After experiencing the [The Bond Begins Volume], Hiruzen was filled with a mix of emotions.
The smile on his face was genuine, coming from the heart.
Seeing Kakashi's Team 7, something deep within him seemed to stir.
As he looked at the group photo of Team 7, several figures flashed before his eyes.
Naruto reminded him of a young Jiraiya... Sakura resembled Tsunade.
And Sasuke... bore a striking resemblance to a young Orochimaru.
Thinking of his most talented student, Hiruzen felt a headache coming on.
It was his leniency that had led Orochimaru down that dark path...
Fortunately, Orochimaru had been quiet these past few years. Hiruzen could only hope he would remain that way.
'I'm getting old, and I don't want to face any major troubles in my final years. Besides... it's time to decide on the next Hokage.'
Hiruzen tried to force himself not to think about work at this moment.
But in reality, ever since Minato's death, he hadn't felt at ease for a single day.
He should have retired long ago, but he still had to hold onto this important position.
As he grew older, handling political affairs became increasingly taxing. Old injuries from his younger days occasionally flared up, leaving the once-mighty warrior feeling helpless and resigned.
'It was indeed time to seriously discuss the next Hokage candidate...'
Hiruzen realized he was getting ahead of himself.
But... in today's Konoha, the younger generation hadn't fully matured, and the middle-aged generation had suffered heavy losses.
From the night of the Nine-Tails Attack to Itachi Uchiha's defection... Konoha had lost far too much.
If it weren't for elite Ninja from clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho and the Hyuga serving as the village's backbone, maintaining Konoha's status as the top Ninja Village would have been nearly impossible.
Hiruzen removed his Hokage hat, 'Konoha no longer had a second Namikaze Minato.'
'Asuma, that unreliable kid, was out of the question, and Kakashi still lacked some experience...'
However, at this time, Hiruzen hadn't forgotten Kakashi's initial report about Zabuza.
It wasn't hard for him to connect the dots, 'Could this 'phone' contain information about Zabuza?'
Hiruzen had already familiarized himself with the game's mechanics.
After exiting Volume One, he saw that Volume Two had been unlocked.
'This volume, titled [Land of Waves].'
'If it truly had something to do with Zabuza...'
As the Hokage, Hiruzen was accustomed to thinking from a political perspective.
Many of the things Kakashi had speculated about, Hiruzen could deduce with little effort, and often with greater depth.
After entering this volume, he progressed through the levels one by one.
When he encountered the Kirigakure Ninjas early on, a look of surprise appeared on Hiruzen's face.
By the time he saw Team 7's first encounter with Zabuza, his expression had turned serious.
His brows furrowed deeper as he puffed on his pipe, lost in thought.
Kakashi waited patiently, watching Hiruzen clear the levels. It wasn't exactly boring, but he didn't pull out his phone to play a few rounds of the Arena either.
Though he was quite addicted to the game... as a Ninja, he still had some self-control.
After about ten minutes, Hiruzen had cleared Volume Two.
In Kakashi's opinion, if he had been the one playing, he could have died at least two fewer times and finished much faster...
After clearing the volume, Hiruzen stared at the screen, still puffing on his pipe, leaving Kakashi unsure of what he was thinking.
After a minute or two, Hiruzen finally spoke, "Kakashi, as far as I recall, your Team 7 hasn't undertaken this mission yet."
From the game's storyline, Hiruzen could deduce a lot of useful information.
This escort mission was likely a C-Rank.
But typically, Genin Teams were only assigned D-Rank missions and a few C-Rank missions that required leaving the village but remained within the Land of Fire...
As for C-Rank escort missions that involved traveling to other countries, they were rarely approved for Genin Teams.
Hearing this, Kakashi nodded solemnly, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen nodded as well, "So... is this a prophecy? Or a speculation?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before replying, "When you summoned me last time, it was my first experience with this device."
"At that time, it was the day after Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals... which means this 'prophecy' had already begun unfolding by then?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No... that was Volume One. After that, even though I already knew the outcome of what would happen next, I took it upon myself to alter the process of the Bell Test. Yet, the result remained the same. So, I think…"
Hiruzen pondered for a moment, understanding Kakashi's implication. "I see. If such a day truly comes, I grant you permission to preemptively select some Ninjas from the Anbu to act."
Kakashi nodded solemnly, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
Seeing Kakashi's usual no-nonsense attitude, Hiruzen, who had just been wearing a serious expression, suddenly smiled.
"Kakashi, even though you're now a Jonin Instructor, don't forget to continue improving your own strength..."
Kakashi paused slightly in his steps. "Understood, Sandaime-sama."
Hiruzen smiled as he watched Kakashi's retreating figure, though his smile carried a hint of regret.
The famed 'Copy Ninja Kakashi,' known throughout the ninja world, had both risen and fallen because of his Sharingan.
In Hiruzen's view, with Kakashi's talent, being able to become a jonin at the age of twelve, he could have potentially reached the same level of strength as Sakumo.
And in the 'Silver Generation' of Konoha's history, exceptional Ninjas like the Sannin he had taught, the White Fang, and Might Duy had emerged.
Might Duy was an exception. As a Genin, he fought against the top fighting force of Kirigakure, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
He single-handedly reduced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to the 'Three Lucky Survivors.'
His strength was undeniable, but it was too unexpected to be considered the norm, so there's no need to mention it for now.
As for the Sannin he had taught, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, each of them possessed the qualifications to become Hokage.
However, each of them also had glaring flaws.
Tsunade was hot-tempered, acted without considering the consequences, and had a notorious gambling addiction, losing every time she bet.
Hiruzen believed that even giving the Hokage position to Danzo would be better than handing it to Tsunade.
'If only the Senju clan could all be like sensei…'
Thinking of Tsunade, Hiruzen sighed in resignation.
'Fortunately, she was still wandering outside the village, rarely returning. Otherwise, Konoha's gambling dens would likely experience another wave of prosperity...'