Yagami Shiraha—The True Heir to the Will of Fire

Kushina was highly efficient.

The next day, one million Ryo appeared in Shiraha's account.

He could finally begin refining the Level 0 Wizard potion, the "Vitality Potion."

However, the day after Shiraha received the money, the Anbu came knocking.

An Anbu Ninja escorted Shiraha to the entrance of the Hokage Office.

"Lord Third Hokage, Yagami Shiraha has arrived."

"Come in."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gentle voice came from inside the office.

The Anbu Ninja pushed open the door and gestured for Shiraha to enter.

Shiraha walked into the Hokage Office and saw Sarutobi Hiruzen bent over his desk, writing something. Both sides of the desk were piled with various documents.

"Wait a moment. Let me finish handling this document first." Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced up at Shiraha before returning his full attention to his official duties.

"Yes." Shiraha replied respectfully, looking somewhat nervous.

After a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his head. Seeing Shiraha's slightly restrained expression, he set down his pen, rose to his feet, and said with a smile:

"Don't be nervous. I didn't call you here to question you as the Third Hokage. I simply wish to understand a few things as one of Kushina's elders."

"Yes." Seemingly sensing Sarutobi Hiruzen's sincerity, Shiraha relaxed a little.

"Let's talk next door."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and walked out of the office first.

Shiraha followed him to the adjoining lounge.

"Sit wherever you like." Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured for Shiraha to sit on the sofa, then went to pour them each a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Lord Third Hokage." Shiraha looked flattered, then sat stiffly on the sofa.

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing further. For a child of this age, being summoned alone by him and reacting like this was already quite a good performance.

"I heard from Kushina that the two of you are quite close."

"Yes, she is a good friend of mine."

Shiraha answered.

"Kushina transferred one million Ryo to you. While that amount is nothing to her, she is still young. As an elder, I need to know where the money is going and how it will be used," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

In truth, even if Kushina had given Shiraha ten million Ryo, it would have been her own money and none of his business.

After all, the businesses in the Fire Capital that Kushina had entrusted to the "higher-ups" generated profits of over one hundred million Ryo every year.

As one of the most prominent clans outside the two great noble clans, the Sarutobi Clan needed a great deal of money to grow and prosper.

Sarutobi Hiruzen would not use the Hokage position to seek personal gain for his clan, but the clan needed money, so he had not refused when acquiring those businesses.

"I borrowed this money from Kushina to conduct an experiment. Actually, I had intended to report this to the village after achieving some results," Shiraha explained, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Before borrowing the money, he had anticipated this situation, so he had already prepared an explanation.

"An experiment?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback.

Shiraha explained, "When I was young, I found a prescription in my home. It said that after taking five hundred medicinal baths, it would greatly benefit taijutsu training.

"However, the herbs required for each medicinal bath are quite expensive, so I..."

Shiraha told him about how Kushina had directly given him enough herbs for one hundred baths when he had bought ingredients last time, as well as the changes in his body after one hundred medicinal baths.

"You're saying that after only one hundred medicinal baths, your body's reaction speed improved?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked surprised. A medicinal bath capable of enhancing physical reaction speed was quite valuable.

However, he had investigated the Yagami Family. Tracing their lineage back to the founding of the village, they had produced only one Special Jonin, Yagami Kyo. What precious prescription could they possibly have?

Still, it was not as though great clans could necessarily develop superior taijutsu medicinal bath formulas. Since the Warring States period, ninjutsu and swordsmanship had been the mainstream forms of combat, while ninjas specializing in taijutsu had always been undervalued.

Shiraha said earnestly, "Yes!

"Since I already owe Kushina so much, I might as well owe her a little more and repay her slowly in the future.

"I have some talent in Medical Ninjutsu, so I wanted to try five hundred medicinal baths and see what effect they would have.

"If they truly work, perhaps the medicinal bath formula could be improved and eventually promoted throughout the village."

Sensing Shiraha's sincerity, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt rather moved. "I understand. I am pleased that you possess such awareness."

Come to think of it, Shiraha was a promising talent.

His ninja talent was quite good, and most importantly, his aptitude for Medical Ninjutsu was exceptionally outstanding among this year's Medical Training Class.

The medical staff at Konoha Hospital thought highly of him. Even Tsunade had mentioned him several times, saying that the child had a rich imagination and highly creative thinking.

Most importantly, Shiraha possessed great awareness at such a young age. He was a true heir to the Will of Fire.

"Thinking about it now, this idea of mine may have been too presumptuous." Shiraha scratched his head and said seriously:

"Actually, I had wanted to hand over my family's prescription before and research it together with the teachers of the Medical Corps.

"But I was worried it might not work and would waste everyone's time, so I wanted to try it gradually myself first."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke earnestly upon hearing this:

"Your idea is a good one. But Shiraha, you must understand something.

"Many times, one person's strength is insignificant.

"Even I need companions.

"You must believe in the strength of companions!"

"Yes, Lord Third Hokage." Shiraha looked as though he had humbly accepted the lesson. "I would like to donate the prescription to the village. Would that be alright?"

After all that buildup, the Third Hokage would surely be curious about the prescription.

Now, it was not the Third Hokage asking for the prescription—it was Shiraha offering it of his own accord.

Without the Knight Breathing Technique to complement it, the medicinal bath formula could still strengthen the body, but its effects would be greatly diminished.

Once Shiraha handed over the prescription, he would be able to buy medicinal ingredients whenever he wanted.

Under the guise of research and development, he could also conceal his purchases of ingredients for Wizard potions.

It was common for ninjas training in taijutsu to pair it with medicinal baths, and every Ninja Clan had its own formulas.

According to Kushina, even the Uzumaki Clan, which did not specialize in taijutsu, possessed dozens of formulas.

Whether they worked was another matter entirely.

"Since you have such intentions, the village naturally will not let you down. I will have the Medical Corps ninjas research it," Sarutobi Hiruzen said approvingly.

It took five hundred consecutive baths before any effects appeared, so the cost was not low.

Even if they truly conducted experiments, he estimated that only a few elite members of the clan could use it.

Of course, the main purpose of this meeting had been to test whether Shiraha had ulterior motives in approaching Kushina. The medicinal bath was merely an unexpected gain.

Sarutobi Hiruzen considered himself quite accurate at judging people.

Shiraha was very good!

"Thank you, Lord Third Hokage." Shiraha bowed deeply with an excited expression.

"You may go back now. I hope you and Kushina will get along well."

"I will!"

Shiraha left the lounge.

Only after returning home did he finally let out a long breath.

If Shiraha had possessed only the life experience of his first life and had not gone through the scheming and deceit of the Wizarding World, he would never have been able to disguise himself so well.

After this encounter, Shiraha gained a more direct understanding of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.

When the story began, the Third Hokage was already an old man nearing seventy. His strength and energy had both greatly declined.

Before others, he always appeared as a kind and approachable old grandfather, without the slightest air of a Hokage.

But Shiraha would not think so simply.

By the beginning of the story, the Uchiha Clan had already been exterminated. He had heard that Uchiha Itachi was responsible.

Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were indeed strong, but even if Itachi was stronger than both of them, he could not have wiped out the Uchiha Clan alone.

Based on Shiraha's current understanding, given the strength displayed by the Uchiha Clan, even if they had suffered a major blow before the story began, it would have been impossible for them to be exterminated without anyone noticing.

There was only one possibility for one of the two great noble clans, the Uchiha Clan, to be wiped out overnight: someone in the village had helped.

Their own people had turned against their own people!

With such twisted Will of Fire indoctrination, Shiraha would not find it strange no matter what ninjas did.

The Third Hokage's title of "Ninja Hero" was not merely praise for his strength; it also reflected the recognition of his political skill by the village's various clans.

It was said that the Third Hokage had been appointed in a crisis and was not initially recognized by everyone. He had relied on his own abilities to win the support of the people.

Of course, that was what the textbooks recorded. Shiraha did not believe reality contained only beautiful things.

Now that he was in Konoha, if he still viewed the Third Hokage through the impression left by the anime, then his more than thirty years in the Wizarding World would have been for nothing.

A powerful, hard-handed politician at forty.

A kind and approachable old grandfather at seventy.

There was no contradiction between the two.

PS: The story will be promoted tomorrow afternoon. Starting tomorrow, updates will be moved to 8 a.m., and there will be an extra chapter that day.