Kage.
The title given to the supreme leader of a village.
The Hokage of Konoha—a person who should command the utmost respect within the village. Only those with overwhelming strength and broad recognition are deemed worthy of that name.
Yet sometimes, even a Hokage feels powerless.
And more often than not... tired.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Though Hakken and Itachi were not particularly tall, Minato could still feel a different kind of pressure radiating from them.
It wasn't the kind of tension born from facing an enemy. It was something that came from helplessness—an unspoken weight that grew quietly over time.
Two geniuses.
And both, a constant source of headaches.
Today, the Hokage's office lacked its usual hint of tobacco smoke.
The Third had claimed he was unwell and intended to rest for a while.
After Orochimaru's defection—and after Minato had finally stepped forward, showing firmness befitting a true Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have realized many things.
There was a faint sense that he was beginning to truly entrust the village to Minato's hands.
That kind of generosity...
It was something Minato deeply admired.
"It wasn't because I lost my temper."
"As a Konoha ninja, I was out there risking my life for the village. But while I was gone, my own family was treated with suspicion."
"That feeling... that's what made me pick up my sword."
Hakken set down the document in his hand and spoke quietly.
It was the official ruling—the Fourth Hokage's final judgment on yesterday's ANBU incident.
Yes, Minato had sided with him.
But even so, he couldn't show that favoritism too openly.
He might be the Hokage, but Konoha wasn't his alone.
To make matters worse, this ruling still required approval from the two village advisors before it could take effect.
A Hokage bound by the shadow of his counselors.
That was the way Konoha had always been.
Itachi nodded slightly at Hakken's words, clearly sharing his sentiment.
When he'd heard Anko had been taken away, he too had been left in disbelief.
They had risked everything for the mission—yet the very person they had sworn to protect was gone.
That kind of feeling could break anyone.
"You're still too stubborn," Minato said with a sigh.
"Stubborn?" Hakken replied evenly. "I just think I've seen the truth for what it is."
"Disappointment doesn't come all at once—it builds up, little by little. This time, because you're here, I can let it go. But next time... there may be no one left to stand by me and say they believe in me."
"When that time comes, all those accumulated disappointments will explode. What I'll do then—whether I destroy everything and start over, or simply walk away—I don't know yet."
He had always been like this—blunt and direct.
And he wasn't wrong.
Disappointment really did build up, piece by piece.
Since childhood, Konoha hadn't truly wronged him—aside from this incident.
That was why, even when he caused the commotion at the ANBU base, he hadn't gone so far as to harm those who stood in his way.
Had his anger toward the village burned even a little hotter, those people would have died—and the outcome yesterday would have been very different.
Konoha's fault lay in its system.
It was a problem rooted in history.
Even so, Hakken couldn't help but admire the young Hokage standing before him.
He hadn't held the title for long, yet he already knew how to see things from others' perspectives.
That kind of mindset... was rare indeed.
"Forget it."
Minato shook his head. He knew that talking to this boy would only end in a headache.
But still...
That warm, sunlit smile returned to his face as he stepped forward, placing a hand on each of their heads—Itachi and Hakken.
It was a gesture he seemed to genuinely enjoy, and when he spoke, it was with heartfelt sincerity.
"Hakken, Itachi, become my disciples."
"I may not be the best teacher, but with this title, you'll avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."
"And it'll make your new identities in ANBU much easier to explain."
I may not be the best teacher.
As he said it, a faint, self-deprecating smile crossed Minato's face.
He, the man known as the Yellow Flash, always seemed to arrive just a little too late when his students needed him most.
If only he'd been a bit faster... Rin, Obito...
He shook his head, clearing those thoughts away, and looked at them with quiet sincerity.
"Kakashi will handle your new identities. The missions you'll take on at first might be dull, but that's also part of keeping your cover."
"After some time passes, I'll assign you new missions myself."
Minato Namikaze, my mentor?
Hakken blinked, momentarily stunned. For a brief instant, he almost said, What could you possibly teach me?
But when he met Minato's earnest eyes, the words died in his throat.
He really meant it.
Even if Minato didn't know exactly what to do, his desire to protect them—to protect him—was genuine.
Compared to Hakken, Itachi's shock was even greater.
The Hokage... taking in someone from the Uchiha clan as his disciple?
Sure, there had been another—Obito Uchiha—but at that time, Minato hadn't been Hokage yet.
Now, even with that title and all the power that came with it, he still chose to accept him.
Was this Hokage truly trying to mend the rift between the Uchiha and the village through his own actions?
That single thought alone was enough.
In that moment, Itachi found himself truly acknowledging Minato as the Hokage.
This... is what a real Hokage looks like.
'How far will you go?' he wondered silently.
'What kind of change will you bring to Konoha?'
"I once neglected my own students," Minato continued softly. "Always buried in missions, always too late to be there for them."
"But now... now I finally have the time to watch over you."
"Hakken, Itachi—what I can offer you may not be much. But this... this is the greatest protection I can give."
As he watched the two small figures walk out of the Hokage's office, Minato's eyes were filled with quiet anticipation.
If Jiraiya-sensei were here, he thought, would he see them as the ones destined to change the shinobi world?
The prophesied children...
Could it be you?
...
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