Inoichi Yamanaka wandered aimlessly through the primordial world. Aside from the yellow sand stretching across the mountains and plains, there were only nine suns hanging high in the sky.
Genjutsu could only serve as support because it lacked the ability to directly kill someone.
Inoichi Yamanaka was also a Yin Release practitioner. His mental resilience was beyond comparison with that of ordinary people.
Within the primordial world, he picked a direction and kept walking, convinced that he would be able to leave this place.
The nine suns in the sky formed a circle, as though they would never set.
There was simply no way to use the suns to determine direction here, so Inoichi Yamanaka decided to rely on his sixth sense.
Since all five senses were controlled by his opponent, the only thing he could trust was his sixth sense. Though it sounded mysterious, Inoichi Yamanaka had no other choice.
However, how could Tōka's genjutsu possibly be so simple?
"Unlike Genjutsu: Mirror Within a Mirror, which has a layer of reality that the enemy can break through, the secret of Genjutsu: Golden Wheel Nine Rotations lies in endurance." Tōka sat back down in his chair, this time free of restraints.
Inoichi Yamanaka lay expressionlessly on the ground, but Tōka could clearly sense his struggle within the spiritual world.
Genjutsu: Golden Wheel Nine Rotations was also merely a B-rank genjutsu because it had an obvious flaw.
That was, once he endured until the nine golden crows returned to their original positions, the genjutsu would naturally be dispelled.
In other words, from the moment one entered the illusion, the nine golden crows in the sky began moving continuously.
Their speed was incredibly slow, slower than turtles.
As for the exact time it took for the nine golden crows to return to position, Tōka could only estimate it at around a hundred hours—one hundred hours in the spiritual world.
In the real world, it was merely one minute, or perhaps just an instant.
"Mm, that should be about enough." Tōka snapped his fingers and dispelled the genjutsu at precisely the right moment...
With a smack, Inoichi Yamanaka suddenly woke up!
He abruptly sat upright, gasping for breath as his gaze swept around, seemingly still searching for water.
Tōka's genjutsu was only an illusion, an attack targeting the soul. Though Inoichi Yamanaka's body had not spent one hundred hours in that primordial desert—
his mind had already collapsed.
"You actually held out for so long. Looks like I didn't even need to dispel the genjutsu." Tōka grinned. Yet to Inoichi Yamanaka, his delicate little face looked like that of a demon.
Inoichi Yamanaka pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing. Though he knew it had all been genjutsu, he still felt unbearably thirsty.
If there were a river in front of him right now, he could probably drink it dry in one gulp.
"Don't make that face. You were the one who messed with me first!" Tōka spread his hands helplessly, his tone like that of someone lecturing a troublesome child.
Inoichi Yamanaka's temple twitched. He nearly jumped up and cursed aloud. The "sunbathing" had only been a method of extracting information!
It had not been directed at Tōka personally. It was meant to loosen the resolve of the person being interrogated!
Tōka seemed to know what he was thinking. He glanced at the seat opposite him, signaling Inoichi Yamanaka to sit down.
Inoichi Yamanaka frowned. His body still had enough strength, but his mind was in terrible condition. Simply shifting his backside nearly took more than a minute.
"Actually, there's no need to use such methods. Whatever you want to know, I can tell you." Tōka blinked with utter sincerity.
Inoichi Yamanaka's eyelid twitched, and suspicion flashed through his eyes. Who knows whether what you say is true or false?
Then Tōka began speaking on his own.
"You can judge the truth for yourself, but anyone with a functioning brain knows Orochimaru's strength."
"Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, is unquestionably powerful." Inoichi Yamanaka nodded firmly. He had already guessed part of what Tōka was about to say.
"Then we've reached a consensus." Tōka nodded with satisfaction before adding, "Do you think I could possibly capture Orochimaru? I probably couldn't even stop him, could I?"
Inoichi Yamanaka pondered for a moment. Though Tōka's abilities were powerful enough to theoretically instantly kill any opponent, if his opponent was Orochimaru...
Knowing that Inoichi Yamanaka believed him, Tōka struck while the iron was hot and shifted the blame. "Then how do you think the Third Hokage compares to Orochimaru?"
"Hm? Isn't that obvious to everyone?" Inoichi Yamanaka naturally knew that Orochimaru had been thoroughly defeated by the Third Hokage and fled in panic.
Wait!!
Suddenly, realization appeared on Inoichi Yamanaka's face, as though he had thought of something. He stared at Tōka in shock.
"Tsk... You figured that out yourself. I didn't say anything!" Tōka smiled wickedly and added fuel to the fire. "If even the Third Hokage couldn't keep him, how could a mere Chunin like me capture Orochimaru?"
"Then you..." Inoichi Yamanaka was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.
If the Third Hokage had deliberately let Orochimaru go and then made Tōka take the blame...
The moment he considered that possibility, Inoichi Yamanaka broke out in a cold sweat.
As the new generation "pig" of the Yamanaka Clan, and likewise an influential figure in the Hokage faction, Inoichi Yamanaka naturally knew quite a bit about Konoha's darkness.
"Smart man!" Tōka praised.
A skilled schemer plotted against others and himself alike. He only needed to reveal seven parts truth and three parts lies; Inoichi Yamanaka would fill in the rest himself.
Tōka watched Inoichi Yamanaka with a smiling face, trying his best to appear harmless, without the slightest awareness that he had nearly tormented the other man to death earlier.
"So? Can I leave now, Lord Inoichi?"
"Hmph, I'll judge for myself!"
To Inoichi Yamanaka, Tōka looked exactly like a little fox whenever he smiled. He believed Tōka deep down, but he did not want to lower his head and admit it so easily.
As soon as he finished speaking, Inoichi Yamanaka had recovered considerably. At the very least, ordinary movement was no longer a problem.
He stood, turned, and pushed open the door. Just as he was about to close it, he turned back and gave Tōka an inexplicable, meaningful look.
There was admiration, regret, and emotion...
Bang!
The room's door closed once more. This time, the surrounding lights did not turn on, but two Anbu brought in some water.
At the Hokage Building, though Inoichi Yamanaka had not personally entered Tōka's mind to see for himself—
he had already roughly reached a conclusion based on the available intelligence and Tōka's words.
However, regarding something like the Third Hokage privately letting Orochimaru go, Inoichi Yamanaka could only think about it in his heart before burying it deep within.
"So you believe Tōka is innocent?" The Third Hokage merely suspected that Tōka had participated in Orochimaru's experiments, or at least knew about them.
That was why he had deliberately sent Inoichi Yamanaka to interrogate him.
As for whether Tōka had released Orochimaru, it was not important to the Third Hokage.
"Yes." Inoichi Yamanaka answered in a deep voice.
"Then let him out." The Third Hokage paused slightly before continuing, "How should we compensate him? Do you know what Tōka likes?"
That question truly stumped Inoichi Yamanaka. He should have entered Tōka's inner world to investigate information, so knowing what Tōka liked would have been perfectly reasonable.
The problem was that not only had he failed to enter Tōka's inner world, he had even been thoroughly humiliated in his own specialty, the Yin Release spiritual domain.
"Why not let him learn a ninjutsu?" Inoichi Yamanaka pondered for a moment before suggesting it.
Ninjas liked ninjutsu. Especially ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals!
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and slowly exhaled. White smoke drifted around him as he raised a hand, signaling Inoichi Yamanaka to leave on his own.
Inoichi Yamanaka silently withdrew and pulled the door shut behind him. Though the Third Hokage had not spoken, Inoichi Yamanaka knew that he approved of the suggestion.
After leaving the Anbu interrogation division, Tōka went straight home and slept soundly for an entire day before hunger woke him up.
He wandered aimlessly along the streets. Whenever he saw food that looked appetizing, he bought it, but most of it only satisfied his cravings and could not fill his stomach.
Before long, Tōka was carrying a huge pile of things.
As a single man, Tōka's mission rewards after becoming a ninja did not make him rich, but they were more than enough for him alone.
Suddenly, two familiar faces appeared ahead. Asuma and Kurenai were strolling toward him...
Tōka saw Asuma and Kurenai, and naturally, Asuma and Kurenai noticed Tōka as well.
Kurenai smiled faintly, her eyes revealing how long it had been since they last met. Meanwhile, Asuma instinctively wanted to pull Kurenai away; after all, he had finally gotten this chance to spend time alone with her!
However, things did not go as planned.
They were already not far apart, and soon they came face-to-face.
"Long time no see, Tōka."
"Long time no see, Kurenai. Asuma."
Tōka and Kurenai exchanged greetings, while Asuma curled his lip and silently cursed him for being so oblivious. With his nose practically in the air, he could not be bothered to acknowledge Tōka.
Seeing this, Tōka narrowed his eyes, his sly gaze sweeping back and forth between Kurenai and Asuma.
Kurenai's face reddened beneath that strange look. She shot Tōka an annoyed glare, turned, and walked away.
"Tsk... Women really turn on you without warning. She was smiling at me just a moment ago." Tōka shook his head helplessly and curled his lip.
"Kurenai? Wait for me!" Only then did Asuma react, hurriedly chasing after her.
But halfway through his run, he remembered the task his father had given him!
So Asuma quickly turned back and stopped Tōka, who had been about to leave.
"Hm?" Tōka looked at Asuma in confusion, only to see Asuma pull a scroll from his robes and hand it over. Tōka accepted it reflexively.
"The old... the Hokage told me to give this to you." Asuma hurriedly finished speaking, then turned and ran after Kurenai.
To him, nothing in the world was more important than chasing his future wife.
Tōka understood the Third Hokage's intention the moment his eyes shifted, and he opened the scroll...
Just as expected!!
"Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."
The corners of Tōka's mouth rose slightly as he came to a conclusion. "What a fascinating father and son. The father is shrewd and calculating, while the son is simple-minded."
The Third Hokage's intentions were straightforward: he wanted to bestow favor by giving him a secret technique of the previous Hokage from a Sealing Scroll.
Yet by having Asuma deliver the scroll to Tōka, he hoped Tōka would appreciate the favor—and appreciate Asuma's favor.
Unfortunately, that blockhead Asuma had nothing but Kurenai in his eyes and heart. He had not understood the Third Hokage's true intention at all. He had even resented the Third Hokage for wasting the precious time of his date with Kurenai just to deliver some scroll to Tōka.
Had they not run into each other on the street, Asuma would have nearly forgotten the Third Hokage's task entirely.
"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique: Create a dark environment and cut off the opponent's vision." Tōka passed through a quiet alley and arrived at a peaceful riverbank, silently studying the scroll in his hand.
Within the dark environment, only the caster and their allies could see objects inside it and attack.
It was a genjutsu that distorted vision and stole away all light. In a dark world that descended like black silk, even powerful people could only be forced to reveal their positions.
"It feels somewhat similar to Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Technique, except one is white and the other is black." Tōka quickly finished reading the scroll and put it away.
Without realizing it, he had learned another genjutsu.
His previous genjutsu had all been taught by Kurenai, and most were C-rank. After all, Kurenai had only just graduated as a Genin back then.
Because of Tsunade's special battlefield examination, Tōka had become a Chunin, and the Third Hokage's intentions had also played a part in that.
If he entered the Anbu with only Genin listed in his records, it would have looked unreasonable. Chunin still did not meet the requirements for joining the Anbu, but it was barely acceptable.
Having learned a new move, Tōka naturally wanted to find someone to test it on.
"Should I find Gai?" The thought flashed through his mind before Tōka rejected it. Gai would fall for it too easily. It would be boring.
"Maybe I should find Kakashi!" Tōka grinned, and his figure flickered away from the riverbank.
The river water was crystal clear, and fish swam freely back and forth beneath it, leaving behind fleeting shadows reflected on the surface.
At the same time, another major event occurred in Konoha, though ordinary civilians knew nothing about it.
At the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage had just finished reading the peace treaty sent by Sunagakure and had not yet had time to breathe a sigh of relief.
Bang!
A white figure flashed past the window, seemingly smashing through one of its panes.
"Old man! Why didn't you stop him?" The voice arrived before the person did. The Third Hokage immediately knew who it was upon hearing it.
"Jiraiya, you'll be heading to the front lines soon. If you have time, you should go make preparations." The Third Hokage slowly set down the document in his hands, deliberately changing the subject.
His evasive eyes did not dare meet Jiraiya's, as though he had no intention of discussing Orochimaru with him.
"Hmph, don't try to brush me off. Why?" Jiraiya did not buy it. Once he set his mind on something, he had to understand it. "With you and dozens of elite Anbu, I don't believe Orochimaru could have escaped!"
Jiraiya might ordinarily seem careless, but he was not truly foolish. It was simply his nature to live freely and without restraint.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Smoke swirled through the room, as stifling as their moods.
The Third Hokage silently smoked, and the wrinkles on his face suddenly seemed to have deepened.
Only then did Jiraiya seriously study Hiruzen Sarutobi. It seemed that some of Teacher Hiruzen's hair had already begun turning white.
After a long silence, Jiraiya turned around expressionlessly.
"What are you going to do?" Seeing Jiraiya's grim expression as he prepared to jump out through the window he had entered from, the Third Hokage immediately stood and shouted.
"What am I going to do? Of course I'm bringing Orochimaru back!" Jiraiya crouched on the windowsill and turned half his face back, his expression full of determination. "Even if I have to break his arms and legs, I'll bring him back!"
With a whoosh, Jiraiya leaped out through the window.
By the window, the Third Hokage held his pipe between his lips and stared blankly for a long time...
In the end, he let out a long sigh. In an instant, he seemed to have aged more than a decade. The heroic ninja of old was gone forever...
Before you continue