A little brat appeared at the door, pointing at Tsunade and spouting shocking words.
In an instant, three ANBU operatives appeared behind Konohamaru. With a single command from Tsunade, this kid would be sent straight to Konoha's prison.
If nothing else, he could at least be charged with attempting to spy on the Hokage's confidential matters.
"Who are you?" Tsunade looked at Konohamaru. Having only been back for a few days, she genuinely did not recognize this child. And judging by how familiar he seemed with the place, he was clearly not from an ordinary family.
"I am Konohamaru, the future Hokage of Konoha! Today, I challenge you for the title of Hokage! The Hokage's seat belongs to my grandfather. What right do you have to sit on it?"
[Huh? Isn't this the little pervert who follows Naruto around?]
[Konohamaru... That old fox Sarutobi, his intentions are clear as day. He made his son, Asuma, the mentor of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and named his grandson Konohamaru. Does he think the Hokage seat belongs to the Sarutobi clan?]
[Neither the First Hokage nor the Second Hokage ever pulled something like this. Sarutobi sure has some nerve.]
Tsunade's face darkened instantly.
She hadn't thought much about this at first. But now that she considered it, the implications were far too deep—even for her as the Fifth Hokage, it was a concerning thought.
"Konohamaru, right? Judging by your age, you should be attending the Academy." Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, curiously watching Konohamaru. "Why do you have time to be here?"
A kid who wasn't even a genin, wandering into the Hokage's office—this made Tsunade uneasy.
Was this place just open for anyone to stroll in?
If it were a shinobi, that would be one thing. But for a child who wasn't even a proper ninja yet to barge in here? The lack of discipline was astonishing.
"My teacher is Ebisu! I don't need to go to the Academy!" As someone with a personal tutor, Konohamaru had no interest in attending school with a bunch of other kids. That would lower his dignity as a future Hokage.
Tsunade chuckled as she looked at him. "That won't do. Every Hokage has graduated from the Shinobi Academy. It's there that you learn the meaning of being a Hokage and the bonds of comradeship."
"I don't care! I'm challenging you today!" Konohamaru shouted, raising his fist.
Tsunade was both amused and annoyed.
A mere child, challenging her—one of the legendary Sannin, the Fifth Hokage? This was beyond ridiculous.
Did he think he was Kamizuki Hikari or something?
For some reason, that thought crossed her mind. She glanced at Hikari, who was slacking off in the corner, and then turned back to the ANBU.
"Arrange for Konohamaru to be placed in the appropriate class at the Academy. He is, after all, the grandson of a former Hokage—he shouldn't be isolated from his peers."
One of the ANBU operatives bowed, then grabbed Konohamaru and swiftly left the Hokage building.
The moment he was gone, Tsunade's expression turned cold.
"Who was on duty today? A child who isn't even a genin managed to enter the Hokage's office. If we weren't here, could the Scroll of Seals have been stolen just as easily?"
[She's not wrong.]
[That brat Naruto, under the old man Sarutobi's manipulation, once stole the Scroll of Seals.]
Tsunade's face darkened even further.
The Scroll of Seals was one of Konoha's most valuable treasures. It contained numerous forbidden techniques and various legacy jutsu—essentially an encyclopedia of shinobi arts. And yet, a mere genin had managed to steal it once before. What a joke.
"Summon Ebisu. I have some instructions for him."
Another ANBU operative left. The remaining one could only silently mourn for his squad captain.
Back when the Third Hokage was in power, Konohamaru was his most cherished grandson. No one dared to question his presence in the Hokage's office.
But now, the Fifth Hokage was in charge. The captain hadn't kept the brat in check... Well, this was going to be interesting.
Less than a minute later, an ANBU member knelt before Tsunade, visibly nervous.
"Hokage-sama!"
Tsunade put down the documents she had been pretending to review, narrowing her eyes as she observed the ANBU before her.
"You're from the Sarutobi clan?"
"N-no, I'm not!" The ANBU hurriedly denied it and removed his mask for good measure.
"ANBU Squad Captain, code name 'Sparrow Hawk.' A civilian shinobi!"
Tsunade nodded. "You're docked three months salary. That should help you remember your responsibilities. From now on, rules are rules. You know the procedure for allowing non-shinobi into the Hokage building, don't you?"
Sparrow Hawk immediately bowed his head. "I will never make this mistake again!"
"Dismissed."
To be assigned to the ANBU, one had to be at least an elite chūnin. Squad leaders were typically special jōnin, while team leaders were full jōnin. The Anbu commander was undoubtedly an elite jōnin. This was non-negotiable.
In the shinobi village system, jōnin were valuable resources, and even special jōnin were considered important specialists. Some special jōnin even outperformed full jōnin in their areas of expertise.
Tsunade couldn't punish a squad leader too harshly over Konohamaru. ANBU carried out covert operations, often thankless ones, and their salaries were crucial for their livelihoods. Losing three months pay was punishment enough to make the lesson sting.
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
"Hokage-sama, Ebisu requests an audience."
Standing outside, Ebisu had already learned of Konohamaru's punishment. At that moment, he realized—Konoha had changed. The Hokage was no longer Hiruzen Sarutobi but Tsunade Senju.
"Enter."
At her command, Ebisu obediently stepped in and knelt before her.
"I hear you're Konohamaru's private tutor?"
Ebisu broke into a cold sweat at that question.
Now that Konohamaru had been sent to the Academy, his position as a private tutor was as good as gone. More importantly, he needed to carefully consider his standing in the village.
"Hokage-sama, this was all under the Third Hokage's orders—I was simply following instructions. Now that Konoha is undergoing its revival, I am willing to dedicate myself to its resurgence!" Ebisu swiftly pushed the blame onto the late Third Hokage. Hiruzen was gone, but Tsunade was in power now.
A shinobi needed to know when to adapt.
"Since you've put it that way, then choose—do you want to become a team leader, or teach at the Academy?" In Tsunade's eyes, Ebisu had lost his jōnin drive. Compared to other special jōnin like Aoba Yamashiro or Genma Shiranui, his combat abilities were lacking.
"I... will follow your decision, Hokage-sama!" Ebisu had been about to say he preferred teaching, but then he caught sight of Kamizuki Hikari slacking off nearby and immediately changed his stance.
Smart choice.
Tsunade was somewhat satisfied with Ebisu's response.
Originally, if Ebisu had chosen to be a team leader, she would have subjected him to a jonin evaluation and potentially stripped him of his rank. But since he was being cooperative, she decided to let it slide.
"You've been teaching kids for years, so your teaching skills should be decent. From now on, you'll teach at the Shinobi Academy. When you're not busy, take on some missions to sharpen your skills. Next year, when the students graduate, you can become a team leader. How does that sound?"
Team leaders, too, vary in quality.
But in general, only those recognized by the Hokage can become one.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Ebisu let out a sigh of relief.
If Tsunade said this, then she didn't blame him.
Good, very good.
Back when he became Konohamaru's tutor, it was because of the Sarutobi clan influence. If Konohamaru had grown up to be successful, Ebisu could have ridden his coattails to fame. But now that Tsunade clearly had issues with the Sarutobi clan, he was more than happy to cut ties.
As a seasoned shinobi, clinging to personal sentiment was foolish.
Even if the Sarutobi clan was displeased, they had no grounds to criticize him.
After all, Ebisu had received an appointment from the Hokage.
In Konoha, the Hokage's word was law.
The Sarutobi clan had once been influential because of the Third Hokage, but now that he was gone, they were nothing.
"Alright, go report to the Shinobi Academy. It's a bit of a waste for a special jonin like you to be a regular teacher."
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