The Fallen Senju Clan Grounds, the Hypocritical Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi

The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs before Hidden Leaf's gates, coming to a dull halt.

A pale, bloodless hand slowly lifted the heavy carriage curtain. Supported by Tsunade, Sosuke struggled to lean out. The chilly late-autumn breeze brushed over him, and he suddenly hunched over, erupting into a wrenching fit of coughs. His thin shoulders shook violently beneath the oversized fox-fur cloak, as though even standing steady took every ounce of his strength.

"Easy, Sosuke." Tsunade frowned tightly, carefully supporting his arm as her gaze swept like a blade across the crowd waiting ahead.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wore the Hokage's hat and puffed away at his pipe. When he saw Sosuke's frail appearance, as if a gust of wind could knock him down, a strange glint flickered through his deep-set eyes. It was immediately replaced by a kindly expression of heartfelt grief as he hurried forward.

"Good child, you've suffered." Hiruzen Sarutobi extended his callused hands and tightly clasped Sosuke's icy palm.

The instant their skin touched, a concealed yet exceptionally sharp stream of chakra slipped soundlessly from Hiruzen Sarutobi's palm into Sosuke's chakra pathways like a cold, venomous snake. This was the highest-grade chakra detection technique, one difficult for even jōnin to notice.

Sosuke lowered his eyes, his long lashes concealing the sneer in them.

A cold system notification flashed through his mind.

[Ding! External high-level chakra detection identified. 'Disguise Coating' fully activated.]

Hiruzen Sarutobi's perception traveled up Sosuke's arm, but all it encountered was desolation. Sosuke's chakra pathways were like a dried, cracked riverbed, tightly blocked by dense black sealing formulas. The life force that should have been surging within him was like stagnant water, without even a trace of Wood Release vitality.

He was crippled.

This body's chakra circulation had completely collapsed. He could not even refine the most basic chakra.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly withdrew his probing chakra, and the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxed. He gently patted Sosuke's hand, his tone becoming even warmer. "It's good that you returned alive. The Senju Clan has sacrificed too much for Hidden Leaf. The village will never mistreat you."

"Lord Third..." Sosuke raised his head. The right amount of frightened gratitude surfaced on his handsome yet sickly face. His eyes reddened slightly, and his voice caught. "It was Sosuke's incompetence. I failed to protect my companions, and even made Sister Tsunade expend so much effort to save me..."

Shimura Danzō, standing behind and to the side of Hiruzen Sarutobi, snorted coldly. His one exposed eye stared fixedly at Sosuke, and his hard voice carried undisguised malice. "Since you awakened Wood Release, you should serve the village. In this half-dead state, how can you be worthy of the First Hokage's reputation?"

"Danzō!" Tsunade suddenly stepped forward. Terrifying chakra burst from her body, sending the fallen leaves on the ground rolling wildly. "Say one more word of nonsense, and I'll tear apart your old bones right now!"

"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand at just the right moment, stepping between them. He turned and sternly rebuked Danzō. "Sosuke has just escaped death and needs rest. Say less."

Then he looked at Sosuke again and gave him a benevolent smile. "Come. Grandpa will personally take you back to the clan grounds."

The group passed through Hidden Leaf's bustling commercial streets and headed toward the Senju Clan Grounds in the village's northwest corner. Seeing the Hokage personally escorting them, villagers cast respectful gazes their way. Yet the moment they truly entered the Senju Clan Grounds, the surrounding bustle abruptly faded.

Sosuke looked at the scene before him, his eyes flickering slightly.

The Senju Clan Grounds, once known as the foremost noble clan in the ninja world, now lay in shocking ruin. The tall vermilion gatehouse had long since become chipped and mottled, while moss covered several load-bearing pillars. Weeds choked the broad courtyard, and withered autumn leaves piled beside the dried-up pond. Not even a servant could be seen cleaning the place. The enormous estate was utterly empty, exuding the bleak desolation of a setting sun.

This was the "masterpiece" of the Hidden Leaf higher-ups' overt and covert suppression over the years. With the vague phrase "Will of Fire," they had thrown every Senju elite into the meat grinder of war, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell overgrown with weeds.

"Ah..." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked around and let out a long sigh, his voice filled with reminiscence and self-reproach. "My teacher entrusted the village to me back then, yet I failed to take proper care of the Senju Clan. Seeing this place like this truly pains my heart."

Supported by Tsunade, Sosuke entered the main hall and painfully lowered himself into a dust-covered wooden chair. Hearing the Third's crocodile tears, a powerful wave of nausea rose within him. On the surface, however, he hurriedly broke into another violent coughing fit. Between coughs, he gasped, "Lord Third, please don't say that... The Senju Clan was born to fight for Hidden Leaf. To shed our last drop of blood for the village is our honor."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled over a chair and sat opposite Sosuke. His gaze locked onto Sosuke's eyes as he finally made the real probe of the day. "Sosuke, reports from the front say that you awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release. The village leadership takes this matter very seriously. Wood Release is the foundation of Hidden Leaf. If you can master this power..."

"Lord Third!" Sosuke suddenly interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi with agitation. He lurched forward, but the excessive force disturbed his blood and breath, and a thread of crimson blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He did not even wipe it away. His face was filled with extreme pain and self-loathing. "That was no blessing. It was a curse! That power was too violent. It devoured my organs and turned me into a piece of dead wood! If Sister Tsunade had not acted in time and used the Four Symbols Seal to completely lock down all my chakra pathways, I would already be a corpse covered in bark!"

Sosuke tightly gripped the chair's armrests, his nails gouging deep marks into the wood. He perfectly portrayed the despair of a cripple who had tasted peerless power, only to fall into the abyss an instant later.

"Even refining a single thread of chakra causes agony throughout my body now... I'm crippled, Lord Third. I can never serve the village as a ninja again..." Sosuke covered his face in pain, his shoulders convulsing as suppressed sobs escaped him.

Tsunade stood to one side, watching Sosuke's convincing performance, and felt an inexplicable ache in her heart. Though she knew it was an act, every word Sosuke spoke had once been a real life-or-death ordeal he had endured. She looked coldly at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Old man Third, do you see now? The Wood Release vitality inside him could burst his body apart at any moment. From now on, he is merely an ordinary person who needs medicine to keep himself alive. Don't let your higher-ups' schemes target him again!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe. Through the curling smoke, his sharp eyes remained fixed on Sosuke's broken-down appearance for a full half minute.

At last, the final trace of doubt in his eyes completely vanished.

A sickly man with ruined chakra pathways and fanatical loyalty to the village posed no threat whatsoever. Danzō's reports about Sosuke concealing his ambitions and plotting something were simply overcautious.

"Good child, don't cry." The lines on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face softened completely. He stood, walked to Sosuke's side, and patted his shoulder kindly. "Though you can no longer go to the battlefield, you are still of Senju blood. The village will support you for the rest of your life. Starting tomorrow, I will allocate a sum from the Hokage's special funds for your daily expenses and medicinal supplies."

He turned to Tsunade, his tone meaningful. "Tsunade, remain in the village for now and take good care of Sosuke. I'll arrange for others to handle matters at the front."

"No need for your concern." Tsunade's face remained cold as she bluntly showed him out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took no offense. Having achieved his purpose, he was in high spirits as he clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked out through the gates of the Senju Clan Grounds.

Only after the figure in the Hokage's robe had completely disappeared at the end of the street did Tsunade close the heavy doors to the main hall behind her and casually set up a soundproof barrier.

The instant the barrier closed.

Sosuke, who had been slumped in the chair and weeping into his hands, suddenly stopped sobbing. He casually grabbed a clean piece of cloth and unhurriedly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He slowly stood straight. His formerly hunched back became perfectly upright, and the frailty that had seemed ready to collapse in a breeze vanished without a trace.

Within the dim main hall, Sosuke raised his head. Where was the slightest trace of cowardice in those black eyes that had once seemed gentle, terrified, and full of loyalty to the village?

In its place was an absolute chill like ancient black ice, along with a terrifying killing intent that seemed ready to devour the entire Hidden Leaf leadership alive.

"Sister, did you see that?" Sosuke casually tossed the bloodstained cloth into the brazier at his feet and watched the flames swallow it. A cruel curve rose at the corner of his lips. "The moment those old dogs determine that I no longer have teeth to bite with, they immediately put on faces of compassion."

Tsunade looked at Sosuke, whose entire presence had completely changed, and her heart gave an inexplicable jolt.

"But this is only temporary." Sosuke turned around, his gaze piercing through the ruined walls toward the Hokage Building. His voice was low, like a whisper from hell. "That poisonous snake Danzō is not as easy to fool as Hiruzen Sarutobi. Tonight, this ruined courtyard will probably gain a few more corpses to fertilize its flowers."