Few Understand the Will of Fire

"What are you two talking about? I can't follow a word of it..."

"Nothing much, Teacher. See you."

Shisui waved goodbye.

He still didn't understand and needed to keep searching for answers.

Kyoichi watched them leave, sighing inwardly.

In Konoha, the Uchiha weren't the only clan carved off into their own corner, a village within the village.

There was another clan just the same.

The Hyuga Clan!

The Uchiha at least sent people to the Ninja Academy every year, while the Hyuga hardly ever sent anyone—most of their teaching was done within the clan.

And yet.

Only the Uchiha were targeted. The Hyuga faced no policy suppression whatsoever. The reason wasn't just that the Uchiha clan itself was "disloyal."

In fact.

Even if Shisui became Clan Head and led his people to be "good" Uchiha, Danzo might not be willing to put down his blade.

When it came to his attitude toward the Uchiha, he was even more extreme than the Third.

If Shisui couldn't figure out the root of the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha's civilians, there was no point in going into detail about these things.

Kyoichi turned and headed toward Ichiraku Ramen.

As for the Third Hokage?

Why worry?

The Third and Danzo were different after all.

He'd only interacted with Shisui out of their teacher-student bond, letting Shisui and Obito help the civilians more, working for free—the Third should be thanking him for that!

He arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.

Just as he was about to sit down, a figure rushed toward him.

Swoosh~

A sound rang out.

An Anbu ninja in a mask appeared.

"Kanda Kyoichi, the Third Hokage orders you to the Hokage Building."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll go right away."

Kyoichi was startled.

But.

The other party had clear purpose—he was definitely the target.

Without overthinking, he followed the Anbu ninja toward the Hokage Building. Both of them used the Body Flicker Technique, moving at incredible speed, reaching the Hokage Building in mere seconds.

"Third Hokage-sama, the person has been brought."

"Leave us."

"Yes!"

The Anbu ninja vanished.

Inside the office, only the Third Hokage and Kanda Kyoichi remained.

The Third Hokage took off his hat, chuckling like an ordinary old man as he stood up, looking Kyoichi up and down. Then he sighed, "I never thought—a few years gone by, and you've grown so big!"

"Third Hokage-sama knows me?"

Kyoichi was slightly surprised.

"Of course. Your grandmother was a close relative of my teacher. Back when you were born, I even held you."

The Third said with a warm smile.

"This... I've never heard Grandma mention it."

Kyoichi scratched his head sheepishly, forcing an awkward laugh.

But.

He knew full well in his heart.

Whether this was true or not was hard to say—

Probably not.

Still, there was no need to call him out. The Third had been using all these gestures since he walked in to close the psychological distance between them, clearly trying to win him over.

This is better than Yuanju.

"Heh heh heh, by seniority, you're still of my junior's generation. Sit, treat this as a family chat."

"Thank you, Lord Third."

Kyoichi bowed.

Only after the Third sat down did he pull up a chair and take his seat.

The Third picked up his pipe, lit it with a chuckle, then said, "After you returned to the village injured, how have you been feeling lately?"

"Reporting to you, my lord, you may not believe it, but after my wounds healed, I felt as though my body had grown stronger, and the power of my Water Release ninjutsu seemed to have increased as well."

Kyoichi truthfully reported part of the information.

The smile on the Third's face grew brighter. After taking a puff of his pipe, he said, "Silly child, you have the bloodline of the Senju clan within you. This is the awakening of the Senju bloodline."

"Ah? Really?"

"Indeed!"

The Third grew even more pleased.

Kanda Kyoichi had concealed nothing and given him honest feedback.

This was very good!

After taking another drag of his pipe, he continued, "I've also heard reports of your performance at the Academy. We're in wartime now; the grade structure and graduation timelines at the Academy are chaotic, and following the standard path has little meaning. You've done well with flexible teaching!"

"Yes!"

Kyoichi smiled broadly, his mind racing to decipher the Third's intentions.

Mentioning the Senju bloodline, then the Academy performance.

Was he about to get a promotion?

"Don't be too tense. I called you here to chat, and also to ask—your strength, after awakening the Senju bloodline, has already reached Jonin level. Would you be willing to take the Jonin Exam?"

The Third pulled out an application form.

The Jonin Exam application.

This form needed to be filled out by himself.

"The Jonin Exam?"

Kyoichi was stunned.

He had guessed there might be some benefit coming his way, but he never expected it to be a direct promotion exam to Jonin.

Jonin...

He sank into thought.

This matter had both pros and cons. Becoming a Jonin meant greater authority and freedom, but also greater responsibility, and the missions assigned afterward would be more arduous.

Still.

Come to think of it.

The Third had already made his assessment of Kyoichi's strength clear. If he didn't accept the promotion to Jonin, the other party would surely have doubts.

With that in mind, he scratched his head and said, "Lord Hokage, I'm only a Chunin. I'm worried I'm not capable enough."

"Your strength is absolutely sufficient. Other aspects can be trained. Years of war have left a large vacancy in Jonin ranks, and we urgently need people to fill the gap. It would be best if you could step up."

The Third sighed.

"If you, my lord, think I'm up to it, then I'll give it a try!"

Kyoichi let out a breath of relief.

He took the form and signed his name on it.

"That's the spirit. Ability can be cultivated; spirit and will are what truly matter. There aren't many left who can grasp the Will of Fire."

The Third said with a hearty chuckle.

Kyoichi understood the implication.

Shisui!

See?

He'd said it—the Third would still have to thank him!

Of course.

Right now, the Uchiha were probably fuming. Their prized genius had turned into this mess just a few days after becoming a teacher. One of these days, they'd likely come looking for trouble.

But.

It didn't really matter.

The current Uchiha were nothing but pushovers.

Back when Madara left, they didn't dare follow.

After Kagami's death, the Third Hokage rose to power, layer upon layer of oppression gradually pushing them away from Konoha's center—yet they still didn't dare to resist.

Only when life became unbearable did they think of rebellion.

Where were they earlier?

Kyoichi held the current Uchiha in utter contempt from the bottom of his heart—including Fugaku Uchiha.

Another incompetent.

Weak, indecisive.

If Shisui could shed his unrealistic delusions and rid himself of that naive flaw, even Shisui would be far more qualified than Fugaku.

Out of the office.

Kyoichi headed home, thoughts churning in his mind.

The Third Hokage's stance was clear.

He was recruiting Kyoichi, hoping he would lean toward the Hokage faction.

To that end, he even dredged up old ties from the Senju era, dragging out stale, rotten matters to build rapport—laughable as it was, it proved the Third Hokage bore him no ill will.

In the short term, no need to worry about the Third Hokage making a move against him.

Even.

The Third Hokage might protect him from Danzo's interference.

Just be wary of underhanded schemes.

As for promotion to Jonin, there was still war next year, and a Jonin position would bring him many benefits.

So.

He had to fight for that Jonin slot.

But...

"If I become a Jonin, what happens to this system of mine?"

Kyoichi glanced at the Mentor System.

This system loved playing teacher. Once he became a Jonin, there was no way it would let him stay at the Ninja Academy.

Still, he was already a temporary hire. Even without being a Jonin, it seemed unlikely he'd remain at the Academy after recovering from his injuries.

Thinking it through, Kyoichi's mind cleared.

As a Jonin, he could apply to lead a team. At worst, he could lean into that "love of teaching" trait and go around giving pointers to others.

No big deal!