Torifu Akimichi

It was common knowledge among Konoha's older generation that the Second Hokage had six students in his lifetime: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Kagami Uchiha, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the most inconspicuous of them all, Torifu Akimichi.

Of course,

there was some exaggeration in calling them students.

They had merely received instruction from the Second Hokage while attending the Ninja Academy. In truth, only Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi could be considered his personal disciple. Fortunately, the Second Hokage hadn't objected to the others calling him their teacher, which amounted to an acknowledgment of their status as his students.

By now, the Second Hokage's students had all become high-ranking members of Konoha, renowned figures in the village.

Only Kagami Uchiha, who had died young, and Torifu Akimichi, who was like an invisible man and never sought the spotlight, were little known.

But no one who knew the truth would underestimate the strongest member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. He had once served as the Second Hokage's personal bodyguard and left behind many legendary tales in the Shinobi World. But later, when he grew old...to be precise, after the night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the old man chose to retire and return home.

These days, he only occasionally went out to meetings as the head of the Akimichi Clan, to get some fresh air...and to serve as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's muscle and keep everyone in line.

For example, today, Torifu Akimichi had come to the meeting at Nara Shikaku's invitation, taking the place of his friend Choza. After all, the Third Hokage was planning to make a move against the Uchiha this time, and no one could be certain how the situation would unfold. To prevent things from taking a turn for the worse, they naturally had to be prepared.

"Could that be...Yang Release?"

Torifu murmured under his breath, too quietly for anyone else to notice.

Now that the Senju name no longer shone as it once had, the Akimichi Clan were Konoha's experts in Yang Release techniques. Their Expansion Jutsu was derived from Yang Release.

The old, portly Torifu had seen it clearly. The punch Sōken had used to send Danzō flying had definitely been an application of Yang Release, just like the Monster Strength Technique used by that violent girl, Tsunade. He wasn't a sensor, so he couldn't tell whether the two were the same. The only thing he could be certain of was that it was Yang Release.

"Torifu, what is it?"

The Third Hokage spoke up.

He wouldn't underestimate this old classmate, who had hidden depths. Back when their generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was young, Torifu Akimichi had stood out enough to be taken on as a student by the Second Hokage. He was no ordinary man.

"Nothing. This scene just feels familiar. It reminds me of when Madara Uchiha left the village. I was just a kid back then!"

"Is that so?"

The Third Hokage gave Torifu a long look. His hearing hadn't gone yet; he'd heard him say "Yang Release" just now.

"Torifu, what are you talking about? How could this kid possibly be compared to Madara Uchiha?"

Utatane Koharu retorted.

"Whatever you say." Torifu Akimichi couldn't be bothered to argue. There was nothing to gain by winning, and nothing to gain by losing, so why waste the energy?

The portly old man merely looked at the hole in the wall, then at Sōken and Danzō fighting again in the corridor, and said, "Hiruzen, are you really planning to go to war with the Uchiha? If you don't get this under control, things will spiral out of control. Don't say I didn't warn you: unless you bring Jiraiya and Tsunade back, the village may not have enough strength to deal with the Uchiha Clan."

He said this aloud, while silently wondering to himself: Was the Uchiha Clan about to rise to another peak?

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio might always have seemed like subordinate allies of the Sarutobi Clan and staunch supporters of the Third Hokage, but this relationship of subordination hadn't existed for very long. It had begun with the Third Hokage's father, Sarutobi Sasuke, a powerful shinobi who had made a name for himself even in the era when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha dominated the Shinobi World. The name Sasuke Uchiha came from him.

Before Sarutobi Sasuke rose to prominence, however, the Sarutobi Clan had been no more than an unremarkable family among the countless shinobi clans in the Shinobi World. They had no Kekkei Genkai, no secret family techniques, and were even less famous than the monkey clan they had contracted as Summoned Beasts.

The Akimichi Clan's recorded history stretched back much further than the Sarutobi Clan's. Moreover, their clan had inherited a Yang Release Secret Technique, so Torifu Akimichi knew all too well what kind of monsters shinobi who could truly master Yang Release or Yin Release were.

For a recent example, Hashirama Senju, the First, had taken Yang Release to its pinnacle, while Madara Uchiha had cultivated Yin Release to an unprecedented level. At least, the Akimichi Clan's historical records contained no one stronger than those two.

And now, an Uchiha had actually mastered Yang Release. Add to that the Sharingan, a Kekkei Genkai that was itself a symbol of Yin Release... It was a truly unsettling combination.

Especially that immense vitality that seemed to show itself whenever he threw a punch...

The old man gave a subtle hand signal. Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi were puzzled, but they still slowed their steps instead of resolutely following the Third Hokage as he charged out to stop Sōken and Danzō's fight.

In the corridor, Sōken and Danzō were already fighting fiercely.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

Danzō opened with the Wind Style Technique he was best at.

Caught off guard, he had been sent flying by Sōken's punch, and the impact had left his internal organs trembling. In his fury, he attacked with the clear intent to kill Sōken.

"That technique is useless!"

Sōken's expression remained blank as he flicked his wrist and sent a Shuriken flying. As Chakra flowed into them, each Shuriken had the destructive power of a D-rank Noble Phantasm.

The high-pressure gusts of wind, like bullets, were easily shattered by the Shuriken. Still carrying their momentum, the Shuriken punched several holes in the wall. Their terrifying destructive power left the Third Hokage, who had been about to intervene, shaken.

Wasn't Uchiha-style Shurikenjutsu famous for its finesse and unpredictability? Since when had it become this powerful?

Instinctively, he recalled Torifu Akimichi's earlier remark about "Yang Release." He couldn't help hesitating. Could his perceptive old classmate be right? Without Jiraiya and Tsunade, might the village really be unable to deal with the Uchiha?

"Ryoma!"

Danzō growled.

The next moment, a mass of black insects surged from one side of the corridor, accompanied by a maddening chorus of tiny, grating chirps, and lunged at Sōken.

"Shisui!"

Sōken stared coldly at Danzō. Who did he think he was dealing with? Sōken wasn't alone. He was now the head of the Uchiha Clan and the new director of the Konoha Police Force.

Flames blossomed in the corridor as Shisui, sighing inwardly, moved to stop Aburame Ryoma.

If he had to attack the Third Hokage, Shisui might have hesitated. But when it came to Danzō's lackey, he had nothing to worry about.

"Everyone, this is a private dispute between my clan and Danzō. Please don't interfere!" Sōken turned toward the clan heads gathered in the meeting room and warned them.

At the same time, he was making it clear, in a tactful way, that the Uchiha Clan had no intention of making enemies of the other clans—so long as they didn't go looking for trouble!