Striking Hard to Correct a Childhood Friend

For the next week, the team diligently patrolled the Land of Whirlpools.

Once they were absolutely sure that no Kirigakure Ninja were left, they decided to return to Konoha.

During this quiet period, several Anbu squads arrived to take over, ready to conduct a final, thorough search.

But Sarutobi Ryo and the others who had taken part in the Jonin Exams were no longer involved in these matters.

----

Two days later, Sarutobi Ryo was back in Konoha. The Jonin Exams, after twelve long days, had finally concluded.

Utatane Koharu went to the Hokage's office to give her report. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Ryo and his teammates relaxed in the open area in front of the Hokage Building.

"Young Master," Yamanaka Hui whispered, "that Old Woman is clearly favoring Namikaze Minato..."

Yamanaka Hui had noticed Utatane Koharu's reaction when they reported finding Kato Dan's remains first.

"She obviously thinks that Namikaze Minato should have been the one to complete the task," she added, her voice filled with disdain.

Yamanaka Hui's assessment wasn't wrong.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were indeed openly and secretly supporting Namikaze Minato.

As advisors representing the interests of various clans and the upper ranks, they thought it perfectly reasonable to arrange opportunities for him, boosting his career and reputation.

They simply hadn't expected Sarutobi Ryo's team to get there first and "steal" the credit.

But Sarutobi Ryo didn't really care. He just wanted to bring Kato Dan home; that was all that mattered to him.

Yamanaka Hui was still clearly bothered by it. "If this keeps up," she said, her brow furrowed, "Namikaze Minato will have an easy and incredibly fast rise to the top..."

They might have taken the credit this time, but what about in the future? What if they couldn't stop the powerful from helping him then?

"So...?" Sarutobi Ryo asked, turning his gaze from the Hokage Building's windows to the girl beside him.

A mischievous grin instantly spread across Yamanaka Hui's beautiful face. "So... Young Master, I think we should take the initiative and find a way to kill Namikaze Minato! If he dies, the Hokage position will definitely be yours!"

Last time, she had only wanted to cause trouble for Namikaze Minato and teach him a lesson. Now, she was talking about killing him!

That's quite a leap, Sarutobi Ryo thought.

But Sarutobi Ryo didn't condemn his childhood friend's dark side.

After all, he harbored his own malice deep inside.

People are complicated , he mused.

He looked at the girl's lovely face and shapely figure. Her skin was as smooth as white jade, and her lips were a fiery red.

"Young Master?" Yamanaka Hui blinked, tilting her head slightly.

"Don't cause trouble," Sarutobi Ryo said firmly, stopping her again.

This wasn't the first time they'd had a similar conversation.

Yamanaka Hui never hesitated to express the dark thoughts in her heart, and Sarutobi Ryo always stopped her.

Because those thoughts went against the Will of Fire.

The Will of Fire, in essence, was about protecting those you cared about.

And, by extension, even if they weren't your comrades, even if you didn't know them, they were still Konoha Ninja.

Unless Namikaze Minato became his enemy, Sarutobi Ryo wouldn't plot against him.

Yamanaka Hui was different. She wasn't like Danzo, doing terrible things to gain power.

She was simply acting on impulse, unrestrained and defiant.

"Hui... Miss Hui..."

Just then, a Konoha Ninja approached them. He had also participated in the Jonin Exams.

"Excuse me... are you free later?" he stammered, his cheeks flushed.

His meaning was clear. He was trying to flirt with her.

Yamanaka Hui's eyes widened in disbelief.

Can't you see I'm standing with my Young Master? she thought.

But in an instant, her surprised expression vanished, replaced by a radiant smile.

"Look at me..." she said softly.

"Ah..." the Ninja replied, flustered.

"Look at my eyes. Are they pretty?"

"Y-yes, very pretty..." he replied, his voice trembling.

Under Yamanaka Hui's command, the Ninja gathered his courage and met her gaze.

"From now on... you're no longer a person... but a dog, a dog that will bark..."

Yamanaka Hui's words seemed to hold a strange power.

As she spoke, the Ninja's eyes slowly, gradually, became unfocused.

Sarutobi Ryo immediately realized that Yamanaka Hui was using an Illusionary Technique.

No... it was more complex than that.

It was a combination of an Illusionary Technique and a Mental Secret Technique.

Illusionary Techniques were based on Yin Release Ninjutsu.

The Yamanaka Clan's Mental Secret Technique was similar.

But the effects they created were completely different.

Illusionary Techniques worked by manipulating the five senses. For example, visual illusions (through eye contact), auditory illusions (through sounds), and olfactory illusions (through smells).

Most Illusionary Techniques in the Ninja World relied on sight, with very few using sound.

And at that moment, Yamanaka Hui was simultaneously casting a visual, eye-to-eye illusion and a sound-based illusion through her words.

On top of that, she layered the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique.

This technique had miraculous abilities, such as invading minds, controlling actions, and even swapping bodies.

Because it was passed down orally, with no written records and kept secret from outsiders, it was called a "Secret Technique."

"Let's go~," Yamanaka Hui said, finishing her technique and waving her hand.

In an instant, the Konoha Ninja who had been flirting with her dropped to all fours and ran away, barking like a dog.

"Huh?! What's wrong? What's wrong?!" people exclaimed, startled.

"Why is someone barking like a dog?!"

His strange behavior immediately caught everyone's attention.

The crowd in front of the Hokage Building turned to look.

"What dog barking? That's the Inuzuka Clan's Ninjutsu... the Four Legs Technique!" a know-it-all declared. He claimed that the Ninja was from the Inuzuka Clan and often used beast mimicry Ninjutsu in combat.

"Hehehe..."

Yamanaka Hui watched the scene, laughing gleefully.

"..."

Sarutobi Ryo frowned slightly.

Then, he turned to Yamanaka Hui.

He shot her a sharp, disapproving look.

She simply stuck out her tongue, showing no remorse.

Sarutobi Ryo shook his head.

If I don't control her, she'll either fall into the wrong hands or become a rogue Ninja of Konoha sooner or later, he thought.

At worst, she'll mess things up and drag others down with her.

So... it's time to strike hard and correct her personality properly!

Just as Sarutobi Ryo thought this, a new message appeared on his right retina.

[Will of Fire System!]

[New... "Weapon of the Will of Fire": Yamanaka Hui!]

[Side Mission Objective: Instill the Will of Fire in Yamanaka Hui!]

[Side Mission Reward: Yamanaka Clan Mental Secret Technique]