Chapter 200 Putting the Cart Before the Horse
Sarutobi Asuma pondered this sentence: Was it rebellious yet understandable?
"I never expected you to be able to comfort others." Sarutobi Asuma smiled with relief. "But thank you anyway for being willing to listen to me."
Seeing that the gloom on his face had vanished, Kurenai Yuhi felt relieved. "We were originally Asuma's friends, so it's only right."
Haruko held up a finger in front of them and said, "To be precise, I'm Asuma's aunt and friend, so I'll give you a special price for this counseling session!"
"What? I have to pay more!"
"Hahaha! Asuma's face is just as comical as Hiruzen's!"
*
As usual, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk handling official business, but today he started smoking his pipe early, as if suppressing his troubled thoughts.
The scene he saw on the crystal ball that day was still vivid in his mind. The conversation between Haruko, Kurenai, and his son had all reached his ears. It was one thing to feel it himself, but it was another to hear it from other people.
So the strain on his relationship with Asuma had become that obvious...?
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped out of his daze, composed himself, and said, "Please come in."
His subordinate pushed open the office door and entered, reporting, "Lord Hokage, Haruko Uchiha is here to see you."
Upon hearing that it was her, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly took off his pipe and hid it, even waving his hand in the air as if he had done something wrong.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in acknowledgment, his subordinates withdrew and led Haruko in.
Haruko ran over with her short legs, "Hiruzen!"
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was surprised, his tone couldn't hide his excitement as he teased her, "Haruko actually had time to come see me?"
"Hiruzen is the one who's really busy, yet you're blaming me for not coming to see you..."
Haruko pouted, took small steps to the high stool that was placed to the side, and dragged it to sit down next to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed and stroked his beard. "Doesn't this just prove how much I miss Haruko?"
Haruko stared at him for a few seconds, and after his laughter subsided, she slowly asked, "Did Hiruzen miss Asuma that day?"
"Why are you suddenly bringing up Asuma?" Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, probably guessing the purpose of her visit.
Haruko, without any hesitation, went straight to the point: "Hiruzen is too busy with work and doesn't care enough about Asuma. As his aunt, I must get justice for him!"
Amused by her question, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked her, "So, how do you plan to get justice for him?"
Haruko first asked, "Doesn't the Hokage have holidays?"
"Indeed, there isn't. There are just too many things to handle, and some that I can only arrange personally." Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't lying, especially given the recent turmoil in neighboring countries, which forced Konoha to be on high alert.
“But there are quite a few things that a father needs to handle.” Haruko continued, looking into his calm eyes, “Besides, Asuma doesn’t need much attention, and Konoha won’t be destroyed anytime soon!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not immediately swayed by her words, and replied ambiguously, "Asuma should grow up too."
Knowing that he had made his own decision, Haruko didn't say much, after all, this was a matter between the two of them, father and son.
But... a silent father and a rebellious son are clearly signs of running away from home and a broken family!
Haruko still felt that it would be more useful to bring Asuma some clothes and food with soil on them when he ran away from home.
After silently deciding on measures to deal with the worst-case scenario, Haruko brought up another topic, "Hiruzen's salary increase for the Konoha Police Department was very timely, and I saw that everyone was happy!"
"Really? I really have to thank you for that." Hiruzen Sarutobi affectionately patted her head.
"It's not thanks to me. Hiruzen clearly knew that this was all earned through their own hard work," Haruko said, as if she didn't understand why he was taking credit for her. "Besides... Hiruzen probably doesn't like the Uchiha clan, right?"
Unexpectedly, she pointed this out directly, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude calmed down a bit. "It's not that I dislike her, but a Hokage should remain neutral and not favor any particular clan."
"But the villagers in Konoha don't really welcome the Uchiha!" After all, Haruko is still just a child, and she seems anxious when she encounters injustice happening around her family.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't respond directly, but instead asked her, "So you're here to seek justice for the Uchiha?"
Feeling deflated by his gaze, Haruko shook her head and then nodded. "Since we're already here, let's just report all the problems to the Hokage."
Upon hearing her address "Hokage-sama," Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that she was now speaking to him as an Uchiha clansman and a Konoha villager.
After all, she was his younger sister whom he had raised for many years. Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and analyzed for her, "The Hokage has many things to consider. You only see the plight of the Uchiha clan, but I see the fame the Uchiha have achieved and the threat of the Sharingan."
Haruko knew that the Sharingan was awakened by intense emotional fluctuations. This not only caused the Uchiha to continuously generate extreme thoughts and emotions, but also subtly influenced the obsession of their descendants with a certain direction.
Haruko argued logically, "If Konoha doesn't have prejudice against the Uchiha, the Uchiha will naturally be loyal to Konoha!"
"Sometimes, the Hokage isn't just someone who is loved and respected; they also have to be prepared to be slandered and cursed." Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't point out her naivety, but instead gave a vague answer.
This made Haruko hesitate for a moment. She clenched her fists and asked cautiously, "Will Hiruzen become a bad person in the future?"
Looking into her clear eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi still didn't say anything to appease the child, and earnestly replied, "In this world, the line between good and bad is blurred; there is no true white or true black."
"To lead Konoha to a better future, we need both a bright image and a hidden dark side."
"Sometimes, it is precisely because you sit in this position that you have a lot of thoughts. You need to think about all the hidden threats and the arrangements of the various clans again and again, and you may not be able to come up with the best solution in the end."
Haruko was puzzled. "If Hiruzen is being hesitant because of the Hokage's restrictions, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"
"Putting the cart before the horse...?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was struck by her words and remained silent for a long time.
Is it really because he was blinded by the Hokage, losing the ambition he had when he first took office, and instead becoming timid and hesitant for fear of making mistakes...?
Hiruzen Sarutobi still remembers the Second Hokage's death before he became Hokage. Young Haruko stopped him at the entrance as he rushed off to handle urgent business. How did he respond to her unease?
"The Hokage is inherently a righteous and selfless being."
After seeing Haruko off, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his hidden pipe and smoked it over and over again.
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