The Third Hokage's Will of Fire Sales Pitch

Xing Ran pushed open the door to the Hokage's Office. He'd been here a few times before, so he still had a clear memory of what the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked like. But as he stepped inside, he quickly noticed another familiar stranger.

Shimura Danzō. A guy he'd often seen in the anime in his past life, but this was the first time meeting him face-to-face in this one.

Danzō's forehead was wrapped in bandages, covering his right eye as well. His right arm seemed injured, tucked into his robes and immobile. He wasn't using a cane yet, though—still a middle-aged version of Danzō.

Xing Ran swept his gaze over Danzō's face, then unconsciously activated his X-ray vision to peer at the man's right arm.

In Xing Ran's sight, Danzō's right arm hadn't been transplanted with Sharingan yet. It was scarred and battered, but still looked like his original limb—no, not entirely his original limb.

It turned out Danzō had already started experimenting with First Hokage's Cells. His arm was sealed by the sealing technique on the bandages, the muscle tissue a pale gray that reminded Xing Ran of White Zetsu. But the transplant method was still crude and cautious. With the cells' activity sealed, the First Hokage's Cells were completely suppressed. As long as Danzō didn't engage in strenuous activity, this arm—more like a ticking time bomb—wouldn't cause any major issues.

Xing Ran noticed the sealing technique on Danzō's arm bandages was incredibly complex. Though he knew little about sealing techniques, he could easily guess that beyond sealing the First Hokage's Cells, there were plenty of techniques to ward off prying eyes. At the very least, a Byakugan definitely wouldn't spot anything wrong. Only Xing Ran's X-ray vision, a power completely different from the Chakra system, could easily uncover the secret in Danzō's arm.

Danzō really was a madman. Konoha's transplant technology for First Hokage's Cells was clearly a failure, yet he still dared to use it on himself. Truly, ruthless people started by being ruthless to themselves first.

Too bad Danzō had the guts but not the luck. Now he was immobile and his strength was severely diminished. No wonder he later transplanted that multi-eyed arm Orochimaru cultivated from Shin Uchiha—otherwise, with his current state, he definitely wouldn't be Kage-level.

Despite all the inner monologue, Xing Ran had only glanced at Danzō when he entered. His gaze quickly followed Danzō's arm to the main seat where the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat.

The whole process took less than two seconds, and his expression showed nothing unusual.

Because Xing Ran knew that under normal circumstances, he shouldn't recognize Danzō. So coming to see the Hokage, he shouldn't show too much interest in Danzō either. His current behavior was just right. No matter what, with his Superman powers underdeveloped, it was best to avoid any entanglement with Danzō.

"Lord Hokage." Xing Ran stepped past Danzō and stood before the Hokage's desk, looking ready to receive orders.

"Danzō, I have matters to attend to. That's all for today." The Third Hokage nodded at Xing Ran but didn't speak to him, instead issuing a dismissal to Danzō first.

"Hmph." Danzo snorted softly, offering no greeting to the Third Hokage as he turned and strode toward the door on his own. Just before leaving, he shot a glance at Xing Ran, struck by a fleeting illusion that the boy had been watching his arm.

That glance from Danzō sent a chill down Xing Ran's spine. Not because he was intimidated by Danzō's presence, but simply from the wariness a subordinate feels toward a superior. What he feared most right now was catching Danzō's attention. Guilt made this rookie of the ninja world a bit inexperienced.

Shaking his head slightly, Danzō quickly left the Hokage's Office. How could a kid who trembled from a single glare possibly discover the secret of his arm? He must have just been affected by Hiruzen's mood today.

"Don't mind him. Tell me about your condition. You've been out of the hospital for a while now—how's your recovery?" The Third Hokage was like a kindly old neighbor. After Danzō left, he gave Xing Ran a warm smile, dispelling the slightly tense atmosphere, and asked about his recovery.

"I'm completely fine now. Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. May I ask why you called me here? Is there a mission?" Xing Ran felt a bit uncomfortable. The Third Hokage, with whom he had little connection, was suddenly being so kind. He wanted to leave soon.

On the way here, he'd already thought it through. Even if Superman's Steel Body was underdeveloped, it could still easily overpower ordinary people. Such great talent shouldn't go to waste. Until Hai Yi returned, the issue of his spirit and soul would have to wait. But getting stronger—that direction was definitely right.

He wondered if he could find Might Guy. With his current learning ability, mastering the Eight Gates should be very easy. But Might Guy was a blockhead and probably hard to fool.

Superman's physique plus the Eight Gates forbidden technique—just thinking about it got him a little excited. It should create some amazing chemical reaction.

"Good to hear you're fine. The others on Team 16... you probably know what happened afterward. This world is like that—sometimes life is so fragile. To avoid similar tragedies in the future, we must look forward. As long as our Will of Fire remains, we can keep passing it on and prevent more sorrow..." The Third Hokage's words were stirring.

From the grief of the team's annihilation, he quickly shifted to the legacy of the Will of Fire. As long as one still yearned for light, most people would soon be swayed by the Third Hokage's speech and regain a positive outlook on life.

Xing Ran was a bit confused. Why was the Third Hokage suddenly pulling this? Had he discovered the golden finger Xing Ran had hidden for days and was now trying to win him over early?

Xing Ran couldn't figure it out. The Third Hokage, of course, didn't know about Xing Ran's Superman powers. But because of Team 16's annihilation, he had a new idea.

An idea to maintain peace. It required the active participation of the person involved, and Xing Ran's attitude was crucial.

According to Anbu's post-mission analysis, Xing Ran had shown slight signs of war trauma after leaving the hospital, even striking fellow villagers without mercy. Though he'd held back—the dog-masked Anbu only suffered minor injuries—the possibility of further deterioration couldn't be ignored.

"..."

Seeing Xing Ran silent, the Third Hokage didn't know if his words had any effect. He'd said his piece. If it didn't work, it meant this kid from the Yamanaka Family harbored too much darkness. The Will of Fire probably couldn't be inherited. Maybe Root would suit him better.

But that was a problem to consider after this mission. For now, back to business.