"Hmm, I'm happy to hear you say that..."
Sarutobi Ryo looked at Nohara Rin, choosing his words carefully.
The system clearly showed Nohara Rin's progress: [35%].
That's it, I guess. That's as far as I can go right now.
If he wanted to get further, he needed to take a bigger step.
So, Sarutobi Ryo told her, "Rin... the baby Ruri is carrying is actually mine..."
"!"
Nohara Rin's eyes flew wide open when Sarutobi Ryo suddenly told her the truth.
She had suspected it for a while, ever since Ruri moved in. She had pretty much figured it out.
But hearing it directly from Sarutobi Ryo was a different matter altogether.
"So..." Sarutobi Ryo paused, then simply looked at her, silent.
"I, I just remembered I have something I need to do."
Nohara Rin looked down, her eyes darting back and forth, clearly flustered.
She made up an excuse, bowed quickly, and hurried away.
She obviously needed time to process everything.
The person she liked already had a child with someone else...
Sarutobi Ryo watched Nohara Rin rush off, tripping slightly, keeping his eyes on her until she was gone.
Playing the long game.
Sometimes, the most honest approach is the best way to solve things.
----
Back inside his tent.
Sarutobi Ryo sat down and crossed his legs, ready to train.
He had been studying the Eight Gates Formation for a while now, and he had managed to open the Second, Third, and Fourth Gates, one after the other.
To train in the Eight Gates Formation, you needed to be a master of Body Art, pushing your physical abilities to their absolute limit.
In the original story, Kakashi didn't know the Eight Gates Formation.
In the animated version, Kakashi was given the ability to open the First Gate.
Interestingly...
Even though Kakashi's overall power was second only to the old Third Hokage, some of his individual skills weren't as high as Lee's.
Sarutobi Ryo was talking about skills related to Body Art.
Lee, during the Chunin Exams, was already better at Body Art than Kakashi at 27 years old.
So, to train in the Eight Gates, you needed to be amazing at Body Art; it was a must.
You could only open the Gates if your body was strong enough.
If you weren't strong enough, it was impossible.
That, combined with the "talent for training in the Eight Gates Formation," decided whether someone could truly master the later gates.
Sarutobi Ryo's Body Art stats were incredible.
He also had several Kekkei Genkai that made him even stronger.
Right now, in terms of Body Art, he was second only to his father, the Third Hokage in his prime, and Hatake Sakumo himself.
You could say that, among all the Ninja in Konoha, Sarutobi Ryo was one of the most suited to train in the Eight Gates Formation.
He remembered in THE LAST movie.
Lee and a group of Konoha Ninja who had trained in the Eight Gates Formation used the Eight Gates Crane Wing Formation to stop a falling meteorite.
Working together, they blew the meteorite to pieces.
This showed that the Eight Gates Formation was an amazing technique that could be taught and learned by others.
Knowing all this, Sarutobi Ryo started trying to break through to the "Fifth Gate."
"Before the war gets too bad, I need to reach the Fifth Gate... and also..."
Sarutobi Ryo made Hand Seals and used the Shadow Clone Technique.
More than 20 Shadow Clones sat around him, filling the tent.
Lightning Release Chakra flowed through the Shadow Clones.
He was using the techniques Kakashi had discovered... the side effects of using Chidori to boost his body, to activate nerves and muscles.
Plus, part of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode he learned from analyzing Ai's arm.
By combining these two, he could almost create a Lightning Release Armor Mode that he could use.
Sarutobi Ryo was trying to use the Eight Gates Formation and the Lightning Release Chakra Mode at the same time, two techniques that put a huge strain on his body. This would increase his strength greatly.
Time passed quickly, Sarutobi Ryo used every second to train hard...
All for a better Future...
----
...
Soon after, Tsunade sent back news about the negotiations.
Tsunade, who had arrived in Sunagakure, had met the Third Kazekage himself, confirming that he was still alive.
And the Elders of Sunagakure, who had caused so much trouble, had been completely removed.
This showed that Sunagakure was serious about moving forward.
As for the Fourth Kazekage, Pakura, she was still fighting, so Tsunade hadn't met her.
And Rasa, who had messed up so badly, was also sent to the front lines, to another battlefield.
The Third Kazekage wanted him to think about what it meant to be a good Sunagakure Ninja.
After they met, Tsunade returned Ebizo.
Seeing that his brother was okay, Chiyo calmed down a lot.
Her brother's situation made her realize that fighting wouldn't solve anything.
Sometimes, being kind might... lead to a better Future.
"I thought the Third Hokage's Son would be the one coming..."
The Third Kazekage was surprised.
Everyone in the Ninja World knew that Tsunade had left Konoha.
He thought Sarutobi Ryo would be the one to come.
"But... since it's the granddaughter of the First Hokage, that's good enough..."
The Third Kazekage agreed that Konoha was serious.
After some talking.
Konoha agreed to help Sunagakure get an Oasis.
As for where the Oasis would be...
The Ninja World was huge, with plenty of empty land.
There were areas near the Land of Wind that could be used as an Oasis.
But if Sunagakure started building there without the other countries' permission, they would be attacked.
Now, with Konoha's help, Sunagakure could safely start working in the green area next to the Land of Fire.
Seeing how generous Konoha was being,
The Third Kazekage decided to stop being angry.
He promised Tsunade.
As long as he was alive, Konoha and Sunagakure would be friends.
He didn't know what future generations would think.
But he could make this promise while he was still alive.
"Then, Kazekage, let's talk about how we can work together to deal with Iwagakure..."
Tsunade smiled, and she immediately started a new round of secret talks.
Finally, they agreed to send troops to the battlefield together to fight Iwagakure...
*
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 161 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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]