The Hatake Clan estate.
Ling Tian sat squarely at the gate, waiting for his older brother to return.
The Hatake Clan lived in a remote corner of the Leaf Village.
Never mind the prestigious Hyuga and Uchiha clans-the Hatake Clan's estate could not even compare with those of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.
Yet this tiny clan had produced Konoha's White Fang, as well as his younger brother, the richest man in the Leaf Village, Hatake Xianyu.
And so a rumor had once circulated through the village: the Hatake estate had excellent feng shui, and the Third Hokage had been born there...
Of course, the villagers had dreamed that up themselves. Ling Tian was also utterly baffled as to why the term "feng shui" existed in the shinobi world. He still had not figured it out, but that was beside the point.
After Ling Tian had sat there for a while, White Fang returned.
White Fang stopped at the gate, expressionless, because his younger brother was blocking his way.
Ling Tian stared fixedly at him.
He had intended to stay silent until his brother spoke, but the sight of his dejected older brother broke his resolve. He asked coldly, "What, did your idol disappoint you?"
If this guy were not so strong, he ought to be kept at home and looked after for the rest of his life.
With brains like that, was he fit to be his older brother?
He waited a little longer, but his brother still said nothing. Looking at the arm that was now missing its sleeve, Ling Tian asked again, "Did he take it back?"
White Fang remained silent. Looking at his younger brother, who was almost an adult now, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
At seven, he had gone to war alongside their father as a Chunin. At ten, he had been promoted to Special Jonin, and at fourteen, he had become a Jonin. That same year, their father, an elite Jonin, had died protecting him on the battlefield, leaving only one last remark: "I really wish I could meet my unborn child."
After he returned to the village, their mother gave birth to his younger brother. Overcome with grief, she passed away too.
What White Fang did not know was that, had Ling Tian not transmigrated, both mother and child would have died that day.
Everyone said he had raised his younger brother as both a father and a mother.
But only he knew just how extraordinary his little brother was.
He had never wet the bed, even as a baby. From the moment he could walk, all he needed was food prepared for him; no one had to look after him.
At two, he had begun asking him to teach him ninja theory.
At three, he had tried extracting chakra on his own.
When his younger brother was seven, the Second Hokage had signed a peace treaty with Kumogakure. His brother had told him to align himself with the Third early, but with one condition: he must not earn too much credit.
He trusted his younger brother deeply and had done as instructed. Unfortunately, after the Third took office, his early pledge of loyalty had also earned him an early appointment as Anbu commander. Later, because of his strength and devoted service, the Third had bestowed the Hokage Sleeve upon him.
Back then, everyone had thought he would be the next Hokage.
He himself had thought his younger brother was overthinking things. After all, no matter how extraordinary a seven-year-old was, how much insight could he possibly have?
At the time, the Third had been the man he believed in.
So afterward, even when the Third suppressed the Senju and Uchiha clans and indulged the three advisers, he had not felt anything was terribly wrong. As the Third said, it was all for the Leaf Village.
Until now, when it was his own turn...
In that instant, many thoughts ran through White Fang's mind.
At last, he said forlornly, "I didn't get to see him. I returned it myself."
He looked at his younger brother, who had never made a wrong decision in his entire life. Despite his dejection, he was filled with pride.
He had raised this boy. Even if the boy had hardly ever given him cause to worry, he had still raised him.
Ling Tian nearly choked with anger at those words. He snapped, "Are you an idiot? You earned that through your own ability! Why would you give it back? Do you have any idea how much harder it'll be to make you Hokage without it?"
Yes, from the very beginning, Ling Tian had never intended to make Orochimaru Hokage.
He also knew that his argument would not convince Orochimaru completely.
His only goal had been to make Orochimaru lose faith in the village ahead of time.
That was all!
As for whether Orochimaru would listen,
He believed he would. In Ling Tian's eyes, Orochimaru could not possibly have been that fixated on the Hokage position.
When had Orochimaru begun wanting to compete for the position?
After White Fang's fame had surpassed the Third's, only for him to take his own life.
After the Senju Clan had been all but wiped out toward the end of the Second Shinobi World War, and Tsunade's two powerful supporters, Nawaki and Dan, had died.
After the village, despite having plenty of candidates for Hokage, had leaned toward Jiraiya, who was easy for the Leaf Village to control but lacked a sense of responsibility.
After Jiraiya, unwilling to become a puppet, had pushed his student forward to take his place, and the Third had agreed to make that sunny-natured ninja his puppet.
Orochimaru might not have wanted the Hokage position at all. Perhaps he had competed only because he did not want the village he loved to become his teacher's private playground. That was all!
Yet no one understood him.
That was Orochimaru as Ling Tian saw him. As for the human experimentation and other things that came later, he did not yet know the reasons, but he believed he would understand them someday.
Besides, that was in the future. The Orochimaru of the present loved this village more than either of his fellow Sannin.
If a Hokage had to be chosen from the Sannin, neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as Orochimaru when it came to ability.
But that Third Hokage simply refused to choose him.
Here's a joke: the Sarutobi Clan had six thousand ninja...
Fucking hell!
Forget the whitewash. There's no cleaning up Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Was that useless piece of trash Danzo even worthy of being his enemy?
After Ling Tian finished berating him, White Fang said indifferently, "I've already told the Third. From now on, I'll stay home and focus on teaching Kakashi."
"What are you going to eat if you don't take missions?"
"Don't I have you?"
White Fang walked over and sat beside Ling Tian.
Ling Tian turned his head and snapped, "Are you dreaming? Sakumo Hatake, what happened to your dream of becoming Hokage? I've arranged everything for you, and now you're telling me you're quitting as a ninja and coming home to retire?"
"Ah!"
White Fang sighed. The dejection in the eyes of his resolute face eased away. He turned to meet his younger brother's gaze and smiled brightly. "Sorry, Xianyu. I've made all your efforts go to waste."
As he spoke, he ruffled his younger brother's long, silvery-white hair. "From now on, your big brother will listen to you. Let's forget about becoming Hokage. That position is too exhausting."
Ling Tian looked at his brother, his vision blurring.
This man had always striven to be the best, ever since he was a child.
This man, who should have been proving his worth in the prime of his life, had suddenly softened.
All at once, Ling Tian felt as though his older brother had aged many years.
Holding back his tears, he slapped the hand away and scolded him with a smile. "Enough with the sentimentality. If you want me to support you, forget it."
"What's yours is mine, isn't it? I supported you before. Now it's your turn to support your big brother."
"What about your son?"
"Kakashi? Just support one more person for now, and have him support us both later. Wouldn't that work?"
"I can support my nephew. Supporting you is out of the question!"
"Xianyu, do you remember what I told you your name meant when you were little?"
"I remember, but I don't like it. Remember to call me Hatake Ling Tian from now on."
"Why do you want that name?"
"Because I want to rise above the heavens! Well? Sounds pretty imposing, doesn't it?"
"It does, but no. Mother gave you this name before she died."
"All right, all right. You call me what you want, and I'll call myself what I want."
"'Emulate the worthy, and have plenty to spare.' It represents continual progress, abundance, and prosperity. Mother hoped you would live out your life safely and happily."
"You talk too much..."
The setting sun stretched their shadows, and the brothers' bickering gradually grew quieter.
Their ordinary conversation made Ling Tian feel happy, but he knew he could not afford to enjoy it yet.
Who knew what tomorrow might bring for his older brother?
Before you continue