Naruto Card King

Danzo's emotions fluctuated greatly, and even his breathing became unsteady.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo before raising his hand toward Haruto Saito. "Go on! And remember my warnings."

"Yes!" Haruto Saito tightly gripped the scroll, responded swiftly, then turned and quickly left.

Danzo stared intensely at Haruto Saito's back. Only after Haruto stepped out and closed the door did he abruptly turn to Hiruzen Sarutobi and demand, "Hiruzen! Why did you give the Flying Thunder God Technique to that brat?"

"He completed the task I assigned him and brought more benefits to the Leaf Village. This is what he earned," Hiruzen Sarutobi said indifferently, his tone light, as if the Flying Thunder God Technique was nothing significant.

"Hiruzen!" Danzo removed his mask, eyes widening as he glared at the Hokage. "That kid's background is highly questionable! How can you just hand over the Flying Thunder God Technique to him?" His agitation was obvious.

"There's no reason not to," Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down behind his desk, glancing sideways at Danzo. "It's just a ninjutsu. Whether he can master it is still unknown, so why are you so worried? He won't pose a threat to the Leaf Village."

Danzo's expression darkened, and after taking a deep breath, he asked slowly, "How exactly did he gain your trust?" This was something Danzo couldn't comprehend. He wasn't aware of what Tsunade and the others had reported to Hiruzen that day, nor had Hiruzen shared any details with anyone else.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo in silence.

His posture made it clear—he wasn't going to explain!

He had no obligation to. He was the Hokage. Some things only he needed to know!

"You first decided to take him as your direct disciple… and now you've given him the Flying Thunder God Technique…" Danzo's voice grew heavier, his gaze sharp. "In the future… do you plan on passing the Hokage title to him?"

Danzo was overthinking things!

But he had no choice but to think this way!

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had six direct disciples. Aside from Uchiha Kagami, who perished in the First Great Ninja War, the remaining five—Hiruzen Sarutobi included—now held the highest positions of power in the Leaf Village.

These five had long reached a consensus: the next Hokage had to be a direct successor of Tobirama Senju. Even if it skipped a generation, it had to remain within that lineage. In other words, the Hokage's successor must be a disciple or grand-disciple of Tobirama Senju!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the current Hokage. If he ever stepped down or fell in battle, the one to succeed him had to meet this condition!

The Hokage position must be inherited within the same lineage! It wasn't about clans or background—it was about passing down Tobirama Senju's will!

The five direct disciples of Tobirama Senju all firmly agreed with this.

This was an unwritten rule that could never be publicly stated!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi were to retire, the ones eligible to succeed him were the four remaining senior leaders, their disciples and grand-disciples, and Hiruzen's own direct disciples and grand-disciples. However, in practical terms, among the four high-ranking officials, only Danzo had the qualifications to become Hokage!

Because he was strong enough!

The Hokage had to be an elite ninja with considerable strength. The other three—Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Torifu Akimichi—were not strong enough. Aside from Danzo, their generation had no other candidates. And among the next generation of successors, none of the four advisors' students were strong enough to become Hokage in the future!

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciples—his three direct students, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—had the potential to become Hokage if judged purely by strength.

That meant, as things stood, the four candidates for the Hokage position were Danzo, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru!

And now, there was another!

Haruto Saito!

Not only was Haruto Saito going to become Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct disciple, but his monstrous talent meant that his future strength was unpredictable. On top of that, Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him the Flying Thunder God Technique—Tobirama Senju's signature technique…

This felt like an official endorsement!

Danzo couldn't ignore it. He cared deeply about this!

Because he wanted to be Hokage!

Over a decade ago, he had competed against Hiruzen Sarutobi for the Hokage position. But since Hiruzen had been Tobirama Senju's chosen successor, Danzo had tried everything and still lost to him!

But he had never given up on becoming Hokage!

And now, he was growing paranoid!

Because he was obsessed with it!

"Isn't it too early to discuss this now?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said coolly. He understood Danzo's thoughts too well. "I am in my prime. If nothing unexpected happens, I can continue leading the Leaf for another twenty years. As for Haruto… he is still young. His future is uncertain. The future can be discussed when the time comes! For now, we should focus on the present!"

Danzo's expression shifted unpredictably. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, "Do you really think that brat can master the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

"The chances are very slim," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and looked at Danzo. "Actually, I didn't offer it to him—he requested it himself! I decided to let him try. Even if he has extraordinary talent, it would take at least ten to twenty years before he could master the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Hearing this, Danzo's heart relaxed slightly.

He understood that Hiruzen Sarutobi was just leaving things open-ended. In reality, Hiruzen didn't believe Haruto Saito could successfully learn the technique!

Danzo thought for a moment and suddenly found himself laughing at his own paranoia. He had been overthinking things. A mere kid like Haruto Saito couldn't possibly change anything!

He picked up his mask again and placed it back on his face, returning to his usual demeanor.

"Any news on White Fang?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, shifting the conversation to more pressing matters.

Haruto Saito returned to his room and immediately entered a meditative state, adjusting his focus before opening the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll. The scroll was extremely long, filled with tiny, densely packed characters, yet everything was written clearly. Haruto Saito quickly memorized it—not worrying about understanding it yet, just making sure to remember every word!

Thirty minutes later, he had committed it all to memory. To ensure there were no omissions, he reviewed it repeatedly.

An hour passed. When the scroll began emanating a chakra fluctuation indicating imminent self-destruction, Haruto Saito swiftly moved to the window and tossed the scroll outside.

Boom!

The scroll exploded into a fireball outside, its force even greater than an explosive tag!

Haruto Saito ignored the explosion and sat down at his desk. From his storage space, he retrieved a blank scroll and began transcribing everything from memory!

At the Leaf Village's Ninja Academy.

Dressed in a black robe and sunglasses, Haruto Saito stood near the trees outside the school, scanning the students as they exited.

He was looking for Minato Namikaze!