This time, the one who stopped him wasn't Sasuke, it was Naruto.
"Naruto, do you still have something to say?"
Aoba looked at Naruto with some confusion, wondering if he was also planning to challenge him.
But Naruto was just focused on digging through his pockets, his expression carrying a hint of urgency, "As long as I have money, Aoba, you can keep playing with me, right?"
"This…", Aoba suddenly didn't know what to say, wondering how he should explain it properly.
Then, he saw Naruto suddenly pull out tens of thousands of ryo from his pocket.
Aoba's eyes widened, "Naruto, this is…"
"Good thing I brought it," Naruto looked at the money in his hands, his face full of relief, then looked at Aoba expectantly.
"Aoba, if this isn't enough, I still have more at home. I want you to play with me."
Aoba stared at the money in Naruto's hands, momentarily dazed.
"But how do you have so much money?"
Naruto laughed foolishly, "People usually don't want to sell me things, so I ended up saving a lot."
Looking into Naruto's gemstone-blue eyes, Aoba saw the plea and reluctance within them.
Perhaps, in all his past years, Naruto had never been as happy as he was today.
Aoba couldn't help but sigh lightly.
———
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been watching the three kids bicker with a sense of gratification, suddenly felt a chill.
He turned his head and found Tsunade looking at him with an unfriendly expression.
"Tsu… Tsunade…"
"Old man, I want to know how you've been treating Kushina's child all these years."
"Uh… Tsunade, even though you've been away, you should know that Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The damage the Nine-Tails caused to the village back then was too great, so the villagers have some misunderstandings…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a helpless expression.
But Tsunade didn't care about all that. She recalled the rumors she had heard upon returning to the village.
"And how did the villagers know about the demon fox? Naruto is the child of Kushina and Minato. Not revealing his identity is one thing, but why spread rumors about him being a demon fox?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed again and decisively shifted the blame to Danzo.
"This was all Danzo's doing. He secretly spread those rumors, and by the time I found out, it was too late to stop them."
Hearing this, Tsunade couldn't help but sneer, her tone filled with sarcasm, "Shimura Danzo, huh? Everyone in Konoha knows that you and that guy wear the same pair of pants. If it weren't for you…"
Bang!
Before Tsunade could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as if triggered, slammed the table forcefully.
"Who told you that I wear the same pair of pants as Shimura Danzo?"
"If I see that guy now, I'd skin him alive!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's sudden outburst even startled Tsunade.
"Old man, are you just trying to push all the blame onto Danzo?", She was momentarily stunned but then frowned, clearly unconvinced that Sarutobi Hiruzen would be that angry at Danzo.
Last time, Danzo had even tried to assassinate him, and in the end, all he got was a minor budget cut for Root.
There was no way she'd believe these two had no connection.
"You… cough! cough! cough!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed violently, his old smoker's throat acting up.
The main issue was that he didn't even know how to explain himself to his disciple.
Recently, a rumor had suddenly spread within the village's ninja circles, suggesting that he and Danzo had some kind of secret relationship. The rumors were getting more and more exaggerated, with over a dozen different versions circulating.
If this kept going, there would probably be an entire novel about it soon.
Because of that, he was extremely sensitive to anything involving Danzo now.
He didn't want to end up disgraced in his old age.
The pure and upright Sarutobi Hiruzen absolutely could not allow his reputation to be tarnished by such nonsense.
At this moment, he could somewhat empathize with Naruto, being stared at with strange eyes was truly unbearable.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to explain when—
Bang!
The door was kicked open again.
"Hiruzen! How could you let the Jinchuriki interact with an Uchiha?"
Before seeing the person, the voice had already arrived.
No need to guess, it was Shimura Danzo. However, his initially excited expression immediately stiffened upon seeing Tsunade.
"Tsunade? Why are you back?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at Danzo with a playful expression, "What? Am I not allowed to return to Konoha?"
Danzo's face darkened, clearly displeased with her tone.
If anyone in Konoha didn't want Tsunade to return, it was undoubtedly Danzo.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were to suddenly drop dead, who would be the strongest candidate for the next Hokage?
First, there was Senju Tsunade, the most distinguished and widely respected of the Senju lineage.
Second, there was Jiraiya, another legendary Sannin.
And lastly, there was Shimura Danzo. With a one percent chance, at best.
So, of course, Danzo wouldn't be happy to see her.
"I didn't mean that. It's just that Hiruzen and I have important matters to discuss, and you are merely a civilian now. Please step aside."
"Heh," Tsunade laughed in irritation. But before she could explode, Sarutobi Hiruzen acted first.
"Danzo! How many times have I told you, when working, address me by my title!"
"And remember to knock!"
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's emphasis, Danzo's expression turned strange. He hesitantly asked, "Hiruzen, you're really concerned about that rumor?"
Crack!
That was the sound of Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe breaking in his grip. His face had darkened to the point of resembling stagnant water.
He regretted indulging Danzo all these years. He never expected that, at the tail end of his Hokage career, he'd have to endure such humiliation.
Danzo also noticed the change in Hiruzen's expression and quickly said, "Hiruzen, our relationship…"
"Danzo!", Sarutobi Hiruzen's sharp voice cut him off.
Danzo was so startled that his old face twitched, and he quickly shut up.
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his broken pipe and said indifferently, "I don't want to see you for a while. You may leave."
"And also, Tsunade will be Aoba's teacher. As for the Jinchuriki matter, if you still want to keep your Root division, you better keep your hands off it," Sarutobi Hiruzen was making a stand in front of his disciple, hoping to distance himself from Danzo and perhaps suppress the rumors.
Tsunade frowned but remained silent, tacitly accepting the arrangement.
Danzo, on the other hand, widened his eyes, looking as if he had been betrayed, "This is abandonment after use!"
"Hiruzen… Third Hokage, your decision is too rash. The matter of the apprenticeship and the Jinchuriki should be discussed in a formal meeting."
"Danzo, I am the Hokage. I have the authority to decide this matter."
"You…"
"You will regret this!", Seeing no room for negotiation, Danzo turned to leave as he had done many times before.
"Danzo! Don't slam the door!"
Danzo turned back to give Hiruzen one last deep look, his expression filled with complicated emotions, which even made Tsunade shudder slightly.
In the end, Danzo gently closed the door and left.
After Danzo's departure, the office fell into a strange silence.
"To be honest, I'm quite curious about this rumor. Old man, why don't you tell me about it?", Tsunade looked intrigued, but Hiruzen's lips twitched as he quickly changed the subject.
"What do you think of Aoba?"
"Well, I don't even know if he wants me as a teacher yet. I'll meet with him tonight."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y