Chapter 178 Putting the cart before the horse

Asuma Sarutobi thought hard about this sentence. Was it rebellious yet understanding?

"I didn't expect you would be able to cheer others up." Sarutobi Asuma smiled with relief, "But thank you for listening to me anyway."

Seeing the gloom on his face disappear, Yuhi Kurenai was relieved, "We are Asuma's friends, this is what we should do!"

Haruko stretched out her finger and waved it in front of them. "To be precise, I'm Asuma's aunt and friend, so I'll charge you a friendship price for the psychological counseling this time~"

"What? It costs more money?!"

"Hahaha! Asuma's face is just as funny as Hiruzen's!"

*

Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting at his desk handling official business as usual, but today he started smoking his pipe early, as if he was suppressing his troubled emotions.

The scene he saw from the crystal ball that day was still vivid in his mind. The conversation between Haruko, Yuhi Kurenai and his son all fell into his ears. It was one thing to feel it yourself and another to hear it from other people's mouths.

So the strain on his relationship with Asuma has become so obvious...

dong dong dong-

There was a knock on the door.

Sarutobi Hiruzen came back to his senses, composed himself, and said, "Please come in."

The subordinate pushed open the door and walked into the office, reporting to him: "Hokage, Uchiha Haruko is here to see you."

Hearing that it was her, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly took off his pipe and hid it, and raised his hand to wave at the air, looking like a guilty thief.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his subordinates withdrew and led Haruko in.

Haruko ran over with her short legs, "Hiruzen!"

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was surprised, his tone was unable to conceal his excitement, and he teased her, "Haruko, do you still have time to come and see me?"

"It's Hiruzen who's busy, but you're blaming me for not coming to see you..."

Haruko curled her lips, ran to the high stool aside, dragged it and sat down next to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed and stroked his beard, "Doesn't this just prove that I miss Haruko very much?"

Haruko stared at him for a few seconds, and after his laughter faded, she slowly spoke: "Did Hiruzen miss Asuma then?"

"Why are you suddenly mentioning Asuma?" Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his eyebrows, probably guessing the purpose of her visit this time.

Haruko didn't care and said straight to the point: "Huruzen is too busy with work and doesn't pay more attention to Asuma. As his aunt, I must seek justice for him!"

Being amused by her, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked her, "So how do you want to get justice for him?"

Haruko first asked, "Does the Hokage have no holidays?"

"Indeed, there is not. There are too many things that need to be dealt with, and there are some things that can only be arranged in person." Sarutobi Hiruzen did not lie. Especially with the recent turmoil in the surrounding countries, Konoha had to be vigilant.

"But there are many things that need a father to deal with." Haruko looked into his calm eyes and continued, "Besides, Asuma doesn't need much care. Konoha won't be destroyed anytime soon if it's left there!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not immediately convinced by her words, and replied in a vague manner: "It's time for Asuma to grow up."

Knowing that he had his own decision, Haruko didn't say much. After all, this was the relationship between them, father and son.

But...the father's silence and the son's rebelliousness are both signs of running away from home and the breakup of the family!

Haruko still felt that it would be more useful for her to send some of Obito's clothes and food to Asuma 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. I see that everyone is very happy!"

"Really? It's all thanks to you." Sarutobi Hiruzen touched her head lovingly.

"If it weren't for me, Hiruzen knew that this was all due to their hard work." Haruko seemed to be puzzled as to why he wanted to take all the credit for her, and continued, "Besides... Hiruzen probably doesn't like Uchiha, right?"

Unexpectedly, she pointed this out directly. Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude calmed down a little, "It's not that I don't like it, but a Hokage should remain neutral and should not be biased towards any clan."

"But the villagers in Konoha don't welcome the Uchiha!" After all, Haruko is just a child, and she seems anxious when she encounters the injustice happening around her family.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not respond directly, but asked her: "Are you actually here to seek justice for the Uchiha?"

Feeling discouraged by his look, Haruko shook her head and then nodded, "Since we are here, just report all the problems to the Hokage."

Hearing her calling "Hokage-sama", Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that she was now talking to him as a member of the Uchiha clan and a villager of Konoha.

After all, she is the sister he has raised for many years. Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and explained to her, "The Hokage has many things that he has to consider. You only see what happened to the Uchiha clan, but I see the fame that the Uchiha has achieved and the threat of the Sharingan."

Haruko knew that the Sharingan was activated by strong emotional fluctuations. This not only caused the continuous generation of extreme thoughts and emotions among the Uchiha, but also subtly influenced the future generations' paranoia in a certain direction.

Haruko argued: "If Konoha doesn't have prejudice against Uchiha, Uchiha will naturally treat Konoha sincerely!"

"Sometimes a Hokage is not just someone who is loved and respected, but also has to be prepared to be slandered and cursed." Sarutobi Hiruzen did not point out her naivety, but instead gave a vague answer.

This made Haruko hesitate. She clenched her fists and asked cautiously, "Will Hiruzen become a bad guy in the future?"

Looking into her clear eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen still did not say anything perfunctory to the child, and responded to her seriously: "In this world, the line between good and bad people is blurred. There is no real white or real black."

"To lead Konoha to a better future, you need both a bright image and an unknown dark side."

"Sometimes, it is precisely because I sit in this position that I have so many thoughts. I need to think over and over again about all the hidden threats and arrangements of the various clans, and I may not even be able to think of the best solution in the end."

Haruko was puzzled. "If Hiruzen is hesitant because of the Hokage's restrictions, then isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

"Putting the cart before the horse...?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was struck by her words and remained speechless for a long time.

Could it be that he was blinded by the Hokage and lost the ambition he had when he first ascended the throne? Instead, he became hesitant because he was afraid of making mistakes...

Sarutobi Hiruzen still remembered that before he became Hokage, the Second Hokage passed away. The young Haruko stopped him at the entrance when he was rushing to handle urgent official business. How did he respond to her anxiety?

"Hokage is a righteous and selfless being."

After sending Haruko away, Sarutobi Hiruzen took out his hidden pipe and smoked it again and again.