She raised her eyes to look at Tsunade, her tone serious and solemn: “Tsunade, bring Chiba to see me personally tomorrow morning. I need to personally secure his position.”
She saw clearly that Tsunade’s high-profile test and public acceptance of a disciple today had caused quite a stir, which would certainly not escape the notice of schemers deeply entrenched in Konoha’s power struggles, like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
Chiba’s foundation was still shallow and his wings were not yet fully fledged, but he had already revealed heaven-defying talent, making him very likely to be seen as a potential threat and targeted prematurely.
She had to step forward and take a stand in advance to set the tone, severing all black hands and schemes reaching out toward Chiba, and clearing the obstacles from the path ahead for this Senju sapling.
“Eh?”
Tsunade was stunned at first, but then she instantly understood her grandmother’s underlying meaning.
The playful smile on her face vanished completely, and her expression became increasingly grave as she nodded earnestly.
“I understand! I will bring him to pay his respects to you first thing tomorrow morning!”
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade spoke again: “I will head to the Hokage Office right now to report to my teacher about accepting Chiba as my disciple!”
She needed to finalize his status first, making Chiba the veritable grand-disciple of the Third Hokage.
With the backing of this identity, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have to protect Chiba in terms of both emotion and reason.
At the very least, before Chiba fully matured and possessed the capital to hold his own, he would never let others harm him.
At the same time, she could use the Third Hokage’s influence to block Danzo’s secret prying and schemes.
“Very good.”
Uzumaki Mito revealed a relieved smile, her eyes full of approval: “You are able to consider these power dynamics and pros and cons; your character has finally matured.”
“While you’re at it, pass on a message for me: tell Hiruzen to come over personally tomorrow morning as well.”
“Alright!”
Tsunade narrowed her eyes and chuckled, instantly discerning her grandmother’s layout, feeling completely clear-headed.
With her grandmother personally overseeing things and providing a safety net, all of Chiba’s early crises would be nipped in the bud, and she could finally rest easy.
Immediately, Tsunade turned and left the Senju Clan Compound.
With a slight flicker of her figure, she arrived at the Hokage Office building in a moment.
At this moment, inside the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had just finished listening to the real-time report from the Anbu.
The Anbu had already reported the entire process of the extraordinary test in the forest and the heaven-defying talent Chiba had displayed.
“Bang!”
The office door was pushed open unceremoniously.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eye twitched slightly as he looked at Tsunade, who had pushed the door open and walked in so casually; he was already used to his disciple’s free-spirited nature.
Tsunade glanced at the Anbu Ninja standing by, bowing and waiting for orders, then looked straight at the Third Hokage, her tone casual and direct: “Old man, I’m reporting to you that I’ve taken on a new disciple named Chiba.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding his pipe, exhaled a puff of smoke and shook his head helplessly: “I already know from the Anbu’s report. Just bring him to see me tomorrow.”
“None of you three disciples are easy to worry about; it really gives me a headache.”
He often reflected in secret: could it be that there was a problem with his teaching methods?
Otherwise, why were none of them well-behaved—Jiraiya was lazy, Orochimaru was withdrawn, and Tsunade was overbearing?
“No need to knock, it’s too much trouble.”
Tsunade waved her hand casually, not caring in the least, and went straight to the point: “Oh right, Grandmother wants to see Chiba tomorrow morning, and she said to have you come over too.”
“You can see him then, saving me an extra trip.”
If she could save trouble, she would definitely not waste any extra effort.
“Oh?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, obvious surprise appearing in his eyes as he looked at Tsunade in confusion: “Lady Mito actually wants to personally meet a child who has just enrolled?”
“With your personality, you would never specifically test a new Ninja academy student, let alone accept a disciple so easily.”
“What exactly is this Chiba’s special identity?”
The Anbu had only reported the battle process and talent displayed, but had not yet had time to thoroughly investigate Chiba’s background, which aroused some curiosity in him.
“He doesn’t have any special identity.”
Tsunade shrugged nonchalantly and said truthfully: “He is a descendant of the Senju, belonging to the descendants of the first batch of Senju clansmen who integrated into Konoha’s civilian system. He counts as a third-generation clansman.”
“His grandparents died on the battlefield years ago, and his parents also sacrificed themselves in a mission over a year ago.”
“Now, he’s just an orphan with no one to rely on and decent talent.”
“Decent talent?”
The Third Hokage couldn’t help but laugh and cry when he heard this, his mouth twitching fiercely as he looked at Tsunade helplessly.
“The Anbu reported the entire testing process.”
“That child’s aptitude for Ninjutsu, Chakra control, and combat ability on the spot—how is that just ‘decent’?”
“This is a heaven-defying talent that only appears once in a hundred years!”
A look of genuine regret and desire appeared in his eyes: “To be honest, I even had thoughts of taking this kind of genius as a disciple.”
“Tsunade, why don’t you consider letting him be mine?”
This was by no means just polite talk; such character and talent were worth him cultivating personally.
Tsunade immediately crossed her arms in a gesture of refusal, looking speechless and firm: “Absolutely not!”
“I finally found a disciple who suits my tastes and is worth cultivating; don’t you dare try to steal him from me!”
“Besides, if he just became my disciple and then turned into my junior brother, what would that look like! It would be a laughingstock if it got out!”
“Hahaha, never mind, never mind.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly, laughing and crying: “I was one step too late.”
“Since he can’t be my disciple, being my grand-disciple is the same.”
He saw clearly that Tsunade seemed overbearing and competitive, but in reality, it was because she was afraid of trouble; if she really gave him up, she would actually be happy to be idle.
What really made her firmly refuse was the awkwardness of the seniority.
“That’s more like it!”
Tsunade’s eyes instantly crinkled with a smile, and she took the opportunity to ask for benefits: “Since he’s your grand-disciple, the meeting gift tomorrow can’t be shabby!”
“Also, when you have time in the future, help me guide him a bit more.”
“This child’s talent will definitely not disappoint you.”
The status was finalized.
Being able to use the Third Hokage’s resources and connections to cultivate Chiba was naturally something she couldn’t ask for more.
“You…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely helpless and could only agree: “I understand, I will prepare the gift.”
“As for the matter of guidance, we’ll see how it goes in the future.”
He did not take the remaining influence of the Senju to heart, and a deep sense of calculation flashed in the depths of his eyes.
In his eyes, the Senju Clan integrating into the civilian population and gradually withering away was already a foregone conclusion.
When the next Ninja World War started, he would secretly manipulate things slightly to consume the Senju’s remaining backbone strength, and he would be able to completely erase all of the Senju’s influence in Konoha.
Once Lady Uzumaki Mito passed away, the Senju Clan would have no pillar of support and would completely become dust in history.
At that time, it would be the moment for his Sarutobi Clan to truly rule Konoha and take flight completely.
As for the Uchiha Clan, he had other plans in mind.
With Danzo’s long-term secret suppression and the joint exclusion by various clans, the Uchiha’s decline was only a matter of time and was not to be feared.
Only the eerie power of the Mangekyo Sharingan was a huge, hidden threat.
Therefore, before he had absolute control, he would never overly intensify the conflict.
He would only boil the frog in warm water, weakening the Uchiha’s power step by step, disintegrating the hearts of their clansmen, and slowly encroaching upon them to completely eliminate the threat.