After Xia Yan left Sarutobi's place, the light rain outside still had not stopped.
It pattered down, striking Xia Yan along with the cool late-night breeze and making him feel a slight chill.
Small droplets slid down his clothes and finally fell to the ground, raising tiny, barely visible splashes.
Xia Yan's figure gradually blurred in the curtain of rain until it was almost impossible to see.
As he walked, Xia Yan pondered. He did not know what emotions Hiruzen Sarutobi's "Yes, Lord Hokage" had held.
But Xia Yan knew he had won. He had won completely and utterly!
Sixteen years had passed since he obtained the system and began working toward becoming Hokage.
The last three years, in particular, had been the most perilous and troublesome of all.
Three years could change so much, and during those three years, Xia Yan had gone from a minor figure who seemed meek and submissive but actually harbored malicious intentions.
Step by step, he had moved into the heart of the swamp that was Konoha High Command, ultimately taking it over completely and becoming its ruler.
Xia Yan could still seem to remember how he had been forced to maneuver between two Hokage, constantly devising ways to avoid exposing himself while continuing to acquire and accumulate political capital.
Xia Yan had loathed those days, but he had had no choice.
Now, everything was over. It had begun with killing Owl during the Nine-Tails Incident, which gave him the opportunity to kill Murashima Takumi.
Then came three years of laying the groundwork after joining the Anbu, until today, when Xia Yan finally emerged from his cocoon as a butterfly and fully achieved his goal!
At that thought, Xia Yan could not help feeling a little self-mocking.
Who knew how many people he had