A week later, in the rest quarters of the Hokage Tower, the Third Hokage was happily lying on his bed watching a TV drama.
"That damned Buddha! Why did he have to trap Wukong under that mountain for five hundred years? Isn't this tyranny?!"
He suddenly jumped up from the bed, angrily pointing at the television screen.
The show was playing the exact scene where Liukai was trapped beneath the Wujizhan Mountain—depicting the miserable daily life of a certain teacher.
"Buddha! Wukong's such a promising young talent. How could you treat him like this? What kind of ridiculous plot did that brat Shen write!"
So absorbed was the Third Hokage in the drama that he even cursed aloud, believing the Wukong onscreen must have been modeled after himself. That monkey wielding a staff that could change sizes looked absolutely like him.
A Bi would definitely claim expertise if he knew about this situation—after all, he designed the character of the Third Hokage based precisely upon the image of the Great Sage.
"Huh? Why does this pig look just as lecherous as Jiraiya? Could it be that kid created this character based on him?" The Third Hokage grew angry enough to fast-forward directly through the scene showing the second eldest disciple flirting with girls at Gao Village.
"This pig is too lustful by far," he mused, "though come to think of it, Jiraiya isn't really much better." He felt the personality portrayal remained quite accurate.
"Pound pound"
A knocking sound brought frustration to the Third Hokage. Still, though unwilling to interrupt his break time, he obediently went to open the door.
"Hokage-sama, we've just received an urgent report from Team One."
"..."
The Third Hokage listened unhappily as Qing delivered her usual flat report, feeling his good mood completely shattered.
"Okay, what did you say? A report from Team One?" Now he finally realized where this urgent message had originated.
"Yes. The ninja hawk flew here from the Land of Wind. It's possible Team One has encountered some trouble."
"What?!"
Instantly snatching the intelligence scroll from Qing's hands, the Third Hokage trembled anxiously while unfolding it for reading.
"Hmm? Ah! Oh? So this can happen too?"
His expression changed rapidly like a Sichuan opera face-changing act—flickering between pale, livid, crimson, and pitch-black.
If some little prodigy witnessed this scene, they'd surely exclaim, "You really are Konoha's Sarutobi clan's master of [SOT]!"
After finishing the letter, the Third Hokage became deeply grave. This handwriting—this was something he'd never forget for his entire life.
Identical strokes appeared previously inside sealing scrolls and plenty of them too.
Indeed, aside from very few forbidden jutsu, practically every ninjutsu recorded within those sealed scrolls had been upgraded beyond recognition by some human-computer genius.
Even B-ranked ninjutsu described there showed improvements so significant that their power matched S-ranked techniques using equivalent chakra.
As the acknowledged "professor" of ninjutsu, the Third Hokage had studied these enhancements diligently day and night, thus becoming intimately familiar with this individual's handwriting.
"Qing, immediately head to the commercial street and summon Elder Kazushi from the Zhijian clan to my office immediately. This matter is extremely important, so ensure you don't disclose anything along the way."
"Yes Hokage-sama!" Regardless of whether she saw his expression or not, Qing remained committed to faithfully completing her mission.
So not long after, in his office, the Third Hokage finally welcomed Elder Kazushi's arrival.
"Lord Third, what's so urgent that you had Anbu deliver a secret message to me?"
"Take a look. This just arrived. It's a letter from Shen."
Elder Kazushi hadn't even settled into his seat when those words made him jump. "Did that brat pull off another mess in the shinobi world that I have to clean up? Let me see… Huh?"
After reading the letter, he instantly copied exactly what the Third Hokage had just done, performing an eerie mirror of the earlier act—something best left unseen.
"Elder Kazushi," the Third Hokage asked, "what do you think of his plan? How feasible is it?"
"If it's according to that brat's personality, then it's absolutely flawless. I've never seen this kid fail before. Just look at all the things he pulled off in the past." Elder Kazushi went on listing one agonizing episode after another as supporting examples.
After listening, the Third Hokage looked at him with deep sympathy.
Now somewhat able to empathize, he stood up and patted the other man's shoulder consolingly. "It's okay. All of that is in the past now. That boy Shen clearly understood the reason we sent him on this S-rank Mission. Isn't this proof enough?"
"Yeah, that kid really has grown up. Now he can actually think about things from the village's perspective." The old man couldn't help but get sentimental watching his once-rowdy youngest son finally step up like this.
Soon enough, they dove into each step laid out in the plan.
"Hmph, that brat's plan is practically perfect—hard to find any flaws this time. I guess I'll give him a pass," Elder Kazushi said proudly, though he still sounded insincere.
The Third Hokage watched his expression and compared it to his words, feeling slightly ill at ease.
Why don't you just admit you're bragging?
Of course, [Acting No Jutsu] was simply an innate passive ability of the Uchiha Clan.
"It does seem solid, but why do I still feel like something isn't quite right?" Elder Kazushi muttered to himself for a moment before suddenly slapping his thigh in realization. "Ah! That brat didn't even consider his own safety. If Kazekage notices anything suspicious, Team One could be detained in Sunagakure village!"
Immediately snatching back the letter, the Third Hokage carefully reread every word. "It seems that's true. Regardless of whether this plan has a hundred percent success rate or not, if anything happens to him, it'd be a devastating blow to Konoha. Elder Kazushi, can you depart for Sunagakure village immediately?"
"As a matter of fact, I don't have anything else going on lately, and this letter even mentions bringing out the prototype vehicle from the Laboratory if necessary." Concerned about his son's safety, Elder Kazushi expressed willingness to leave at once.
"That's great news. Then please take that prototype vehicle with you under cover first. For now, let's classify this mission as Konoha's topmost secret." Thinking further, the Third Hokage still felt uneasy. "Also, Elder Kazushi, if possible, please bring along the relatives of the other two children when heading to Sunagakure village. That way, Kazekage probably won't dare mistreat them."
Kazushi felt somewhat reluctant deep down, but he still recognized the gravity of the situation.
He readily agreed and immediately left the office, preparing to journey to Sunagakure as one of the envoys.
"A trade agreement with Sunagakure? If it works out, it's like gaining an ally. Even if this alliance is purely based on mutual benefit, as long as Sunagakure continues to profit, they won't easily betray Konoha. This plan truly carves a whole new path toward peace in the shinobi world!"
Inside the office, the Third Hokage stood alone by the window, gazing at the swirling leaves outside, deeply moved by his thoughts.
"But I won't call myself old just yet. Let me be the first to blaze the trail for peace in the shinobi world!"
Outside the window, a leaf gently drifted to the ground. Even after falling, that single leaf could still nourish the mighty tree beside it.
Though just one had fallen now, how many more leaves were still left on the tree?
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