Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded solemnly. The situation was serious, so he didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point, asking directly about the tailed beast. This made Tsunade visibly unhappy—her brows sharply furrowed, and even her use of "Sarutobi-sensei" carried a distinctly personal tone.
Hiruzen took this as concern for a comrade and didn't think much of it. Just as he was about to explain, Tōshirō spoke first, taking the initiative to shoulder the blame:
"Tsunade, don't say it like that. Lord Hokage has his reasons. Because of me, the entire village…"
Tōshirō paused and slowly put on a downcast expression. He wasn't actually feeling that way—this was a deliberate move to gain favor with Hiruzen.
Seeing how understanding Tōshirō was, Hiruzen felt quite pleased and offered some comfort:
"This isn't your fault. I heard the details on the way here. Now that things have come to this, there's no undoing it. What matters most is making sure it doesn't happen again."
Tōshirō nodded. "I understand."
"Well then…"
Hiruzen deliberately stretched out his words, giving Tōshirō a chance to speak up voluntarily.
Tōshirō didn't disappoint. He looked up and said sincerely, "The Four Symbols Seal personally performed by Lady Mito is extremely secure. The creature sealed inside me—the Five-Tails—seems quite docile."
"Docile?" Tsunade was taken aback.
Tōshirō explained, "When I was unconscious, I caught a glimpse of the beast inside me. It was locked in a cage. All it could do was roar and scream—it couldn't do anything else."
Tsunade didn't feel good hearing this. Because of her grandmother, she had looked into the treatment of jinchūriki. Aside from her grandmother's unique case, most jinchūriki from other villages reportedly lived tragic lives. Tōshirō's guess wasn't without merit.
Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "This may be a bit abrupt, but going forward, you probably won't be able to move about freely for a while."
"I'm guessing Lady Mito already briefed you on this kind of thing, so I won't go into too much detail."
Tōshirō frowned slightly. Restrictions on personal freedom were to be expected after becoming a jinchūriki. His expression dimmed. "I understand… but for how long?"
He figured it could be several years—living under surveillance, only allowed to move within certain boundaries, unable to go wherever he wanted. It sounded utterly miserable.
Hiruzen heard the implication and gave a noncommittal reply: "I'm not sure of the specifics. At the very least, until you've learned to control the tailed beast inside you. After that, it depends on the situation."
Tsunade looked worried. "Sarutobi-sensei, what do you mean? Are you saying Tōshirō will have to live under constant surveillance from now on?"
Hiruzen sighed heavily. "I'm left with no choice. It's for the good of the village. If the tailed beast inside Tōshirō goes out of control again, the village will be facing another devastating crisis. I'm sure you wouldn't want that either."
The tailed beasts are simply too massive—just a little movement could cause enormous destruction to the village, even if the response was quick.
Tsunade accepted it reluctantly, despite the discomfort in her heart.
Tōshirō bowed his head obediently. "I'll follow whatever the village decides."
Hiruzen nodded. "Get some rest. When the time comes, we'll arrange for your discharge. I won't disturb you further. I'm sorry I can't stay—there's still much in the village that needs my attention after all this."
Tōshirō smiled. "Thank you for your concern."
After Hiruzen left, Orochimaru, who had been silent up until now, suddenly spoke in a low voice:
"Tōshirō, I'm not sure if I should say this, but…"
Tōshirō gave a slight hum. "Go ahead."
Orochimaru, always perceptive, analyzed the situation: "Technically speaking, the moment you became a jinchūriki, you were probably already under surveillance. So the affectionate display between you and Tsunade earlier might've been seen. Sarutobi-sensei finding out about your relationship is only a matter of time."
The faint smile on Tōshirō's lips slowly faded. In the end, he sighed.
All he could do now was take things one step at a time.
Tsunade gently reassured him. "It's okay. Sarutobi-sensei is a good person. He won't try to break us up."
"…Let's hope so."
Placing your hopes on someone else—this was exactly the kind of helplessness Tōshirō hated most.
Ultimately, it all came down to his own lack of strength. If he had power, everything would be different.
With that thought, Tōshirō subconsciously touched the seal on his stomach.
The Five-Tails…
Tōshirō murmured inwardly.
Maybe becoming the Five-Tails' jinchūriki wasn't such a bad thing after all.
As long as he was given enough time, Tōshirō was confident he could tame the Five-Tails.
Even if he couldn't reach the level of the perfect jinchūriki like the Eight-Tails or Nine-Tails, he was confident he could still use part of its power.
As long as he could control even part of that power, he would possess three kinds of kekkei genkai. Combined with the vast chakra reserves of a tailed beast, which would compensate for his relatively limited chakra capacity, then within just a few years, there would be fewer than a handful of people in the world who could defeat him head-on.
Elsewhere, at the Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi, busy with paperwork, suddenly sensed something and looked up slightly—only to find a man kneeling on one knee before him, wearing an ANBU mask. He hadn't even noticed when the man arrived.
"Forgive the interruption."
"No harm done."Hiruzen looked at the ANBU ninja and recognized him by the markings on his mask. His expression turned slightly puzzled. "I remember you were assigned to watch over that boy—to prevent him from going berserk. Why did you suddenly show up here? Don't tell me the tailed beast inside Tōshirō lost control again."
Considering that the sealing technique had been personally performed by Lady Mito, it shouldn't be broken so easily. If it were the Nine-Tails, that might be plausible—but the Five-Tails simply didn't have that kind of power.
As Hokage, Hiruzen had at least a basic understanding of the tailed beasts' power rankings.
The Nine-Tails was undoubtedly the strongest—otherwise, the First Hokage wouldn't have deliberately left it in Konoha. The Five-Tails, on the other hand, ranked somewhere in the middle of the nine.
The ANBU paused for a moment. "From what I've gathered… it seems Lady Tsunade is secretly… romantically involved with that Uchiha boy, Tōshirō."
Romantically involved?Hiruzen froze for half a beat before his eyes flew open in shock. "What did you say?!"
The ANBU snuck a glance at Hiruzen. He had more or less expected such a reaction.
After all, these two—one from the Senju clan, the other from the Uchiha. These families had supposedly been feuding for a thousand years. A couple like this had never happened before—it was unprecedented. Hiruzen's reaction was only natural.
Hiruzen took a deep breath to calm himself. "Tell me everything—word for word, leave nothing out."
The ANBU ninja recalled the conversation carefully, organizing the details in his mind, and then reported it fully.
After listening, Hiruzen began issuing orders: "Understood. Do not tell a single soul about this."
"Understood."
"Also… from now on, you are solely responsible for monitoring the Five-Tails jinchūriki."
"Yes, sir."
"You may return to your post."
Once the ANBU left, Hiruzen remained seated, lit his pipe, and stared off into the distance through the haze of smoke.
Just thinking about the relationship between those two gave him a massive headache.
One of them was an Uchiha—and the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, no less.
The other was from the Senju clan—the granddaughter of the First Hokage.
The situation was… far too complicated.
Should he break them up?
But what reason could he use?
Tōshirō and Tsunade weren't exactly the type to obediently accept such interference. Pushing too hard might just backfire.
He got up and walked over to the window. Through the glass, he could see the village of Konoha being rebuilt.
He stared at the scene in silence. As the war continued to spread—even touching the village itself—Hiruzen racked his brain on how to best protect it.
And of course, the power of the tailed beasts came to mind. That kind of power was immensely important. When it came to selecting jinchūriki, the village leadership prioritized one quality above all else: loyalty.
As for Tōshirō becoming a jinchūriki, Hiruzen had complicated feelings.
Tōshirō was an Uchiha. Which meant, in a way, that this immense power now partially belonged to the Uchiha clan—a scenario Hiruzen and the rest of Konoha's upper echelon were highly reluctant to see.
When the incident occurred, his comrade Danzō had even considered extracting the tailed beast from Tōshirō and implanting it into someone from a "proper" background—someone whose loyalty was unquestionable.
Extreme? Yes. But from a pragmatic standpoint, not a bad idea. It would've saved them a lot of future trouble.
And now… things were even more complicated.
His own student had fallen in love with Tōshirō.
If things went wrong, he wouldn't just be facing the wrath of the Uchiha—he'd be facing his own student's resentment as well.
Hiruzen stroked his chin, seriously pondering how to deal with Tōshirō.
After a long time, he let out a reluctant sigh. "Let's leave things as they are… for now."
When choosing a jinchūriki, loyalty to the leadership was the top priority. That's why they often chose relatives of the village's elite.
Given Tōshirō's relationship with Tsunade, in a roundabout way, he could be considered a relative of the higher-ups. After all, with Tsunade's lineage and talent, it was only a matter of time before she herself became part of the leadership.
More importantly, Tōshirō didn't have the Sharingan—a major plus. And in the event of conflict, he would likely take Tsunade into consideration, which meant he wouldn't fully side with the Uchiha.
Even so, Hiruzen still couldn't fully trust him.
After all, the incident with Elder Itachi was like a ticking time bomb. If not handled properly, it could still push Tōshirō toward siding with the Uchiha.
With that in mind, Hiruzen made a bold decision: rather than wait and be reactive, he would seize this opportunity to act—directly confront Tōshirō and tell him the truth.
Even if it didn't work out, it was better than waiting until it was too late.
And more importantly—there was a chance he could bring Tōshirō over to his side, turning him into someone who could watch over the Uchiha from within.
(End of Chapter)
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