Nawaki was the genuine crown prince of Konoha.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi could not touch him.
If Hiruzen dared move against Nawaki, over half the clans in Konoha would rebel against him.
As the grandson of Hashirama Senju, combined now with Wood Release, Nawaki possessed influence even he himself did not fully understand.
Even back during the experiments, despite knowing Nawaki had the highest chance of success, they still had not used him.
At the time, besides Tsunade's existence, another reason was simple—
He was Senju Nawaki, grandson of Hashirama Senju.
Now that he also possessed Wood Release, there was absolutely no obstacle preventing Nawaki from becoming Hokage in the future.
Not even Hiruzen could stop him.
Still—
Hiruzen would definitely regard Nawaki as a threat.
And Danzo would absolutely resort to underhanded methods.
What happened to Sakumo Hatake would undoubtedly happen again.
Perhaps Hiruzen would hesitate.
Danzo never would.
So keeping Wood Release secret truly was the correct choice.
But compared to them—
Uchiha Madara was even more dangerous.
That lunatic would definitely become extremely interested in Nawaki.
As Hashirama Senju's number one fanboy, Madara would absolutely take the initiative to approach him.
He was the greatest threat of all.
If Madara started treating Nawaki the same way he treated Hashirama—
Then everything would truly be over.
Nawaki absolutely could not withstand that level of obsession.
Arin patted Nawaki on the shoulder.
"Get stronger as quickly as possible."
"And eat more good food while you're at it."
"If there's something you want to do, then go do it."
"DON'T SAY IT LIKE I'M ABOUT TO DIE!!!"
Nawaki roared furiously.
Both Tsunade and Orochimaru had been thrilled after discovering his Wood Release.
So why did Arin make it sound like his death was imminent?!
"Alright, alright."
Arin answered with a serious expression.
That only made it sound even worse.
Black lines appeared across Nawaki's forehead.
"But honestly," Nawaki suddenly said, "Minato's even more impressive."
He looked toward Minato Namikaze.
"He learned the Flying Thunder God?"
Arin asked curiously.
Nawaki's eyes widened.
"Big Brother Arin, how did you know?!"
"Don't worry about details like that."
Arin waved dismissively.
Because that was exactly how things progressed in canon.
That was an extremely important detail, alright?!
Ninja intelligence was classified information!
Nawaki looked enviously toward Minato.
"My Wood Release still can't really be used in actual combat yet."
"But Minato can already use Flying Thunder God skillfully now."
And later he would improve it even further.
No need to make such a fuss.
As for how Minato obtained it—
As a direct disciple within the Hokage lineage, was accessing the Scroll of Seals really difficult?
Though speaking of that—
Where the hell was Arin's Impure World Reincarnation reward?!
Danzo still had not handed it over.
Arin narrowed his eyes.
That bastard had completely stopped mentioning it.
Looks like it was time to collect payment.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Arin looked toward Nawaki.
"You two really are imitating the First and Second Hokage."
"You're practically their replicas."
Hashirama and Tobirama themselves would probably question whether these two were their reincarnations.
Still—
What concerned Arin most was Nawaki awakening Wood Release at all.
Could this guy actually possess Asura's chakra inside him?
Arin suddenly asked:
"Nawaki, what do you think peace looks like?"
"Peace…"
Nawaki looked around at the calm surroundings.
The group currently stood near a training ground beside the streets, watching the peaceful daytime scenery.
"A unified nation."
"One that restricts the scope of war."
"Turning battles of life and death into nothing more than verbal arguments."
"That is true peace."
This was actually Arin's own philosophy.
Nawaki had merely adopted it.
At least on the surface, there seemed to be no issue.
Arin rubbed his chin.
Still needed further observation.
What exactly did Asura's chakra brainwash people into becoming again?
Something about hearts connecting with one another…
Arin could not quite remember.
"Isn't that White Fang-senpai?"
Minato suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone looked toward the distant road.
A large hand holding a small hand.
"Sakumo Hatake-senpai…"
Arin smiled faintly at the father-and-son pair.
"This is family bonding time."
"No need for us to intrude."
Looks like before leaving, Sakumo wanted to spend some peaceful time with Kakashi.
"The discussions targeting White Fang-senpai have finally started dying down recently."
Nawaki sighed softly.
Minato nodded in agreement.
Arin glanced at the two of them.
Neither actually believed Sakumo had done anything wrong.
Whether it was truly right or wrong did not matter.
It was merely sacrificing one man in exchange for the victory of two higher-ups.
Arin looked toward the Hokage Rock in the distance.
For some reason—
The Third Hokage's face looked increasingly irritating.
…
Late at night.
Sakumo Hatake watched silently as Kakashi slept deeply.
Even in his sleep, Kakashi still held tightly onto Sakumo's hand.
No matter how mature he acted—
He was still just a child.
Looking toward the green jonin flak jacket hanging nearby, Sakumo smiled softly.
"Congratulations, Kakashi."
Last time Kakashi became a chunin, Sakumo never had the chance to congratulate him properly.
A faint smile appeared on Kakashi's sleeping face.
Sakumo sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi."
"I haven't been a responsible father."
"You'll have to walk the rest of the road yourself now."
He gently withdrew his hand from Kakashi's grip and tucked it beneath the blanket before quietly closing the bedroom door behind him.
Then he turned toward the living room sofa.
Arin sat there lazily, supporting his chin with one hand while looking toward Sakumo.
"Yo, White Fang-senpai."
Arin greeted him warmly.
The smile vanished from Sakumo's face.
"You couldn't even wait a few more days?"
he asked calmly.
"I was worried you might commit suicide first."
Arin grinned brightly.
"White Fang-senpai, your desire for death is way too obvious."
He returned Sakumo's own words back to him—only replacing one term.
"Are we going to fight here?"
Sakumo walked to the side, fastening his ninja pouch and securing the short blade at his back.
"This really isn't a suitable place."
Arin shrugged.
"After all, I'm not particularly interested in killing a father in front of his child."
The shadows beneath his feet rapidly expanded.
"Come with me, White Fang-senpai."
Arin stepped directly into the darkness.
Without hesitation, Sakumo followed him inside.
…
It should have been nighttime.
Yet within this space, the sun still hung high in the sky.
"Another dimension?"
Sakumo asked curiously while observing the dense surrounding forest.
He could not determine where this place was at all.
"More or less."
Arin nodded.
"White Fang-senpai understands the principles of Yin Release, right?"
"Creating form from nothingness."
Sakumo answered immediately.
"Exactly."
"This space was created through my Yin Release."
"No matter what happens here, the outside world won't know."
Arin slowly raised a blue sphere of light in his hand.
Still, Sakumo understood Yin Release quite well.
"But if fluctuations become too intense here, it would still affect the outside world eventually."
"Naturally."
Arin nodded before raising the blue sphere slightly.
"That's why we need this."
"Awakened Skill…"
"Game Instance."
"Deploy."
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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