Suddenly.
Akira Sarutobi opened his eyes. The divine light bursting from them carried a chilling frost as he fixed his gaze on the two of them.
"Sorry for the wait."
"!"
Under Akira Sarutobi's gaze, the two of them felt an astonishing chill rush toward them. It was as though they were standing alone amid a sky full of wind and snow, and the temperature around them seemed to drop even further.
Akira Sarutobi rose to his feet, and the frost covering the surface of his body quickly receded.
The two Anbu immediately put away their other thoughts. They no longer felt that this young master was merely toying with them.
"As expected, it's Ice Release."
"Mm."
Akira Sarutobi clearly heard their exchange, but he did not care. Instead, he asked their names. "Ikkaku Hōichi, Karin Hōichi?"
The masked man and woman before him both removed their masks.
They had resolute faces and the same surname.
They were husband and wife. They had a son named "Umino Iruka."
As the surviving members of Anbu Squad Six, they had now been transferred under the command of Akira Sarutobi, the newly appointed "Anbu Captain."
Akira Sarutobi casually extended his palm, and a dense chill immediately began drifting across it.
"Young Master, congratulations."
Ino Yamanaka suddenly emerged from the shadows, startling the couple.
Only then did they realize that someone else had been hiding in the shadows.
Clearly, Ino Yamanaka was not only proficient in sensing, but also in counter-detection. That was why the two of them had failed to notice her presence.
"Mm."
Akira Sarutobi clenched his hand, and the chill immediately scattered.
With his hands behind his back, he looked down at the three of them.
The new "Anbu Squad Six" was temporarily formed just like that.
Originally, an Anbu squad had at least "8" people: one Anbu squad leader, two Anbu Captains, and eight members.
But Danzo had other plans now.
A four-man branch team was enough to carry out all kinds of missions.
"Did Lord Danzo give you any instructions?"
Akira Sarutobi asked.
As the superior of all Anbu and the Anbu Commander, Danzo naturally had the authority to assign all affairs.
"Lord Danzo only said that the two of us were to follow your orders, Young Master Ryo... Our codenames are..."
"It doesn't matter."
Before they could finish, Akira Sarutobi interrupted them with a wave of his hand.
Senju Tobirama had established the Anbu's secrecy, and there was nothing wrong with that. But some things were not meant to remain unchanged forever.
Akira Sarutobi had indeed joined the Anbu, but he did not intend to hide his face and identity as in the original story.
In the original story, the original owner had never shown his face in his entire life. He did not even have a name, only a single Anbu close-up. That did not fit Akira Sarutobi's desire to remake the world.
To raise his reputation, people first had to know what he had done.
A gentleman was open and at ease; a petty man was forever anxious.
From this day onward, ninjas who did not wear Anbu masks appeared.
This also signaled that Akira Sarutobi had officially begun his resistance against the twisted fire-cultivation system established by Senju Tobirama for the ninja, the Anbu, and even Konoha.
There was no need to follow the rules. He would smash the rotten old system to pieces!
"You two can keep doing things as you did before. I have my own ideas."
Akira Sarutobi did not particularly care about Iruka's parents.
As his authority rose, there would be more and more things to change. When the time came, he would also build up his own forces... and subordinates.
Ino Yamanaka, Crimson Lotus, Ringo Ameyuri, Rin Nohara... they were the beginning.
During that process, unimportant figures would slowly be replaced.
The entire Anbu squad, and even all of Konoha, would slowly become his.
"Since Danzo has not assigned you any missions, I want you to do something next..."
Akira Sarutobi instructed the couple to keep Hatake Sakumo under surveillance twenty-four hours a day.
Any movement, especially if he left the village, had to be reported to him immediately.
"For the next few days, I'll continue training in the Ice Release: Bloodline Limit. If anything comes up, come directly here... You two are Jonin. You can use Shadow Clones, right...?"
Using Shadow Clones to report was one of the most convenient methods of communication.
After arranging their task, Akira Sarutobi dismissed them.
Sitting cross-legged, Akira Sarutobi closed his eyes, paying no attention to the shock on their faces.
Time had to be fought for, every second counting.
At any moment, Hatake Sakumo might embark on that mission destined to kill him...
Before that moment arrived, making the most of his time to train became Akira Sarutobi's only thought...
And as his understanding of Ice Release Chakra deepened,
Some memories from the past also rose to the surface of his mind...
They were events from the past involving Senju Nawaki and Minato Namikaze, commonly known as a Hokage flashback.
Senju Nawaki, Akira Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze: A Trio
Many years ago, when Akira Sarutobi had still been a child, he had already been somewhat withdrawn.
At that time, Akira Sarutobi retained the memories of a transmigrator living his second life, yet he had no intention of changing the world.
Because Akira Sarutobi, who had thoroughly read Naruto, knew everyone's fate and the future of this world very well.
In Akira Sarutobi's eyes, there was nothing worth changing about the future.
Until one gathering of the second generation.
Other children came with their parents, relatives, friends, and teachers. They played together in lively merriment.
Only Akira Sarutobi sat alone in a corner, speaking to no one.
This caught Senju Nawaki's attention.
By then, Senju Nawaki had already met Minato Namikaze.
Minato Namikaze, who was still attending school, addressed Senju Nawaki as Nawaki Senpai. His presence here also showed that Jiraiya had noticed Minato Namikaze's talent in advance and begun interacting with him.
"You're Akira Sarutobi, Lord Hokage's son, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Senju Nawaki."
"I'm Minato Namikaze."
That was what the two of them said at the time, presenting warm and cheerful demeanors.
Akira Sarutobi merely raised his head and glanced at them. After casually giving a brief introduction, he lowered his head again and stared at the furnace.
The charcoal crackled, and the furnace warmed the house thoroughly.
Senju Nawaki asked why Akira Sarutobi was not playing with the others.
Akira Sarutobi asked in return why he had to play with the others. Was there any meaning in it?
Senju Nawaki immediately seemed to have found a kindred spirit, saying that he had begun pondering the meaning of life as soon as he understood such things.
The conclusion he eventually reached... was to protect the village his grandfather, Senju Hashirama, had founded and become its Hokage.
The ambitions of youth were always so simple and bright.
That was only natural.
But after growing up, most people came to understand just how dark and cruel reality was.
Senju Nawaki invited Akira Sarutobi, hoping he could become his companion and help him fulfill that dream.
Because becoming Hokage did not depend on one person's efforts alone. The help of companions was especially crucial as well.
Back then, it was the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan joining forces that had created Konoha.
Later, the Sarutobi Clan, Shimura Clan... Ino-Shika-Cho... Hyuga... joined one after another, and only then did Konoha become what it was today.
Akira Sarutobi remained expressionless, neither sad nor pleased. After hearing Senju Nawaki's dream, he did not mock the younger boy.
In response to the invitation, Akira Sarutobi stood up and placed a piece of metal into the furnace.
Minato Namikaze did not understand the meaning of Akira Sarutobi's action, but Senju Nawaki seemed lost in thought.
"Nawaki Senpai, look... there's barely any fire left in this furnace. Tell me, how could it forge a good blade?"
Akira Sarutobi pointed at the furnace, whose fire was about to burn out.
Konoha had many dark sides.
Even its entire foundation was a twisted path of fire cultivation.
The Will of Fire had originally emphasized devotion, sacrificing oneself to protect the people and things that mattered.
Yet it had become infighting, the murder of loyal and good people, wanton disregard for human lives, and sending others to die in order to preserve oneself...
How could such a Konoha possibly be good?
And this distortion had begun in the era of the Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama brothers.
From the moment Senju Hashirama broke his promise and followed Senju Tobirama's advice to deceive and betray Madara Uchiha, the Will of Fire had already ceased to exist.
So what was the point of talking about becoming Hokage?
They could simply sit around and wait for Indra and Asura, those two reincarnated immortals, to save the world.
Of course, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were merely another pair of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Everything was just another brand-new cycle.
In the official novel Sasuke Shinden, Sasuke, who had lost an arm, traveled the shinobi world and eliminated all kinds of enemies for Konoha, unable to return home even once in 365 days.
Because Danzo had died, and Root had been disbanded.
Yet Konoha's darkness remained.
Someone still had to do that dirty, exhausting work.
Naruto Uzumaki could continue being his righteous and glorious Hokage, leaving all the darkness for Sasuke to handle. In the process, Sasuke gradually came to understand Danzo.
What irony. Sasuke, whose entire family had been killed because of Danzo, came to understand Danzo and became a second Danzo.
Was there any darker joke in the world than that?
Once Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke died,
A new Shinobi World War would still begin, because nothing had changed. Everything remained no different from the era of the Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama brothers.
Seeing the future at a glance was like watching this furnace fire die out.
No one would burn themselves to illuminate others anymore.
Those in power would only burn others to sustain themselves.
"..."
Senju Nawaki pondered for a moment, seeming to understand Akira Sarutobi's meaning.
He rolled up his sleeves, raised his right hand, and spread his five fingers.
Before you continue