The Third Hokage's Ridiculous Maneuvers

"It feels like the people of the Shinobi Continent are absurdly strong. Are you sure they can't come over?"

"Don't worry. Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju—there haven't been many like them in over a thousand years. As the saying goes, the strongest in the Shinobi World are in Konoha, the strongest in Konoha are the Uchiha Clan, and the strongest in the Uchiha Clan is me. Once I become a god, I'll wipe Konoha off the map. The rest will just be a bunch of rabble."

"Didn't you say the Hyuga Clan was as famous as your Uchiha Clan?"

"The Hyuga Clan is even more insane. Their family is divided into the main branch and branch families. Since the Byakugan can be dug out and used by others, the main branch carved a Self-Created Soul Skill called the Caged Bird Technique into the heads of the branch families. If anyone dug out a branch family member's eyes, their head would explode. At the same time, control rested in the hands of the main branch, which gave them complete authority over whether branch family members lived or died," Uchiha Huan said.

"Caged Bird Technique. The name truly fit."

Qian Daoliu could not imagine using such a cruel Soul Skill on one's own people.

"There's something even more bizarre. More than ten years ago, the Five Great Nations of the Shinobi World had just stopped fighting. Then an envoy from the Land of Lightning came to Konoha for peace talks. At night, he sneaked into the Hyuga Clan and abducted the little princess of the Hyuga family, only to be caught and killed by the clan head, who rescued his daughter. Then, for the sake of peace, Konoha's Third Hokage claimed that killing the Land of Lightning's envoy was the Hyuga clan head's fault and demanded that he take responsibility. So the clan head dragged out his twin younger brother from the branch family to take the blame."

"Th-That sounds too fake, doesn't it?"

"The Konoha Kingdom did not use hereditary succession, but a recommendation system. Twenty years ago, there was an incredibly formidable Title Douluo. People from other countries called him Konoha's White Fang. Because his achievements were so outstanding, everyone believed he would definitely become the Fourth King. Then he was sent out on a mission. During the mission, his companions fell into danger. He faced a dilemma: if he saved them, the mission would fail; if he completed the mission, his companions would die."

Qian Daoliu leaned his head back tactically. "It can't be what I think it is, right?"

"That's right. The mission was a trap. He chose to save his companions, and the mission failed. When he returned to Konoha, everyone condemned him. Even the companions he had saved blamed him. And the one behind it all was the Third King."

"No matter what choice Konoha's White Fang made, the outcome would have been the same." Qian Daoliu had already seen through the heart of the matter.

"His vile deeds are too numerous to count. Have you ever heard of a victorious nation paying war reparations to a defeated nation?"

"Hiss... Tell me more."

"On the Shinobi Continent, Konoha was the strongest. Its lands were vast and resources abundant, and all kinds of powerful bloodline families had joined Konoha when it was founded. After the Third took office, he began consolidating his position. His method was to send members of other families to fight on the battlefield while his own family rested and built up their strength. Once the fighting had nearly run its course, he would send his own family members onto the battlefield to seize credit. By then, everyone else was too exhausted to keep fighting, and the enemy nations were the same. Only his family still had strength left. Normally, if they kept fighting and sent his family members in, they could have crushed the enemy nation. But he refused. He insisted on opening peace talks. Even if they had to pay compensation, he still wanted peace talks."

"Did anyone support a king like that?"

"Yes. After the Third Shinobi World War ended, he was driven from office because of his terrible wartime strategy. After the Fourth became Jonin, he worked hard to govern and tried to improve the relationship between the kingdom and the Uchiha Clan. But because of an accident, the Fourth and his wife died. The Third claimed there was currently no suitable candidate for the Fifth, so he shamelessly returned to office for a few more years."

"The Fourth's death... it wasn't connected to him too, was it?"

"The Fourth's death wasn't planned by him, but the one who should have died was originally him," Uchiha Huan said.

As Qian Daoliu listened to Uchiha Huan recount the hidden history of the Shinobi World, he found the journey becoming far more interesting.

"There were nine extremely powerful Soul Beasts in the Shinobi World, ranging from one hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand years old. Konoha possessed a nine-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast and sealed it inside a human body. That person was called a Jinchūriki and could borrow the Soul Beast's power. Other nations also had Jinchūriki. The Fourth's wife was the Jinchūriki of that generation, but while she was giving birth, the Soul Beast escaped from its seal and wreaked havoc throughout Konoha. To seal it again, the Fourth and his wife both died, sealing the Soul Beast into their newborn son. That sealing was supposed to have been performed by the Third."

"There are even nine-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts in this world?"

"More than that. This world is far more extraordinary than you can imagine."

"Can you use this Jinchūriki technique you mentioned?"

"I can't, but I know the method. I'll study it when I have time."

Recently, Uchiha Huan had been studying the Flying Thunder God Technique and Adamantine Sealing Chains. He had already become fairly proficient with the Flying Thunder God Technique, but Adamantine Sealing Chains required far too much Soul Power, so he could not use it at all.

"What a pity. There are only two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent."

"You mean those two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"That's right."

"Those two are only gatekeepers."

"There are even stronger ones in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"There are gods in the Star Dou Great Forest," Uchiha Huan said. "So don't go near the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest unless you have to."

Qian Daoliu's scalp nearly exploded at those words. "Y-You... how did you know?"

"A former classmate from my Soul Master Academy told me. He was the Jinchūriki of this generation. I guess he heard it from the Soul Beast inside his stomach."

"I feel like that Third King never did anything decent."

"There was no limit to how disgusting the things he did could be," Uchiha Huan said.

Qian Daoliu immediately pricked up his ears. "Tell me more."

"Didn't the Fourth and his wife leave behind an orphaned child? That was the Jinchūriki. The Third hid the truth and spread word that the child was the culprit behind Konoha's enormous casualties. He should have been the son of heroes, yet everyone in Konoha treated him like a monster. The child knew there was a monster inside him, so he also believed that he was the one who had caused Konoha's massive losses. Then the Third stepped forward to comfort him. That child now regarded the Third as the person closest to him."

The excitement of gossiping gradually faded from Qian Daoliu's face, replaced by disgust and killing intent.

"A scum like that—if I ever meet him, I'll definitely let him taste the power of Angel's Sword... Wait, can I beat him?"

"Definitely." Uchiha Huan nodded. "The First King, Hashirama Senju, was the strongest. Back then, he and Uchiha Madara were known as the Susanoo Great Buddha Technique. The two of them destroyed four nations. Susanoo was the ultimate move of our Uchiha Clan, while the Great Buddha was the ultimate move of the Senju Clan. Do you understand the weight behind those words?"

Qian Daoliu nodded. Although he did not know what the Susanoo Great Buddha Technique was, he guessed it was likely a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

The Martial Soul Fusion Skill of two people could destroy four nations. One could imagine just how powerful they were.

"While the First was alive, the Shinobi World was peaceful. No one dared start a war. He alone suppressed an entire era. After he died, his younger brother Tobirama Senju took office. Tobirama Senju hated our Uchiha Clan the most. Before Konoha was founded, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan had been mortal enemies. Both sides had suffered tremendous casualties, and each had relatives killed by the other. The later policies targeting the Uchiha Clan also came from him. Still, it had to be said that both his strength and ability to govern were first-rate, second only to his older brother Hashirama Senju."

"Then, during an overseas diplomatic mission, they were ambushed. Tobirama Senju asked several of his disciples who was willing to stay behind and hold off the pursuers. The Third was among them. At the time, the Third immediately said he was willing to stay behind. That was probably the brightest and bravest moment of his life."