The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

Ninjutsu High Academy – Classroom

Back row, by the window. A king's rightful place.

Sunlight slanted in through the window panes, falling softly across the last row of desks. Sasuke Uchiha rested his chin in one hand while absently prodding a strange, spiral-marked fruit on his desk with the other.

A Devil Fruit.

Beside it lay a scroll written by their teacher, Orochimaru, detailing its origin and effects.

It was said to grant incredible power in an instant. On paper, Sasuke should have accepted it without hesitation.

But the explanation was... suspicious.

What kind of note says, "Tastes worse than crap. Just endure it."

Did whoever wrote this actually know what that tasted like?

The scroll claimed it was a Zoan-type Ancient Devil Fruit. It could greatly enhance physical strength and provide powerful transformation states. That all sounded promising.

But then Sasuke noticed one line.

Tier 2.

Tier 2? Was that all he was worth?

Was Sasuke Uchiha, of all people, only good enough for a second-rate fruit?

"What's that, Sasuke? Looks weird," said Naruto, barging over with his usual lack of volume control. The others started crowding around too, curious about the strange, unfamiliar fruit on his desk.

Sasuke rubbed his chin, answering calmly, "It's a Devil Fruit. Supposedly a gift from the Hokage to the Uchiha clan, in recognition of our generations of loyalty."

Naruto lifted it into the sunlight and squinted. "Still looks weird."

"Ew, says here it's 'worse than crap.'" Sakura had already picked up the scroll.

"It's not actual crap," Sasuke muttered, exasperated.

Lee, always striving for self-improvement, looked over with admiration. If he had something like that, he'd be unstoppable. Why couldn't I be born into a loyal lineage too? he wondered.

Neji activated his Byakugan to inspect the fruit. He saw nothing particularly special inside.

"Sasuke-kun"

A silky, almost snakelike voice slid through the room. No one had noticed Orochimaru leaning against the doorframe until now.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you," he said with a smile, walking into the room.

The whole class fell into an uneasy silence. All eyes turned to their eccentric, enigmatic guest teacher, eager to hear his thoughts.

"Logia and Mythical Zoan types are the truly rare ones," Orochimaru said, slowly trailing a pale finger across the fruit's skin. "This one will strengthen your body… but."

"But with only one chance to eat a Devil Fruit in your life, Sasuke, you deserve something better."

Sasuke's pupils narrowed slightly.

"Why not let me study it first?" Orochimaru added with a growing smile. "Konoha has just finalized a partnership with the Whitebeard Kingdom. There will definitely be more suitable fruits available soon. When the time comes, I'll help you apply."

"Too obvious!" the whole class groaned in unison.

Still, Sasuke found Orochimaru's words convincing. Unlike the others, he and Orochimaru shared more than a teacher-student bond they had a real apprenticeship. He'd even signed the Ryūchi Cave summoning contract.

And now that he thought about it… if this fruit were really that great, why wasn't it given to Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's orphaned son?

Surely the legacy of the Fourth outweighed a "loyal family line."

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

"…Fine."

Meanwhile, Whitebeard was settling into his private residence a specially designed, oversized convalescent facility built just for him. After receiving treatment, he gave Tsunade's medical skills the highest praise, claiming he had never encountered a doctor of her caliber in his entire life.

While touring the village, he also commended the governance of the current Hokage, stating flatly that Konoha was a hundred times better than Wano. He even said he wished his brother Oden had been able to study here back in the day.

The Hokage politely replied that Whitebeard was too kind, that the Whitebeard Pirates were now one of Konoha's most important allies, and that any request he had during recovery would be granted.

In return, Whitebeard offered his own token of goodwill.

"I've got nothing to do while I rest. I saw Itachi gathering material on Haki earlier. If you'd like, I could give a little instruction."

How could the Hokage pass up such a gift?

He immediately reassigned three students from the taijutsu class.

"Lee, Neji, Tenten," said Hiruzen solemnly, "treasure this opportunity to train with Lord Whitebeard. He is known across the seas as the world's strongest man. His very aura can split the sky. Learn everything you can."

The trio looked up at the nearly 7-meter-tall giant before them, their hearts burning with motivation. So the Hokage wasn't playing favorites with Team 7 after all!

They had the Legendary Sannin. Now Team 9 had the world's strongest man!

Still, concern crept in as they exchanged glances.

"…Is Guy-sensei being sent off to war again?" Neji finally asked.

Hiruzen shook his head immediately. "It's not war. It's a counterterrorism operation."

Whitebeard rubbed his beard and looked down at Hiruzen with a grin.

"Don't worry. At the very least, I'll make sure these three kids grasp the basics of Haki."

Hiruzen bowed in thanks.

"If the situation escalates," Whitebeard added, "I'll help. Konoha has done a lot for us. We won't forget it."

"You're too generous," Hiruzen replied. "We accepted the commission. It's our duty to fulfill it. You've already paid for our service."

Konoha had its professional standards. They would never hold favors over someone just because they'd been paid. If every client who hired Konoha's shinobi owed them a life debt, they'd be drowning in karma.

Whitebeard just laughed. "Then I suppose your medical care is another favor on top of that."

Dealing with honorable people like him was a pleasure.

Hiruzen laughed too. "Just your presence in the village brings comfort."

Whitebeard nodded, thinking to himself that this Hokage was just as charismatic as Ace said.

"Grow up quickly, Naruto."

Ichiraku Ramen.

Jiraiya slurped his noodles, looking at Naruto with a rare solemnity.

Naruto stuffed his face with noodles, chased it with a gulp of broth, and looked up. "What's with you today, Pervy Sage? You're acting weird."

Jiraiya set down his chopsticks, a rare melancholy in his eyes.

"It's nothing. Just that… I've got a long-overdue sparring match with a former student coming up. Feeling a bit conflicted."

Naruto tilted his head. "Wait, you have other students?"

"Yeah. In the Hidden Rain," Jiraiya murmured. Both Nagato and Minato had once been candidates for the Child of Prophecy. Both had met tragic ends.

And Naruto… what would his fate be?

Seeing Naruto's puzzled look, Jiraiya added, "They went down the wrong path. Became villains."

Naruto was quiet for a moment, then said, "Then let's set them straight. I'll help, Pervy Sage."

Leave it to the youngest disciple to be the most sincere.

Jiraiya laughed, heart lightened. "You're right, Naruto."

"But you'll need to get stronger first if you want to help me."

Naruto chugged the rest of his ramen broth in one go and shouted:

"I'll train with everything I've got!"

With everyone in place, the mobilization was complete.

The march toward the Hidden Rain… was about to begin.

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