The Third Hokage nodded and pulled a scroll from behind his chair.
Under Shinju's expectant gaze, the Third Hokage slowly unfurled the scroll.
On it was a short poem composed by the Hokage himself:
[Wherever the leaves dance, the fire will never die. The fire's light illuminates the village, and the leaves will sprout anew.]
Shinju remembered this poem. Back when he was still in the Ninja Academy, the Third Hokage had read it aloud to all the students.
But… this was a bit different from the "money bag" Shinju had been imagining!
"This calligraphy… I'm giving it to you."
The Third Hokage solemnly handed the scroll to Shinju.
Shinju blinked, slightly stunned, before standing up and accepting it with both hands, bowing his head in thanks.
Then, the Third Hokage spoke again.
"Shinju, you are the most outstanding shinobi of Konoha's younger generation. I hope that one day, you will become Hokage, create a truly peaceful shinobi world, and lead the village toward prosperity."
"I've made far too many mistakes in my life… too many regrets…"
"And also, Konohamaru really looks up to you. You've had a huge influence on him. Thank you for that."
The more Shinju listened, the more wrong this sounded.
Why did this feel like… the Hokage was entrusting him with his last wishes?
Sure, the Third Hokage was already over seventy, but his body was still strong and healthy. He should have at least another three to five years in him, right?
"Third Hokage-sama, why are you saying things like that?"
Shinju asked bluntly.
The Third Hokage smiled, shaking his head.
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just worried about what might happen in the future, that's all."
After saying this, the Hokage took out a money pouch from behind him.
"This is two million ryo. Tsunade requested these funds from the village specifically as a reward for you."
"You've contributed so much to the village. After discussing it with the other Konoha elders, we all agreed this was only right."
"This is an extra reward from the village and does not count toward the money we took from Kumogakure for ransom."
Shinju accepted the heavy bag of two million ryo.
In that moment, the village suddenly felt… warmer. More humane.
Even the old, wrinkled Third Hokage in front of him suddenly seemed kind of adorable!
"And there's one last thing."
The Third Hokage stood up and walked into another room, returning with another scroll.
"This is Konoha's Scroll of Seals. It records numerous high-level and forbidden jutsu."
When Shinju heard that, his jaw dropped.
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
"Wha—what…?!"
The Scroll of Seals was one of Konoha's highest-classified secrets.
A regular shinobi would be locked up for two years just for sneaking a peek!
And yet the Third Hokage was just… giving it to him?!
Seeing Shinju's stunned expression, the Hokage chuckled warmly.
"You're an exceptional jutsu genius. Compared to your Sage Art Wood Release, the techniques in this book are nothing special."
"Study them with peace of mind. I believe you're one of the few who won't be seduced by the forbidden techniques inside."
Shinju took the Scroll of Seals carefully, a profound sense of responsibility rising in his chest.
"Understood," he replied seriously, nodding with determination.
After chatting casually with Shinju for a while longer, the Third Hokage finally let him go.
...
For the next several days, Shinju locked himself in his room, studying the Scroll of Seals.
Since most of the missions assigned around the village were fairly simple, Naruto and Sasuke ended up handling the majority of them.
One day, after returning home from a mission, Naruto began complaining to Shinju about what happened.
"I had a fight with Sasuke today."
Shinju, still flipping through the book, gave a half-hearted nod.
"Mm."
"Hey! I said I had a fight with Sasuke. Shouldn't you at least act like you care?"
Naruto protested.
Honestly, Shinju was even more dismissive than some boyfriends.
"Isn't competition between shinobi normal? Rivalry pushes you to get stronger."
Shinju shrugged.
"No, that's not it!" Naruto quickly explained. "I fought him because he's been acting weird these past few days. His obsession with winning is off the charts."
Shinju shot him a side glance and snorted.
"And you're one to talk? Your competitive streak isn't any better than his."
"That's not what I meant…"
Naruto shook his head.
"Anyway, Sasuke's been acting like he's possessed or something lately."
"You know about the Uchiha situation, right? It feels like Sasuke's so desperate for revenge that he'll do whatever it takes now…"
Shinju had already noticed this before.
But considering Sasuke's tragic past, it was understandable for him to have such an extreme personality.
After a moment of silence, Shinju finally looked up.
"Once I finish going through the Scroll of Seals tomorrow, I'll teach you two some ninjutsu. Whatever you want to learn, just say it."
Naruto's face lit up instantly.
"Really?! Awesome!"
He'd been wanting this for a while but hadn't brought it up since Shinju had been so busy lately.
"I'll go tell Sasuke right now!"
...
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha residence.
Years ago, after the massacre, the Uchiha compound had been sealed off. Sasuke was relocated to a regular apartment building in Konoha.
It had a bed, a sofa, even a TV—comfortable enough, but there was no warmth of "home" there.
Now, after finishing his training, Sasuke sat by the window, staring blankly at the full moon outside.
The moon was bright and round—just like the night his entire clan was slaughtered.
Suddenly, under the moonlight, Sasuke spotted a suspicious figure moving through the shadows.
Having nothing better to do, and growing suspicious, he jumped down from the window and followed.
After trailing the figure for a while, they finally left the residential area. The shadowy figure suddenly turned around, revealing a forehead protector engraved with the Sound Village symbol.
Almost immediately, three more figures appeared, surrounding Sasuke!
The one directly ahead, a man with two heads, spoke first:
"You're Sasuke, right?"
Sasuke didn't answer, frowning instead.
"Sound shinobi…? Are you Orochimaru's subordinates?!"
"That's right,"the man replied.
"Kidōmaru."
"Jirōbō."
"Tayuya."
"Sakon."
"What do you want?"
Sasuke asked warily.
The four surrounded him tightly, leaving no room for escape.
The six-armed Kidōmaru grinned.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to see how strong you are."
The moment he finished speaking, Kidōmaru spat out sticky spider threads!
"Swish!"
Sasuke dodged and quickly formed hand seals.
In the next instant, Kidōmaru's body vanished like a phantom and reappeared right behind him!
Kidōmaru raised his foot.
Bang!
Sasuke was kicked forward, losing his balance!
But at the last moment, he used a Substitution Jutsu, swapping places and creating distance instantly!
However, just as he thought he'd pulled away, the two-headed Sakon appeared right beside him!
What followed was a brutal taijutsu assault!
Sasuke was completely overwhelmed, unable to fight back at all.
After finishing him off, Kidōmaru glanced smugly at the battered Sasuke lying on the ground.
"So this is the kid Orochimaru-sama's interested in? Doesn't seem that impressive to me."
Tayuya scoffed.
"Just a boy living off the Uchiha name. Weak as hell!"
Their mocking words cut deep. Sasuke, prideful to the extreme, clenched his fists tightly.
Then Sakon delivered the final blow:
"At your current strength, how the hell are you gonna get revenge on Uchiha Itachi?!"
"…!"
Sasuke's Sharingan flared open, his eyes turning blood-red in an instant!
Dark, irregular curse marks began spreading wildly from the seal on his shoulder.
"Shut up!!"