A sudden flash of inspiration lit up Tian Yu's mind.
He felt as if he had just seized a crucial opportunity!
It was about the task the system had issued earlier!
Since Naruto's chakra had already been influenced—no, intertwined—with the Nine-Tails' chakra since the day of his birth...
Wouldn't that mean that once Naruto begins extracting and refining his chakra...
The system could absorb Naruto's chakra—and at the same time absorb a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra?!
That would save years of waiting for Naruto to reach the mission timeline in the Land of Waves!
Thinking of this,
Tian Yu's heart surged with excitement.
In his mind, he quickly assessed the feasibility of this plan—
Although extracting Nine-Tails chakra through Naruto wouldn't be as fast as a direct confrontation or large-scale conflict, it still meant he didn't have to wait six whole years!
Multi-Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint!
A ninja tool capable of producing an effect on par with an A-rank ninjutsu!
"Naruto, here—this is for you!" Tian Yu took out a ninjutsu scroll and handed it over with a grin. "This contains the chakra refinement method. After you go home, try learning it just as it's written."
"Even though the entrance exam for the Ninja Academy is around the corner, and you might not extract chakra that quickly, the examiners may see your potential and let you pass anyway."
"Whoa, Tian Yu, you're amazing!" Naruto's eyes sparkled as he grasped the scroll tightly.
Then he stood up excitedly and waved goodbye.
"Tian Yu, I'm going back now to start refining my chakra!"
"I'm the guy who's gonna become Hokage! How could I possibly fail the entrance exam?! Don't worry, I'll definitely be in the Ninja Academy soon, just like you!"
Tian Yu smiled and nodded, "Then good luck. I'll be waiting."
…
At that very moment—
Far off under the looming faces of Hokage Rock, within the office of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen...
The elderly Hokage was observing the two boys through the crystal ball in front of him.
As soon as Naruto and Tian Yu parted ways,
Sarutobi waved his sleeve, turning off the monitoring.
He took a slow puff of his pipe and glanced at the stack of detailed reports on Tian Yu that had recently landed on his desk.
"A diligent boy... Even Might Guy has spoken highly of him."
"Possesses exceptional talent in forging—he's already created a variety of unique ninja tools."
"Treats people kindly... and even befriended Naruto."
A gentle smile tugged at the corners of Hiruzen's lips.
"Perhaps... he truly is a useful seedling for the village."
After murmuring this,
Hiruzen tucked the documents away and turned to gaze at a shadowy corner of his office.
"But right now, the Uchiha situation must take priority."
"Wouldn't you say so... Danzo?"
"Hmph... You found me after all."
A voice thick with disdain echoed from the shadows.
A man wrapped in bandages, with one eye hidden and a cane in hand, stepped into the light.
"Sarutobi, it's time to end this farce with the Uchiha clan."
"I warned you long ago—we needed to act! Your indecisiveness has allowed the Uchiha to grow more powerful and more dangerous!"
Sarutobi sighed heavily, wearied by Danzo's insistence.
"Is there really no room left for reconciliation?"
Danzo sneered coldly.
"Don't be naïve."
"Itachi Uchiha has already agreed to the plan we laid out. When the time comes, I'll dispatch Root to clean them out and eliminate the threat."
Sarutobi shook his head.
"He already said we wouldn't need to act directly. He'll handle everything."
"His only condition was that his younger brother, Sasuke, must live. I've agreed to that."
Danzo's brow furrowed deeply, distrust obvious in his expression.
"He doesn't need Root's help? Just him alone?"
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed.
"He said he would use that power... from over there."
Danzo scowled.
"Hmph. That group can't be trusted. Don't forget—your precious student Orochimaru is one of them!"
"Enough, Danzo!" Sarutobi's tone sharpened, the pipe clutched tightly in his hand.
"For now, they are not our enemies."
"Konoha is already bleeding too much strength maintaining internal peace. We cannot afford to provoke them."
"Right now, we must not be reckless. Konoha is still vulnerable."
---
Chapter 30: The Current Situation of Konoha
"Hmph! Sarutobi, you're always so short-sighted!"
Danzo cast him a disapproving glare.
"If Hanzo of the Salamander hadn't failed to destroy that organization, we wouldn't be dealing with this mess."
Sarutobi's gaze darkened as he recalled the names Itachi had reported—
Not only Orochimaru, but also several rogue S-rank ninjas whose reputations echoed across nations.
Each of them was powerful enough to give even the Five Kage pause.
Even now, only a fraction of their strength had been revealed...
But that was already terrifying enough.
What were they gathering for? To challenge the balance of power among the great nations?
Sarutobi felt a chill settle in his chest.
No... Konoha could not engage them—not yet.
Six years ago, the Nine-Tails incident had cost them dearly:
The death of the Fourth Hokage, dozens of Jōnin lost in a single night...
Konoha's fighting strength had plunged to its lowest point in history.
Even now, the village hadn't fully recovered.
Of the Legendary Sannin—
Orochimaru had defected,
Jiraiya wandered the world,
And Tsunade, plagued by trauma, had vanished.
Aside from Sarutobi himself, there was no one of Hokage-level strength remaining in the village.
Right now, the most important task was to preserve the village's stability.
To wait... for the next generation to rise.
One day, when a new shadow-level ninja emerged, Sarutobi could finally step down and retire.
That had always been his plan.
After a long pause, Sarutobi turned back to Danzo.
"Danzo, try to understand... Konoha needs time to heal. We must wait for our next generation of shinobi."
"As for the Akatsuki, we know too little. Let Itachi remain as our eyes within them. We'll act when we learn more."
Surprisingly, Danzo nodded in rare agreement.
"Hmph. Very well... Oh, I've also heard there's a kid researching ninja tools in the village. Tian Yu, was it? Hand him over to Root."
"With his talent, he'd bolster my forces significantly."
Sarutobi frowned at once.
"No. Forget it, Danzo."
"Tian Yu isn't some battlefield orphan you can manipulate at will. His father, Tianxiong, is a major merchant in the Land of Fire. Our supply of ninja tools and resources still depends on his cooperation."
"With Konoha's current situation, the last thing I need is political fallout."
Danzo let out a soft chuckle, the shadows creeping across his face again.
"Fine, just a suggestion."
But in truth, Danzo had already sent Root agents to investigate Tian Yu.
He'd managed to obtain a file nearly identical to the one Sarutobi had.
After studying it, he was disappointed—
Mass-producing elite ninjas with Tian Yu's tools still wasn't practical.
In the end, Tian Yu had little real value.
What mattered now... was resolving the Uchiha matter once and for all.
If things went according to plan,
He'd be left with dozens of Uchiha corpses—and their Sharingan.
If he combined those eyes with the experiments Orochimaru had started years ago...
If he could replicate the power of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama...
Then perhaps—
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
And even beyond that—the Eternal Mangekyō.
A power that could rival even Uchiha Madara.
Danzo had lived since the Warring States period. He had seen Madara's strength with his own eyes.
If he could obtain that power—
The Akatsuki, Hokage seat, everything he desired would be within reach.
"Fine. For now, I'll back down."
Danzo turned away after a moment of silence.
"My Root operatives will handle the clean-up... that night."