Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Yujiro was completely speechless.

Shouldn’t this kind of thing be considered after they grew up?

Even if he really won this girl’s heart now, what came after that?

So, this kind of thing could not be rushed.

Under Kurenai’s pressure, Yujiro had no choice but to take Yugao and wander through Konoha’s streets.

“Third Hokage!”

At that moment, Yugao suddenly exclaimed.

Yujiro followed her gaze.

Sure enough, on the other side of the street stood the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

At that moment, Hiruzen was also looking at Yujiro.

Yujiro did not avoid his gaze.

He looked straight back at him.

“Father, that’s him! He’s the one who beat me!”

Beside Hiruzen, a boy with a bandaged arm immediately pointed at Yujiro and shouted.

“Honestly…”

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Yujiro in the distance, then looked at Asuma beside him.

He could sense a faint pressure coming from Yujiro.

As for Asuma, there was nothing.

“Yujiro,” Yugao whispered worriedly, “you hurt Lord Third’s son last time. He won’t come looking for trouble now, will he?”

“No,” Yujiro said with a faint smile. “Don’t worry. Not only will he not cause trouble, he’ll even come over and praise me for teaching Asuma a lesson.”

“Huh?”

Yugao looked at him in disbelief.

Just as Yujiro finished speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly walked toward them from across the street.

As he passed, several shinobi and villagers stopped to greet him.

From the slight changes in Hiruzen’s expression, Yujiro could tell he was enjoying it.

As expected.

He was no longer quite the same Sarutobi Hiruzen from the past.

Now, he had grown attached to comfort, reputation, and authority.

Still, Yujiro had no intention of judging him.

Everyone had the right to choose their own path.

However, Yujiro believed in one simple truth.

If someone respected him, he would return that respect.

If they did not, then there was nothing to discuss.

Before long, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived in front of Yujiro.

Behind him, Sarutobi Asuma followed closely.

Even Yujiro could see the eagerness and pride on Asuma’s face.

Yujiro shook his head inwardly.

He was really curious how someone like this would end up becoming a jōnin in the future.

Connections?

Probably.

Although Asuma’s impression in the original story was not this bad, Yujiro understood clearly that this was a real Naruto world.

Even if he knew the general plot, there was no guarantee everything would remain the same.

In short, as long as he was strong enough, there was nothing to fear.

“Yujiro,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said, wearing a kindly smile.

Yujiro nodded calmly.

“Third.”

He did not call Hiruzen “Hokage.”

After all, Hiruzen was no longer the Hokage.

Even if he still secretly held much of the Hokage’s authority, that did not change the title.

Officially, the Hokage now was Namikaze Minato.

“Hey!” Asuma immediately snapped. “You should call him Lord Third Hokage!”

“Is your father the Hokage right now?” Yujiro asked, glancing at him calmly.

“Of course he is! My father is the Hokage!” Asuma said arrogantly.

Normally, Asuma would not have acted so embarrassingly.

But the moment he saw Yujiro, the anger he had been holding back burst out.

He remembered being beaten by Yujiro.

He remembered ending up in the hospital.

And worse, he remembered how many people had seen it.

Because of that, Asuma completely lost his usual judgment.

“Asuma.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s voice sank.

Asuma stiffened.

Hiruzen was not the Hokage now.

The current Hokage was the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

Although Hiruzen could still exercise part of the Hokage’s authority, in the eyes of the shinobi and villagers around them, he was already retired.

“Yujiro,” Hiruzen said with a smile, “I should thank you for what happened last time. Asuma needed that lesson.”

How about that?

Unexpected, wasn’t it?

He was not here to trouble Yujiro.

Sure enough, as soon as those words came out, the surrounding villagers and shinobi showed looks of surprise and admiration.

Whispers quickly spread through the street.

“I thought Lord Third would…”

“I told you. Lord Third would never do something like that.”

“As expected of the Third Hokage. His heart is still broad.”

“Exactly…”

Compliments rose one after another.

Yujiro tilted his head slightly and glanced in several directions.

Those were the places where the voices were loudest.

So that was it.

Putting on a show for himself?

It seemed the Third really was hopeless.

But by doing this, Hiruzen had also exposed his own weakness.

He wanted reputation.

Prestige.

The feeling of standing above others while being praised and supported.

That was also why he had never truly been willing to let go of power.

“Is the performance over?” Yujiro asked calmly. “Then I’m leaving.”

After saying that, he took Yugao’s hand and walked away.

Was he afraid Hiruzen would cause trouble for him?

Not at all.

In fact, if Hiruzen really sent a few shinobi after him, Yujiro would welcome it.

After all, actual combat was exactly what he needed right now.

“Yujiro…”

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched his back and murmured softly.

“As expected… he’s no ordinary genius.”

A child like that had to exist for Konoha’s sake.

“Five years old… he should be old enough to enter the Academy soon.”

Hiruzen thought for a moment, then silently turned and left.

Yujiro was only five years old now.

Although there was already some conflict between him and Asuma, at worst, they could simply be kept apart.

After seeing Yujiro today, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood one thing.

This child would never be weak in the future.

He was ambitious.

And he was a child of Konoha.

That meant he had to be guided properly.

When Yujiro entered the Academy, it would be time for him to understand the Will of Fire.

Hiruzen still had great confidence in the Will of Fire.