked into her master's eyes for a while before recalling the events of this morning.
-----
"Hey, Big Sister Tsunade."
"Tell me, little Yuki."
"Do you think I could join the Anbu hunters?"
----
"Did he ask you?" Tsunade asked.
Hiruzen remained silent in response to her question.
"Tch!" Tsunade clicked her tongue in frustration. She had already obtained her answer in that silence.
(What are you planning, brat!?)
With irritation, Tsunade decided that she needed to extract the truth from Yuki. Without saying goodbye, Tsunade left, slamming the door with some force before she left.
*Bam
The door couldn't withstand her force, breaking into small pieces. She was very angry.
Hiruzen sighed heavily, watching Tsunade's back and the fate of the door.
"Hokage-sama."
"I know."
Blowing smoke from his pipe to calm himself, Hiruzen looked at the Anbu hunter dressed in white, who was now kneeling on one knee.
"As the Third Hokage, I relieve you of your duties as captain. Accompany the new captain tomorrow."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Hiruzen couldn't see the expression on the hunter's face, but from his voice, he could tell that he was quite disheartened.
Shaking his head, Hiruzen remembered what happened an hour ago.