Chapter 87. Two Elders
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In the end.
After feeling the intense Will of Fire radiating from the merchant Uchiha Yuto, the elder of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, decided to give the young man a chance.
After all, he was growing old.
Konoha's future ultimately belonged to the youth.
Thus.
Empty-handed, as a testament to his selflessness, Uchiha Yuto carefully carried the personally written "Will of Fire" by the Third Hokage, which had been "gifted" to him, touched by Yuto's own Will of Fire.
That's right.
He didn't spend a single cent!
What's a penny worth?
It couldn't possibly express his deep respect for the Third Hokage!
Could such feelings be measured with money?
How crude!
Upon returning to his shop, Yuto carefully handed the Hokage's handwritten work to Uncle Sato, instructing him to have it framed and displayed in the most prominent spot!
This was a priceless treasure!
It must be handled with the utmost care!
Otherwise—
How could he be worthy of the Third Hokage's Will of Fire?
...
Meanwhile.
In the Hokage's office.
After listening to the ANBU ninja's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled faintly, shook his head, and waved the ninja away.
He was very pleased with Yuto's decision to rush back and have the writing framed. Truly fitting for someone who once spent five million ryo on a landscape painting by the First Hokage!
An excellent villager who loved calligraphy and art!
He could feel the strong Will of Fire burning within Yuto!
"Well then…" Hiruzen sighed, shook his head helplessly, and thought about Yuto's request. With a laugh and a scolding tone, he said, "That sly kid! To come up with such a scheme—it's no wonder his business is getting bigger and bigger!"
He heard that he had recently opened more than a dozen milk tea and barbecue shops.
Really.
As expected, he is the guy who started his own business after graduating from Ninja Academy!
Besides, the milk tea and barbecue… were genuinely good. Every time Hiruzen passed by, he couldn't resist the itch to step inside and have a taste.
As for illusions?
Don't be ridiculous!
What genjutsu could deceive the Hokage?
A legendary figure from the Uchiha clan, perhaps?
So, it must be the flavor of the milk tea and barbecue—
Once tasted, it left people wanting more!
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up a piece of paper nearby, pondered for a moment, then began to write:
"Uchiha Yuto donated 300 million ryo!"
After a while…
He finished writing and looked at the paper, already densely packed with notes. He sighed with emotion, "If the village weren't genuinely short on funds, would I have resorted to this?"
What was that about 600 million left in the village?
Six… Pah! Danzo—he is his bestest friend. How could he possibly do such a thing?
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up a bounty notice that hadn't changed much in recent times, stared at it silently for a moment, and shook his head. "I wonder what Danzo is up to now?"
...
"Are the ANBU still outside?" Danzo's face darkened as he looked at his subordinates. "Didn't I say it wasn't necessary?"
"Danzo-sama," a Root ninja bowed respectfully, hesitating before speaking, "the Hokage said he's worried you might encounter danger again, so…"
"So the ANBU will allocate some of their forces to protect Danzo-sama."
Upon hearing this, Danzo let out a cold snort and said icily, "Protect me? Ridiculous! They're just worried I'll sneak out again!"
As he spoke, a hint of melancholy crept into his tone.
When had it begun?
He realized he was losing friends.
The companions of his youth now looked at him with different eyes.
Friendship!
At some point, it had started to sour.
What a pity.
His attempts to seek external power had failed.
Otherwise.
Would they still dare to look at him with such greedy eyes?
After a moment.
Danzo sighed helplessly, shook his head, and his gaze hardened with determination. "One day, I'll make it so none of you can even hope to reach me!"
Yes.
He had never given up!
Even though he failed last time, he still hadn't given up!
Since strength couldn't be found outside the village, he decided to search for it within!
Compared to the elusive Rinnegan, the greatest power of the past was still present in the village.
Wood Release!
The power of the First Hokage!
The power of the God of Ninja!
What a pity.
In the beginning, to subdue the Nine-Tails, the village had thought it unwise to rely solely on the Sharingan and so Hiruzen initiated research into Wood Release.
However.
The costs were too high, too many people died, and there were no results. The project was eventually terminated.
"Fools! Without immense resolve, how can one inherit such powerful abilities?" Danzo snorted coldly. "Let me bear this darkness!"
That's right.
He was preparing to restart the Wood Release research.
After all, he still had backups of the research data. Now, all he needed was funding and experimental materials!
What a pity.
Due to various reasons, the village currently didn't have much money, and the funding for Root had also been cut by Hiruzen.
So—
There was no money!
Of course, there were 600 million ryo... but anyone who mentioned it would face his wrath!
"As for the funds!" A Root ninja, hearing Danzo's concerns, seemed to recall something and said, "According to intelligence, Uchiha Yuto recently visited the Hokage and apparently invested 380 million ryo in advertising. We're not sure about the specifics."
"Useless!"
"…" The Root ninja lowered his head in shame but then seemed to remember something else. He looked up again and added, "It seems the Hokage also sold a calligraphy work titled 'Will of Fire.' The exact amount is unclear."
At this.
Danzo: ???
He paused, then sneered and muttered to himself, "Hiruzen… have you fallen so low?"
He recalled the landscape painting that Homura had once sold.
A wave of melancholy washed over him.
Had the comrade who once shared his dreams become so vulgar?
And only he—
Had remained steadfast to his original aspirations!
Melancholy turned to lamentation; sighs of sadness escaped him from time to time.
Danzo felt Konoha had decayed!
It had to change!
And he—
Shimura Danzo—was the one who could lead Konoha into the future!
After what seemed like an eternity—
Amid the trembling silence of his Root subordinates—
Danzo stood up, turned with an air of solitary clarity, and sighed deeply. His back, in the dimly lit cave, appeared extraordinarily forlorn.
He walked forward, step by step.
The entire cave grew silent.
After walking for what seemed like a long time—
Suddenly.
He stopped.
His calm voice echoed through the cave.
"Bring me my calligraphy set!"
Even in the realm of calligraphy, he must be better than Hiruzen!
Having said that—
He walked on with an air of desolation.
Leaving behind his masked Root ninja, whose exposed eyes seemed… somewhat bewildered.
...
Time slipped away quietly.
Over the past few days, Yuto had finished arranging the banners and posters for his advertisements and had sent them out with the help of ninja messengers.
In the blink of an eye—
It was the evening of the Winter Festival.
At this moment.
The "second cup at half price" promotion was back. Ahem… Yuto stood before the beautifully dressed Suzune and paused in slight surprise.
"What… what is it?" Suzune's cheeks reddened slightly as she glanced down at her outfit. "Does it look bad?"
"It looks great!"
A light purple sweater paired with her elegant white eyes and loose flowing hair—it was indeed lovely.
Yuto smiled and said, "So, what do we do first?"
At this—
"Ramen!" Suzune blurted out involuntarily, then lowered her head in slight embarrassment. "I'm a little hungry."
"I'm hungry too. Let's go! Ramen first!" Yuto didn't mind and laughed, "On a night like this, a dozen bowls of ramen wouldn't be strange. Afterwards, we can walk around and enjoy the festival?"
"Mm." Suzune smiled brightly and nodded. Walking beside Yuto, she enjoyed the light snowfall that had started falling.
It wasn't heavy.
Just a soft sprinkling.
Suzune's face showed a hint of hesitation. Finally, taking a deep breath as if summoning her courage, she began, "Yuto, I—" She looked up abruptly, only to pause mid-sentence. Turning toward Yuto, who had stopped in his tracks, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Then.
She followed Yuto's gaze with a puzzled expression.
And instantly.
When she spotted the two figures not far away, she also froze slightly.
"Elder Hana? And… Elder Setsuna?"