Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

In the meeting hall, Tsunade glared daggers at Danzo.

Danzo, however, remained perfectly calm, completely unmoved.

"Tsunade, sit down!" the Third Hokage said, his brow furrowed. "Whatever you may think of him, Danzo is still your elder. Do not take it too far."

"That's right," Mitokado Homura added. "It wouldn't hurt to let Danzo finish what he has to say before you lose your temper."

"Fine! Let's just see what nonsense he can possibly spew!" Tsunade sat down, fuming.

"Danzo, please continue."

Danzo nodded and spoke slowly. "I was on site when Nawaki lost control, so I am well aware of why it happened. It was nothing more than the fear of death, which made him willingly accept the Nine-Tails' power."

"And what of it? Did you want Nawaki to simply give up and die?" Tsunade shot back. "Besides, Nawaki had already lost consciousness at that point! It was the Nine-Tails that took advantage of the opening!"

"While his actions this time might be excusable, there's no guarantee it won't happen again, and again after that. Having been corrupted by the Nine-Tails' terrifying power, I am personally skeptical that Nawaki is still qualified to bear the heavy burden of being its Jinchuriki."

"Danzo does have a point," Utatane Koharu said with a nod. "Nawaki is still too young and inexperienced to serve as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki."

"But where are we supposed to find another suitable candidate right now?"

"Konoha is a large village. It's impossible that there isn't a single suitable person!"

"So, how do you propose we find them? Test people one by one? Even Nawaki, who was approved by Lady Mito herself, couldn't handle it. How many others could possibly be qualified?"

Listening on the side, Tsunade's anger boiled over. In their eyes, Nawaki was nothing more than a container for the Nine-Tails—one that could be casually replaced if it wasn't working properly.

"Enough. There's no need to debate this point," the Third Hokage declared. "Unless it is the absolute last resort, I will not approve a change of Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails! Lady Mito once told me that once a Tailed Beast is extracted from its Jinchuriki, the host will soon die."

"What? Is that true?" Everyone present was stunned.

Only Tsunade already knew. She had witnessed the process of Mito Uzumaki transferring the Nine-Tails with her own eyes.

If she'd had any choice in the matter, she never would have wanted Nawaki to bear this fate.

"Regarding Nawaki's situation, Tsunade," the Third instructed, "you will be in charge of his psychological treatment. You must confirm that his mind has not been tainted by the Nine-Tails' chakra."

"Yes, sir!"

"Furthermore, the environment Nawaki has been in is far too comfortable. From now on, I will arrange more missions to temper him. I hope he can mature as quickly as possible."

"Missions to temper him? I cannot agree to that!" Utatane Koharu objected. "Now that Nawaki's identity has been exposed, I believe he should be kept in a more secure location to prevent the enemy from succeeding again!"

"Indeed, I agree with Koharu. Konoha truly cannot afford another incident," Mitokado Homura said.

"Hiruzen, let Nawaki join Root."

Danzo interjected at the opportune moment. "Root is more than secure. There, he can receive my rigorous training alongside others his age. His development will not be hindered."

"Join Root?" The Third Hokage murmured, hesitating.

"No way! I will not hand Nawaki over to someone like you," Tsunade flatly refused.

"Nawaki is a genin of Konoha. He must follow the Hokage's arrangements, not yours." Danzo's eye opened slightly. "Princess Tsunade, I've been meaning to say this for some time. You are far too willful, acting as if the village's rules don't apply to you."

"You bastard!"

"That's enough!" The Third Hokage slammed his hand on the table, putting a stop to the argument.

He looked between Danzo and Tsunade and spoke slowly. "Nawaki's importance is too great. The strength of Root alone is insufficient to guarantee his protection. Therefore, he will be handed over to the Anbu for training. I will arrange for Yuma to personally instruct him."

Sarutobi Yuma, the Third Hokage's eldest son, was currently serving as an Anbu squad captain. By having his own son teach Nawaki, the Third was making his stance clear.

"If that's the case, I have no objections," Tsunade said with a nod.

Danzo took a deep, silent breath and nodded as well.

As if to console Danzo, the Third added, "Additionally, just in case Nawaki truly does lose control again, we need to have a method of suppressing the Tailed Beast's chakra."

"Orochimaru, Danzo, I'm entrusting this mission to the two of you. Develop such a method as quickly as possible. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Tsunade," the Third said again. "The battlefield in the Land of Wind is in dire need of your medical ninjutsu. Settle things with Nawaki as soon as you can, then head to the front lines to provide support."

"Yes, sir!" Tsunade let out a slow breath, feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

"Right, there's one more thing. That boy, Kaito. What are your thoughts on him?"

"In less than three years, he'll be another Hanzo," Orochimaru said, giving Kaito the highest possible praise without a hint of reservation.

"Another Hanzo?"

The two advisors looked shocked, while the Third Hokage calmly took a drag from his pipe.

"It seems you two have a good relationship. Can you persuade him to join Konoha?"

"To be honest, it would be difficult," Orochimaru said. "His mind is not as naive as his appearance suggests. Getting him to genuinely accept and identify with Konoha will be very, very hard. After all, he holds a significant prejudice against ninja."

"Is that so?" The Third exhaled a cloud of smoke. "It doesn't matter if he won't join Konoha. Strive to make him our ally. If his goal is to pursue peace, then his objective aligns with ours."

"Orochimaru, Tsunade, the two of you are to foster a good relationship with him. Guide him as best you can, and don't let him stray onto the wrong path."

"Yes, sir."

Nearby, Danzo narrowed his eyes, his face an unreadable mask, already scheming.

After the meeting ended, Tsunade dragged her exhausted body to the hospital.

Before entering the room, she forced herself to rally her spirits, pulling the door open with a brilliant smile.

"Nawaki, I'm here!"

"Sis." Lying on the bed, wrapped up like a mummy with only his two eyes showing, Nawaki sounded happy.

"How are you today? Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

Tsunade sat in the chair by his bed and placed her hands on his chest, a green light glowing from her palms. "Let me take a good look."

After a moment, she withdrew her hands. "Hmm, you're recovering well. You should be able to get the bandages off tomorrow."

"Really?" Nawaki's enthusiasm seemed low.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked softly, "I accidentally overheard some people talking... Sis, did I do something wrong? Back then... would it have been better if I had just died?"

"Nawaki, what are you talking about?" Tsunade flicked him on the forehead, making him cry out in pain.

"Listen to me. Surviving back then was the best possible outcome for you, for me, and for Konoha."

"But..."

"No buts. If you don't want something like that to happen again, then you need to train hard."

"Yeah!"