Become My Disciple, Shinichi!

This was no longer a suggestion, but a promise—a wager!

The Third Hokage was prepared to stake all his political capital and the credibility of the rest of his life to clear a path for him!

Tejima Shinichi fell silent.

He could feel the weight and sincerity behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.

This old man seemed to see some kind of revolutionary hope in him and was willing to stake everything on it.

Become Hokage? Seize the highest authority? Shape Konoha according to his own will?

The thought circled through Tejima Shinichi's mind like a devil's whisper.

Power was indeed one of the most effective tools for attaining "freedom."

But...

That would also mean endless official duties, calculations, and compromises. It would mean being tied to a desk in the Hokage Building. It would mean becoming the focus—and target—of countless gazes.

Was that really what he wanted?

But before Tejima Shinichi could think any further, Sarutobi Hiruzen's next words were even more earth-shattering:

"So..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, fixing his gaze firmly on Tejima Shinichi. In a low voice, as though staking everything on this one throw, he said:

"Become my disciple, Shinichi!"

"...!"

Tejima Shinichi's pupils contracted slightly. Before he could react, the sudden proposal struck him once more.

The Hokage's disciple?!

What that identity represented was a formal inheritance. It meant he would bear the deepest mark of the "Hokage faction"!

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shifting patches of light between them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen waited, his eyes full of expectation and resolve.

Tejima Shinichi stood where he was, silent for several breaths.

Power? Responsibility? Freedom? Restraint?

Countless thoughts collided in his mind like flashes of lightning.

In the end, Tejima Shinichi raised his eyes to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen's tense, expectant gaze and spoke a single word:

"Good!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's body jolted, as if he could not believe his own ears.

Before he could respond—

Tejima Shinichi looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, bowed slightly, and addressed him in a title that now carried an entirely new meaning:

"Teacher."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze at first. Then immense joy erupted from his heart like a volcano!

He threw back his head and burst into hearty laughter unlike any he had let out in a long time!

"Hahahahaha—!!!"

His booming laughter scattered the gloom that had long gathered between his brows, as though even the sunlight around them had grown brighter with it.

He laughed so freely that he even bent over and coughed a few times, yet the smile on his face only became more radiant.

Ever since the great upheaval twelve years ago, after Biwako and Sarutobi Shinnosuke had passed away one after another, Sarutobi Hiruzen had not felt such heartfelt ease and joy for a very... very long time!

It was the ecstasy of finally casting off a crushing burden, of seeing a clear and hopeful future, of knowing there would be someone to carry on after him!

This boy—this boy with terrifying talent, a clear mind, and even a unique, profound understanding of his "Will of Fire"—had agreed to accept the olive branch he offered!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was utterly certain that betting Konoha's future on Tejima Shinichi could not possibly be wrong!

As Tejima Shinichi watched the nearly seventy-year-old man before him laugh like a child, the pure emotion seemed to ripple through his own heart as well. The corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a faint smile.

He could feel the other man's completely unfeigned joy.

Once Sarutobi Hiruzen's laughter had subsided somewhat, though the excitement and relief in his eyes had yet to fade, Tejima Shinichi spoke again:

"Since you are now my Teacher..." Tejima Shinichi looked openly at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Then there are some things I should no longer hide from you."

At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile faded slightly, and he asked curiously:

"Oh? What could make you so serious?"

Tejima Shinichi did not answer immediately.

Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, he slowly raised both hands, palms upward, and held them flat between them.

The gesture puzzled Sarutobi Hiruzen, but he continued to watch patiently, waiting for his disciple's explanation.

The next moment—

A wisp of Chakra brimming with immense vitality slowly flowed from Tejima Shinichi's palms.

Then, reflected in Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils as they abruptly shrank to their limits, a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life unfolded—

Two tender, emerald-green saplings slowly emerged from Tejima Shinichi's left and right palms at the same time, as though they possessed life of their own!

They grew and unfurled at a speed visible to the naked eye, sprouting tiny branches and fresh green leaves. Finally, they stopped at roughly the length of a finger, their branches and leaves distinct and lifelike as they gently swayed in his palms.

"This... this is...?!"

The smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face froze completely, replaced by an indescribable shock!

His eyes widened like bells, his eyeballs nearly popping from their sockets! His mouth fell open unconsciously, wide enough to fit an egg inside!

Blood rushed wildly to Sarutobi Hiruzen's head, bringing wave after wave of intense dizziness. The roar of blood surging through his veins filled his ears!

What had he just seen?!

Wood... Wood Release?!

The legendary Kekkei Genkai that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had relied upon to pacify the chaotic era and found Konoha—Wood Release?!

How was that possible?!

Yamato's Wood Release came from transplanted First Hokage's Cells, a fortunate product born only after countless failed experiments!!!

But Tejima Shinichi... he had never undergone any experiment!

His mother, Mori Chie, possessed only a faint Senju Bloodline. There was absolutely no way he could have naturally inherited such complete and powerful Wood Release!

Yet now... the sight before him had utterly overturned everything he had believed for decades!

Other than Yamato, who had barely obtained that power through cellular transplantation, how could there possibly be anyone else... and one who had naturally awakened... true Wood Release?!

The tender shoots in Tejima Shinichi's palms swayed softly, as if silently proclaiming the arrival of a new era.

Watching the thoroughly stunned Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tejima Shinichi slowly curled his fingers. The two vibrant saplings silently disappeared into his palms like phantoms, as though they had never existed.

Meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen's horrified gaze, he said calmly:

"As you can see, Teacher."

"This is... my power."

Tejima Shinichi's calm words exploded through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, which had already been thrown into turmoil.

His palms, where the two saplings had vanished, were completely empty, yet that shocking sight had been deeply branded into his soul!