The mere thought of that scene made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel sick all over.
No!
It could not end like this. He had spent his whole life building his good name; how could he let it all fall apart in his twilight years?
After turning it over in his mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to bring his time in office to a perfect close-and give his later years a perfect farewell ceremony.
Before, he had never dared to dream big. He had only hoped to resolve the problems with Orochimaru and the Uchiha. But after witnessing the Uchiha's terrifying power yesterday, along with the astonishing talent and strength Sasuke and Naruto had displayed, a bold idea took root in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind!
Fulfilling the First Hokage's dream and bringing peace to the Shinobi World might not be a fool's fantasy after all!
Why could Konoha and the Uchiha coexist peacefully? Wasn't part of the practical reason that both sides were strong and shared common interests?
Granted, neither side had wanted war to begin with. But if the benefits were truly great enough, and the risks of going to war high enough, any competent leader would surely think twice before rushing into battle.
If-and he did mean if-Konoha could someday produce one or even two Gods of the Shinobi World on par with the First Hokage, couldn't they repeat what the Uchiha had done last night and force the entire Shinobi World into peace?
Beat up anyone who refused to live in peace, then gradually bring everyone together until their shared interests grew so great that even the most hardline Hawks would refuse to abandon those benefits and betray the alliance...
At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes blazed. If this succeeded, he might not dare claim to be Konoha's strongest Hokage, but he would certainly leave a bold, vivid stroke in the history books-a pivotal turning point in history.
Once he reached the underworld, even getting that inherently evil old Senju geezer to raise a toast to him might not be impossible!
Then he could enjoy a heavenly life of eating, sleeping, and beating up Danzo!
With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi's ambition sprang back to life.
With a grand wave of his hand, he spiritedly concluded negotiations with the somewhat bewildered Fugaku, then told him to begin investigating. He even sent his own son, the high-ranking ANBU member Shinnosuke Sarutobi, to assist him.
After a brief conversation with Shisui and Itachi, Hiruzen Sarutobi sent them home to prepare. He intended to form a new Guard Platoon. Besides the two of them, his prospective members included Kakashi, Asuma, and Shikaku Nara. After a long hesitation, he added Guy's name as well.
Then, right in front of Sasuke, he instructed Shikaku Nara to send Jiraiya a letter briefly outlining recent events, with particular emphasis on Naruto's changes and strength, and telling him to return at once.
Toward the end of his dictation, the Third Hokage remembered how his blood pressure had been soaring lately while Jiraiya had nearly whored himself off the radar somewhere in the Shinobi World. His face flushed with anger. He snatched the pen from Shikaku Nara and sent it dancing across the page like dragons and snakes, thoroughly cursing Jiraiya out. After adding a final "Get your ass back here," he sent the rather dumbstruck Shikaku Nara off to mail it.
Shikaku Nara had barely stepped outside when he was called back. After a long period of thought, Hiruzen wrote another letter, though its wording was exceptionally gentle compared with the one for that scoundrel Jiraiya. Once he had put it in the envelope, he thought for a moment, took out a banknote worth ten million ryo, and tucked that inside as well. He told Shikaku Nara to send it to the Land of Hot Water.
He also drew up a list headed by Sasuke and Naruto, including Kurama Yakumo and the Konoha 12.
Once all that was done, only he and Sasuke remained in the room.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him for a good while, Sasuke scratched his head, picked his nose, and pointed his nostrils at him.
"What's up, old man?"
Looks like this old man wants to pull off something big. No need to explain what the Guard Platoon means-they're basically candidates for the next Hokage. Though, as far as I can tell, they're more likely candidates for the one after next.
And that letter with the banknote stuffed inside? No need to think about it. That was definitely for Tsunade.
As for that last list... Konoha's new generation. All familiar faces.
So here's the question: why keep me behind now? Has this old man figured something out?
"..."
Watching Sasuke flick his booger aside, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help pressing a hand to his forehead. He began to wonder whether his chosen candidate for Seventh Hokage might be a little unreliable.
You little shit!
He immediately found it hard to maintain his dignified air. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared beside Sasuke and gave his forehead a vicious flick.
Motherfucker!
Caught off guard, Sasuke shot the Third Hokage a fierce glare, then curled up with both hands clutching his head.
"Brat, don't think I can't tell who came up with all these sneaky ideas! Tell me, what do you think Konoha should do now?"
Sitting on the floor with his legs spread, the Third Hokage seemed to have finally shed his airs, just like when he had shamelessly invited himself along to eat during Sasuke's cookout.
"Reform the academy, bring ninjutsu into everyday life, put serious effort into developing the economy and technology..."
Giving the Third Hokage a sidelong glance, Sasuke counted off the points on his fingers. After outlining the basics and watching the old man's eyes grow brighter and brighter, he abruptly stopped and simply stared at him sideways.
Third Hokage: (눈_눈)
Sasuke: (∥•/ω/•∥)
"What do you want?" The moment the words left his mouth, he remembered how Sasuke had asked him for the Multiple Shadow Clone technique the last time he had mooched a meal off him, and more or less understood.
"How about this? Take your pick from the Scroll of Seals. As long as you can learn them, I don't mind giving you everything. But you can only choose one entry to copy and take away each time, and you must not teach it to anyone else. Once you've mastered it and passed my assessment, you can come back and choose the next one.
"Speaking of which, you haven't neglected your Wood Release, have you? The Scroll of Seals contains plenty of Wood Release ninjutsu too."
"Heh... ahem, hahahaha!"
Swallowing his original requests for Wood Release and Flying Thunder God, Sasuke immediately broke into a delighted grin. Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile, he thought for a moment, then pulled two storage pouches from inside his clothes.
"What are these?"
"To tell you the truth, old man, the Sage of Six Paths came to teach me one night. These contain some special taijutsu, some special methods for refining chakra, and dojutsu that let you cultivate yin release chakra, along with some ninja tools I made.
"As for the other storage pouch, that contains yang release chakra the Sage of Six Paths gave me. You can think of it as life force. Some of its carriers are liquids, and some are tobacco and tea leaves I made specially. Have a puff or a sip whenever you're free, old man. Build your health back up."
"Huh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked completely bewildered. But what surprised him most was not what Sasuke had given him. It was...
Why do all these sages like teaching people at night?
"Where leaves dance, fire also lives on without end. Konoha's future rests with you youngsters, little Sasuke."
Carefully putting away Sasuke's gifts, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and sighed with emotion.
If he handled this well, there would be no gap in the succession of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Hokage.
Sasuke: (一`ˊ一)
The corners of his mouth curled slightly. After pondering for two seconds, Sasuke's eyes shone.
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi was so determined to forge ahead, it was time for him to drop another round of spoilers.
"Old man, have you ever heard the legend about the Rabbit Goddess creating the world and the Sage of Six Paths founding ninshu...?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: ???
That night, leaving behind a Hiruzen Sarutobi who could not sleep, Sasuke went up to Kage Rock and lay down, gazing at the stars as the night breeze washed over him.
His efforts over the past few years had borne their first fruit. The Uchiha and the village were on the right track, internal threats were being steadily eliminated, and Danzo was no longer worth worrying about.
With internal affairs settled for now, his strength would also enter a period of rapid growth.
Next, it was time to turn his gaze toward the entire Shinobi World-and give it a little taste of the shock his cheats could deliver.
Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Orochimaru, the Akatsuki... he wondered which of them would cross his path first.
Rubbing a spark of electricity into existence between his fingertips, Sasuke drifted into a brief daze.
Speaking of which, it's about time I learned some senjutsu. Should I tag along with Naruto to Mount Myōboku, or see if I can follow Tsunade into the women's baths... ahem, the Shikkotsu Forest?
Or should I give Orochimaru-whose soul was damaged by Living Corpse Reincarnation, leaving him especially vulnerable to genjutsu-a little taste of what my dojutsu can do?
Hmm... if it's Auntie Snake, that might not be a bad option either?
The world of The Outcast.
The Yaoxing Society.
"Sister, Jiejiao is holding its regular meeting tomorrow. Let's meet in Biyou Village. I have important matters to discuss."
Staring at the message Ma Xianhong had sent to her phone, Qu Tong crossed her slender index fingers and rested them against the tip of her nose. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she gave a soft chuckle.
That naughty little brother has been getting more and more unruly lately. It's time to give him a proper lesson.
Hmph~
Before you continue