Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat back in his wide chair, picked up his pipe, slowly filled it with tobacco, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Wisps of blue smoke rose, blurring his deep and complicated expression.
After a long while.
The Third looked at the black-haired boy in front of him, his voice gentle.
"Yao, about the power you used today... Wood Release!"
"As far as I know, since Lord First, no one in Konoha has truly been able to master this Kekkei Genkai!"
"How did you do it?"
The Third got straight to the point, without beating around the bush. Clearly, he attached great importance to this matter.
Yao looked up. "Lord Hokage, I'm not exactly sure myself!"
"While attempting to fuse water and earth nature transformations, I accidentally discovered that I could generate wood with life force. After practicing more, I just naturally got the hang of it!"
The secret of the Sage's Body definitely couldn't be told. Even if he did, Sarutobi Hiruzen probably wouldn't believe it.
After all, he was an Uchiha!
The Third listened quietly, his eyes behind the smoke as calm as an ancient well.
He didn't believe a single word of Yao's explanation.
But there was no evidence.
And he couldn't force an interrogation on a Kage-level ninja who had just suppressed a Tailed Beast.
The Third was old!
And the village's high-end combat power was dwindling—dead or defected. There were few people left who could truly carry the weight.
If he forced Yao to rebel at this point, the consequences would be unimaginable!
The Third changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of emotion.
"Wood Release... The power Lord First relied on to quell the chaotic times, establish Konoha, and subdue the Tailed Beasts."
"Seeing you use Wood Release today, I... felt like I was seeing Lord First again!"
The Third paused, his gaze becoming somewhat meaningful.
"With the strength you displayed today, you already possess potential that rivals, or perhaps even surpasses, the previous Hokages!"
"Even these old bones of mine... probably wouldn't be a match for you now."
The Third laughed self-deprecatingly, his voice gentle and his eyes smiling.
"Yao, with such talent and power... are you interested in becoming Hokage and protecting the village?"
Hokage?
Yao sneered inwardly. Here comes the test, and so direct!
"You must be joking, Lord Hokage!"
Yao smiled. "As a Konoha ninja, there is no one who doesn't yearn to become the Hokage acknowledged by everyone!"
In Yao's view, so-called ninja were nothing more than dogs for those in power!
Called upon at will and dismissed just as easily!
To break free from this status, there were two paths: either become the Kage of a village, or become the strongest!
Yao hoped to become the strongest, but that obviously wasn't easy.
Eternal Mangekyō, Rinnegan, Gedo Statue, Ten-Tails...
None of these were easy to obtain.
Before becoming the strongest, if he could first become Hokage and shed the status of a dog, Yao would gladly agree.
"Yes, the Hokage is the supreme leader of the village, admired by all!"
The Third followed his words, but his tone gradually became serious. "But Yao, do you know what the word 'Hokage' truly means?"
Without waiting for Yao to answer.
The Third continued, "The Hokage's duty... is to protect!"
"Protect the village!"
"Protect everyone!"
"For this, even if it means sacrificing one's own life, one would not hesitate!"
The Third's eyes suddenly became sharp. "Yao, let me ask you, do you have that kind of resolve?"
The air in the office seemed to solidify, becoming suffocating.
Facing this soul-piercing question, the smile on Yao's face remained.
"Lord Hokage, on the day I become Hokage, I will naturally shoulder the responsibility of protecting the village!"
This wasn't a lie!
Once he became Hokage, he would be the boss of Konoha, the head honcho!
The villagers would be his subjects; the ninja would be his dogs! His tools!
Every blade of grass, every tree, every brick and tile, even the dog at the village entrance... would be his property.
Of course he would protect Konoha!
So...
Yao's logic was: become Hokage first, then protect the village.
Not protecting the village in order to become Hokage.
"Become Hokage first, then protect the village?"
The Third's face darkened. "Are you saying that if you can't become Hokage, you won't protect this village?"
This logic!
This perception!
It disappointed the Third greatly because it ran counter to the Will of Fire!
Separating power from responsibility, viewing protection as merely an accessory to power!
This ideology was too dangerous!
Facing the Third's sudden stern scrutiny, Yao just smiled, a hint of mockery in his expression.
Yao didn't answer the Third's question directly. Instead, he asked with a smile:
"Lord Hokage, you mentioned protecting the village, protecting comrades!"
"Then I would like to ask: Did the Uchiha clan, which suffered a tragic genocide five years ago, count as members of the village?"
"Did the Uchiha clan deserve the Hokage's protection?"
"If they did!"
"Then please tell me, Lord Hokage, on that night five years ago when the Uchiha clan was exterminated, who exactly were you, as the Hokage, 'protecting'?"
This series of questions was like a thunderclap exploding in the Third's ears.
The temperature in the office instantly dropped to freezing point. The Third's hand gripping his pipe suddenly stiffened.
The Uchiha Massacre was Konoha's highest-level taboo, a sin that the Konoha bathing in sunlight could never reveal to the world!
And now... it was being brought up again by an Uchiha survivor in such a sharp manner.
"The matter of the Uchiha clan... is very complicated and involves a wide range of issues. And the culprit is certain; it was your older brother, Uchiha Itachi. He..."
Subconsciously, the Third wanted to use the same old official rhetoric, attempting to stall and fool Yao.
"Lord Hokage!!!"
Yao raised his voice sharply, cutting the Third off directly.
He took a step forward, looking straight at the Third, his gaze as sharp as a knife. "Lord Hokage, please see clearly!"
"Standing in front of you now is not a three-year-old child who knows nothing about the world and can be easily fooled by a few words of righteousness and lies!"
"I hope you won't use such laughable excuses to brush me off!"
"You..."
The Third was choked by these fierce words that bordered on insubordination. His fingers tightened slightly around his pipe.
Having governed Konoha for forty years, it had been a long time since anyone dared to contradict him so mercilessly.
Yet, facing Yao's sudden outburst, this shrewd old Hokage was rarely left speechless.
Yao wasn't just anyone; he had just suppressed Shukaku with Wood Release!
Yao's voice grew even colder, every word seemingly dipped in poison:
"Five years ago, the Uchiha clan was slaughtered in a single night. Men, women, old, and young—no one was spared!"
"As for the truth behind this, I think you, Lord Hokage, and certain higher-ups in the village!"
"Know far better than I, a survivor who was lucky enough to live!"
"An Uchiha coup conspiracy? Born evil with ambitious hearts? Endangering the safety and stability of Konoha?"
"Heh..."
Yao scoffed. "Those are just clumsy excuses made to appease the villagers and put a righteous veneer over that bloody massacre!"
The Third's face darkened, becoming very ugly. His hand gripping the pipe was clenched tight, knuckles turning white.
Yao continued, "The biggest mistake the Uchiha clan made was not some evil or ambition!"
"Their only mistake!"
"Was losing in the political struggle against the village higher-ups!"
"That is all!"
Yao looked straight into the Third's face, speaking clearly and forcefully:
"The winner becomes the king, the loser becomes the bandit. The strong eat the weak! There's nothing more to say!"
Yao's expression was indifferent. "So, I train desperately, desperately wanting to master power, not for the village!"
"But for... when someone puts a butcher's knife to my neck again, I will have the power to fight back!"
"So..."
"Lord Hokage, please stop spouting high-sounding words about the Will of Fire and asking me to protect the village!"
"It's fine to use those words to trick kids like Naruto!"
Yao curled his lips, smiling at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"If my words make you unhappy, Lord Hokage!"
"You can try to kill me, just like you destroyed the Uchiha clan five years ago!"
With that.
Yao strode away.
The Third watched his retreating figure, his fist clenching and unclenching.
He understood.
Uchiha Yao was out of control!
This person was extremely selfish and had an uncontrollable ego, running completely counter to the Will of Fire!
Whether such a person would harm the village was hard to say.
But for him, the Hokage, this was definitely not a good thing.
How should he deal with Yao?
If he could, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have liked to take Yao down right then and there.
But unfortunately.
The Third couldn't do it.
He was 69 this year, approaching the advanced age of 70. His physical functions had completely degenerated, and his chakra reserves had dropped sharply.
And Yao... had just suppressed the One-Tail Shukaku, displaying power enough to shake the entire village!
If he forced a confrontation.
The final outcome would likely be him, the Hokage, getting killed!
After all, Kage killed by ninja from their own village were not few in number.
For example, the Second Raikage.
He was killed by his own subordinates, the Gold and Silver Brothers!
"I really have gotten old!"
The Third smiled bitterly.