"Lord Daimyō, my name is Yagyū Souma. I can barely be considered one of the planners behind this Chūnin Exam."
Inside the Hokage Tower's VIP chamber.
After meeting the Third Hokage, Souma came to pay a courtesy visit to the Fire Daimyō—if nothing else, to make his presence known.
Daimyō was already advanced in age, yet his eyes were bright and alert. He sat upright, reviewing documents submitted by the Hokage with steady focus.
When he saw Souma, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Souma-kun, please, come and sit."
He folded his fan and placed it aside, studying Souma with clear interest.
At first glance, this was just a child.
But after reading the detailed reports about Souma, the Daimyō would never mistake him for an ordinary boy. Besides, Souma wasn't exactly unknown within the Daimyō's court.
That girl from the Sakuraba household had been praising him far too often for that.
After careful observation, the Daimyō reached a quiet conclusion—
This child wasn't afraid of him.
The courtesy and respect were there, yes, but only on the surface.
Still—
A prodigy in his youth was bound to have sharp edges. Expecting perfect humility would be unrealistic.
"Word is that you've been focused on research. I didn't expect to be able to invite you, yet the Third Hokage actually persuaded you to come."
"Research can always wait," Souma replied calmly. "But Your Excellency rarely visits Konoha. The two can't be compared."
His tone was impeccable.
He might slack off in front of the Third Hokage, but before the Daimyō, propriety mattered.
After all, this man ruled the nation.
The Daimyō asked about Souma's recent activities and the current state of the research institute.
It was clear—he was deeply curious.
Perhaps this curiosity was the real reason behind his visit.
Souma answered smoothly, borrowing more than a little from the acting skills he'd learned dealing with Kabuto.
Eventually, Daimyō's curiosity was satisfied, and he turned to business.
"I hear this Chūnin Exam was designed by you?"
"I wouldn't say 'designed,'" Souma corrected gently.
"As I mentioned earlier, I was only one of the planners. I merely offered a few small ideas—the actual execution is handled by the other jōnin."
Daimyō nodded with a smile.
"Of course, of course. One of the planners. Still—could you elaborate?"
"There's nothing particularly complex," Souma said.
"In my view, intelligence is the most critical factor in ninja combat. Whether it's war or missions, everything revolves around information."
He explained briefly.
"The exam requires candidates to identify correct answers from three mixed chūnin sources. What's being tested isn't strength—but information gathering and judgment."
"Information is the most important factor…"
The Daimyō repeated the words softly, clearly less interested in the exam itself than in the philosophy behind it.
"Could you explain that in more detail?"
"Certainly."
Souma launched into an animated explanation of intelligence warfare, illustrating his points with vivid examples.
The Daimyō grew increasingly energized, any trace of drowsiness vanishing. He even ordered his attendants to record everything Souma said.
The entire morning passed like that.
Souma quickly realized—
The Daimyō didn't care much about the exam.
What he wanted was a deeper understanding of ninjas: how they operated, how they trained, how they fought.
So Souma told stories.
When Souma finally left—
The Daimyō let out a long sigh and extended his hand.
"Toyama. Did you record everything?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. Please review."
Daimyō reread the notes, then sighed again.
"I underestimated the ninja profession. No wonder the Twelve Guardian Ninja fell apart back then."
"Your Excellency, that wasn't your fault—"
"Toyama, I used to think the same," the Daimyō said, smiling lightly.
"But now I believe I share part of the responsibility. At the very least, I never created something like the Will of Fire."
He flicked his fan open.
"He has the Will of Fire. Why can't I have one too? As this child said—unity begins with a single voice."
"Yes… you're right."
Toyama thought it over and found no fault.
Indeed—
The Will of Fire didn't have to belong solely to Konoha.
It could belong to the Land of Fire.
"It's a shame I'm already old," the Daimyō said quietly.
"If I'd understood this earlier, perhaps things would've turned out differently. The Guardian Ninja might have had real scale."
"Still, it's not too late. At the very least, during my reign—I will form my own Guardian Ninja force."
Souma left the Hokage Tower, his perception never once shutting down.
Someone was watching him.
After careful confirmation, he became certain—he was being followed.
The man's appearance was ordinary. His movements seemed natural.
Yet—
From the moment Souma exited the tower until he returned home, this person remained nearby.
Too coincidental.
"Orochimaru," Souma sneered inwardly.
"I can hear your abacus clicking all the way across Konoha."
He'd already guessed it.
Handing that document to the Third Hokage had never been an act of goodwill.
It was meant to ignite conflict between Danzō and Hiruzen.
And since Danzō had dealings with Orochimaru, he would've already obtained information about Souma.
That meant—
This wasn't an assassination attempt.
It was an observation.
Souma simulated Danzō's thought process.
Eventually, one possibility stood out.
"If I were Danzō, I'd use Kotoamatsukami."
That technique…
Most of its details were blurry, but Souma remembered one crucial point.
Danzō never revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.
He didn't need eye contact.
Which meant—
Kotoamatsukami didn't require direct visual connection.
It was a perfect mind-controlling genjutsu.
Analyzed further, it was frighteningly similar to Souma's own mental attacks—
A direct invasion of the spirit and soul.
"Good thing I trained mental defenses," Souma thought grimly.
"Otherwise, I'd have no answer to this."
"And now…"
"I can prepare countermeasures."
Or—
Strike first.
Souma narrowed his eyes.
He quickly sorted through the pros and cons.
His solution:
First, reinforce his mental defenses.
Second, keep the Insect King with him at all times. If his defenses were triggered, the Insect King would immediately inject chakra to wake him.
The only difficulty—
Teaching it to recognize abnormal mental states.
After a moment's thought, Souma summoned Claw from the Forest of Death.
No matter what—
A contingency plan was necessary.
Over the next few days, besides accompanying the Daimyō, Souma devoted himself to training the Insect King to recognize his mental fluctuations.
If Kotoamatsukami broke through—
That would be the end.
Of course—
Souma had a second plan.
Preemptive elimination.
Use mental force to deal with Danzō directly.
It would be controversial—but once Danzō's possession of Shisui's eye and Wood Release were exposed, even the two advisors wouldn't be able to defend him.
As for the Third Hokage—
Souma decided to survive this Chūnin Exam first.
Orochimaru was undoubtedly targeting him.
And though Danzō's primary objective was Hiruzen, Souma sensed that he himself was the higher-priority threat.
Because he was beside the Daimyō.
Control the Daimyō—and you control the Hokage succession.
For someone as obsessed as Danzō, that opportunity was irresistible.
For the next two or three days, Souma followed a strict routine.
He didn't return to the research institute.
Tenten and the others trained under Yamato instead.
The Daimyō remained endlessly curious about ninjas, frequently asking Souma for stories.
Souma didn't hold back—quietly instilling his own philosophies.
Truthfully, he didn't oppose the Daimyō forming a Guardian Ninja force.
It was absurd for one of the Five Great Nations' rulers to lack personal ninja protection.
What if someone attacked and framed Konoha?
Even if most believed in Konoha, doubt would still fester.
And Konoha lacked true economic independence.
Relying on "ninja morality" was not Souma's style.
Most importantly—
The Daimyō had money.
The research institute had village funding—but who would complain about more investment?
Souma certainly wouldn't.
He had no intention of using his own savings.
Over time, the two grew closer, finding common ground.
The Third Hokage found this astonishing.
"Souma, I only hoped you wouldn't get impatient. I didn't expect you and the Daimyō to get along so well."
"When you need something from someone, manners come naturally," Souma replied honestly.
Hiruzen chuckled.
"Good. I was worried you'd have no interest. Still—you're a bit young. More experience will serve you well."
"Hokage-sama… I don't think we're talking about the same thing."
"Close enough."
Hiruzen smiled.
In his eyes, it was the same thing.
The Daimyō's favor meant future Hokage succession would face far less resistance.
Far better than Minato's time.
"Still," Hiruzen added,
"Being Hokage isn't just about strength. Administration is far more troublesome. Once you sit in that chair, research time becomes rare."
"We'll talk about it later. I don't have that intention right now."
Souma reiterated his stance.
Hiruzen only nodded.
After a few more words, Souma quickly found an excuse to leave.
He feared staying any longer would lead to a lecture on Hokage paperwork.
Ridiculous.
Walking down the street, Souma glanced back at the Hokage Tower.
That tone—
It sounded like final arrangements.
Is he planning to die together with Danzō?
That couldn't be right.
Dealing with that old bastard—
Did it really require trading a life?
As for Orochimaru—
Just like Souma's bet with Kabuto—
If Orochimaru dared summon the First and Second Hokage again…
Souma would teach him that Edo Tensei isn't so simple.
The Second Hokage, that old schemer—
A man who never developed a technique without leaving a backdoor.
After studying the Spirit Transformation Technique, Souma had a theory—
Perhaps it had originally been designed to pair with Edo Tensei.
Only—
The Second Hokage likely never imagined that Orochimaru would "improve" the technique himself.
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