Will of Fire

In the hospital.

Uchiha Lengfeng glared out the window, his face twisted with resentment as he slammed his fist against the bed railing!

"Damn it!"

"As a genius of the Uchiha Clan, how could I lose to someone from the Hyuga Branch Family? This is nothing short of a disgrace!"

Although the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan were equally renowned.

They were both the largest clans in Konoha, but in reality, the Hyuga Clan was nowhere near as powerful as the Uchiha Clan. Therefore, in the eyes of the Uchiha, the Hyuga Clan was a tier below them!

Yet now, he had actually lost to Hyuga Kagami, a member of the Hyuga Branch Family!

"Hyuga Kagami, I will never let you off!"

He gritted his teeth and hissed, "As a member of the Uchiha Clan, how could I possibly lose to you!"

Hum!

Uchiha Lengfeng's mind was flooded with hatred and unwillingness, and a pair of crimson single-tomoe Sharingan manifested!

They flickered with an eerie light in the darkness of the night.

Early the next morning.

Hyuga Kagami arrived at the Hokage's Office. Today was the day he would officially enter the Anbu, which meant that from now on, he would be part of the Hokage's faction and possess a certain status within Konoha!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing a retroactive sign-in at the Hokage's Office!]

[Task Reward: Armament Haki!]

[Armament Haki: Armament Haki can increase an individual's defensive power, acting like an invisible suit of armor; it can further evolve into offensive power. Besides being applied to one's own body, Armament Haki can also be imbued into objects!]

"Sign-in secured."

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward.

This was the benefit of retroactive sign-ins!

By signing in while passing by, he could still obtain previous rewards without wasting any extra time!

"With Armament Haki, I can now imbue my Great Hammer with it. Not only will it enhance the weapon's attack power, but it will also protect the weapon from damage."

The biggest problem right now.

It wasn't that the weapon lacked power, but rather... his strength was so great that it caused the Great Hammer to break...

To date, he had already ruined two hammers.

"Kagami, Itachi, that you two can enter the Anbu is my greatest hope."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Hyuga Kagami and Uchiha Itachi before him with a face full of kindness: "Konoha is currently in dire need of talented youths like you to support its future. With you here, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

His expression was benevolent.

It was as if he trusted the two of them implicitly.

"This is what we should do, Your Excellency Hokage!"

The two replied in unison.

Their expressions were respectful and their demeanor silent.

Uchiha Itachi's expression was complex. Thanks to Kagami-kun, he had truly come to recognize the darkness of Konoha. If not for Kagami-kun, he dared not imagine what state he would be in right now!

Would he still be like before, blindly revering the Hokage?

Blindly protecting Konoha?

In the end... he might have even become a sharp blade in the Hokage's hand, stabbing at the Uchiha Clan!

Last night, after thinking about these things, a cold sweat had broken out on his back!

It made him shudder!

"But before that, there is one more thing I would like to ask you both."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile faltered as he scrutinized the two!

He spoke slowly, enunciating every word, his eyes heavy and focused, as if examining prisoners!

"In your opinion, what is a qualified ninja?"

Entering the Anbu.

The key was not just strength, but also... loyalty to Konoha!

Uchiha Itachi was stunned for a moment. He hesitated for a second before saying, "Your Excellency Hokage, I believe a qualified ninja should possess great strength and prioritize the mission above all else!"

"Making the completion of the mission the primary goal!"

In fact, that was exactly how he had been acting.

In the later Uchiha clan extermination, Uchiha Itachi personally raised the butcher's knife!

But now, he hesitated.

He wasn't sure if his previous thoughts were right or wrong.

"Hahaha, a good will."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction, a cunning glint in his eyes.

Heh.

A compliant ninja like Uchiha Shisui?

As long as they were deceived, they wouldn't have any rebellious thoughts and would become a very good weapon!

He looked at Hyuga Kagami with a pleased expression. "What about you, Kagami-kun?"

"What do you think?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was very curious.

At the age of eight, possessing the strength of an elite Jonin-level taijutsu ninja!

What extraordinary talent this was!

If utilized well, he would surely be able to play his part!

Hyuga Kagami's expression was solemn, his brow furrowed as if contemplating something extremely, extremely serious!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was even more pleased, thinking to himself, "Not only does he possess great strength, but... he also has excellent thinking abilities?"

"This is quite rare in a taijutsu ninja!"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Ninja with thinking abilities were rare at any time.

Hyuga Kagami might be entrusted with important tasks!

"In my opinion, the most important thing for a ninja is to complete missions, but even more important is to protect each other!"

His gaze was firm, and he had his own will!

"I am a ninja, but more importantly, I am a ninja of Konoha, so in my opinion, what I must do is protect the people of Konoha!"

"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. The flames will continue to illuminate the village, and I will use my life to uphold the belief of protecting the village!"

His voice was sonorous and resounding!

It echoed throughout the entire room.

Shaking people to their core!

"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. The flames will continue to illuminate the village..."

Uchiha Itachi was shocked.

He couldn't help but whisper, is this Kagami-kun's will?

To have such high resolve, could it be... precisely because of this resolve that Kagami-kun continuously explored the truth of Konoha, discovered Konoha's darkness, and wanted to change Konoha?

He looked up at Hyuga Kagami with admiration.

His dark eyes flickered slightly!

"Good! Well said!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth gaped open, and after a moment, he burst into laughter!

His scalp tingled, and goosebumps rose all over him!

The Will of Fire!

"Kagami-kun, you said it well! It's as if you spoke the words in my heart!"

How could someone have the same thoughts as him?

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt as if he had found a kindred spirit!

How lonely he had been all these years?

His old friend Shimura Danzo was always thinking of seizing power, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were outwardly in agreement but inwardly at odds with him, and other clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha clans all had their own agendas.

He didn't have many trustworthy people around him!

But now, here was Hyuga Kagami, whose thoughts were incredibly similar to his own!

"Kagami-kun, you are right. As a ninja of Konoha, what we must do is protect Konoha while alive, and become flames to illuminate Konoha after death!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was full of admiration and agreement.

With Hyuga Kagami's words, wouldn't he be able to deceive people even better?

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

Hyuga Kagami nodded, his expression respectful.

A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Could he not agree?

This was the rhetoric you used to deceive people, wasn't it?!

Even when facing death, you still maintained your image, truly insidious!