"Even now, the Third Hokage wasn't as old and Chakra-depleted as he would be in the future."
"At the very least, his Chakra reserves were on the level of Chajinra,"
"and far greater than Hatake Kakashi's."
Sarutobi Hiruzen assessed his current strength. For now, it was enough to handle most situations.
He could already picture his younger self on the battlefield, casually casting one advanced Ninjutsu after another with Chakra that seemed bottomless—like a walking artillery platform, slaughtering ordinary Ninja.
"For a Ninja, just past fifty is more or less the peak of their life."
"At that age, physical strength and Chakra haven't noticeably declined, while experience in Ninjutsu and combat has reached a fully mature, seasoned level..."
"Enough to face enemies of any kind."
"Just like the Sannin during the Shippuden era."
"So the Third Hokage is definitely one of the strongest in the Ninja World right now..."
"Though against someone of equal strength, he might be at a disadvantage without a special bloodline technique..."
"His versatile fighting style and vast knowledge of Ninjutsu could still turn the tide in a battle against an equally strong opponent."
"Beating Orochimaru to death really wasn't just empty boasting."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was pleased with the strength of his current body, but he also knew the importance of preparing for danger in times of peace.
"Too bad..."
"This body won't stay at its peak for much longer."
"At most, two years..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the signs of age beginning to show on his hands and felt a chill. His Chakra reserves had already fallen short of their peak.
"Maybe even less..."
"Soon I'll become that Ninja Bear who could only take his former student down with him."
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that even the nearest threat, Orochimaru, wouldn't come for at least another decade.
But there was one matter he urgently needed to resolve.
His lifespan.
The shock of transmigrating from a young man in his twenties into a man in his fifties went without saying.
And if he didn't solve the problem of his lifespan, Sarutobi Hiruzen might not even live to see the Fourth Ninja War. He could simply die of old age.
"There are actually quite a few ways to extend one's life in the Ninja World."
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought back over the story.
"Like the Immortal Duo's secret techniques, or Senjutsu..."
"Or the God Tree Fruit..."
But Sarutobi Hiruzen eventually shook his head.
Those methods of immortality were difficult to replicate, and all came with limitations or side effects, great or small.
"With the Heavens and Myriad Worlds backing me..."
"I don't need to limit my sights to the Ninja World."
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked inwardly,
"System, how much Space-Time Source Energy do I have right now?"
"What level of world can I travel to?"
The system replied:
A thousand points of Source Energy were enough to travel to a Two-Star World.
That meant a world where the supernatural had only just begun to emerge and was not yet widespread.
A world like Naruto, where supernatural powers ran rampant and the strongest could cross the stars, move mountains, and fill the seas, was a Four-Star World.
Its power level was already quite high. The strongest could reasonably be called walking nuclear bombs.
"Unfortunately, I'm still nowhere near that level..."
A trace of longing showed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression.
"That level belongs exclusively to those with Otsutsuki blood."
"By rights, I've already reached more or less the peak of what an ordinary human can achieve..."
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind Sarutobi Hiruzen and bowed.
"Lord Third, Hatake Kakashi requests an audience..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained calm. In the original story, Kakashi did indeed meet with the Third Hokage.
"Send him in."
The white-haired boy appeared before Sarutobi Hiruzen in a few quick flashes, displaying a remarkable level of skill with the Body Flicker Technique.
Kakashi was still a fresh-faced boy, far from the lazy adult he would become.
"Lord Third..."
Kakashi bowed formally. Seeing the area around them scoured by Ninjutsu, he couldn't help but feel admiration.
As expected of Lord Third. A technique powerful enough to reshape the terrain was truly incredible.
Kakashi was nowhere near capable of anything like that yet.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the somewhat stiff Kakashi before him and found it amusing.
"Kakashi, there's no need to be so formal..."
"What brings you here?"
A trace of hesitation showed in Hatake Kakashi's uncovered eye, but it was soon replaced by the resolve of the Will of Fire.
Kakashi then told him how Danzo had tried to recruit him and planned to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen on the road to the capital of the Land of Fire.
"I see."
"I understand..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded calmly, taking in Kakashi's expression.
Danzo had probably said a few bad things about the Third Hokage while trying to recruit Kakashi, making the young boy question him.
Fortunately, after losing his teacher and his friends, Kakashi's Will of Fire had become firmly rooted.
He wouldn't entertain many other thoughts.
"Kakashi..."
"How's that eye?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Kakashi's covered left eye and asked with concern.
"It's all right..."
Kakashi lowered his head and answered honestly.
"The Sharingan is powerful. I can't fully control it yet..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke earnestly.
"If you can't control it, don't force yourself."
"Unlike the Byakugan, the Sharingan has never been coveted by outsiders for no reason."
"The difference isn't without cause."
The Byakugan needed to be controlled with the Caged Bird Seal not only because of its immense strategic value, but also because using it required little extra cost.
But when someone who wasn't an Uchiha tried to wield the Sharingan, it consumed not only their Chakra but also their life force.
The price paid by Uchiha who used the Mangekyo alone made it clear what a troublesome eye technique the Sharingan was.
With the exception of Indra's reincarnations, none of the Mangekyo users had met a good end.
If he could choose, Sarutobi Hiruzen would much rather see Kakashi at full strength, free of the burden of the Sharingan.
Instead of seeing him become the so-called Copy Ninja who was only good for drawing with his opponents.
After all, by Ninja standards, Kakashi's talent was even greater than Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
A twelve-year-old Jonin hadn't gotten there through seniority. He'd earned it with real strength.
Compared with its former glory, Konoha was clearly in a period of decline, short on promising young Ninja. If Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to improve Konoha's situation and change his own fate, he would need stronger allies.
And Kakashi, with his extraordinary talent and natural loyalty to the Hokage faction, was almost the perfect choice for the next Hokage.
"..."
But Sarutobi Hiruzen got only silence in response,
or rather, the expression of a firm resolve.
As Obito's legacy, the Sharingan was something Kakashi would never give up, even if it cost him his career as a Ninja.
Kakashi was naturally an exceptionally clever Ninja, and he had already realized just how high the cost of using the Sharingan was.
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