"Old man, what are you thinking?"
Watching Souma disappear into the distance, Jiraiya couldn't help frowning.
"That kid…"
"What about him?"
The Third Hokage chuckled softly, pipe in hand.
He knew exactly what Jiraiya wanted to say—but he still wanted to hear it.
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Cunning. Brilliant. Scarily capable. He doesn't feel like someone his age at all. Sometimes I honestly wonder if he's some old monster who mastered a reincarnation technique."
"Probably not," the Third said, shaking his head.
"I know," Jiraiya nodded.
"But that's exactly the problem. If this kid ever walks the wrong path… he'd be far more terrifying than Orochimaru. Have you really thought this through?"
"..."
The Third fell silent.
He had already made one grave mistake in the past. Now that Jiraiya brought it up, even he felt a chill in his chest.
He was old.
And when people grew old, hesitation followed.
Especially after indirectly witnessing the presence of the First and Second Hokage—though they never spoke face to face, the Third knew in his heart that neither of them was particularly satisfied with him.
He glanced at Jiraiya, then suddenly said,
"My vision's failing. There are many things I can no longer see clearly. Jiraiya… stay and help me."
"It's not that I don't want to," Jiraiya replied seriously.
"But I have something extremely important to do. You might not know this, but there's an organization in the shinobi world called Akatsuki. Every one of its members is an S-rank missing-nin."
"S-rank… all of them?"
The Third's expression sharpened.
"Yes," Jiraiya nodded grimly.
"As far as I know, Orochimaru used to be one of them. The rest are still unknown."
"What is their objective?"
"I don't know. For now, they're only gathering intelligence."
The Third's eyes darkened.
An organization composed entirely of S-rank missing-nin…
That level of strength was terrifying.
No wonder Jiraiya was treating this so seriously.
But even Jiraiya himself didn't have much concrete information yet—he was still investigating. There was nothing more he could say.
The Third frowned slightly.
After Itachi joined that organization, no information had come back at all. If he dared to guess, then Itachi had likely joined Akatsuki.
If that were true…
Even someone like Itachi might not be able to pass on intelligence from within. He'd have to wait for another opportunity.
And now that news of the war in Konoha had spread, Itachi might very well return.
The Third relaxed his brows and said,
"I understand. I'll have people gather intelligence. But if you're investigating Akatsuki while also taking Naruto with you—won't that be too much?"
"Hahaha! Of course not," Jiraiya laughed loudly.
"I'm the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, you know!"
"..."
The Third thought for a moment, then nodded.
Whenever Naruto was mentioned, his mind inevitably drifted to that infamous zero-score exam paper.
But putting that aside—
Aside from academics, Naruto's growth over the past half year had been astonishing. In terms of combat strength, he was already comparable to many chūnin.
He was just… missing a screw or two.
That was why the Third ultimately agreed.
"By the way," he asked,
"how strong is Naruto now?"
"Well," Jiraiya scratched his head,
"Souma and Kakashi laid a very solid foundation. Teaching him shouldn't be too difficult. You'll understand once you see him."
"Is that so…?"
For some reason, it still sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen.
Jiraiya fell into thought.
"Finally over…"
Tenten wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Thanks to you, really," Fengxiang said, bowing deeply.
"Otherwise we wouldn't have known what to do."
Tenten smiled modestly.
"It wasn't much. I only provided some small support. The techniques and tools we used were all taught to me by Souma."
"So even this ninja tool has Souma's involvement?"
Fengxiang stared in disbelief.
"The concept was his," Tenten nodded.
Fengxiang was stunned.
He'd always thought Souma only specialized in ninjutsu. Who would've thought he was also skilled in ninja tools?
Amazing.
"Then I'll head to the next area."
Tenten waved goodbye and left—but her mood clearly wasn't as bright as before.
"What are you sighing for?" Souma's voice came from beside her.
"You're young. Sighing too much makes you age faster."
"Tch."
Tenten curled her lips.
"As if sighing can make someone age. It's not like I'm using some life-draining forbidden technique."
She walked a few steps, then said quietly,
"I just feel… very small."
"Everyone is small as an individual," Souma replied calmly.
"That's why we need teams and cooperation. If one person could slaughter an army alone, what would teammates even be for?"
"…Like you?"
"If it's against ordinary shinobi," Souma thought for a moment,
"I could probably manage, barely."
He was being honest.
He had already reached Kage-level—but his strength was heavily tied to Sage Mode. Without it, his combat power dropped by half.
Even with his regenerative chakra barrier, that only improved endurance.
If he wanted to grow stronger, Sage Mode was still the key.
Of course…
There was another path.
The Sharingan.
Danzō was truly dead now, so Souma would never know what the old man had been thinking in his final moments—handing over his eye so willingly.
But one thing was certain:
A Mangekyō Sharingan would drastically increase his strength.
Still…
Souma didn't want to gouge out his own eyes.
After some thought, he shook his head and changed the subject.
"By the way, I'll be in charge of ANBU training from now on. I'll need your help."
"ANBU training?"
Tenten blinked.
"What's that?"
"You can think of it as a department that cultivates ANBU personnel," Souma explained briefly.
"It used to be under Danzō. Now that he's dead, the Third Hokage put me in charge."
"Dan—Danzō is dead?"
Tenten gasped softly.
"Did Sunagakure really go that far? Who did they even send—someone who could kill Danzō?"
Wasn't he an old jōnin from the Third's era?
Souma didn't bother explaining.
"It's classified. I can't tell you the details. I just need you to help me forge some ninja tools."
"Chakra tools?"
Tenten's eyes lit up.
Souma nodded.
"Steel wire infused with chakra-conductive metal."
"Steel wire? Sure, that works. Better than nothing."
She rubbed her hands together, grinning.
"Um… if there's anything like this again in the future…"
"I'll come to you."
"Thank you, Souma!"
Tenten bowed deeply, then ran off happily.
After that, Souma used his sensory abilities to find two key figures in the village—
Aburame Shibi and Yamanaka Inoichi.
Their clans formed the backbone of Root squads and ANBU.
Both of them readily agreed.
With Danzō dead and Souma taking over, Root would return to its original purpose—training ANBU operatives only, no longer meddling in other affairs.
That was the best possible outcome.
After speaking with Shibi, Souma initially planned to return and draft ANBU training manuals.
But then—
He remembered someone important still being held.
Kimimaro.
At full power, Kimimaro was at least quasi-Kage level. Even without the Shikotsumyaku, his taijutsu and swordsmanship were first-rate.
Wasn't that the perfect instructor?
"Souma, do you still have something to do?" Shibi asked, noticing his hesitation.
Souma nodded.
"I want to talk to Kimimaro again."
"…Now?"
This time, even Shibi hesitated.
But thinking of Souma's capabilities, he gritted his teeth and agreed, accompanying him to the sealing division.
Only three sealing specialists remained; the rest were out assisting elsewhere.
When they saw Souma, all three stood up at once.
"Souma-sama!"
"I'll speak with him for a bit," Souma said, signaling them to relax as he began lifting the seals and casually asking about the situation.
The sealing ninja were stiff as boards, like students being inspected by a teacher. Some didn't even know what they were saying—once they finished, their expressions screamed I want to slap myself.
Souma suppressed a smile. When the unsealing was nearly complete, he dismissed them. Shibi had unconsciously retreated to the doorway.
Only Souma and Kimimaro remained.
Kimimaro was calm. Once freed, he glanced at Souma and stretched his limbs.
"Most of your ANBU are gone. What happened in Konoha?"
"Orochimaru's plan," Souma replied.
"You probably know part of it."
"..."
Kimimaro said nothing.
"You don't need to be so defensive. I'm not here to pry into Orochimaru's secrets," Souma said lightly.
"I'm here to tell you something."
He paused, then said calmly,
"Orochimaru is dead."
"That kind of lie won't fool me," Kimimaro sneered.
"You think I'd believe that?"
Souma nodded, oddly agreeing.
"Orochimaru's survival abilities were extraordinary. Under normal circumstances, he really wouldn't die. Even I'd struggle to kill him."
Orochimaru still had the Eight Branches Technique and Reverse Summoning. Unless he was killed instantly, he could always escape.
"But," Souma continued,
"have you heard of Spirit Transformation? A forbidden assassination technique that allows the soul to leave the body."
"Everyone in Konoha who knew that technique is dead," Kimimaro replied coldly.
"Correct. Katō Dan is dead. The Second Hokage—the creator of the technique—is also dead."
Souma smiled faintly.
"But unfortunately, Orochimaru used Edo Tensei to summon the Second Hokage… and then—"
"!!!"
Shock finally surfaced on Kimimaro's face.
This…
Based on his understanding of Orochimaru's plans, summoning the Second Hokage was entirely possible.
So in the end—
Orochimaru's own scheme… killed Orochimaru?
It was absurd.
Kimimaro opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He was still alive—yet the man who pursued immortality was dead.
His world felt hollow.
After several minutes, Kimimaro said flatly,
"You don't need to say more. I won't agree to any deal."
He understood.
Orochimaru was dead. This was recruitment.
"Even if there's a chance Orochimaru could revive?" Souma asked calmly.
"What did you say?!"
Kimimaro's eyes widened.
Revive?
"You're trying to trick me into working for you," he snapped.
"Why would I bother lying?" Souma said.
"I don't fully understand Orochimaru's reincarnation techniques, but I suspect he modeled them after the nature of tailed beasts—fusing life, chakra, and spiritual energy."
"Tailed beasts can resurrect over time," he continued.
"So I believe he left a backup."
"What backup?"
Souma raised an eyebrow.
"You're his subordinate. Shouldn't you know?"
"..."
Kimimaro was speechless.
Indeed.
No matter how talented Souma was, he couldn't magically know Orochimaru's backups without information.
But that led to a dilemma.
If Kimimaro helped Souma find Orochimaru's backup, wouldn't that give Souma the chance to truly kill Orochimaru?
But if he didn't help…
Souma would probably find a way anyway.
A perfect open scheme.
As long as Kimimaro still cared about Orochimaru, he was already trapped.
Kimimaro slumped against the wall.
"I can't beat you," he said quietly.
"And I don't have your methods. How do I know you're not lying? And how do I know you won't just kill Orochimaru again after reviving him?"
"That's a very good question," Souma said approvingly.
Kimimaro truly was Orochimaru's strongest subordinate—both in strength and intellect.
A shame he was so loyal.
Souma sighed.
"To be honest with you, I've obtained quite a few Sharingan recently. I also learned of a forbidden technique. If it succeeds… Orochimaru could be made to serve me."
"!!!"
Kimimaro's mind went blank.
Such a technique… actually existed?
"You can take your time to think," Souma said as he stood.
"I need to search for that technique anyway, and the village is still busy."
He moved to seal Kimimaro again.
"Wait!" Kimimaro shouted.
"Yes?"
"…You're willing to extend my lifespan?"
"Yes."
Souma nodded.
Kimimaro fell silent once more.
Souma didn't wait. He sealed him back without ceremony.
A hard bone really did take time to chew.
But—
He was already halfway there.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614