Chapter 283: The Glorious and Majestic Hokage
After Naruto and Sasuke finished eating the breakfast made by Itachi, Haneda used Flying Thunder God to take them to the school gates.
Watching Sasuke drag Naruto as they sprinted toward the classroom, Haneda was reminded of his own childhood.
Back then, when he was afraid of being embarrassed by being late, he'd drag Obito along just like this.
As Haneda gazed at the distant classroom, where the teacher had already started the lesson, he silently wondered what excuse they'd use for being late this time...
Would they throw him under the bus?
...
Thud thud thud!
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder as they neared Class A's classroom.
The classroom door swung open, and Sasuke and Naruto skidded to a halt, awkwardly meeting Iruka's gaze as he stood at the blackboard with a piece of chalk in hand.
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei," they both mumbled.
Unfamiliar with the routine of being late, their little faces flushed red with embarrassment.
Iruka looked at Naruto and Sasuke—two of the Hokage's protégés—and wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. Following protocol, he asked, "It's rare for you two to be late. Did something happen on the way?"
Thinking of a certain "loser" from Haneda's book, Iruka teased, "Don't tell me you were helping an old lady cross the street?"
Hearing a few classmates chuckling, Sasuke's face grew even redder. He glanced sideways at Naruto.
Naruto, however, cheerfully announced, "I got lost on the path of life, Iruka-sensei!"
The entire class burst into laughter.
They all knew exactly where that line came from—it was Kakashi's iconic excuse!
"What's so funny?" Naruto asked, clueless. All he knew was that Kakashi-uncle used this line every time he was late, so he thought it would work for him too.
Unable to hold back, Sasuke sighed and decided to be honest. "Uncle Haneda told us to stay and finish breakfast. He brought us to school afterward, so we were late. Sorry about that."
Perched on a tree outside, Haneda almost fell off in shock.
He muttered to himself, "Sasuke is so not cute. Naruto's better—at least he covers for me…"
But Naruto wasn't about to let Haneda off the hook either. Without hesitation, he exclaimed, "That's right! Iruka-sensei! Uncle Haneda even said that when he was in the academy, not only did he love being late, but he also loved skipping class!"
"And he said, 'Only losers become the strongest!'"
Naruto delivered these words with pride and admiration, clearly idolizing Haneda.
But his classmates were full of doubt.
The glorious and majestic Fifth Hokage would never be the type to skip class or show up late!
The only one who fully believed Naruto was Shikamaru, seated in the back row.
As Shikaku's son, he had overheard plenty of his father's grumbles and complaints about the Hokage. He had a very clear understanding of the "real" Haneda.
In fact, Shikamaru found Haneda quite likable.
Lazy, laid-back, incredibly strong, and with no unnecessary complications...
Too bad his poor dad had to deal with all the paperwork.
As Naruto and Sasuke invoked the Hokage's name as their excuse, Iruka found himself unable to issue any punishment.
However, Naruto's words had severely damaged the glorious image of the Hokage. Iruka decided to give him a stern lecture:
"Naruto, how could you say such a thing about the Hokage?"
"The Hokage is busy with official duties every day, working tirelessly from morning till night. On top of that, he still finds time to care for you. He's extremely diligent, responsible, and family-oriented!"
"Maybe the Hokage was like that in the past—lazy and rule-breaking—but in his career as a ninja, he has long since turned over a new leaf and become an exemplary shinobi!"
"Naruto, if you were even a fraction as exceptional as the Hokage, you wouldn't be saying such nonsense!"
"Huh?" Naruto was dumbfounded by this scolding.
He had only been telling the truth! Why was he getting lectured for it?
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. With Iruka's permission, he dragged the sulking Naruto back to their seats.
"Alright, Naruto, don't complain. Thanks to Asuma's efforts, Uncle Haneda has a stellar reputation."
"Whatever, Sasuke. I was telling the truth!"
"They don't believe you, and Iruka-sensei doesn't believe you either."
"Shikamaru believes me! Look, he's hiding his face, laughing in the back row!"
...
Haneda, still observing from his perch, felt quite pleased with Iruka.
Although Iruka's praise made him feel a little embarrassed, it was worth it to preserve his honorable image in front of the students.
But what was with Shikamaru laughing in the back row?
Haneda narrowed his eyes, recalling that Shikamaru would be Naruto's strategist in the future. With an evil grin, he thought, Just wait until you graduate, kid. We'll see who's laughing then.
Teleporting back to Fugaku's house, Haneda found Kakashi lounging on the couch.
"You took so long, Haneda! Weren't you just dropping them off at school?" Kakashi complained.
Haneda grinned. "Naruto and Sasuke were late. I wanted to see how they handled it. Too bad they lacked Obito's poise."
At the mention of Obito, Kakashi's expression softened with a mix of longing and sorrow.
To hide his emotions, he quickly turned to Shisui and got to the point.
"Haneda has arranged to help you and Itachi transplant the First Hokage's cells. This will completely resolve the issue of your ocular power depletion."
"Is it dangerous?" Itachi asked, concerned.
Haneda stepped in to explain, "Not at all. I'll be there to oversee everything. If any complications arise, I can use my ocular powers to forcibly absorb the transplanted cells."
Hearing that Haneda had already devised a foolproof plan, Shisui looked at him with deep gratitude.
Unlike the sinister Danzo, who only used him as a tool, Haneda had shown him nothing but care and consideration—whether by assigning him to work under Kakashi or by addressing his ocular issues.
While Itachi's eyes hadn't yet suffered from overuse, hearing that Haneda was helping Shisui repair his made him feel equally grateful.
However, a question lingered in Itachi's mind, and he couldn't help but voice it:
"Has Father already had the First Hokage's cells transplanted? Why wasn't he included in this?"
At this, Haneda's expression grew slightly complicated. He had promised Fugaku not to reveal the real reason, so he improvised:
"Transplanting the cells could cause human-like faces to grow on the body. If Lady Mikoto saw such markings on him, it might make her uncomfortable."
"You know how much Fugaku loves Mikoto—just like how much he loves you."
Itachi nodded, understanding that women naturally cared about appearance, and something like a face growing on the body could indeed be unsettling.
Satisfied that Itachi didn't press further, Haneda exhaled in relief and said casually, "Let's go. The transplant preparations are complete."
"The procedure will take place in the Root base beneath the Forest of Death. You should be familiar with the location."
Haneda teleported them to Orochimaru's lab in the Root base.
As the pale-skinned, golden-eyed, black-haired Orochimaru appeared, Itachi and Shisui immediately stepped in front of Haneda and Kakashi, adopting defensive stances.
"The S-rank rogue ninja of Konoha—Orochimaru!"
...
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