Chapter 6: The Weight of the Hat: A Master's Confession
The Sarutobi Estate.
Hiruzen sat at the head of the table. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru sat below him.
Biwako was a whirlwind of activity. Upon hearing that Jiraiya and Tsunade were staying, she had rushed back into the kitchen to whip up their childhood favorites: roasted chicken, grilled meats, dango, and a spread of light, salty snacks perfect for pairing with sake.
Asuma grunted as he hauled several large jugs of sake to the table.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were notorious drinkers, and the moment they arrived, they began complaining about how long it had been since the "Sannin" had shared a proper meal.
"Asuma, why the long face? Weren't you apologizing to me earlier?" Hiruzen asked playfully, noticing his younger son's lingering, guilt-ridden glances.
Hiruzen already knew the reason. Asuma had likely been complaining at the Academy about how "boring" and "stiff" his father was. The original Hiruzen had been a classic, old-school patriarch—the kind who thought that providing food and safety was the only "parenting" a shinobi needed. In that era, survival was the only metric of a successful upbringing.
"I said things at school..." Asuma turned bright red, unable to look his father in the eye. He suddenly snapped into a deep bow. "Father! I am so sorry!"
"I assume it was something about me being a 'decrepit old fossil'?" Hiruzen chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, brat. You aren't the first person to say it."
Asuma looked up, confused. He glanced at his older brother, Shinnosuke.
Shinnosuke's face darkened. "Don't look at me, kid. I've always respected the old man."
Asuma blinked. Then who?
Hiruzen looked meaningfully at his three students.
Jiraiya suddenly became very interested in the ceiling, whistling a tuneless melody. Tsunade rubbed the back of her head and gave a nervous laugh. "Hey, come on! We were young and stupid back then, Sensei!"
Only Orochimaru remained composed, though his eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. If things had continued as they were, he likely would have said much worse.
"See?" Asuma grumbled. "Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya are the real ingrates! Dad taught you everything, and you still talk behind his back!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Watch your mouth, kid. He's still your father."
"I think the brat needs a good sparring session," Jiraiya added, crossing his arms.
Orochimaru watched the exchange silently. He could empathize with Asuma more than the others. The boy craved Hiruzen's recognition and warmth—something Orochimaru had also sought, perhaps even more desperately.
"Asuma, I know I haven't been around much," Hiruzen said, his voice softening. "From now on, if anything happens at the Academy, come to me. I want to hear about it."
Asuma's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Hiruzen nodded.
"Well, I'm off," Shinnosuke said, sliding his Anbu mask into place and giving a thumbs up. "I'm on the night shift. I won't let you down, Father!" He vanished in a blur of speed.
"Don't worry, I'll keep them company!" Asuma chirped, moving toward the table.
Biwako set the final bowl of stew down and whispered, "Hiruzen, do you have business to discuss with them?"
"I do," Hiruzen said, offering a small smile. "Thank you, Biwako."
Understanding immediately, Biwako grabbed Asuma by the scruff of his neck and hauled him away from the table. Hiruzen smirked. In the Sarutobi household, the rules were traditional: when the Kage talks business, the children are excused.
"Eat up. Don't wait for me to serve you," Hiruzen said, nodding to Orochimaru. "You're too thin, Orochimaru. Eat more meat. You need the protein."
"I think he's thin because you beat the chakra out of him earlier!" Jiraiya said, stuffing a massive piece of meat into his mouth. "Besides, does the 'Snake' even care about his weight? He's probably modified himself so much he doesn't even have a gender anymore."
Orochimaru's expression remained calm as he elegantly peeled an egg. "The fool will never understand the genius. Focus on your food, Toad."
Internally, however, Orochimaru was startled. Jiraiya's instincts are as annoying as ever. His research into the Living Corpse Reincarnation did involve the ability to take over any body, regardless of gender. He had even wondered if changing his sex would offer a new perspective on chakra.
But looking at his teacher now, Orochimaru felt that such drastic measures might no longer be necessary.
Tsunade ate with her usual gusto. After the deaths of her lover and her brother, the people at this table—along with Mito Uzumaki—were the only ones left who mattered to her. She had been planning to leave the village soon, unable to stand the suffocating atmosphere of Konoha.
But now... the plan was on hold. Her master was changing. He was fixing his relationship with Orochimaru. She felt she needed to stay and help.
After the food was gone and the sake began to flow, Hiruzen lit his pipe and took a long drag.
"So," Hiruzen said, his voice dropping an octave. "How did I do today? What was the word on the street?"
"You had real style!" Jiraiya gave a thumbs up. "That audit was brilliant. My student, Minato, told me the village security was getting soft. He said he could spot Anbu squads before they even saw him."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened at the name. Minato Namikaze. The future Fourth Hokage.
"Anbu couldn't spot him?" Tsunade frowned. "Is our security really that pathetic?"
"It's not that they're bad—it's that Minato is a freak of nature!" Jiraiya said, beaming with pride. "Mark my words, that kid is going to be a legend. He has the making of a Hokage."
Tsunade scoffed. "He's a Genin fresh out of the Academy. Don't get ahead of yourself."
"You don't understand, Tsunade! He's a true genius!"
Tsunade gestured toward Orochimaru. "There's a genius sitting right there who you've known since you were in diapers. Ask him what he thinks."
Jiraiya huffed. "The Snake? He's old news. Minato is the future. Give him three or five years, and he'll give even Orochimaru a run for his money!"
Orochimaru sipped his sake, ignoring the jab. He didn't care about a brat like Minato. He only cared about the man at the head of the table.
How pathetic, Jiraiya. Betting your hopes on a student? That's what happens when you lack your own ambition.
"Enough about the students," Hiruzen interrupted, flicking a peanut at Jiraiya's forehead. "Minato is just a Chunin, isn't he? Why aren't you focused on your own path to the Fourth's seat?"
Jiraiya waved his hands frantically. "No way! I'll fight for the village, sure, but being Hokage is too much paperwork. Stick with the job, Old Man. You're better at the thinking part."
"Useless brat," Hiruzen grumbled. He reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll, sliding it across the table to Orochimaru.
"What's this, Sensei?"
"Danzo's report on you. It lists your unauthorized Wood Style experiments, your theft of restricted scrolls, embezzlement of research funds, and the 'factions' you've been building within the village."
The temperature in the room plummeted.
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed into thin slits. He took the scroll, his heart hammering against his ribs. Danzo... you sold me out?
He scanned the document. On the surface, he remained calm, but his mind was racing. Danzo had participated in almost all of these crimes. Why would he risk a murder-suicide pact by exposing them?
"Sensei... you don't actually believe this?" Orochimaru's voice was a low hiss.
"Let me see that!" Tsunade snatched the scroll. Jiraiya leaned in. Both of their expressions turned grim. The evidence was detailed. It was far too specific to be a simple fabrication.
"Knowing you, it's probably ninety percent true," Hiruzen said, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke. "Danzo likely pinned his own crimes on you too—especially the embezzlement. You've been scamming him for research money for years, haven't you? He sounds quite bitter about it."
Orochimaru stayed silent. He couldn't read the play. Was this a threat? Was he being arrested?
"Orochimaru, what the hell were you thinking?" Jiraiya whispered, his eyes full of worry. "Are you planning to defect?"
"Sensei, this has to be a mistake," Tsunade added. "Danzo is probably framing him!"
Orochimaru felt a rare surge of warmth. Even after seeing the evidence, his teammates were still defending him.
"Relax. Orochimaru hasn't committed any 'unforgivable' sins yet," Hiruzen said, setting the tone for the conversation. "We've grown distant since the war ended. I've felt it. You all have."
He looked tired. The performance began.
"After the Kushina incident, I had to face a reality I've been avoiding. Orochimaru, the things you did... you hid them from me for a reason. You thought I was too conservative. Too stuck in the past. You thought I would block your progress, so you went behind my back. Am I right?"
Hiruzen took a sip of sake. "I want to be honest with the three of you tonight. Truly honest. Why was I so conservative? Why was I so... stagnant?"
The Sannin leaned in, silent.
"Because change is terrifying," Hiruzen said softly. "Change has a price, and it isn't always good. I am a man of average talent who was lucky enough to be handed the greatest responsibility in the world. From the day I became Hokage, I have been afraid."
"I was afraid I wasn't enough. I don't have the god-like power of the First. I don't have the genius intellect of the Second. Yet, here I am, wearing the hat."
"So, I clung to the Second's shadow. I didn't want to change his policies because I was afraid I'd break the village. I worked myself to the bone, trying to do everything myself, terrified of failing the legacy."
"But the village didn't thrive. During the Second War, I was so overwhelmed I even thought about 'escaping.' I wanted to die as a hero on the front lines just so I wouldn't have to carry the weight of the office anymore."
Hiruzen gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Look at me. I'm a middle-aged man, and I've literally shrunk. The stress bowed my back and turned me into an old man before my time."
Tsunade's eyes softened. As a medic, she could see the physical toll the presidency had taken on him. Jiraiya looked away, unable to imagine the suffocation of such a life. Orochimaru's resentment began to melt. He hadn't realized his master was drowning.
"Then, after the Cloud incident, I had a dream. I saw Lord Tobirama. He screamed at me."
"'Monkey!' he said. 'How can you be so cowardly? If every generation isn't stronger and bolder than the last, the village is doomed!'"
"I woke up and realized he was right. Whether it was a ghost or my own subconscious, it doesn't matter. I am done being afraid. From this day forward, I am changing Konoha. Whatever benefits the village, I will do. Whoever stands in the way of our progress, I will remove."
"Even if the thing standing in the way is my own cowardice."
Hiruzen's voice was calm, but his eyes burned with a cold, iron resolve the Sannin had never seen.
This wasn't the "God of Shinobi" from the history books. This was a man of steel.