Sage Mode

"Lord Third, Uchiha Gray is far too arrogant! How could he treat you like that?"

Several Anbu Ninja were united in their outrage.

One of them, a purple-haired Anbu Ninja, looked especially agitated. In her eyes, the Third was the greatest Hokage of all.

She would not tolerate anyone disrespecting him.

What Uchiha Gray had just done was like forcing the person she idolized to the ground and rubbing his face in the dirt.

And yet, for some reason, that same act had also made her realize how weak the Third was.

How compromising and pathetic!

How could Lord Third be like this?

No, Lord Hokage must have been doing it for the good of the Leaf.

"Lord Third, we absolutely cannot let someone like him remain in the Leaf!"

"Let me take him out for you!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. At last, he slowly shook his head.

"No. We can't have the Anbu handle this."

"I'll make the arrangements. You just keep Uchiha Gray under surveillance."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave his orders in a grave voice. It would be fine if they could kill Uchiha Gray, but if they failed, the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf would be driven into an irrevocable split.

Then he would be attacked from both sides.

Rather than risk that, he would endure it for now.

He would have Danzo make a move against the Uchiha Clan.

Fortunately, Uchiha Shisui had always been loyal to him, and Shisui possessed Kotoamatsukami. He could have Shisui use it to control Uchiha Gray.

Unlike his uncertainty about Uchiha Gray, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Uchiha Shisui's character very well.

Uchiha Shisui loved peace. He would surely help him use Kotoamatsukami on Uchiha Gray without hesitation!

Then Uchiha Gray would become his most loyal dog!

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Uzumaki Naruto with a kindly expression. "Naruto, did Uchiha Gray say anything to you today?"

"Or did he take you to meet anyone?"

The Sharingan could enter the spiritual world. Uchiha Gray could easily take Uzumaki Naruto to meet the Nine-Tails.

That was the last thing Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted.

If Uzumaki Naruto met the Nine-Tails, it would mean he learned about his own origins.

Then Uzumaki Naruto would become the Leaf's greatest threat.

Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, Uzumaki Naruto shook his head. "No, he didn't."

Uchiha Gray chuckled.

He had originally wanted to have a fight with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But he hadn't expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to be so good at holding back.

Still, given Sarutobi Hiruzen's character, he was probably already plotting how to kill or control him.

But with Sarutobi Hiruzen's underhanded ways, he definitely wouldn't have the Anbu come after him.

So either he'd send Root Ninja, or he'd get Uchiha Shisui to make a move.

In Uchiha Gray's estimation,

Sarutobi Hiruzen was more likely to have Uchiha Shisui do it. First, Shisui was from the same clan as Gray, so Gray wouldn't be wary of him, making it easier to strike.

Second, Shisui had Kotoamatsukami. He could make Gray submit to Sarutobi Hiruzen without shedding a drop of blood.

Not only would there be no losses, but Hiruzen would gain a loyal subordinate!

"But Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shisui has been my subordinate for a long time. I'm looking forward to seeing your face when you realize he's betrayed you."

Uchiha Gray spoke calmly. Shisui had never been loyal to Sarutobi Hiruzen alone, but to the whole Leaf.

After seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's dark side, Shisui naturally no longer trusted him.

These days, Shisui was more concerned with who could best fill the role of Hokage.

What left Gray a little speechless was that

Shisui seemed to be hinting, intentionally or not, that Gray should become Hokage.

I'd have to be an idiot to become Hokage. In the original story, Uzumaki Naruto was never home after becoming Hokage, and he worked himself to death.

No wonder Jiraiya refused to become Hokage. I'd have to be a complete fool to take that job.

[ Ding, signing in...]

[Sign-in successful!]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained 7% of Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit ability template and Sage Mode!]

The moment the electronic voice sounded, Uchiha Gray's body vanished.

Feeling the immense natural energy within him, it was as though the whole world stood on his side. He could sense everything around him.

He returned to the Forest of Death.

Uchiha Gray gave a quiet cry. "Sage Mode!"

In an instant, golden markings appeared around Uchiha Gray's eyes. He seemed like a sun god, radiating sunshine and the aura of nature.

"This Sage Mode is a little different from the one in the original story."

"The Sage Mode in the original story only grants the ability to sense things, but I have Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit template too, so it seems like these two abilities have merged."

"In this state, I seem to be able to use my Glint-Glint Fruit abilities through Senjutsu as well."

A smile tugged at Uchiha Gray's lips.

"Senjutsu: Light Weapon!"

Looking at the three-foot-long light blade in his hand,

Uchiha Gray murmured, "If the original Light Weapon could cut through the Kusanagi Sword, then this one is a divine weapon capable of slaughtering gods!"

Uchiha Gray had a feeling

that even the Sage of Six Paths could be hurt by this Light Weapon!

"After gaining Sage Mode, my strength has improved in every way—to a degree even I can't measure!"

"And now I have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan too. Even Nagato, with his incomplete Rinnegan, is just a little kid compared to me."

The smile at the corner of Uchiha Gray's mouth grew broader.

As things stood, as long as the Sage of Six Paths and Uchiha Madara didn't appear, he was the strongest person in this world.

One thing worth mentioning was that members of the Otsutsuki Clan should still be in the Shinobi World.

One of them was Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, whom Kaguya Otsutsuki had sealed long ago.

Compared with Uchiha Madara, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was the one Gray had to watch out for.

Although Ōtsutsuki Isshiki didn't seem very powerful in the original story, he was actually a terrifying powerhouse who had mastered Kekkei Mōra, just like Kaguya Otsutsuki.

If Gray let his guard down, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki might kill him!

What disappointed Uchiha Gray was that even with Sage Mode, he still hadn't fused with Wood Release.

It seemed that fusing with Wood Release was much easier said than done.

"With my current strength, there's no need to obsess over Wood Release!" Uchiha Gray said calmly.

"But are you still going to keep me under surveillance?"

Uchiha Gray snorted. In an instant, he vanished, like a streak of golden light disappearing from the air.

The purple-haired Anbu Ninja hidden nearby, keeping Uchiha Gray under surveillance, shrank her pupils.

The purple-haired Anbu Ninja was already an elite jonin.

And she was extremely far away from Uchiha Gray!

Even the Sharingan would have had a hard time detecting her. How had Uchiha Gray immediately noticed she was watching him?

It was impossible!

But in the next moment, Uchiha Gray's voice sounded behind the purple-haired Anbu Ninja. "Heh! Lord Third really does care about me."

"You've got Ninja watching me every moment of the day!"