Shikaku was destined to become Konoha's strategist, and Kazuki had long targeted him as a tool.

Previously, it wasn't very convenient to have excessive contact with them, even though they were all part of the Hokage faction. After all, Kazuki was an Uchiha.

But now, with Hiruzen pulling the strings, it's clear that he is paving the way for Kazuki, and also for Ino–Shika–Chō.

As early as the Sengoku era, the Ino–Shika–Chō, these three second-tier clans, were followers of the Sarutobi clan.

The Ino–Shika–Chō combination needed the Sarutobi clan to acknowledge it.

This generation's Ino–Shika–Chō was even personally nurtured by Hiruzen. In a sense, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for Shikaku to call Hiruzen his teacher.

Since the plan was for Kazuki to become the future Hokage, it was inevitable that Kazuki would come into contact with Ino–Shika–Chō.

Although Shikaku was still young and his strength wasn't top-tier, his intelligence was among the best in Konoha. Now that he was still young, he could be arranged to be by Kazuki's side, becoming his right-hand man.

In this era, being powerful isn't enough. To govern Konoha well, talent is also needed.

Could Kazuki really use his Sharingan to control everyone to do things in an orderly fashion?

The main reason for establishing the one-country, one-village system in the first place was precisely because there weren't enough talented ninjas.

Most ninjas couldn't even read, so how could they govern a region?

Thinking of this, Hiruzen gasped.

The emergence of the Ninja Academy greatly reduced illiteracy. Some courses in the Ninja Academy were cultural classes that didn't have much effect on strength.

Previously, Hiruzen had been somewhat dismissive, but now, thinking about it, could his dark-hearted teacher have been preparing to eliminate the Daimyo's side all along?

You know, the current Daimyo and the Senju clan are relatives.

But thinking about his teacher's actions, let alone relatives with no blood ties, even those with blood ties could be betrayed at any time, as long as it benefited him and Konoha.

— — —

"Grandma Mito, Kushina, tomorrow morning, I'm going back to the front line." Kazuki said after returning to Mito's residence and explaining the situation at the front.

Then he looked at Nawaki and said, "Nawaki, this time, you don't need to come to the front line with me. Just stay in the village and keep grandma Mito company."

Kazuki thought of Nawaki's bizarre death by stepping on an explosive tag in the original timeline, and he admonished Nawaki again, "If you want to go to the front line, there will be opportunities in the future. What you need to do now is to quickly get stronger."

Nawaki was not weak. Combined with Samehada, he could even fight a Jonin, which made him an outstanding individual among his peers. Kazuki didn't want Nawaki to die.

Sometimes, external enemies aren't the most terrifying. Instead, internal parasites are the most fatal. Danzo was one of the suspects Kazuki had in mind.

Kazuki couldn't believe it if Nawaki's death had absolutely no connection to Danzo. After all, Danzo's character was problematic, making one unable to help but suspect him.

"Huh?" Nawaki looked at Kazuki somewhat helplessly.

To make him watch Kazuki and the others fight on the front lines while he foolishly stayed in the village, Nawaki found it somewhat difficult to accept.

"There's nothing more to say. You two will stay in the village for a while and train hard to get stronger. When the time is right, I will take you to the battlefield."

"Are you afraid there won't be time for experience?"

Kazuki gave Nawaki an exasperated look.

"That's good. I'll be waiting for you in the village." Nawaki breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He didn't like war, but if it was a fight against Kirigakure, he would absolutely not hold back. Moreover, this was all for the sake of protecting Konoha.

It was also a good opportunity for him to thoroughly practice the Water Release Ninjutsu left behind by Tobirama

"Mm."

Kazuki then ruffled Kushina's hair and said softly, "Don't worry, I'll resolve the battlefield in the Land of Water as quickly as possible."

As he spoke, Kazuki's heart was filled with anticipation.

Since he hadn't gone to the battlefield immediately, he wondered how Homura and Fugaku were doing.

Had they died?

He hoped the Third Mizukage and Six-Tails would be more effective.

Kazuki had realized that Hiruzen and Koharu no longer intended to obstruct the inevitable. Now, they were even promoting his affairs.

For him, this was a good thing. Giving them advisor positions in the future was not out of the question, as long as they didn't try to dictate to him.

Hiruzen might be overly fond of power in the future, but at this stage, he was still a wise man who knew when to adapt.

However, Danzo and Homura were staunch anti-Uchiha individuals.

Kagami actually had a good relationship with them, and as long as Kazuki didn't compete for Hokage, they wouldn't target him. But once Kazuki might lay claim to the Hokage position, then the two of them would become obstacles for Kazuki.

They had caused Kazuki no small amount of trouble over the years. He hoped his uncle Homura would safely survive.

As for Fugaku, Kazuki was somewhat curious about how the situation would unfold.

If Fugaku had been stimulated too early and awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, that would be interesting.

"Kazuki, come back soon." Kushina was a bit reluctant for Kazuki to leave the village so soon after just returning.

However, Mikoto and Rinka would all remain in the village, and Kushina wouldn't be lonely. Moreover, this time, Kazuki had also brought some Uzumaki.

She wanted to interact well with these clan members and ensure they could grow up safely in the village.

***

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