The Third Hokage sat alone, a hint of disappointment clouding his eyes. He hadn't been able to extract any meaningful intel from Might Guy. And knowing Guy's nature — honest to a fault — the old Hokage was sure there hadn't been any deception. Still, it left him with more questions than answers.
Just how had Uchiha Ryosuke managed to grow so strong in such a short time?
Based on what Guy had shared, Hiruzen Sarutobi had identified three potential factors behind the power spike.
First: Exceptional regenerative ability. But as far as he knew, the Uchiha clan hadn't dabbled in body modifications, nor were there any signs of physical enhancement among them. An average human's healing factor was what it was — even the best couldn't recover overnight without help.
Second: A special Uchiha-made healing potion. Supposedly, its effects could accelerate recovery significantly. But even that explanation felt shaky. If such a miracle elixir existed, the entire village would already know about it — especially the medical corps. Its absence from Konoha's radar made the theory unlikely.
That left the third possibility — and the strangest one: getting stronger through being beaten.
Hiruzen sighed. The notion was absurd… and yet, Ryosuke's growth was undeniable — even surpassing Hiruzen's own aging strength. If a conflict ever broke out and the village moved to suppress the Uchiha by force, the cost would be catastrophic — a Pyrrhic victory, at best.
No, he had to understand Ryosuke's methods. If there was even a sliver of truth to this "beaten-into-power" theory, he needed to test it for himself.
Putting aside his duties, Hiruzen took one of his trusted Anbu operatives and traveled to a secret underground training base — one only he had access to.
Standing in the center of the room, he faced the masked shinobi and ordered,
"Attack me."
The Anbu operative blinked, stunned.
"Hokage-sama? What… what do you mean?"
Surely he hadn't heard that right. No one — no one — laid a hand on the Hokage, even in sparring. This felt like a trap, or worse, a test.
Hiruzen could read his hesitation.
"Relax. I'm testing a new taijutsu training method. Just avoid my vital points."
The Anbu's eyes narrowed behind his mask, piecing it together. This wasn't some senile fantasy. The Hokage was dead serious.
With some hesitation, he stepped forward and delivered a light punch to Hiruzen's stomach — more a tap than an attack. Predictably, it did nothing. Hiruzen didn't even flinch.
"Harder," he said flatly.
"…As you wish. Forgive me, Hokage-sama."
The Anbu's expression hardened. Veins bulged on his forearms as he cocked back his fist and drove it into Hiruzen's abdomen with force. This time, the Hokage grimaced, his breath catching from the impact.
"Yes. That's it. Again!"
What followed could only be described as bizarre: the Third Hokage — one of the most revered shinobi in history — stood still while a subordinate pummeled him like a training dummy. Hiruzen tensed his muscles to resist the damage, but he took each blow head-on, gritting his teeth and calling for more.
The Anbu operative, sensing permission to go all-out, stopped holding back. His fists flew with deadly speed, each strike backed by years of elite training.
Thirty minutes passed.
By the end, the Anbu was sweating and exhausted — not from defense, but from delivering constant attacks. The Hokage lay crumpled on the floor, bruised and battered.
"Hokage-sama!" the Anbu rushed forward, panic rising.
"Are you alright?!"
Hiruzen groaned and slowly rose, his face etched with pain.
He wasn't a young man anymore. A training regimen like this would've broken most people, and even for him, it felt borderline suicidal.
Still, he spoke with resolution:
"Every other day. Same time. Same place. We continue this."
The Anbu reluctantly nodded, obeying the strange directive.
Internally, he couldn't help but admit — hitting the Hokage had felt kind of satisfying. But he still didn't buy the effectiveness of such reckless training.
"Hokage-sama, if you keep doing this, you might cause yourself permanent damage…"
It was a valid concern. A shinobi's most important weapon was their body. Once it broke, no amount of jutsu could compensate.
But Hiruzen only gave a weary smile.
"I'll be careful. I'll use my clan's healing salve after each session. This… might be the only way."
If Ryosuke's brutal rise in power truly came from enduring such harsh physical strain, then Hiruzen had to experience it firsthand. If he didn't, there would be no way to counterbalance the Uchiha's growing strength.
Several days later, Danzo walked into the Hokage's office, only to find Hiruzen still bandaged and limping.
He raised an eyebrow.
"What happened to you?"
Hiruzen looked like he'd gone ten rounds with a summon beast — and lost.
Danzo knew the Hokage hadn't left the village, nor had any attack occurred within Konoha. So who could've done this? No one dared raise a hand to the Hokage.
"It's nothing," Hiruzen replied curtly.
Of course, he didn't plan on telling Danzo the truth. If Danzo caught wind of this strange training idea, he might copy it — or worse, weaponize it. Hiruzen always kept one eye on his longtime ally-turned-rival.
Danzo didn't press the issue. He had more pressing matters.
"The villagers dissatisfied with the Uchiha — I've had them write formal complaints. The paperwork's nearly done. All we need now is to convene the clan council… and crush them politically."
He gave a rare smile.
"I trust you'll support me when the time comes."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Of course. This was our plan all along."
Suppressing the Uchiha was in both their interests — or so they believed. With Ryosuke as a wildcard, however, things had changed. And fast.
Hiruzen asked in a low voice:
"You've accounted for everything this time, haven't you?"
Last time, their effort to suppress the Uchiha had backfired — revealing a hidden strength in the clan that had caught them both off guard. Hiruzen didn't want any more surprises.
Danzo smirked.
"Don't worry. I've got every angle covered."
Then, with a hint of warning:
"But I'll need your full backing. The clans loyal to you must stand with us. If Ryosuke keeps empowering the Uchiha, not even you may be able to suppress them alone."
Danzo had no intention of being left out to dry. If Hiruzen flip-flopped and left him to take the fall, Danzo would be forced into a war he might not survive.
It was a subtle warning… but it was there.
And Hiruzen, bruised and wary, gave no reply — only a tired nod.
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