Foolproof

The Shrine Priest Clan maintained its status by having the most talented offspring serve as the clan head, keeping them in high positions within the nation, answerable only to the Emperor.

Later, as time and space shifted, although Masahiro's family experienced some turbulence, they relied on their extraordinary power, a large population, and a completely open approach to Ninjutsu, allowing the capable to rise to the top, which kept them in a position of high standing within the nation's upper echelons.

By the modern era, the connections, industries, and businesses of the Shrine Priest Clan had spread throughout the entire Land of Days, making them a premier super-aristocracy.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not surprised by this result; after all, the Chakra Seed could be spread through reproduction, and given the human rate of procreation, it was essentially impossible for his Ninja legacy to be extinguished.

That was why Sarutobi had not chosen to spread the seed to many people at the time, but only to Masahiro alone.

Immediately after, the figure that appeared before Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat surprising.

It was actually Tsukiguni Yoriichi.

After parting ways with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsukiguni Yoriichi had abandoned the Sun Breathing style and turned to practicing the Immortal Breathing.

Indeed, in an era without demons, the existence of the Sun Breathing was unnecessary; when facing ordinary people, Tsukiguni Yoriichi could protect himself with his swordsmanship regardless.

After practicing the Immortal Breathing, Tsukiguni Yoriichi's progress was rapid; he soon eliminated his Demon Slayer Mark and entered the state of Total Concentration.

His body had entered the state of a Perfect Being.

Since then, Tsukiguni Yoriichi had been drifting through the Land of Days, living all the way to the modern era.

During this time, Tsukiguni Yoriichi also had interactions with Masahiro's family, and under his protection, the Tsukiguni Clan became the strongest samurai family in the Land of Days, becoming a prestigious family of generational kendo champions by the modern era.

Of course, the Breathing Style had also been smoothed out over the long passage of time, changing its appearance; it was no longer the extreme breathing style that drained one's vitality.

Instead, it had developed into a gentler breathing style that slowly improved physical fitness.

At the end of the vision, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the scene of Tsukiguni Yoriichi reuniting with his wife, Uta, on a modern school campus.

"So that's how it is."

"In that case, couldn't this be made into a school-life anime?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen understood the purpose behind Tsukiguni Yoriichi switching to the Immortal Breathing.

After learning that reincarnation existed in the world, Tsukiguni Yoriichi wanted to live forever to search for his wife's reincarnation, and in the end, he succeeded in the modern era.

"The love story between an immortal legendary swordsman and a pure-hearted schoolgirl."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled; it was certainly quite compelling.

"Ding!"

"Spacetime Anchor complete, proceeding with subsequent Source Energy settlement."

"You killed the Demon King ahead of schedule in the Demon Slayer World, spread a brand-new extraordinary power, and altered the destiny of the Child of Prophecy and a large portion of the population..."

"Spacetime has fluctuated as a result..."

"Obtained 8100 points of Source Energy."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a bit of regret upon seeing this.

"Still didn't break ten thousand points..."

However, he was not surprised; after all, the power of Chakra had limited utility in the Demon Slayer World—it had an impact, but it was far from enough to change history.

In the age of technology, the faith in the Gatling Bodhisattva was even more abundant.

As for the Breathing Style, it went without saying; as a skill that only improved physical fitness and relied on air, its application in modern warfare was not as good as Chakra.

Host: Sarutobi Hiruzen
Current World: Four-Star World -- Naruto
World Mark (Spacetime Anchor): Two-Star World -- Demon Slayer
Spacetime Source Points: 8648

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; the harvest this time was quite decent, at least worth the price of admission, and he wouldn't have to worry about the consumption for his next traversal.

"Third Hokage!"

An Anbu knocked on the door, indicating he had something to report.

"Come in."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

As soon as the Anbu entered the room and saw the Third Hokage, whom he hadn't seen for two days, he was immediately astonished.

Because there were some obvious changes in Sarutobi Hiruzen's appearance.

'Lord Third seems to have...'

The Anbu stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, momentarily stunned.

Because compared to before, both the appearance and temperament of Sarutobi Hiruzen had undergone some changes.

The beard and temples that had begun to turn white due to age had all disappeared, and his hair was now jet-black and lustrous, as if he were a young man.

The wrinkles on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face had also mostly vanished; he no longer looked like an old man over fifty.

He looked more like a middle-aged man in his early forties, robust and healthy.

The Anbu felt a moment of trance, looking at the majestic and vibrant Third Hokage, as if he were seeing that Ninja Hero who had once dominated the Ninja World.

"Cough, cough..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally understood why the Anbu was stunned.

Because he had been practicing Immortal Breathing whenever he had free time in the Demon Slayer World, he had already achieved significant results. Although he was still some distance away from the state of Total Concentration Constant, it was quite effective; his body's cells had rejuvenated by a full five or six years, his digestive ability was now comparable to a young man's, and even his appetite had increased significantly.

The most concrete manifestation of this was that he looked six or seven years younger.

"Alright..."

"Speak your mind..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke indifferently, causing the Anbu to startle, feeling sweat seep from his forehead.

Lord Third's presence has become increasingly terrifying...

Although the Anbu was puzzled, he simply attributed it to the Third Hokage taking good care of himself or being in high spirits lately; he would never imagine that Sarutobi Hiruzen was actually undergoing a process of returning to his youth.

"Lord Third..."

"Tomorrow is the day for the trip to the capital..."

"Should we arrange a full squad of Anbu for protection?"

The Anbu inquired.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; according to the schedule, it was indeed time to go through the Hokage inauguration procedures again.

He then gave his instructions, "There is no need to arrange a full squad..."

"My re-inauguration this time is just a formality,"

"Just arrange a small team of Anbu to follow."

A sharp glint flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, "And strengthen the security around the Hokage Building."

"Assign jonin who specialize in Sealing Jutsu to be on duty tomorrow."

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, "They must be jonin who can be completely trusted."

"Do you understand?"

The Anbu standing before him was able to speak with Sarutobi Hiruzen face-to-face, so he was naturally a trusted confidant and did not fear that he would leak any information.

The Anbu's heart tightened; listening to the Third Hokage's words, he felt a sense of a storm brewing.

He speculated in his heart, but still replied in a deep voice, "Yes!"

After the Anbu left, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned another Anbu, "Bring me a copy of the intelligence list from Konoha Prison."

"And then."

"Summon Uchiha Fugaku to see me..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flickered with a dangerous light, "Tell him I want to discuss the matter regarding the Nine-Tails losing control."

The Anbu naturally accepted the order and left.

Watching the empty space where the Anbu had vanished, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression carried a resolute killing intent.

Although his strength had nearly returned to its peak and he could fight two of Danzo in a head-on battle, out of caution, Sarutobi Hiruzen still made some preparations, to ensure that Danzo's death would be foolproof!

In the dark headquarters of the Root, Danzo sat high on the main seat, his expression gloomy and filled with killing intent, "Your target tomorrow is to assassinate the Third Hokage on his way to the capital of the Land of Fire."

"He has held the position of Hokage for too long."

"He has achieved nothing!"

Danzo's words seemed to convince even himself, "Konoha does not need a weak shadow!"

"Do you understand?"

Below came the resounding reply, "Yes!!"

The Root ninja kneeling before him numbered about ten, each possessing strength at least at the level of an elite Chunin.

Clearly, this was a tactical squad with no small amount of power.

Yet, to send this squad to assassinate a Kage—even one who was no longer in his prime—was somewhat laughable.

Shimura Danzō actually knew that gathering more experts would provide a greater chance of success.

However, the reality was that even though his Root existed independently of the Anbu and often expanded its ranks on its own, the number of members who would truly obey him and follow him in a rebellion was pitifully small.

Thanks to the Will of Fire being well-propagated, and the prestige of the Third Hokage being deeply rooted, most of the Root ninja—who mostly came from the Anbu or were recruited from ninja clans—held extremely high loyalty to Konoha and would basically never go along with his reckless schemes.

The Root ninja before him were his own trusted subordinates, raised from childhood and brainwashed from a young age to maintain absolute loyalty.

However, Shimura Danzō did not entirely rely on these men; his true trump card was not these confidants.

Shimura Danzō unconsciously touched his right arm, his expression filled with excitement.

"Soon... the position of Hokage."

The next day, Sarutobi Hiruzen emerged from the Hokage Building very early.

He departed Konoha early, accompanied by a small squad of Anbu members, heading toward the capital of the Land of Fire.

Not long after Sarutobi Hiruzen's party left Konoha, another group followed in their wake.

Several hours later, Shimura Danzō walked into the Hokage Building with a calm expression.

Because he served as the Hokage Assistant and was deeply trusted by Sarutobi Hiruzen, wielding great power, no one dared to stop him even though the Third Hokage was not inside the building.

Shimura Danzō walked into the Hokage Office with practiced ease.

Looking at the empty office, Shimura Danzō could not help but wear a sinister smile as he walked around the desk and sat directly in the seat exclusive to the Hokage.

He surveyed the Hokage's perspective, which was completely different from before: the expansive office with a panoramic view, the sight of Konoha looking down from outside the window, and the comfort of the specially crafted seat.

He stroked the armrests of the Hokage Chair, and in the end, he could not hold back, laughing in a low voice.

"Hahahaha..."

"Sarutobi..."

"In the end, I will be the one to win..."

"This position of Hokage..."

Before Shimura Danzō could finish, a playful voice rang out.

"What about the position of Hokage?"

In an instant, Shimura Danzō's expression froze. As a longtime friend and partner, he was too familiar with Sarutobi Hiruzen, just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was familiar with him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stepped out from the shadows, finding it somewhat amusing to look at the expression frozen on Shimura Danzō's face—a laugh that had only made it halfway.

"Are you surprised..."

"That I would appear here?"

"And even if I weren't here..."

"You didn't actually think your clumsy assassination would succeed, did you?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen mocked.

"To assassinate a Kage with only three tactical squads..."

The next second, Sarutobi Hiruzen's presence expanded like a physical force. With a sharp gaze fixed on Shimura Danzō, the Hokage Office was instantly flooded with killing intent, as if they were standing on a battlefield.