When Danzo heard Sarutobi's words, he quickly shot up from his seat, his face contorted with anger.
"Hiruzen! I strongly believe that Makoto should be trained under the Root! Just look at the three so-called great apprentices you've personally raised!"
"Orochimaru has betrayed the village, Jiraiya wastes his days doing nothing, and I have no idea where Tsunade has disappeared to! Entrusting Makoto to the Root is the best choice. I will personally train him and shape him into an exceptional ninja!"
Hearing Danzo's words, Sarutobi, who had been calmly smoking his pipe, slowly set it down. His gaze hardened as he spoke in a firm tone,
"My decision is final. There is no need for you to interfere any further. I will make the necessary arrangements for both of them, and this matter is not up for debate."
Unwilling to back down, Danzo slammed his crutch against the floor in frustration. "Hiruzen! You will regret this!"
Sarutobi's eyes remained cold as he replied,
"Danzo, I am the Hokage."
Danzo glared at Sarutobi for a long moment before storming out, slamming the door behind him.
Once he was gone, Sarutobi picked up his pipe again, inhaling deeply as his expression darkened.
"Danzo… just what exactly are you plotting...?" he muttered to himself.
_______
Back at the Academy, Makoto sat between Ino and Hinata. However, both of them seemed downcast.
"What's wrong with you two today? Why do you both look so gloomy? It's our graduation day! we should be celebrating!" Makoto said, trying to lift their spirits.
Hinata remained silent, keeping her head lowered as usual.
Ino pouted and replied, "I'm just upset because we'll be split into different team today. If we end up in the same one, that'd be great, but if not… we might not get to see each other as often anymore."
Hinata shared the same concern, though she remained quiet.
Seeing their dejected expressions, Makoto smiled warmly and reassured them, "Even if we're not in the same team, we'll still see each other."
"Maybe we can team up for missions in the future. And after those missions, when we return to the village, we'll still have time to hang out. No matter what, nothing can stop me from seeing you both!"
Hearing his words, Ino and Hinata exchanged glances before nodding in unison, a smile finally appearing on their faces.
[Uzumaki Kushina: What a scumbag!]
[Uchiha Mikoto: Shameless!]
[Hyuga Hizashi: I really don't understand what Hinata sees in a kid like you! I don't know what kind of spell you cast on her! And the same goes for the Yamanaka girl! This is infuriating!]
[Makoto Ito: That's called charm! Uncle, you just don't get it because you don't have any!]
[Hyuga Hizashi: What did you say!? And don't call me uncle! I am NOT your uncle!]
[Makoto Ito: Okay, uncle. Understood, uncle!]
[Hyuga Hizashi: .....]
Hizashi's frustration came from two things. First, he genuinely couldn't fathom why his niece liked Makoto.
The second? Envy.
Why did Makoto get to have two girls doting on him at the same time? Why were they not only fine with it but even seemed to get along?
This was simply too much for Hizashi to bear!
_______
[Uzumaki Kushina: Oh, Naruto! There isn't even a single girl around him!]
[Uchiha Mikoto: Kushina, my son is the same. His cold personality scares all the girls away. And after his recent defeat, even fewer are paying attention to him!]
[Ito Makoto: Should I tell you both that there's no need to worry about this issue at all?]
[Uzumaki Kushina: What do you mean?]
[Uchiha Mikoto: Do they already have girlfriends?!]
[Makoto Ito: No, but let me give you a hint. Think about the couples in this group...]
[Uchiha Mikoto: What do the couples in this group have to do with Naruto and Sasuke? There's the First Hokage and Mito-sama, Minato and Kushina, and then Fugaku and me. How is this related?]
[Uzumaki Kushina: Yeah, yeah, what does this have to do with us?]
[Makoto Ito: Ahem...I'm not talking about you normal couples. I'm talking about Hashirama and Madara, Tobirama and Izuna. Oh, and let's not forget Sakumo and Might Dai!]
[Uchiha Mikoto: What the hell?!]
[Uzumaki Kushina: What nonsense are you spouting? How are those people even couples?!]
[Senju Hashirama: ??? ??? ??? ??? ???]
[Uchiha Madara: ??? ??? ??? ??? ???]
[Senju Tobirama: ??? ??? ??? ??? ???]
[Uchiha Izuna: ??? ??? ??? ??? ???]
[Hatake Sakumo: ??? ??? ??? ??? ???]
[Might Dai: Is it finally my turn to speak? This is the power of youth!]
[Ito Makoto: Don't they look like couples? Their relationships seem awfully similar to me.]
[Uzumaki Kushina: Are you saying that Naruto and Sasuke will…...]
[Uchiha Mikoto: No, no, no! How can that be possible?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!]
[Namikaze Minato: Probably not. I think Naruto has a crush on that pink-haired girl… Sakura, right? But that girl seems to like Sasuke. What a mess…....]
Just as they were discussing about this matter, Naruto had climbed onto Sasuke's desk, their faces so close that their noses were nearly touching. Naruto wore a blank expression, while Sasuke remained as cold and indifferent as ever.
To an outsider, the scene looked far too close, almost like a couple on the verge of a kiss.
The group chat fell into silence.
[Uzumaki Kushina: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!]
[Namikaze Minato: ...I… I didn't expect this development…]
[Uchiha Mikoto: NO, NO, NO, NO!]
[Uchiha Fugaku: IMPOSSIBLE! SASUKE, MOVE AWAY!]
This scene nearly made Kushina and Minato, as well as Fugaku and Mikoto, pop their eyes out of their sockets.
[Ito Makoto: Ahem… Didn't I say there was nothing to worry about?]
[Uzumaki Kushina: SHUT UP, MAKOTO!]
__________________________
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