At this point, Hatake Sakumo still clung to the mindset of avoiding trouble whenever he could.
Hatake Sakumo and his son had suffered far too many hardships in the original story.
But what could not be avoided would ultimately remain unavoidable.
"Many times, resistance... is the only way out."
Akira Sarutobi stood up, bade Hatake Sakumo farewell, and headed outside.
Only Hatake Sakumo remained in the room, deep in thought.
That night, Akira Sarutobi returned home. Before he even entered, he stopped in his tracks.
"Asuma?"
"Huh?!"
A surprised voice rang out, and then Asuma ran out from behind the door with a little girl his age.
"Big Brother, how did you find me?"
The somewhat sturdy-looking child before him was Hiruzen Sarutobi's second son, Akira Sarutobi's younger brother, Asuma Sarutobi.
"Young Master Ryo..."
The long-haired girl beside him, with slightly curly hair and red eyes, was the daughter of the renowned Genjutsu ninja Kurenai Yuhi—and Asuma's childhood sweetheart.
Kurenai Yuhi respectfully greeted Akira Sarutobi, then stood expressionlessly behind Asuma, seeming somewhat aloof by nature.
But Akira Sarutobi knew that this was the result of Kurenai Yuhi's stern, unsmiling personality and strict upbringing.
He watched Kurenai Yuhi for a few seconds. When no system prompt appeared, Akira Sarutobi inwardly sighed in relief.
Or perhaps it simply was not time yet?
Shaking his head, Akira Sarutobi immediately dismissed the pointless thought.
"Big Brother, I heard you became a Jonin. Congratulations, congratulations..."
At this point, Asuma was still rather carefree, looking like the foolish son of the village chief.
In the original story, it was only when Asuma neared adulthood, entered his rebellious phase, and fell out with his old man that his personality changed drastically.
Akira Sarutobi rummaged in his clothes, then took out some money and placed it in Asuma's hand.
Asuma immediately beamed with joy.
"Spend it sparingly."
Akira Sarutobi reminded him.
As the Hokage's son, Asuma's life was not as glamorous as it appeared.
His mother, Biwako, had an exceptionally strict personality, even more so than Utatane Koharu.
Under such an upbringing, Asuma was naturally kept under tight control.
If he wanted spending money, he could only ask his older brother, Akira Sarutobi, for it.
"Kurenai, help keep an eye on him."
Akira Sarutobi also instructed Kurenai Yuhi, asking her to help watch over his convenient little brother.
Why did she have to help watch over him?
Kurenai Yuhi instinctively wanted to ask, but her face suddenly reddened.
At such a young age, she was clearly... more mature than Asuma when it came to boys and girls.
She looked at Asuma and slowly pressed her lips together.
There were plenty of precocious children in the world of Hokage. Including Obito Uchiha, who was madly obsessed with love... and so on.
Having received his spending money, Asuma happily left with Kurenai Yuhi. Only then did Akira Sarutobi close the door.
"Young Master, how did you discover Asuma just now?"
Ino Yamanaka asked curiously from behind him.
When she did not activate her sensory ability, she possessed a keen sixth sense, but not enough to detect others from such a distance.
Though within three or four meters, someone with Jonin aptitude could hear another person's heartbeat, they had been a full six or seven meters apart just then.
She also knew that her young master was not a sensory-type ninja, so she found it rather strange.
Ino Yamanaka had another question as well.
Why had her young master been able to accurately kill five enemies in the darkness of the Land of Whirlpools?
"I seem to have awakened a special sensory ability."
Akira Sarutobi turned around, raised a finger, and pointed to his right eye.
"I can see in the dark..."
Upon hearing Akira Sarutobi's explanation, Ino Yamanaka's first reaction was to immediately move farther away.
There were no lights in the house, and the courtyard was pitch-black.
Ino Yamanaka ran ten meters away, raised her right arm, and asked, "Young Master, how many is this?"
"Five fingers."
"What about now?"
"One finger."
"Wow~!" Ino Yamanaka ran back, her face full of astonishment.
The night-vision module loaded into Akira Sarutobi's right eye could be actively activated whenever he needed it.
At this moment, everything before him was as bright as day.
And through switching the night-vision module's functions, he could change it to thermal imaging mode.
Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi had hidden behind the door just now, and Akira Sarutobi had seen the heat radiating from them through thermal imaging.
When he observed himself,
Akira Sarutobi could see that he was like a huge fireball, radiating light and heat.
Several times greater than Ino Yamanaka's.
Dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times greater than Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi's.
Clearly, the more powerful a living being was, the more exaggerated the Chakra radiation it emitted.
So, rather than an eye, this right eye felt more like... some kind of technology far beyond its era.
Was it a gift from the system?
Or... was it the system itself?
Akira Sarutobi did not know.
Ino Yamanaka said, "Young Master, your night vision is a little like Ruri's Byakugan..."
"Mm."
Akira Sarutobi nodded casually. Naturally, he did not mention the system, because such a thing was far too shocking.
If he described it as a sensory ability, it would not arouse anyone's suspicions.
"Let's go inside..."
Time passed, and the sky filled with stars.
After finishing his training, Akira Sarutobi took a bath.
Tomorrow, he had to report to Danzo. He did not know what sort of assessment awaited him and Ino Yamanaka.
In his mind, Akira Sarutobi recalled Ruri Hyuga's figure.
What would become of her fate as a Branch Family Member?
"Improving my strength and influence is the proper path..."
Shaking his head, Akira Sarutobi dried himself and walked out of the bathroom.
The moment he stepped outside, he ran into Ino Yamanaka, who had come to the living room for water.
Their rooms were at opposite ends of the courtyard, one east and one west.
Because the weather had grown warmer, Akira Sarutobi was bare-chested, revealing firm lines of muscle.
Ino Yamanaka froze slightly, then immediately looked away.
Akira Sarutobi fixed his gaze on the girl before him.
A single golden ponytail, skin as white as snow, a slender figure, soft red lips...
Without realizing it, the little girl who used to follow behind him had grown into a stunning beauty.
Looking at the system prompt before him,
Akira Sarutobi slowly approached.
"Young Master..."
So close that the scent of body wash mixed with the masculine scent rushing toward her, Ino Yamanaka slightly raised her head. Looking at the handsome face before her, her cheeks could not help turning faintly red.
Moonlight shone in from outside, serving as illumination.
Akira Sarutobi raised his right arm and gently held her chin.
The girl's breathing involuntarily grew rapid.
The next second, her eyes suddenly widened. "Mmph~."
Akira Sarutobi kissed her.
A moment later.
Breathing out softly, she went limp in Akira Sarutobi's arms. "Young Master~~~."
Looking at the girl before him, whose eyes had turned into pools of spring water, Akira Sarutobi did not continue.
Tomorrow was the Anbu mission. Naturally, he could not fool around.
"Get some proper rest."
With that, Akira Sarutobi released her. Once Ino Yamanaka steadied herself, she fled away shyly.
No matter what, this world's views on love were still fairly conservative. Such a reaction was hardly surprising.
Akira Sarutobi glanced at the prompt that had appeared before him, and some sort of change quietly began.
[Injected the Will of Fire into Ino Yamanaka] [Current Progress: 10%]...
Orochimaru's Goodwill
The next morning...
The sky had only just begun to brighten when a visitor quietly arrived.
"Who is it?"
Ino Yamanaka opened the door. The cold-faced man before her made her expression stiffen.
"Lord Orochimaru?"
"Heh heh... Akira Sarutobi should be home, right?"
The pale, long-haired man had a pair of snake-like vertical pupils.
Before you continue