"It's me again, Lord Third."
Three days later.
Akaba finally finished updating thirty manga chapters and came to their usual meeting spot for review by The Third.
But before he could speak, The Third pointed at the chair and said, "Sit."
What the hell?
Akaba felt something was off. Thinking back over the past few days, he hadn't even had time to sleep in—let alone cause any trouble.
Whatever it is, I—
"The Hyūga clan has problems."
That single sentence made Akaba swallow his thoughts mid-sentence—the Hyūga issue might actually have something to do with him.
"What kind of problem?"
"You really have been busy these days."
The Branch Family marched along the streets toward the Main House, confronting them and negotiating terms. It was practically common knowledge among village civilians. Yet the next leader of the Sakuma clan didn't even know what was happening.
Unbelievable!
The Third mused briefly before explaining all the details he knew, while Akaba listened quietly.
In the end, Akaba's eyes widened in shock. "So only the Clan Leader isn't applying the Caged Bird seal? The head of the Branch Family sure is bold!"
If the Branch Family can't free themselves from the Caged Bird seals, then the elders of the Main House won't escape unscathed either.
No doubt about it—a top-tier water ghost.
Not only that.
Thinking deeper, wasn't the current Clan Leader effectively the tyrant emperor of the Hyūga clan?
Now truly an isolated monarch.
Rubbing his chin, Akaba said worriedly, "Hyuga Zuo isn't afraid that if he dies, those beneath him will rise up together and kill his descendants?"
"Hehehe..."
The Third gave a quiet, knowing chuckle, puffing on his pipe with an unreadable expression.
Akaba thought for a moment, then realized something—the Third knowing so much meant he must've already made his move beforehand.
If the Branch Family truly dared to take action, to protect the interests of the Main House, he would definitely support the Hyūga Main House without hesitation.
Of course, Hyūga Zuo must have paid some price.
Without being directly involved, Akaba couldn't confirm why Hyūga Yuki, the current leader of the Branch Family, chose this strategy, but it was certain that Hyūga Zuo's moves seemed well-prepared.
Now that's a ruthless bastard!
Still, if the Hyūga ever encountered a lazy or troublemaking Clan Leader, the whole clan might perish with him.
"Does he have any other plans?"
"Who knows? Maybe he wants to change the Hyūga clan and indeed has another plan. Or maybe he simply desires absolute power."
The Third finally couldn't hide his delight, a pleased smile spreading across his face.
What the Hyūga did indeed carried many risks, but the village controlling the Clan Leader was itself a kind of shackling restraint over the clan.
Besides, that guy Hyūga Zuo was highly calculating. Although he fell slightly short in this matter, he was skilled in taking advantage of circumstances. If he agreed to such a decision, he surely had his own reasoning deep within.
But for the village, with the Uchiha submitting and the Hyūga clan falling into line under the Hokage after their internal conflict,
With both powerful clans pledging loyalty, which other clan would dare resist?
Once every clan comes around, even facing a war, The Third still had confidence to fight it out.
With more bargaining chips in hand, it was no wonder he was feeling so joyful.
Thinking up to here, Akaba involuntarily fell into thought—should he let the old man enjoy himself for a day or two longer, leaving the manga update for another time?
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled as he took a puff from his pipe, then cast a glance at Akaba, noticing his concealed hand.
"What do you have there?"
"It's nothing much really, just the latest manga draft. There are some parts I found debatable and thought I'd bring it over for your review."
Akaba grinned and handed the manga to him.
Upon hearing that, Hiruzen's eyebrows immediately furrowed.
Last time he looked through it, the Hyuga clan went into chaos.
What sort of nonsense was this one bringing now?
Even as Hokage, his heart felt uneasy when accepting the thick stack, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
He placed his hand on the book, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did you bring this so I can enjoy watching myself die?"
"Uh, your perspective is quite unique."
Akaba was stunned, unable to tell whether Hiruzen was joking or serious. Didn't he work hard drawing thirty chapters? He created this just for the Hokage to preview his own "death"?
And importantly, it's even via Impure World Reincarnation!
He pointed at the manga, gesturing for Hiruzen to open it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his smoke, mentally prepared himself thoroughly before flipping open the pages.
Page one.
Nothing special, no different from usual. The plot was exactly as he predicted: Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha.
However,
Come to think of it, the Kazekage's behavior seemed somewhat strange.
Without giving it much thought, Hiruzen continued turning pages.
Jokes aside, since this kid brought it specifically for him, there must be significant issues in the comic. Otherwise with Akaba's personality, he would rather spend time sleeping than come here.
He quickly flipped through the fighting scenes until reaching where Gaara got injured and Kabuto activated Genjutsu. At last, he stopped right there.
[The plan has begun!]
He kept reading — Kabuto and the Kazekage moved in sync.
Something wasn't right; this wasn't really the Kazekage.
Hiruzen took a deep breath and turned the next page.
Sure enough, [Orochimaru – Manga Edition!]
Page after page.
Though merely manga content, witnessing his prized student's ruthless yet conflicted portrayal stirred something deep within him.
Had he failed to detect Orochimaru's intentions back then, allowing him to openly conduct experiments, would various factors eventually lead Orochimaru down the path shown in these illustrations?
Who could say?
The future had never been definable.
Hiruzen took another puff from his cigarette, almost choking himself. Yet the following chapter shocked him so much that his eyes nearly popped out, and he almost slammed his pipe against Akaba's head: "You damn brat! Why did you draw [Impure World Reincarnation] into this!"
"Calm down, sir. Please read further before scolding me."
Akaba sweatdropped while hastily pointing at the manga.
Although including [Impure World Reincarnation] wasn't ideal, according to the storyline, what came afterward was crucial.
Without such desperation circumstances, how could Hiruzen justify choosing this very method to end things?
"Do you understand the consequences once this technique gets exposed?"
Ignoring Akaba, Hiruzen continued berating while tapping his pipe rapidly against the table, clearly furious. Otherwise, he wouldn't risk damaging his beloved pipe.
Akaba slid both hands down his face.
At this point, Hiruzen was still swearing, spittle flying everywhere like an actual Multiple Shadow Clone made of saliva.
I really should've brought a mask with me today.
He blamed himself a little, realizing he was still too young and didn't think things through properly.
"Idiot, are you even listening?"
The Third swung his pipe straight at Akaba's head, though the latter dodged with a quick sidestep.
Akaba sighed helplessly. "Would you mind looking first? Let's talk about the [Impure World Reincarnation] after that, okay?"
"Hmph!"
The Third didn't respond, instead taking a puff from his pipe, which seemed to refresh him entirely.
He continued watching downward. He skipped over the children's battle entirely, fast-forwarding to scenes where he appeared.
Then he saw the Dead Demon Consuming Seal technique, and "himself" speaking those words:
"Even if you kill me, this pillar will never fall."
"The new Hokage who inherits my will shall become the next pillar, continuing to protect our home — Konoha!"
Following this, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal sealed away the First and Second before seizing Orochimaru.
The Third remained silent for a long time.
This time he didn't complain. Even though he died in the story, this ending deeply moved him.
Indeed.
From the First through the Second, and then from the Second to himself.
Even when one Hokage falls, another shall always rise. And each new Hokage would similarly protect Konoha and the Land of Fire.
That was the Will of Fire.
Page by page,
In the quiet atmosphere, the Third calmly watched the manga's story unfold.
Though what followed involved young ninja fighting, he still watched attentively — these Genin were Konoha's future.
Especially Naruto.
Sharing the same fate as Gaara, yet ultimately reaching completely different results.
Born in darkness, yearning for light.
In contrast stood Sasuke Uchiha — born into light, yet gradually walking toward darkness.
In these two characters, he saw reflections of Hashirama Senju and Madara.
Would people like them exist forty years later?
The Third picked up his pipe for a puff, only to find all the tobacco had been knocked loose onto the table earlier. He gave up with a sigh.
When Naruto defeated Gaara, the scene returned once more to Konoha.
The battle was nearing its end.
"Wherever leaves take flight, fire shall burn,
And in its shadow, new leaves shall turn."
On the rooftop, it seemed a solemn elegy echoed in the air.
For a moment, the Third seemed to hear mournful music, accompanied by vivid images.
The solemn elegy was part of Akaba's genjutsu.
The images depicted the Second sacrificing himself to cover their retreat.
Combined with the current manga plot, the Third couldn't help but feel tears welling up.
"Where Konoha's leaves dance, fire never dies — I believe this is what the First Hokage meant by naming our village and our leader."
Only after the Third finished watching did Akaba dare to speak.
He added no extra notes or annotations — everything had already been perfectly conveyed through the story itself.
"Yes, that's exactly the Will of Fire."
The Third seemed momentarily lost in thought before letting out a deep sigh.
While the [Impure World Reincarnation] technique was despicable, this battle had brought together the three Kage, jointly witnessing old branches wither while new leaves sprouted.
Like a sacred passing of the torch!
Should [Impure World Reincarnation] be condemned?
He found himself hesitating. Without the appearance of the First and Second Hokage, this story somehow lacked something essential.
However, this kind of technique...
"You should be worried about your ninjutsu being spied upon. Why not seal away the [Impure World Reincarnation] separately, and use half-true, half-false techniques as substitutes in the Scroll of Seals instead?" Akaba whispered.
"You brat, you really know how to give me trouble."
The Third sighed heavily.
It's a solid piece of work, no doubt about it—though it does bring its fair share of headaches.
He found it hard to make up his mind, yet he understood why Akaba had brought this many chapters all at once for approval. If there'd been just half this many, he'd have ripped Akaba a new one!
Additionally, an image of Orochimaru surfaced in The Third's mind.
[Impure World Reincarnation]...
Just like a snake shedding its skin. Thinking carefully about it, it indeed resembled Orochimaru's style.
I need to steer him in the right direction.
The Third thought inwardly.
If such a genius truly walked down a path that caused heartache, he would regret it endlessly.
After deep thought, he shut the volume and slid it toward Akaba.
Though no words had been spoken clearly, his meaning was already obvious—he had agreed.
"Thank you, sir."
Akaba took it, unable to help smiling aloud.
"Oh, by the way, the village plans to establish a Medical Team recently, heading to the border, the frontlines. You should prioritize organizing the Preparatory Division and developing Medical Ninjas. If there are promising talents, they must be properly guided and educated."
The Third mentioned another matter.
Akaba was taken aback—Medical Ninjas too?
Without overthinking, he asked directly: "Then who will be the instructor?"
"For now, take care of it yourself. I heard from Tsunade that your skill in Medical Jutsu is quite high. You even developed the Mystical Palm Technique, which rivals A-rank techniques. Even if your practical skills aren't perfect, theoretically you shouldn't have any problems."
Clearly, The Third had already made up his mind, planning all along to let Akaba take charge.
Akaba really wanted to decline, but glancing at the manga in his hand, he could only swallow back the words he wanted to say.
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