Matching Codes, Rumors Become Truth

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind raced. Decades of experience had forged his steady temperament, and his eyes occasionally flicked toward Uchiha Sen.

In ancient times, Guan Yu played chess with complete focus while having his bones scraped to remove poison.

That was supposed to be a story...

So today there was...

Today, Kakashi stared at dirty books without blinking, striving for perfection!

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Cough, cough. Hole-Hole Monster, I'm starting."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put on a profound air. No matter what, he had to treat a dead horse like it was alive.

"Today, Kakashi stares at Paradise without blinking, striving for perfection!"

Time passed second by second. A bead of sweat slid down the Third Hokage's neck.

[After analysis, there is a 98% chance that target Hiruzen Sarutobi made this up on the spot.]

Uchiha Sen nodded. "Correct answer!"

[What?! Could it be there isn't even a correct answer?!]

With that, Uchiha Sen slowly extended his hand, his expression solemn.

"Double-Zero Seven, you've worked hard for the planet all these years."

Great recognition ceremonies were always so hasty. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself couldn't believe that he'd gotten it right with a random guess.

He slowly extended his hand. He still had to keep up appearances.

"Everyone is working for the planet's rise. From now on, we'll be relying on you, Hole-Hole Monster!"

"I've never been able to contact headquarters. Why is that?" Uchiha Sen asked.

[It'd be a miracle if that damn slipper could contact anyone!]

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered briefly, as though recalling something, before speaking.

"Headquarters mentioned this as well. To keep the mission secret, the planet will only contact me directly from now on. They asked me to inform you, Hole-Hole Monster, that you will forever be the planet's bravest warrior!"

Whether sane or insane, who didn't love praise?

Uchiha Sen immediately stood at attention and gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a standard military salute, shouting at the same time.

"Please inform the organization that Hole-Hole Monster will certainly complete the mission perfectly! I have successfully turned one local native and developed him into the organization's insider, code name Double-Zero Two!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi returned the salute as well.

"Understood, Hole-Hole Monster. If the organization issues a new mission, I'll notify you immediately. Return to the base and await orders for now."

Uchiha Sen was about to leave when he seemed to remember something and turned back to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi again.

This made Hiruzen Sarutobi panic. According to the reports, Uchiha Sen's mental state had been unstable for a long time, which was the main reason for his crazed behavior. Thinking his lie had been exposed, he asked somewhat nervously.

"Hole-Hole Monster, is there anything else?"

"Uh, I wanted to say that the two chunks of meat on your belly are really sick. Since you're the contact person, I should cure them for you."

After saying that, Uchiha Sen ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi's stunned gaze and walked straight to the desk. He picked up the cup on it, covered its mouth with one hand, supported the bottom with the other, and began shaking it from side to side.

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, when Sen makes a move, it'll surely work!"

He shouted while hopping left and right.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face turned purple. Everyone in the village bowed and scraped before him. Uchiha Sen was definitely the first person to perform some bizarre ritual in his office.

[Host, please do not struggle pointlessly. There is no way to cure late-stage lung cancer in this world.]

Uchiha Sen ignored the system prompt and continued shaking the cup. A drop or two of sparkling water occasionally fell onto the documents Hiruzen Sarutobi had yet to approve.

Visibly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's cheek twitched, and the fist beneath his desk clenched even tighter.

[Fine! Injecting treatment fluid!]

Whether by coincidence or not, Uchiha Sen stopped moving the moment the system prompt ended.

He set down the cup. The clear water inside had turned a vivid green, making it look like a cup of... deadly poison.

"This?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea how to explain it. It was like a magic trick. The key was that Uchiha Sen had remained under his watch the entire time, yet he hadn't noticed any small movements at all.

"Double-Zero Seven, hurry up and drink it. Once you do, your chunks of meat will be better."

Looking at Uchiha Sen's harmless smile, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like Wu Dalang being handed medicine. It was rather sudden...

Try it and die?

No!!

He absolutely couldn't drink it!

Yes, in that instant, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated...

"Um, Hole-Hole Monster, I'll drink it later. I just received a message from headquarters and need to examine it carefully!"

"Alright."

Uchiha Sen suddenly remembered that lunchtime was almost here. If he returned too late, someone might steal his chunks of meat! In his memory, Double-Zero Two, Naruto, loved doing that sort of thing!

Only after Sen left did Hiruzen Sarutobi sigh in relief and pick up the cup to inspect it.

He sniffed it.

"Wait!"

In that instant, he had caught a very familiar aura!

He released his senses and enveloped the cup. That was right—this aura, as warm as the sun, was something he could only sense from the First Hokage!

That was impossible!

Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't encountered such pure Yang-natured chakra in decades. Not even Tsunade Senju possessed it.

The more he sensed it, the more frightening it became. This was merely a cup of water...

In other words, Uchiha Sen must possess even purer Yang-natured chakra, but that defied all reason.

The chakra of Uchiha Clan members was always cold and sinister.

Looking at the vividly green water in the cup, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, ultimately did not drink it. Instead, he handed it to an ANBU member and instructed them to have its contents analyzed. He needed to find out why the water had become like this.

Elsewhere, Uchiha Sen hurried back to the hospital and finally got to eat the chunks of meat he'd been longing for. Then, under the blazing noon sun, he sat cross-legged on a bench. He actually looked somewhat like an immortal sage—if not for the heatstroke...

When he woke again—

"Yo, Sen, you're finally awake."

"Boss, is this the powerful ninja you mentioned?"

"That doesn't seem right. He looks kind of dumb. What ninja gives himself heatstroke by sitting in the sun?"

Konohamaru Sarutobi looked him over repeatedly, his strange gaze seeming to say that Uchiha Sen looked like a complete oddball no matter how he viewed him.

"Bang!"

"You know nothing about the planet's bravest warrior!"

Ever since that night, Naruto had regarded Uchiha Sen as a hidden master. That blue sphere of light, like a little moon, had given him a sense of recognition that came from his soul.

After finishing his ninja registration today, he had rushed straight to the hospital.

"Sen, can you teach me that move you used that day?"

Naruto impatiently voiced what was in his heart.

"Uh, sure, but your skill is too low. You must start from the beginning. There's an open spot beside me."

Uchiha Sen patted the space next to him, signaling Naruto to receive the sun's blessing with him.

"Mm-hm, okay!"

The atmosphere instantly became strange. It had been nothing when Uchiha Sen sat there sunbathing alone, but with Naruto and Konohamaru Sarutobi added in, it suddenly felt completely different.

Hokage Building

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the scene in the crystal ball, his face full of suspicion.

Could this be the reason why the Yang-natured chakra within that guy was so pure?

Could it be... I could do it too?