Sarutobi Hiruzen left Danzo's office and returned to where the ANBU and Root shinobi stood in tense confrontation.
"Hand over agent 'A,' Danzo," Sarutobi Hiruzen commanded.
With obvious reluctance, Danzo signaled to one of his Root operatives with a brief nod.
The Root shinobi quickly brought agent 'A' forward.
"From today on, you are no longer a Root shinobi," Danzo told 'A,' a hint of regret in his voice.
'A' showed no emotion, his face expressionless. "Yes, sir."
Sarutobi Hiruzen addressed 'A' directly: "From now on, you will serve under my direct command in the ANBU. Come with me."
Sarutobi Hiruzen departed from the Root facility with 'A' and all ANBU forces. Kakashi turned to leave as well, but the Third Hokage called after him.
"Kakashi, come to my office. There are matters we need to discuss."
Kakashi frowned slightly but replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage."
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen settled into his seat while Kakashi and 'A' stood before him.
"From this day forward, you are an ANBU member," Sarutobi told 'A.' "Do you have a name?"
"No," 'A' replied.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled kindly. "In that case, I'll give you one. Let's call you Yamato. Do you like this name?"
Yamato looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with confusion. 'Like?' The concept was foreign to him.
Since childhood, he had only received clear instructions. No one had ever asked for his opinion on anything.
Yamato didn't know how to respond to Sarutobi Hiruzen's question.
The Third Hokage understood Danzo's emotional conditioning methods all too well. Yamato had lived within Root since he was a child, molded into exactly what Danzo wanted—a shinobi who only knew how to follow orders, even without the self-annihilation training other Root members underwent.
"You only need to know that your name will be Yamato from now on," Sarutobi Hiruzen clarified gently.
This direct instruction Yamato could understand. "Yes, Lord Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "From today on, you are an ANBU shinobi. You'll be assigned missions soon. Your codename within ANBU will be 'Tenzo.'"
Yamato felt nothing about this change. In his mind, he had simply transferred from serving Danzo to serving Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"You may go now. An ANBU operative is waiting outside to escort you to headquarters," Sarutobi dismissed him.
As Yamato left the office, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched with satisfaction. Though Yamato currently had no emotions—merely a tool that followed orders—once he developed genuine feelings, they would naturally be directed toward the Hokage and Konoha.
A shinobi with the Wood Style kekkei genkai would be an invaluable asset.
Kakashi observed this scene silently.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his attention to him. "Kakashi, I hope you'll consider joining ANBU as well."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he flatly refused. "I'm sorry, Lord Hokage, but I have no interest in joining ANBU."
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand. "Don't be so quick to refuse. Sora has taught you well and treats you like family. I know you're close to him now."
"But Kakashi, remember that you are a Konoha shinobi. You inherit the Will of Fire, and your loyalty should be to Konoha as a whole, not to Sora alone."
"Your father embodied the Will of Fire. He devoted himself entirely to this village. His death remains one of my deepest regrets. As the son of Konoha's White Fang, you should carry on his legacy and continue to protect the village."
"You're an exceptionally talented shinobi, Kakashi. I hope you'll choose the right path and not turn against Konoha."
Kakashi lowered his gaze slightly, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
He was furious that Sarutobi Hiruzen had the audacity to mention his father.
"Lord Hokage," Kakashi asked in a controlled voice, "how did my father die?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long draw from his pipe and sighed regretfully. "Kakashi, I know you've always had questions about Sakumo's death."
"It remains one of my greatest regrets."
"The shinobi world was in chaos then, and I had to consider the bigger picture. I neglected Sakumo's situation, and when I finally decided to address it... it was already too late."
Kakashi's right eye was like a still pond, revealing nothing as he stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He really thinks I'm a fool, Kakashi thought bitterly.
Who had stripped his father, Hatake Sakumo, of all his positions in the first place? Wasn't it Konoha's leadership?
"Neglected his situation?" The Third hadn't forgotten when he was removing his father from office, had he?
Kakashi now understood that Sarutobi Hiruzen was trying to turn him against Sora, to work for the Hokage instead.
"Because I've always felt responsible for what happened to Sakumo, I've quietly watched over you," Sarutobi continued. "I've been pleased to see you grow. Kakashi, you have so much of your father in you."
"I originally thought Sora would be a good mentor for you, but that no longer appears to be the case."
"I don't want to see you led astray, Kakashi."
"You represent the next generation I have high hopes for."
"You're strong, brave, insightful, and capable. I want to groom you as a potential successor."
"Thank you for your faith in me, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said carefully. "But why do you say that Sora-sensei is not a good mentor?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed the evidence of Sora's crimes—obtained from Danzo—across the desk toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi, see for yourself."
The reason Sarutobi Hiruzen had asked Kakashi to participate in today's mission, and then allowed him to witness how he handled Yamato, was to prepare the groundwork for turning Kakashi away from Sora.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted Kakashi to see that he valued talented shinobi.
Originally, the day would have ended after settling Yamato's situation.
But now that he had unexpectedly acquired Danzo's evidence against Sora, Sarutobi Hiruzen was curious about Kakashi's reaction.
If Kakashi was unaware of Sora's actions, perhaps he could be persuaded to change allegiances.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Kakashi's face intently. Though half of Kakashi's face was covered by his mask, the Third's experience in reading people meant he could discern much just from Kakashi's visible eye.
Kakashi picked up the file and began reading through it.
When he saw the evidence of Sora's crimes, his right eye suddenly widened, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took another draw from his pipe. It appeared that Kakashi had been unaware of Sora's actions.
Perhaps there was a chance he could be turned.
But the Third knew better than to draw conclusions too hastily. He needed to observe Kakashi's full reaction before deciding his next move.