"What do I need to do?"
Sasuke looked straight at Souma, his gaze bright and unwavering.
He didn't believe in gifts without a price. Even if the other party was Kakashi's disciple, there was no way someone would be this considerate without asking for anything in return.
Souma thought for a moment.
The Uchiha eyes were undeniably powerful, and Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra's chakra. Training Sasuke, for Souma, was simply about securing another powerful ally for the battles to come—there were no hidden schemes involved.
But since Sasuke had already brought it up…
After some thought, Souma said,
"Joining ANBU itself means serving the village. As for me, I do have some techniques of my own—but you'll need to exchange knowledge for them."
"That's reasonable."
Sasuke nodded lightly.
He'd heard of the research institute's rules. If you wanted its techniques, you either joined the platform and researched together, or you traded knowledge for them.
Souma wasn't exploiting him.
That was enough.
Sasuke clenched his fist and bowed deeply.
"Senior—thank you very much!"
"You're thanking me too early," Souma said calmly.
"I'm not an ANBU captain, and Kakashi-sensei stopped being one long ago. I'm only giving you an opportunity."
He fixed Sasuke with a serious look.
"Remember—whether you succeed or not depends entirely on you."
"Yes. I understand."
Sasuke nodded, his voice filled with urgency and resolve.
"Train hard."
With that, Souma left the grove.
ANBU might look like a bunch of incompetents—but that depended on who you compared them to.
Compared to elite jōnin like Kakashi, they were naturally inferior—after all, people like Kakashi used to command ANBU as captains.
But compared to ordinary shinobi?
They were unquestionably elites.
After leaving the forest, Sasuke's mood lifted noticeably. A faint smile and genuine hope appeared on his face.
ANBU was at least better than where he was now.
"I won't let this chance slip…"
"So, you're planning to let him join ANBU?"
Kakashi pondered for a moment.
"Isn't joining ANBU worse than training under me?"
"Not necessarily," Souma replied.
"For one, Sasuke is better suited for real combat. For another—don't you need to train yourself too?"
He chuckled softly.
"You still haven't even entered Sage Mode, have you?"
This wasn't mockery.
Kakashi could already sense natural energy and manipulate senjutsu chakra. Completing Sage Mode training was only a matter of time.
Yet somehow, this final step had stalled him for months.
Not because Kakashi lacked talent—but because he lacked time.
Naruto and the others consumed far too much of his attention.
Kakashi glanced back at Naruto, who was happily slurping ramen, and said,
"Even without Sasuke, I still have to teach Naruto. It doesn't change much."
"No," Souma said with a grin.
"Naruto will have someone else to guide him."
Kakashi froze, then thought of that massive toad and slowly nodded.
"Jiraiya-sama?"
"Exactly. Jiraiya-sama trained the Fourth Hokage—his teaching ability is proven. Letting him take Naruto is far more reliable than you."
"..."
Kakashi couldn't refute that.
Because it was all true.
He realized something uncomfortable—he wasn't particularly gifted at teaching.
From Sasuke to Naruto to Sakura, all they'd really learned under him were fundamentals and intermediate techniques. There had been no real leap in strength.
Now that Sasuke and Naruto both had clear paths forward…
That left Sakura.
Kakashi glanced at Souma but couldn't bring himself to ask him to teach her.
He vaguely understood some of the Third Hokage's thinking.
Yūgao was strong, but still not quite fit to be an ANBU captain. What the Third really wanted was for Souma and Moonlight Hayate to guide things from behind the scenes.
Before Danzō's death, that may have been the limit of the plan.
But now that Danzō was gone…
If Souma wanted it, Root would likely end up in his hands.
Add the research institute on top of that…
Kakashi fell silent for a long moment, then suddenly asked,
"Do you think Sakura has a future in medical ninjutsu?"
"Absolutely."
That was her natural path anyway, Souma added silently.
"I see," Kakashi nodded.
"I'll have Sakura join the medical corps. As for genjutsu…"
He stopped mid-sentence.
He didn't think genjutsu had much of a future either.
Genjutsu was powerful, but its practical value was limited. Rumor had it that even Konoha's top genjutsu specialists were already looking for other paths.
Souma didn't know Kakashi's exact thoughts, but he sensed that Kakashi's change in attitude might have something to do with Kurenai.
Hadn't she recently started training in medical ninjutsu?
Souma guessed Kakashi's train of thought and nearly laughed.
After all, it was on his advice that Kurenai had gone down that path.
Different roads—same destination.
Souma didn't say more. He simply smiled and bid Kakashi farewell.
With a burden lifted, Kakashi felt noticeably lighter. He stared ahead for a long while before sighing softly.
Before he knew it, everyone was heading their separate ways.
And for some reason, Souma seemed… impatient.
Desperate to raise everyone's strength as quickly as possible.
Why?
Kakashi frowned.
He didn't consider himself weak. In the shinobi world, those who could defeat him were few.
Yet in Souma's eyes, even he still needed "further training."
That instinctively felt… off.
A shinobi's intuition.
"…But he's not wrong," Kakashi murmured.
"I do need time to train properly."
"Sage Mode… and this eye."
Elsewhere.
After handling Sunagakure's surrender, the Third Hokage felt utterly exhausted.
Soon, two pieces of news reached him.
First—Danzō was dead. His sealing technique had swallowed a section of land and part of the Hokage Tower, nearly reaching the Hokage's office.
Second—
Orochimaru was dead. His body had been recovered—but its appearance was nothing like what anyone expected.
The Third Hokage lowered his head.
The corpse before him was female.
Reincarnation techniques.
"Alas… you strayed from the path, and this was the result."
He sighed softly, waved his hand, and stepped outside.
Lighting his pipe, the Third looked over the devastated Konoha. Thinking of lost students and departed comrades, he felt an overwhelming sense of weariness.
"Jiraiya… have you seen it?"
"I have."
From the shadows nearby, Jiraiya stepped out.
Orochimaru's death stirred complicated emotions within him—sorrow, regret, and sighs more than grief.
But looking at his teacher now…
He suddenly realized just how old the Third had become.
"Jiraiya," the Third said quietly,
"Help me. Take over for a few years."
"Sensei, I'm really not suitable for it," Jiraiya replied flatly.
"If you want a Hokage, you'd be better off finding Tsunade."
"Tsunade…" The Third pondered.
"That could work. But she left long ago, and I don't know where she is now."
"???"
Jiraiya stared at him, then suddenly understood.
To the Third, Tsunade or Jiraiya—it didn't really matter.
They were just transitional Hokage.
All that mattered was holding the position until Souma was old enough. Once he took over, it wouldn't be seen as shocking.
But…
Wasn't that a bit too obvious?
Jiraiya twitched and said,
"With that attitude, no wonder Tsunade won't come back."
"Then help me find her?" the Third chuckled.
"Me?" Jiraiya sighed.
"Fine, I'll try. But I have one condition."
His expression turned serious.
"I want to take Naruto with me."
"Naruto?"
The Third froze.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Allowing him to go on missions was one thing—but taking him away entirely required justification.
"Why?"
"Old man, right now—"
"Me."
Souma stepped out from the shadows, raising a hand slightly.
He hadn't intended to hide—he'd come to see the Third and Jiraiya and just happened to overhear their conversation.
At first, he planned to wait.
But the discussion got increasingly outrageous.
Tsunade and Jiraiya as transitional Hokage?
Souma was speechless.
And once Jiraiya mentioned taking Naruto, he knew he had to step in—or the Third's stubborn streak would flare up.
Jiraiya glanced at him.
Souma's stealth left a deep impression on him.
Just moments ago, he hadn't sensed anything at all. Souma had only been noticed when he released his own presence.
That alone was unsettling.
"Heh, Souma," the Third said,
"Let me introduce you—this is my disciple, Jiraiya."
"One of the Three Sannin, Jiraiya-sama. An honor to meet you."
Souma bowed lightly.
Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
They'd already chatted half the day—did he really need to be this polite?
Still, he returned the gesture. This counted as their official meeting.
"Souma," the Third asked,
"Do you have something important?"
"Nothing urgent," Souma replied.
"Kakashi-sensei mentioned letting Sasuke enter ANBU training, but he's concerned about Naruto's future. I heard Jiraiya-sama bring it up, so I thought I'd step in."
Let Sasuke enter ANBU?
The Third froze, then slowly understood.
Sasuke truly wasn't suited for staying in a team. That child had experienced too much—and his hatred toward Itachi had already twisted his mindset.
The Third sighed.
But as he was about to respond, something felt off.
He frowned.
Right—Sasuke hadn't met ANBU standards yet. Direct entry was impossible. He would need training and screening.
And yet…
Root was gone.
At least, Danzō was dead. There was no one left to train them.
He finally understood Souma's intent.
Root.
And that aligned perfectly with the Third's own thoughts.
He'd long wanted Souma to help train ANBU, but Root had always stood in the way. Now that Danzō was dead, Root could naturally be handed over.
Of course—
What Souma would receive was an ANBU training unit, not Danzō's Root itself.
Those were two very different things.
The Third smiled.
"Souma, I've observed your guard unit's training—it's been very effective. The ANBU training squad is short on leadership. Why don't you take charge temporarily?"
"Yes."
Souma nodded.
Jiraiya wasn't foolish. He could see it clearly—
Both sides wanted this outcome. Once the intent was mutual, there was no need for further discussion.
Only one thing worried him.
Could this kid really hold the line?
Jiraiya felt he should remind someone.
In his eyes, if Souma ever went astray…
He'd be far more terrifying than Orochimaru ever was.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614