Hiruzen was engrossed in his paperwork, as always, but he couldn't shake his thoughts from the Uchiha massacre and his friend's betrayal.

'Danzo, I thought we were brothers. How could you fall so low? How can I face this kid now?'

His initial impulse was to execute Danzo for treason, but after a discussion, he couldn't bring himself to do it. While he removed him from the council and disbanded the Root, Hiruzen knew it wouldn't be enough.

'First Orochimaru and now Danzo. I keep making mistakes by being too lenient. I am not suitable to be Hokage anymore…'

Hiruzen awaited Sasuke's awakening. After his conversation with Itachi, he promised to protect the young boy from Danzo. He had prepared a speech to instill the will of fire in Sasuke, unaware that the boy would fall into a coma for a week.

'Itachi, you overdid it. You broke your own brother. If this boy is broken, my speech and motivations would be useless. He would be too fixated on his hate and revenge, becoming a liability to the village,' he thought.

A voice interrupted his thoughts, and a turtle-masked ANBU appeared.

"Hokage-sama, the Uchiha boy has awakened," the ANBU reported.

"Let's go," Hiruzen replied.

Hiruzen entered the hospital room, dismissing everyone. He observed Sasuke, who returned his gaze with determination.

"Hokage-sama," the boy said, attempting to rise to greet him.

Hiruzen halted him with a gesture. "Sasuke, please relax. This is not necessary."

Sasuke nodded and lay back down.

"Sasuke, I know this is difficult for you, but I need a detailed report of what happened. I understand it was your brother's doing, but I need more details."

Sasuke locked eyes with him, and Hiruzen felt exposed. Despite the discomfort, he continued to gaze at the boy.

"Itachi…" Sasuke began, his voice full of hatred, his eyes turning crimson.

Hiruzen was shocked. "Itachi, your brother is also a prodigy, obtaining the Sharingan at 7 years old," he thought.

After a pause, Sasuke continued. "Itachi said he decided to test himself. He killed Shisui to awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan. He told me to kill my best friend to awaken the same eyes and then face him."

Hiruzen's expression shifted through various emotions, from shock to realization.

'Itachi, you idiot. You want to turn this kid into an avenger and make him kill you to absolve yourself of guilt. How am I supposed to protect your brother if he goes around killing his teammates?' Hiruzen pondered.

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"Sasuke," Hiruzen began, but the boy interrupted.

"Don't worry, Hokage-sama. I don't plan to follow the steps of this beast. I will forge my own path to power. Hokage-sama, you are the strongest in the village without a kekkei genkai. I plan to follow your path, not the path of my insane brother. However, I have some questions."

Hiruzen marveled at the maturity of this 7-year-old Uchiha.

'What's wrong with the Uchiha kids? This boy is supposed to be 7 years old and already possesses such clarity and wisdom. It seems the shock has matured him immediately. The more genius he is, the more I have to protect him from Danzo. Shit,' Hiruzen thought.

"You can ask me anything, Sasuke," Hiruzen said.

"Why didn't the village protect my clan?" Sasuke inquired.

Hiruzen wasn't prepared for this question. "Sasuke, your brother was too fast. Your clan is located on the outskirts of the village. As soon as the ANBU were notified, it was already too late," Hiruzen explained.

Sasuke locked eyes with his Sharingan, sending a chill down Hiruzen's spine.

'This boy, I hope he won't be too smart for his own good,' Hiruzen thought.

"I am disappointed in you and the village, Hokage-sama. My clan is one of the co-founders of our village, and now we are almost extinct. Wasn't the village supposed to protect us better?" Sasuke pressed.

Hiruzen found himself in a difficult position, ready for a Will of Fire speech but facing a genius with serious questions.

Hiruzen sighed. "The village was well-prepared for external enemies, but it seems we weren't ready for an internal attack from a ninja of Itachi's caliber."

Sasuke thought for a moment and replied, "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, before seven years, we suffered from the Kyubi attack. Wasn't our village supposed to take precautions to avoid something like this from happening again? If I were the leader of an enemy village, after these incidents, I would think that Konoha is an easy target."

'This kid knows how to throw punches. The problem is that I can't tell him the truth,' Hiruzen thought.

"You're right, Sasuke. We should have been more prepared, and this situation is partly my fault," Hiruzen admitted.

Hiruzen expected anger from the boy, but Sasuke maintained his resolute expression.

"Hokage-sama, I don't blame you. It was my brother who killed my clan, not you. I understand that you've reached an age where it's difficult to control everything. You retired years ago and returned because the village failed to produce a capable successor. With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I can't trust the future of the village, my clan's heritage, in the hands of people I don't trust, even if you have the best of intentions. I have decided to become Hokage. Please tell me the criteria I should meet to replace you."

Once again, Hiruzen was shocked, reaching his limit.

'This kid saw through me completely. And he wants to protect the village because he views it as his clan's heritage. This is the best possible scenario for me. Hahahaha, I can't believe it. I was searching for a successor for so many years, and now in the least probable place, I found a genius Uchiha. This is a dream. However, I shouldn't let myself be so happy yet.

Firstly, I need Inoichi to check this kid. He seems strong, but the trauma from Itachi was huge. I cannot take risks; I need him healthy. I also need to keep his need for revenge under control. It seems that his desire to restore his clan is stronger, and I need to encourage that and keep it this way. I will give him his revenge as a mission when he is ready. Moreover, when Danzo finds out that I want to make an Uchiha Hokage, he will react badly. I need to make sure to protect the child. Finally, I need to carefully watch his progress and guide him. He is a genius, but that is not enough to reach my level.'

After several minutes of Hiruzen contemplating and Sasuke awaiting his reply, Hiruzen broke the silence.

"Sasuke, there are no specific criteria for the Hokage position. The position is usually given to a ninja with exceptional leadership, strength, and dedication to the village. However, as Hokage, I will give you a mission. This mission will be an S-rank, with multiple steps, and it will take you several years to complete."

A smile broke out on Sasuke's face.