Third Generation's Imagination

"What? You're serious? No, that can't be… How could this be possible? You have to know, this is a problem even the Third Hokage couldn't solve..."

Hearing Nara say he could eliminate the evil consciousness inside Yakumo, Hong was briefly pleased, but then felt incredulous.

You have to understand, the Idū inside Yakumo is a creature that even the Third Hokage was helpless against. Nara is only ten years old; although he passed the Jonin exam a few days ago and defeated veteran Jonin Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy in the test, becoming Konoha's elite Jonin, how could anyone be stronger than the Third Hokage?

After all, the Third Hokage is renowned as the "Ninjutsu Doctor," the strongest Hokage of Konoha, master of every ninjutsu in the ninja world. If even he has no solution, what could this Jonin possibly achieve?

"Undeniably, the old Third Hokage is powerful, but Miss Hong, there's a saying: each specialty has its own field. What the Third can't solve happens to be my area of expertise. If I weren't confident enough in myself, I wouldn't have come to you today!"

Seeing Nara's confident expression, Hong hesitated.

Since Yakumo was very young, Hong had been her teacher. Back then Hong was only in her teens, and their relationship was extremely close—both teacher‑student and sister‑like. If there truly were a method to help Yakumo, she would naturally be glad.

But after all these years of attempts, every effort ended in failure. She didn't want a glimmer of hope now to turn into disappointment later.

Yukihiko Hong bit her lower lip, her face full of doubt.

Nara sat quietly beside her, sipping tea from time to time, without urging her—just waiting patiently for Hong to make a decision.

In the end, Hong seemed to have made up her mind. She lifted her head resolutely and looked at Nara.

"Fine, I'll agree to go try it together, but I have no say in this matter. I must report to the Third Hokage, and the final decision rests with him!"

"Then it's settled, Miss Hong. I'll wait for your news at home. Farewell!"

Nara set down his teacup, stood, and took his leave from Hong.

"Alright, by tomorrow morning at the latest, I'll give you a result!"

Hong also stood, escorted Nara out the door, and said to him before he left.

As Nara stepped outside, a faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"It looks like there won't be any problem. The old Third has been testing the limits of my strength; this time I volunteered to help Saddle Yakumo, something even he can't handle. With such a good opportunity, he'll definitely want to know how I solved it, so he'll agree rather than oppose!"

Nara slipped both hands into his coat pockets, looked up at the night sky and said, "It's getting late, I should go back to sleep. Tomorrow's still busy!"

With that, he headed toward the Hyuga clan.

On the other side, after seeing Nara off, Hong went straight out to the Hokage's office.

Although it was already night, Hong knew the Third Hokage was still at work, handling affairs in his office—knowledge she'd accumulated over many years.

One must admit, even after aging and making many mistakes, the Third remains diligent when it comes to the village.

"Knock knock knock…"

Hong knocked on the Hokage's office door.

"Come in!"

A voice, aged and slightly weary yet still authoritative, called from inside.

"It's Hong. It's so late—what's the matter?"

Seeing the visitor was Hong, the Third softened his tone a bit, speaking kindly to her.

He was only joking; the Third clearly knew his son Asuma had always been interested in other people's bodies, and Hong seemed to have a bit of a crush on his own son as well. The two had grown up together, so it was no surprise that she might become his future daughter‑in‑law.

If his own son's actions scared Hong away and kept them apart, he'd have to blame himself.

"Third Hokage, I'm here to report about Saddle Yakumo!"

Hong got straight to the point.

"Hmm? Saddle Yakumo? What's wrong with her? Did the Idū inside her break its seal?"

Hearing Yakumo's name, the Third's expression grew serious.

Although an Idū was not a major threat in the Third's eyes—he had merely sealed it for Yakumo's safety over the years—if it were to run loose and cause trouble in the village, that would be a bad thing.

For the Third, the Idū was not a threat, but for others it could be extremely dangerous.

"No, that's not the case. I visited Yakumo a couple of days ago; the Idū has been quietly staying inside her, with no unusual activity."

Hearing that the Idū hadn't broken its seal, the Third relaxed.

"I'm here not only about Yakumo, but also about Hyuga Nara."

Hong then reported, in full detail, why Nara had approached her.

"Hmm… this kid says he has a way to deal with the Idū without harming Yakumo's body?"

After Hong's briefing, the Third took a deep drag of his dry pipe, easing the fatigue from overtime, then exhaled a puff of secondhand smoke and asked Hong.

"Indeed, this is what Hyuga Nara himself said—he claims his specialty matches the field the Third is helpless in!" Hong faithfully relayed the report.

"Good kid. All these years he's only moved a step after a single strike; this is the first time he's voluntarily taken on a task—quite rare."

"Moreover, this is a problem that even I can't solve, and he's so confident he can handle it. Heh, could it be that the sun rose in the west for this kid?"

Hong chuckled and teased, "I've heard about Hyuga Nara's temperament over the years—he never initiates anything. Honestly, I was curious at first. But thinking about it, maybe he met a girl during the day and developed a liking for her; perhaps he's fallen for Yakumo!"

"You might be onto something. After all, Yakumo's a cute little girl, and they're close in age. At this age, people start to feel love—maybe they just clicked, haha!"

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll approve it. Tomorrow you and Nara go to the hill village and see how he eliminates the Idū, but you must be ready to reseal it if anything goes wrong!"

"When you come back, tell me the details. I want to know how many tricks this kid still has up his sleeve!"

Sure enough, as Nara had expected, the old Third was eager to learn what hidden cards Nara might still possess that gave him such confidence to solve the Idū that even the Third found troublesome. He would certainly agree to Nara's proposal.

If he knew the fantasies Hong and the Third were conjuring, he'd probably roll his eyes at them!

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