Naruto: From Spy to Hokage

...

The Hokage's office fell into a silence so deep you could hear a pin drop.

Both Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake glanced at the central figure of this storm from the corner of their eyes. Though they thought it unlikely, they remained ready to intervene at any moment.

Danzo Shimura sat to the side with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating.

Orochimaru stood with his arms crossed, watching the young man before him with interest.

Only Uchiha Sayuri couldn't help but clench her fists. Though she tried to maintain her composure, one could clearly sense her unease.

Sawara Kiri's expression remained unchanged. Ever since his encounter with Sen'gao at the Hokage Tower, he had been prepared for this moment.

"Hah." Kiri let out a long breath, his expression suddenly becoming very calm as he met the Third Hokage's stern gaze without fear

"This is, of course... because of your negligence."

"Hokage-sama"

The moment these words were heard, everyone present visibly reacted. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself hadn't expected this answer.

"Kiri?!" 

Uchiha Sayuri, standing beside him, immediately grabbed his sleeve, trying to stop his next words.

However, Sawara Kiri seemed like someone who had completely given up all restraint, continuing his accusation without backing down

"As written in the documents on your desk, the Sawara clan has followed the First Hokage's ideals since my grandfather's generation, joining the Konohagakure as Shinobis. My grandfather was a Shinobi, my parents were Shinobis, and both my Sister and I are also Shinobis!"

"During the First Shinobi World War, my parents fearlessly followed the orders of both the Second Hokage and yourself, going to the frontlines of battle. They returned to the village as martyrs, giving their lives for the Konoha."

"But what did we, the children of these martyrs, receive in return?"

His heartbeat accelerated under control, his eyes seemingly reddening with emotion.

Like a truly rebellious 15 year old, completely controlled by emotions, he took steps toward the simple desk before him, almost unable to contain himself.

The ANBU guards immediately appeared, attempting to block his approach, but were waved off by Hiruzen.

Sawara Kiri continued "Since my parents sacrifice when I was five, the pension received in the our account was only one-third of the stipulated standard. The limited meat supply in the village made it impossible for children of our age to even grab it. Meanwhile, orphans from other Shinobi clans received full benefits and complementary training equipment thanks to their clan's protection."

"Only after passing the Shinobi Scademy selection did we receive basic food security, but besides the pension, it was just 7 Ryō per day. Until she was three years old, my sister, still in swaddling clothes, survived on rice porridge made from this."

"Children in similar situations would often abandon their younger siblings on the roadside, leaving them to be adopted by strangers or starve to death."

"Even the village orphanage wouldn't take infants who couldn't care for themselves, because spaces were limited and they were severely understaffed."

"It wasn't until I graduated from the Shinobi Academy at age ten that I received my deceased parents' inheritance..."

"However, due to our house being damaged during the war, repairs alone consumed over ninety percent of the funds in that savings account."

"Only those like Minato, who were naturally intelligent and self-disciplined, showing extraordinary talent at a young age, or those like Kushina Uzumaki who were probably from noble clans, could receive adequate living security and training conditions."

Minato Namikaze was startled by these words.

Sawara Kiri finally reached the front of the desk, looking down at Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting in his wide chair. His voice grew increasingly calm

"Even so."

"The Konohagakure still raised us, and I still truly love this village, willing to give my life for it."

"But..."

"I don't want my last remaining family member to experience the same hardships I did, struggling to maintain a household at such a young age."

"Now, Yukie has finally become a mature shinobi."

"I think she should be able to live on her own."

"So, it's time for me to give everything for the Konoha."

With those words, Sawara Kiri lowered his head slightly, as if accepting his fate.

Danzo Shimura's eyebrow twitched.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

The entire Hokage's office fell into a different kind of silence.

However, the earlier oppressive and terrifying atmosphere had imperceptibly vanished.

BANG!

"How could such things happen!"

Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his desk, his angry roar echoing throughout the room.

"Investigate! We must investigate thoroughly!"

Then, sighing as if deeply regretful, he continued "To think the children of our martyrs experienced such unfair treatment, this is a matter that affects the entire village."

"Kiri-kun, you should have told me about this sooner!"

Even his form of address had become more intimate.

Heh.

Sawara Kiri remained silent, maintaining his bowed position.

Everything he had just said contained not a single fabrication — it was all fact.

Even worse, many of these orphans had been recruited into the Root to become disposable operatives.

However, those who could reach the Hokage's presence naturally wouldn't experience these things.

And those who experienced these things certainly couldn't speak these words before the Hokage.

Though in the original story Naruto always wandered freely in and out of the Hokage's office like it was a restaurant, that was a privilege enjoyed only by the Konoha 12, Jinchūriki, children of prestigious families, and prodigies.

Moreover, when Hiruzen Sarutobi said he didn't know about these things, was that really true?

Sawara Kiri couldn't say.

Of course, he didn't care either.

The image he was crafting now was already enough to transform his 'invisible' status into the village's next propaganda focus.

Third Generation Shinobi and from a good family member of Konoha.

Pure and Orthodox!

Experienced injustice from youth, lived a hard life, yet still thinks of sacrificing everything for the Will of Fire.

Absolutely loyal!

With such a clear stance and such a difficult history.

Not only would he pass Hiruzen Sarutobi's scrutiny, he'd pass a hundred such tests.

This was exactly what the wartime propaganda needed, as well as what the political situation demanded!

As a seasoned politician, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind quickly processed this, immediately recognizing a way to turn the situation around while simultaneously dealing a heavy blow to Danzo Shimura's influence.

His little brother, if not knocked down every now and then, would soon start getting too big for his boots.

The key lay in Sawara Kiri standing before him!

"Kiri-kun."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone softened further, speaking warmly "Regarding what happened to you, your sister, and all of Konoha's orphaned children of fallen heroes, the village will definitely give you an explanation."

"For the next few days, you should rest well at home."

"The village will first conduct a merit review for your recent achievements, and also carry out a special ability assessment to determine an appropriate rank for you."

He stood up and patted Kiri's shoulder with a senior's demeanor, speaking meaningfully

"I saw that in your Shinobi Academy graduation exam, you wrote that your dream was 'To Become Hokage', right?"

"Young people like you are truly the future of Konohagakure."

Finally, Sawara Kiri couldn't hold back anymore. Struggling to suppress his upturning mouth corners, his voice trembling, seemingly exploding with long-suppressed emotions

"Yes!"

"Hokage-sama!"

What a scene that perfectly embodied the Will of Fire.

Your kindness, my filial piety.

How heartwarming.

Sakumo Hatake quietly watched this scene, equally moved, his eyes seemingly glistening with tears.

Uchiha Sayuri let out a long sigh of relief.

Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru remained expressionless, as if unmoved by the scene.

Only Minato Namikaze.

As he watched the currently emotional Sawara Kiri, who was suppressing strong feelings, his body slightly trembling.

His mind unconsciously recalled what he had witnessed when he first arrived at the scene, and that chilling sense of crisis that seemed to penetrate to the depths of one's soul.

Inexplicably, he felt something subtly wrong.

He was well aware of his own exceptional talent.

Whether in terms of intelligence or aptitude, Minato considered himself far superior to his peers.

Yet Sawara Kiri had hidden himself from Minato for so long, without letting him sense anything unusual.

This man... was he really what everyone was seeing now?

Minato couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

...

After everyone left.

Once the Hokage's office door closed, and even Orochimaru had departed.

The previously benevolent and gratified expression on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly changed, as he coldly and solemnly looked at Danzo Shimura standing nearby.

"Danzo, don't you have anything to say?"

Danzo Shimura remained calm "That money wasn't spent on me, it was all necessary expenses paid for the Konoha's sake."

Hiruzen immediately exploded in anger, scolding "Foolishness!"

"I allocated the orphanage funds for the orphanage, not for you to divert to the Root!"

But Danzo didn't yield at all, showing no intention of giving up this financial authority, raising his voice equally

"What do you know? How many orphans with no self-control would spend that money meaningfully if they got it? It would bring no positive benefit to the Konoha! Isn't controlling their food and drink enough?!"

"Only by selecting those with potential into the Root can we bring intelligence, spies, and foreign hidden facilities to the Konoha!"

"Do you think all those achievements the Root obtains from foreign countries each year come from nothing?!"

Hiruzen grew even more furious "Nothing? What do two prodigies of the same generation like Minato Namikaze and Sawara Kiri mean? How many such geniuses have been buried in the orphanage and in your hands?!"

Danzo sneered "They're just lucky exceptions."

"Since the Konoha's founding, how many Orochimarus and Jiraiyas has the village produced?"

"The Root is what truly maintains the Konoha's security from the shadows."

Hiruzen's expression suddenly became flat, his tone lowering "In any case, the Sawara Kiri incident must be resolved immediately."

"As a consequence, the Konoha's orphanage and related financial systems will be transferred to the ANBU."

"From now on, if you want to recruit someone, report it to the ANBU first."

"Also, bring out the head of the Root's financial management department. He'll be held responsible this time."

Hearing this, Danzo froze, staring at him intently, seemingly not expecting Hiruzen to make such a big deal out of this.

Wasn't it just an orphan suffering some hardship?

Noticing his silence, Hiruzen said coldly "Didn't you understand?"

Danzo remained silent, turning to walk toward the door.

Just before leaving, he paused slightly, saying venomously

"Hiruzen, you'll definitely regret this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored him, calmly responding

"Danzo, I am the Hokage."

...