Chapter 59 – The Will of Fire? Yeah, Right.
After asking countless questions about the mission itself, the Third Hokage shifted the conversation. He wanted to know how Nan's time with Tsunade had been. How much had he learned? How close was he to matching her level?
On the surface, Nan answered modestly. But in truth, his medical knowledge far surpassed what most of this world's shinobi could even dream of.
In his previous life, he had spent more than a decade immersed in study, work, and practice. His foundation in diagnosis and treatment already exceeded any medic-nin in the shinobi world. What he had lacked, however, were the specialized medical techniques unique to this reality.
That shortcoming had been erased over the past month of studying under Tsunade. He had absorbed her advanced medical knowledge like a sponge, filling every gap.
If he were being honest, Nan now had more than Tsunade's full ability—perhaps twelve tenths of it. In other words, he was currently Konoha's strongest medical ninja.
Of course, he could never say such a thing. Nobody would believe him, and even if they did, it would be too shocking. He hadn't even shown his full skill in front of Tsunade herself.
So he told the Hokage this instead:
"I've learned nearly all of Lady Tsunade's techniques. But medical ninjutsu isn't like destructive jutsu that you simply unleash without thinking about the aftermath. The true difficulty lies in how you apply the techniques to each individual case.
What I lack is experience in adapting them to real patients. Right now, I'd say I've reached maybe seventy to eighty percent of my teacher's level."
Hiruzen's face lit with praise. To be at seventy or eighty percent of Tsunade already—at such a young age! It was astonishing. With time, perhaps Nan would surpass even her.
Mentioning Tsunade reminded Nan of something else. He relayed Tsunade's request to keep Shizune by her side. Hiruzen accepted without objection. He understood Tsunade's motives: Shizune was her lover's last living relative in this world. And besides, staying with a master like Tsunade would only help Shizune grow. When she returned to Konoha, the village would gain yet another skilled medic.
With business concluded, the Third Hokage shifted to lighter conversation. But even in casual talk, his real intent showed. The more Nan impressed him, the more firmly Hiruzen envisioned him as a future Hokage candidate.
So he began trying to instill the "Will of Fire."
He spoke at length, like a salesman repeating the same slogans again and again:
"Wherever there is Konoha, the Will of Fire burns."
"The shadow of the fire shines upon the village, protecting all its people."
Nan nearly rolled his eyes. He had heard all this before when he watched the anime in his previous life, and he was certain the old man had already said the same things to him earlier.
And indeed, he was right—this was Hiruzen's method. He used repetition to carve the concept of the Will of Fire deep into the minds of his chosen students. He had done it to his own disciples, and to Minato. Only those who carried that will could he entrust with Konoha's future.
Nan understood exactly what the Hokage was trying to do, and inwardly sighed. So this is where Orochimaru learned his tricks. Say a bunch of useless nonsense a thousand times, and eventually it sounds profound.
At least Orochimaru had improved on the formula—Hiruzen's words had bounced right off him, while Orochimaru had gone on to successfully manipulate plenty of others. Just look at the Sound Four, Kimimaro, Kabuto…
Meanwhile, Nan himself was simply waiting for his reward.
The Hokage had always been generous before—he'd even given him access to the Flying Thunder God. Surely, bringing back the antidote would earn him something even greater.
But as the conversation wound to a close, Hiruzen never mentioned a reward at all. Nan was left puzzled. Did the old man suddenly turn stingy?
In truth, Hiruzen was struggling. By rights, he should reward Nan again. But the Flying Thunder God had already been an enormous gift. This mission was technically just the completion of that earlier task, so it didn't feel appropriate to pile on even more.
Besides, Nan already had too many techniques. Hiruzen honestly didn't know what else to give him.
What reassured him, however, was that Nan never once brought up the idea of a reward. That alone warmed the Hokage's heart.
To him, it showed Nan's noble selflessness. If only every shinobi in the village had this kind of spirit.
Still, Hiruzen felt uneasy about sending him away empty-handed. After much thought, he decided on something simple: rest.
"You've worked hard these past weeks," Hiruzen said at last. "Take a few days off and get some proper rest. Thanks to the antidote you brought back, we'll soon have enough medics to fill the gaps. After a short while, I'll assign you your next mission."
Nan quickly protested that he wasn't tired in the slightest—full of energy, blood boiling, ready to dash back onto the battlefield at any time.
But this time, the Third Hokage only shook his head.
"People aren't machines. Only with proper rest can one truly perform at their best. Go back and take a few days off."
Even Nan's little ploy of acting reluctant so he'd be rewarded more fell flat. Realizing there was no way to squeeze any benefit out of this, he could only feign gratitude, plaster on a bright smile, and cheerfully accept the Hokage's "kindness."
He left the office grinning. But the moment he stepped outside, his expression darkened instantly.
Inside, he was cursing up a storm. Muttering under his breath, he stalked away from the Hokage building:
"The so-called Will of Fire, my ass. Stingy old man. No wonder his three students ended up gambling, whoring, and going rogue. No wonder Orochimaru defected. With this half-baked 'Will of Fire,' what the hell is there for me to inherit?"
Fortunately, his voice was too low for anyone to hear.
---
Back inside the office, Hiruzen's expression had shifted as well.
Just as Nan suspected, their mission had been extremely confidential. Only a handful of elders besides Hiruzen himself had been informed.
For Sunagakure to have intercepted Nan's movements, someone in Konoha must have leaked the intel.
Elders Homura and Koharu, while often biased against the Uchiha, wouldn't go this far. Which left only one possibility: Danzo.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"Seems I'll have to give Danzo a little… reminder. He needs to know who truly leads this village."
---
Elsewhere, the man in question had already been informed of Nan's return. Danzo's network of spies within the Hokage building was extensive, and news of Nan reached him almost immediately.
"Worthless Sunagakure trash," he muttered coldly. "I hand them the information, and they can't even eliminate a mere Uchiha boy. Pathetic."
Hiruzen and Nan's suspicions were correct—Danzo had indeed been the one to leak Nan's whereabouts.
Originally, he had considered sending Root to deal with Nan directly. But Nan had spent nearly all his time under Tsunade's protection, and no good opportunity ever presented itself.
Then came word that Suna was already planning to move against the mysterious ninja who had nullified Chiyo's new poison. Danzo saw his chance.
Why not kill two birds with one stone? He passed Nan's movements and the mission details to Suna through their spy network.
Suna, desperate to eliminate whoever had countered their poison, would certainly do everything in their power to destroy Nan. If they succeeded, Danzo's hands would remain clean.
Everything had gone according to plan. He even ordered his agents to shadow Nan, so that the moment he separated from Tsunade, his exact position could be sent to Suna.
But to his irritation, the plan had failed. Suna's shinobi hadn't been able to finish Nan off. Danzo had no idea that Nan had mastered the Flying Thunder God—if he had known, his urgency would have doubled. A shinobi with that jutsu wasn't someone easily erased.
Now, Danzo sat in thought, already plotting his next move to remove Nan. But before he could decide, a Root operative rushed in with news.
"Lord Danzo, a summons has come from the Hokage's office. The Third wishes to see you."
Danzo's eyes narrowed. Of course. His little maneuver hadn't been perfectly hidden—Hiruzen was bound to notice sooner or later.
If Nan had died, it would have been a fait accompli. Hiruzen might have suspected, but without proof, there'd be nothing he could do.
But Nan hadn't died. Which complicated matters.
Suppressing his annoyance, Danzo rose. He had no choice but to face the Hokage.