Chapter 5 - 5: Uzumaki Kushina

"Impossible!" Hiruzen rejected Danzo's suggestion without a second thought. "Once he enters Anbu, how will he gain influence within the Uchiha clan? He must live in the sunlight." Even without that reason, just the suspicion that Kagami's eyes might be in Danzo's hands was enough for Hiruzen to never hand Kazuki over to Danzo. "Hiruzen, after Kazuki graduates, find him a good teacher and arrange for him to join Anbu." Homura pondered for a moment and offered his advice. Hiruzen nodded noncommittally. Although there were almost no Uchiha in Anbu, Kagami was once an Anbu captain. If Kazuki could meet his requirements, his entry into Anbu would not be a problem. He could even allow Kazuki to bring some Uchiha into Anbu to raise Kazuki's prestige within the Uchiha clan. However, it was still a bit too early to talk about these things now. "How about letting Orochimaru take Kazuki as his disciple?" Koharu seemed to have thought of something and suggested. At this stage, Orochimaru was definitely considered an exemplary disciple. Both Hiruzen and Koharu highly regarded Orochimaru. Although no one had explicitly mentioned it, in their hearts, Orochimaru had a very high chance of inheriting the Hokage position in the future. Having Orochimaru take Kazuki as his disciple would ensure that Kazuki remained part of their Hokage faction. This would be both a protection and a way to win him over. Of course, at this stage, no one had considered grooming Kazuki to be Hokage. Hiruzen believed he was still young, and his abdication would be at least 20 years away. By then, Kazuki would not be very old. No one knew what Kazuki would become in the future, but until the Uchiha clan's issues were resolved, it was impossible for an Uchiha to become Hokage. "Tsunade is also a possible option." Homura suggested, frowning, proposing Tsunade. Orochimaru was very likely to become Hokage, so he wouldn't be the best choice to be Kazuki's master. In Homura's view, they could, and should, offer assistance to Kazuki, but they shouldn't be too close. Tsunade was Hashirama's granddaughter and had no prejudice against the Uchiha clan. She was also Hiruzen's disciple. Having Tsunade take Kazuki as her disciple could, on one hand, provide Kazuki with protection, and on the other hand, it could annoy the Uchiha clan and further divide them internally. The Uchiha clan's top genius becoming a disciple of the Senju clan—won't that annoy them? As for Kazuki's wishes? Does it matter? In Homura's opinion, it didn't. And for their Hokage faction, this was the most cost-effective choice. Hiruzen gave Homura a deep look before speaking, "We'll discuss this later. It's too early to bring it up now." "Even if Kazuki is to graduate early, he must receive at least two years of education at the Ninja Academy. Otherwise, I will not agree to his early graduation." Danzo's eyes flashed with a hint of disdain at these words. On the surface, Hiruzen seemed to care a lot for Kazuki, but in terms of genuine affection, there might not be much. Ultimately, wasn't it just about observing and brainwashing Kazuki for another two years? Waiting until Kazuki grew into a qualified tool before considering how to treat him? Thinking of this, Danzo closed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't get Kazuki into his hands. "However, shouldn't you observe that girl more closely?" Koharu then asked with a worried tone. "After all, she is going to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. She's only been in Konoha for three days. Letting her enter the Ninja Academy now might be a bit too soon." "This is Mito-sama's wish, to help Kushina integrate into Konoha faster." Hiruzen disagreed. Compared to being with Mito, the Ninja Academy was more suitable for him to observe Kushina. He didn't have the guts to observe Kushina while she was with Mito. Even though he was the Hokage and Mito stayed indoors and deliberately weakened her influence, Hiruzen still didn't dare to monitor her. Hearing Hiruzen's words, the others fell silent. Even Danzo dared not openly defy Mito's wishes. ... Just before class started, Kazuki's homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Seiichirō, walked into the classroom with a small girl, about five or six years old, with red hair. The girl's arrival quickly attracted many people's attention. Although Land of Whirlpool and Konoha were allies, the Uzumaki clan rarely came to Konoha. Mito had even confined herself to her home, and ordinary Konoha citizens had almost never seen an Uzumaki clansman. Most people were seeing someone with red hair for the first time. Not to mention others, even Kazuki himself was seeing it for the first time. Upon seeing Kushina's arrival, a hint of surprise flashed in Kazuki's eyes. Kushina? When he found out that he and Minato were in the same class, Kazuki had already prepared himself to be classmates with Kushina in the future. However, he had no intention of interacting with Kushina. Kushina was cute, and if he could become friends with her, the benefits would be immense. But he was an Uchiha! Even though he was Kagami's son and a successor to the Will of Fire, would Hiruzen allow an Uchiha to interact with the Nine-tails Jinchuriki? This wasn't a matter of trusting Kazuki or not, but rather that human nature couldn't withstand such a test. Let alone Kazuki, even Kagami might not have been allowed to interact with the Nine-Tails. As for why Mikoto could become best friends with Kushina in the original story, Kazuki stated that he temporarily couldn't understand. Putting aside their identities, Mikoto was also two years older than Kushina. They not only knew each other but also became good friends. All Kazuki could do was temporarily keep his distance from Kushina, but sometimes, the more you don't want something to happen, the more it does. After entering the classroom, Kushina continuously scanned the room, as if searching for someone, and finally fixed her gaze on the back row of the classroom, her eyes lighting up.