Chapter 12

Haku stood to the side, his face full of shock, utterly unable to understand what had happened. But after Zabuza drew his last breath, he chose to end his own life as well.

Uchiha Yi saw all of it.

Using Vision Resonance, he watched the entire process with perfect clarity.

By then, he had arrived at Tazuna's house with Naruto and the others.

What happened next was almost exactly the same as in the original story.

The only difference was that Naruto never met Haku again.

Though none of them had been injured, Kakashi still dragged Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura into another round of special training.

Tree climbing, water walking.

But what Uchiha Yi had not expected was that during this training, Naruto somehow unlocked part of the Nine-Tails' seal again by sheer coincidence.

He had clearly never fought Haku, yet this still happened.

The moment Kakashi saw it, he tensed up, his face filled with vigilance.

Uchiha Yi, however, did not think much of it. If anything, he found it rather interesting.

At the instant Naruto loosened the seal, he caught an incredibly faint chakra fluctuation.

He secretly activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and saw an unusual strand of chakra within Naruto.

That chakra was extremely faint. Even with his eyes, he had nearly failed to catch it.

It vanished in a flash.

But he had seen it clearly.

Interesting.

Asura's chakra?

Or...

The Sage of Six Paths?

The latter seemed more likely.

Uchiha Yi pondered it. At twelve, Naruto's body was already gradually becoming capable of bearing the Nine-Tails' power. This method of slowly releasing the seal bit by bit was practically like someone was paving the way for Naruto from behind the scenes.

It looked very much like the Sage of Six Paths' handiwork.

At that thought, his gaze darkened slightly, and his guard rose. Damn it, that old bastard Six Paths is definitely watching Naruto in secret—Sasuke probably isn't exempt either.

Looks like I need to stay away from those two brats.

There were no issues with the Nine-Tails' seal, Kakashi was perfectly fine, and Gato had inexplicably died. Just like that, the matter passed. After staying at Tazuna's house for a few days, Team 7 headed back to Konoha. "Yo, I'm back!"

At Konoha's gates, Naruto grinned broadly, looking as carefree as ever.

Kakashi gave him a deadpan look, glanced toward a certain corner, and tossed a look in that direction before heading off to report to the Third Hokage.

Uchiha Yi went straight home.

Over the next few days, Team 7 returned to their usual mess of errand-running missions and endless odd jobs.

But Uchiha Yi knew full well that these peaceful days would not last much longer.

The Chunin Exams were coming soon.

[Uchiha Yi truly had not expected the Third Hokage to summon him just before the Chunin Exams began. "Kid, you've done well. Even this old man never expected you to be capable of this."

The Third Hokage spoke with a genial smile, but the occasional sharp glint in his eyes revealed that he was nowhere near as muddleheaded as he appeared. "Heh, I'm pretty surprised myself. My dad used to say my talent was only average, that I should count myself lucky if I could live as an ordinary person."

"An ordinary person..."

When the Third Hokage heard Uchiha Yi mention his father, he froze for a moment.

He had known Uchiha Yi's father very well—this boy always reminded him of his old teammate, Uchiha Kyo.

To be honest, on the night of the massacre, when Danzo had wanted to send Might Guy away on a mission, the Third Hokage had stopped him personally. It was because he had thought of that connection.

If Might Guy had really left back then, Uchiha Yi would have had to go home alone. This boy probably would not be alive today. "Oh? So you still remember your father a little?"

The Third Hokage came back to himself, his tone becoming more casual. "Yeah."

Uchiha Yi nodded and said with a serious expression, "I can't remember a lot of things clearly, but there's one thing he always used to say that I still haven't forgotten."

"Oh? What was it?"

"The things that truly matter, no matter how painful or miserable it gets... you have to grit your teeth and hold on until the end. Even if it costs you your life, you have to protect them with your own hands. Only then, when you die, can you leave behind proof that you lived as a man."

"Actually, Uncle Guy said that. My dad repeated it to me. He said Uncle Guy was right, and that was what he believed too."

The Third Hokage did not grow suspicious.

He had indeed heard Might Guy say those words before, and given the relationship between Guy and Uchiha Yi's father, it was perfectly normal for those words to have been passed along. "My dad also said that his favorite saying was one from the Fourth Hokage."

"The Fourth Hokage's words... which ones?"

The Third Hokage's eyes lit up. "The shadow of fire will illuminate the village—that is the meaning of the Hokage's existence."

The Third Hokage's expression changed at once.

He could tell that the boy was not lying. Every word carried genuine emotion. "Kid, you're something else. Even after living this long, I never expected you to have been hiding something like this."

The Third Hokage smiled warmly, but the occasional glint in his eyes made it clear he was not so easy to fool. "Heh, I didn't expect it either. My dad used to say my talent was only average and that it would be good enough if I could live a steady life."

"A steady life..."

Hearing Uchiha Yi mention his father, the Third Hokage paused for an instant.

That man was no stranger to him. Something about this boy always reminded him of his old teammate—Uchiha Kyo.

To be honest, if not for that connection, when Danzo had wanted to send Might Guy away on a mission during the night of the massacre, he would not have personally stepped in to stop it.

If Might Guy had really left back then, this boy would have gone home. And if he had gone home, how could he possibly be standing here today?

"Looks like you remember your father quite well."

The Third Hokage quickly recovered, his tone softening somewhat. "Yeah."

Uchiha Yi nodded and said seriously, "There are a lot of things I can't remember clearly anymore, but there's one thing he said that I've always remembered."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"The things that truly matter, whether they bring pain or sorrow... you have to grit your teeth and hold on until the end. Even if it costs you your life, you must protect them with that life. If you can truly do that, then even if you're gone, you'll leave behind the mark of a man who once lived."

"My dad actually heard that from Uncle Guy. But he told me those words were right, and that he felt the same way."

The Third Hokage did not become suspicious.

He had indeed heard Might Guy say those words. Besides, given Guy's relationship with the boy's father, it was entirely natural.

"My dad also said that the saying he admired most came from the Fourth Hokage."

"The Fourth Hokage? Which saying?"

The Third Hokage's eyes immediately brightened. "The shadow of fire will always shine over the village—that is the meaning of the Hokage."

The Third Hokage's expression completely changed.

Looking at the boy before him, he could find no trace of deceit in his eyes, and the emotions in his words were utterly sincere.

What a good child.

The Third Hokage sighed inwardly once more. With that, the last trace of doubt in his heart disappeared.

What he did not know was that Uchiha Yi was secretly letting out a breath of relief.

From the moment he stepped into the Hokage's office, at least ten pairs of eyes had been fixed on him. When he saw the Third Hokage, he sensed a faint hostility from him—perhaps hostility was too strong a word. It might have merely been suspicion.

That was why Uchiha Yi had hypnotized himself before delivering that speech.

The Illusion Realm's hypnotic ability could be used on himself as well.

He could even create a false personality for a short time, burying his true thoughts completely.

That was exactly what he had done just now, even bringing out that Will of Fire rhetoric. There was only one goal—to fool them.

He still needed to remain in Konoha. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to leave.

Seeing the Third Hokage's current expression, along with only two or three ordinary watchful gazes remaining on him, he knew—he had succeeded.

How could the Third Hokage have imagined that he had been fooled by a twelve-year-old brat?

After a brief pause, the Third Hokage looked up at Uchiha Yi, his tone becoming much more serious. "Kid, tell me this—what does the village mean to you?"

"Mm... the village is a family. Uncle Guy, Rock Lee, Naruto, and everyone else—we're all family."

"My dad said that no matter how big the Uchiha Clan was, it was still not bigger than the great family of Konoha."

"For the village, my dad would have given his life. I'm the same."

At that moment, the false personality completely took over his body, and Uchiha Yi instantly transformed into a hot-blooded youth overflowing with righteousness. "Hahaha, good kid! Very good!"

The Third Hokage laughed in satisfaction, then abruptly changed the subject. "Then have you ever considered taking the position of Hokage?"

This time, Uchiha Yi did not need the false personality's help at all. He shook his head like a rattle. "No!"

"Oh?" The Third Hokage was stunned. "You're not interested in becoming Hokage?"

"Can you tell me why?"

Uchiha Yi glanced at him and spoke lazily. "Being Hokage means being like you, cooped up in here every day, chewing through all those irritating documents."

"How is that any different from prison? No time to train, no chance to wander around—just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated."

"Only someone as dense as Naruto would spend all day shouting about becoming Hokage. I'm not doing something that stupid."

His face was filled with disgust—and that was the honest truth.

Hokage? What for?

To work himself to death?

And if something went wrong, he would have to take the blame himself?

Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

What kind of crappy documents?

Prison?

And he even called Naruto an idiot?

The Third Hokage's mouth twitched, and he completely lost the desire to continue the conversation. "Then surely you want the people of the village to acknowledge you, like Naruto does?"

"Wanting that is one thing, but becoming Hokage doesn't mean everyone will acknowledge you. Only someone sincerely accepted by everyone is qualified to become Hokage."

"Besides, even if everyone acknowledges you, that doesn't mean you have to go become Hokage, does it?"

Well.

The Third Hokage was completely speechless.

After a long silence, the old man finally forced out a question. "Then is there anything you especially want to do?"

"There is! There definitely is!" Uchiha Yi's entire demeanor changed in an instant. "Oh? Let's hear it." The Third Hokage's eyes lit up. "I want to marry Hinata! I want Hinata to be my wife!"

The moment those words landed, the Third Hokage was utterly dumbfounded.

When Uchiha Yi said it, his tone was as firm as iron, and his manner was exactly like Naruto shouting that he wanted to become Hokage.

His gaze, his attitude—they were practically cut from the same mold.

But...

What a headache!

The Third Hokage could not remember at all how he had dismissed Uchiha Yi.

After standing there in a daze for quite a while, he suddenly spoke. "What do you think?"

A figure slowly stepped out from the corner—it was Kakashi. "Ahem, what else is there to think? Isn't he just another troublesome brat like Naruto?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, his face full of helplessness.

Marry Hinata?

She was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family.

And on top of that, the boy's connection to the Uchiha...