Hearing Yato's words, the two men felt their hearts sink.
Sarutobi Tsuru hastily added, "It's just a minor matter, not worth troubling Lord Yato."
There was no helping it—Sarutobi Hiruzen, as current head of the Sarutobi clan and reigning Hokage, had thoroughly briefed them on Yato's... "capabilities."
When he first became Hokage, Hiruzen had even considered taking Yato as his student.
Though Hiruzen was a cunning old fox,
this was during his prime, when his abilities and Chakra reserves peaked.
Confident in his own power and unafraid of the Uchiha Clan's threats, he didn't view the young Yato as particularly troublesome.
After all, Yato's talent and strength were undeniable.
Despite the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's disdain for the Uchiha, he still showed some leniency toward geniuses.
Otherwise, given Yato's actions during Tobirama's reign, he would've been secretly executed long ago rather than surviving to this day.
Thus, Hiruzen had genuinely contemplated taking Yato as his pupil.
If Tobirama could select Uchiha Kagami for his personal guard,
it stood to reason Hiruzen could choose Yato as his student—a move that might even earn the Uchiha Clan's goodwill.
But Uchiha Yato wanted no part of it.At that time, Sarutobi Hiruzen himself was stunned—his prestigious offer to take on a disciple as the Third Hokage had actually been rejected.
The matter escalated to the point where Jiraiya even went out of his way to ask Uchiha Yato why.
As another troublemaking enthusiast, he certainly couldn't miss such an interesting incident.
The fact that the esteemed Third Hokage's offer to mentor someone had been rejected not only shocked the higher-ups of the Hidden Leaf but also left the Uchiha Clan utterly bewildered.
Naturally, someone had to ask Uchiha Yato why he refused the Third Hokage.
Yato's answer was simple and straightforward:
"Lord Third Hokage has already been working tirelessly since taking office. Teaching me would only waste his energy."
"Moreover, the Third Hokage isn't just my Hokage—he belongs to the entire Hidden Leaf Village. I can't selfishly take up his time for my own sake."
As he spoke, Uchiha Yato even squeezed out two tears, putting on a deeply sorrowful performance.
He perfectly embodied the sentiment of sacrificing personal gain for the greater good.
This moved the Third Hokage, who had been secretly watching through his Telescope Technique, to tears.
Finally, Yato concluded with:
"Where the leaves of the Hidden Leaf dance, the flames of the Will of Fire will never die."
"Lord Third Hokage guides us with sincerity, and we are deeply moved. That's why I can't impose on his time."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was so moved that the very next day, he insisted on taking Uchiha Yato as his disciple no matter what.
Yet, within a month, it was Hiruzen who gave up first.
First of all, even Hiruzen himself couldn't deny that Uchiha Yato was an excellent inheritor of the Will of Fire.
However, as the Hokage, Hiruzen had very little free time—but Yato's talent was simply too overwhelming.
He could master any basic Ninjutsu after seeing it performed no more than three times.
In an attempt to make learning more challenging for Yato, Hiruzen even resorted to his signature technique—Combination Ninja Techniques.
After demonstrating it twice, Yato still couldn't replicate it, giving Hiruzen a rare opportunity to actually teach him.
But within three days, Yato had already mastered a simple wind-fire combination technique.
He even named it the "Wildfire Spread Technique."
The effects were astonishing—it could unleash a massive firestorm over an extensive area.
This technique's power even surpassed Uchiha Madara's "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation"—something Madara himself admitted.
Madara, who had been watching Hidden Leaf broadcasts nonstop through his White Zetsu-brand television, was particularly fond of the famous host Uchiha Yato.
That day, when Yato used the "Wildfire Spread Technique" at the Uchiha training grounds, Madara's White Zetsu TV happened to capture and broadcast it live.
The experience was so immersive that Madara himself felt the scorching heat.
He nearly retaliated with his own "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation," but alas, the two could only stare at each other through the screen.
Unaware of the truth, the people of the Hidden Leaf, especially the Uchiha and Sarutobi clans—both renowned for their Fire Release techniques—hailed this as the most powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu in the village.
This left Sarutobi Hiruzen both deeply impressed and utterly exhausted."He's truly too clever, surpassing his master in skill!"
But such good times didn't last long.
After being a good boy for just five days, Uchiha Yato's first victim was Jiraiya.
Lechery being Jiraiya's trademark, Uchiha Yato led the Military Police Force along with borrowed Hyuga clan members to surround the women's bathhouse Jiraiya was peeping at - sealing it off layer upon layer both inside and out.
This caused Jiraiya to make a complete fool of himself in front of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
Incidents like these were countless—137 times caught in just half a month.
If it weren't for the fact that only the Uchiha and Hyuga witnessed it, Jiraiya would probably be on the blacklist of every woman in the Hidden Leaf by now.
During this period, it wasn't just Jiraiya who suffered—another unlucky soul was Orochimaru.
Two of his labs within the Hidden Leaf and two more in the outskirts were all exposed by Uchiha Yato leading a group.
Though everything that needed to be dealt with was handled, some things still ended up being made public to some extent.
Even Shimura Danzo was dragged into the mess. Reluctantly, two scapegoats from the higher-ups of the Hokage were pushed forward to take the fall for these disgraceful matters.
Due to Uchiha Yato's exceptional troublemaking skills, all three of the Sannin and the remaining three of the Hidden Leaf's F4 complained to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
They demanded Uchiha Yato be transferred out of the Hidden Leaf. It was only then that Sarutobi Hiruzen realized just how terrifying Yato's ability to stir up trouble was.
Would you believe Orochimaru's lab, hidden behind a Hidden Leaf restroom, was discovered by Uchiha Yato while he was just using the toilet?
This led to Uchiha Yato being assigned an A-rank mission, keeping him away from the Hidden Leaf for several months.
As a result, the major ninja clans involved in this turmoil began warning their members not to associate with Uchiha Yato.
…
Back to the present, Sarutobi Katsuya and Hyuga Hakuya had long set aside their earlier unpleasantness, uniting against their common enemy—Uchiha Yato.
Both declared they would make peace immediately, calling it all a misunderstanding and insisting there was no need for Lord Uchiha Yato to trouble himself further.
Faced with their sudden change in attitude, Uchiha Yato found it acceptable.
"We're all shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, inheritors of the Will of Fire. We should treat each other with kindness and love."
"How about this—you two visit each other's homes and stay for three days, bringing your toiletries."
"Showcase your deep friendship."
The two were momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
At that moment, the same thought crossed both their minds: Wait, what does friendship have to do with visiting each other's homes and sleeping over for three days?
Noticing their hesitation, Uchiha Yato immediately adopted a fierce expression. "Oh? Were you two just lying to me earlier?"
"If you dare deceive me, I'll let you experience my signature genjutsu—Chicken Mud Beautiful."
This Ninjutsu had been explicitly warned against by their clan heads. If anyone fell victim to it, they were told not to seek help—because the dance moves were too demonic.
Too eye-searing!
The quicker-witted Hyuga Hakuya immediately spoke up. "Lord Yato, what are you saying?"
"Katsuya-san and I are the closest of friends, of course we wouldn't mind. To prove it, I'll go stay at his place for three days first."
With that, he glanced at Sarutobi Katsuya beside him.
Sarutobi Katsuya wasn't foolish either and promptly nodded in agreement.
Only then did Uchiha Yato nod approvingly at their response.
Nearby, Uchiha Ren, who had been watching the spectacle with amusement, felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction seeing someone else get pranked.
Uchiha Yato then said, "I'm quite busy and can't monitor this in real time. So—"
"Ren, I'll leave it to you to supervise these two.""I'll speak to the team leader about your shift. Don't worry, it definitely won't count as an absence."
The previously grinning face transformed through a series of expressions before settling back into a smile.
"No—"
"No problem at all, Lord Yato."
At this moment, Uchiha Ren perfectly demonstrated the saying "smiling on the outside while cursing inwardly."
The two bystanders sighed quietly at the sight.
As expected, anything involving Uchiha Yato never boded well.
This guy was no different from a dog.
Observing from the shadows, Aburame Ryoma watched the situation unfold with both shock and frustration.
"Damn you, Uchiha Yato. You might escape today, but not tomorrow."
"We'll see about this!"
Just as Aburame Ryoma was about to leave,
a voice suddenly came from behind him: "And what exactly should I be seeing~"
A momentary lapse, and a turn of his head revealed a pair of crimson eyes.