…
They had barely taken a few steps down the corridor when Mito's expression changed.
She sensed them before they appeared.
Several familiar chakra signatures approached from the other end of the hallway.
And they weren't alone.
Tsunade sensed the shift and looked up at her grandmother. "Baa-san?"
Mito's eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems our visit isn't over yet."
Hiruzen and the others came into view.
The Hokage stopped when he saw Mito.."Mito-sama."
Mito regarded him calmly. "Hiruzen."
Her eyes moved briefly to the others.."What brings all of you to the hospital?"
Hiruzen glanced toward Murakami's room. "The same reason you came, I imagine."
Mito's expression became thoughtful. She could already sense the purpose behind their arrival. She could sense the same curiosity she had felt in herself when she first examined Murakami.
They wanted answers.
Perhaps they wanted to know how a Genin had survived that battlefield. Perhaps they wanted to determine whether the boy was an extraordinary asset or something they needed to be wary of.
Whatever the reason, Mito didn't like the thought of Murakami facing the village's leadership alone while he was still recovering.
She had already seen what the boy's body had endured.
She had no intention of letting that fragile state become an excuse for the elders to treat him like a military asset rather than a wounded child.
Her gaze returned to Hiruzen.."Then I suppose we should finish the conversation together."
Tsunade's eyes widened. "Together?"
She had been expecting the visit to end. More importantly, she had assumed she would be going back with Mito. The moment her grandmother's words sank in, a small knot of annoyance formed in her stomach.
'Wait. She's sending me away?' Tsunade glanced toward her Sensei and the other, then back at Mito.
Curiosity immediately battled with the irritation.
She wanted to know what they were going to discuss with Murakami. If her grandmother, the Hokage, and the other higher ups were all interested in the same Genin, then there had to be something she was missing.
And she absolutely hated being the only one who didn't know.
Mito smiled at her.
"You can wait outside."
"What?!" Tsunade's annoyance finally broke through. "Why do I have to wait outside?"
"Because this isn't a conversation you need to be part of."
Tsunade's cheeks puffed slightly. "But you said this visit was for my own good!"
Mito chuckled softly. "And you've already learned what I wanted you to learn."
Tsunade looked toward the door with a reluctant frown.
'That's not fair.'
She wanted to argue, but the look in her grandmother's eyes told her there would be no point.
With an exaggerated sigh, she stepped aside. "Fine."
Mito turned toward the room. "Come."
Hiruzen nodded and followed with the others.
But as Mito turned toward the room, Tsunade couldn't resist stealing one last glance at Murakami's door.
Her curiosity had only grown.
'What exactly is so special about that guy?'
…
The door opened once more, and the figures who entered made Murakami's expression tighten with a mixture of confusion and caution.
Mito entered first, and behind her the others filed in—too familiar, all of them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi. Danzo Shimura. Homura Mitokado. Koharu Utatane.
'What the fuck is this lineup?' he couldn't help cursing inwardly
He'd seen these faces before, not in this life though.
This was the first time he was laying his eyes on them in this life.
And they weren't strangers to him. They were history he'd already seen the ending of… except for two.
Koharu and Homura
The older middle aged man at the front was easy enough to recognize. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage.
He wasn't surprised to see the man, considering his position, but the presence of the others threw him off balance.
Behind him stood Danzō Shimura, his heavily scarred jaw a dead giveaway. The man's stern expression was even more recognizable than the scar.
Then came Homura Mitokado, the bespectacled one. Murakami pegged him more by process of elimination than anything else.
And lastly, Koharu Utatane, the only woman among the four, followed. Her composed, no-nonsense aura caught Murakami's attention immediately.
Her presence was calm yet commanding, a contrast to the men she walked in with.
The new arrivals took their positions by the wall, all of them assessing Murakami with the same level of scrutiny, the same piercing looks.
Murakami couldn't help but feel a slight chill run down his spine.
This wasn't just about the Hokage and his council, it was about what they represented.
The weight of the village's leadership, their influence, and most of all, the way they viewed him.
Murakami remained firm, his expression unchanged as he returned their gaze.
This was a game far bigger than he had ever imagined he'd be playing in this soon.
The underlying tension in the room suggested that whatever this gathering was about, it was bound to shake the foundations of his already tenuous standing in Konoha.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Murakami-kun." Hiruzen began with a gentle smile.
"You too, Hokage-sama." Murakami responded with a nod. He still couldn't stand from his bed, so he didn't even bother to try.
"We came as soon as we heard that you had woken." Hiruzen said, then gestured to the room. "The accommodation was arranged after you fell unconscious again. I hope you like it."
'Yeah sure, keeping me in a restricted room is supposed to be quite comfy, ain't it?' Murakami thought, but replied calmly. "It is very much appreciated."
"That's good. You're an asset to the village, Murakami-kun. We can't afford to treat you lightly." Hiruzen added, and Murakami simply nodded.
"Enough with the pleasantries, Hiruzen." Danzō, wearing a scowl, said, glaring at Murakami. "We've read the mission reports containing your exploits during the war. Taking down an entire hunting unit filled with Jōnin isn't something a mere Genin should be capable of, not to mention surviving it. How did you do it?"
"Danzō!" Hiruzen glared at his old teammate. "That's not why we're here."
"Then why are we here? Surely not to comfort him, since that'll mean we have to do the same for everyone else in this building." Danzō shot back.
"You two…" Mito, who had been silent since they entered, suddenly spoke, and the energy in the room shifted. "…are you ignoring my presence, or what?"
Hiruzen and Danzō immediately straightened.
"Far from that, Honorable Mito-sama." Hiruzen said, his expression bordering on distress.
"It was never our intention." Danzō echoed, similarly strained.
"The boy is still recovering. Ask what you need to ask politely, and leave. I still have more important things to discuss with him." She said, and the tension in the room broke.
"Thank you, Mito-sama." Hiruzen and Danzō said in near unison, bowing slightly before Hiruzen turned back to Murakami.
"We were notified of your intention to retire from the shinobi life, and I have no wish to force you. However, for your actions in eliminating enemies of the Leaf, it is customary that we reward you."
Koharu and Homura, who had remained in the background, nodded, and even Danzō gave a grunt of approval.
"However, the rewards we had in mind would hold no meaning if you were to retire, and monetary compensation is impossible at the moment, given the state of the village's coffers." Danzō continued, to which Hiruzen nodded.
"We're also curious as to how you accomplished such a feat. It's… not normal. I hope you understand our position, or rather, my position, as Hokage." Hiruzen said, as politely as he could manage.
Murakami, listening, couldn't help but arch a brow. Were these old men trying to tie him to the village with some kind of reward?
'What could they possibly offer that would interest me right now? Promotion? Not necessary. Jutsu? I could always source those myself. Money? Well, Hiruzen just said they were lacking there too, so what does that leave?'
Unless they were offering something genuinely game-changing, but what could that possibly be?
"I understand that," Murakami said. "However, I'm curious. What rewards did you have in mind?"
"I was of the opinion that you be promoted to the rank of Special Jōnin—"
"Special Jōnin? I wasn't aware we had that rank." Mito interrupted, a slight frown forming. "Don't tell me you're thinking of scamming the boy?"
Her tone bordered on amusement, though her expression said otherwise. She'd observed Murakami up close, and while it seemed she was asking for his benefit, she already knew he wouldn't be easily fooled.
"You're mistaken, Mito-sama. The Special Jōnin rank exists for exceptional Chūnin who haven't been vetted to become full fledged Jōnin. As you know, the Jōnin rank comes with a certain level of—"
"Let me guess; responsibilities I'll regret?" Murakami cut in, since he could already see where this was going.
Hiruzen chuckled. "That, and certain other privileges."
"One of the requirements of Jōnin rank is mastery over at least one nature transformation." Danzō added. "Although you haven't reached that level, you were still capable of wiping out an entire Jōnin unit. That alone speaks volumes. Hence the rank."
"Special Jōnin. I didn't even know that was a thing," Murakami said softly, arching an eyebrow.
He knew, of course he knew, there were a lot of special Jōnin mentions in the anime, but it wasn't a rank taught at the Academy, so he'd assumed it either didn't exist yet.
Mito snorted. "That's because it barely is."
From what Murakami understood, in addition to nature transformation mastery, a Jōnin candidate needed proficiency in two elements and a recommendation from a Jōnin, the Hokage, or the village council.
And recommendation doesn't always mean approval.
But regardless, they were essentially superhumans by Genin standards.
Above them sat the Jōnin Commander; the highest-ranking shinobi below the Hokage, and below that, Special Jōnin: Shinobi who specialized deeply in a single discipline.
They weren't weaker than Jōnin but they lacked the breadth, judgment, combat capability, leadership, and proven field performance of a Jōnin
"But if that's all there is to it, I'm afraid I stand by my decision." Murakami said, his voice a touch louder. This wasn't a reward. It was a collar with a nicer name.
Hiruzen paused, then sighed. "A pity. How about the privilege of browsing through the village's technique archives? You could even come to me directly to clarify anything you find… disturbing."
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance but said nothing, while Danzō visibly held himself back from commenting, perhaps out of deference to Mito's presence.
'Now that…' Murakami thought, 'that's tempting. But even temptation has a price.'
"What is it that you really want?" he asked.
His gaze shifted between them. "You all came here for something," he said quietly, "and it's not just to hand out medals."
Hiruzen gave a small, thoughtful nod. "True. Recognition is only part of it. We want to understand you better, Murakami-kun. Your methods. Your mindset. They matter."
Koharu finally spoke, her voice clear. "You've demonstrated a level of efficiency and foresight uncommon even among our elites. That concerns us," she caught Mito haze and quickly added. "and interests us."
Murakami tilted his head slightly. "You mean you're not sure if I'm a threat or an asset."
Homura sighed, tired. "In times of war, those two often blur."
Murakami chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "You're not wrong."
"So what are you hiding?" Danzō asked, flat. "You didn't survive that slaughter on talent alone."