Kuh-thump.
The moment he heard that, Hiruzen didn't even think—he turned around and walked away.
Four years ago, when he first met Kai, he could still smile and joke with the boy, trying to pass on the Will of Fire.
Two years ago, just seeing Kai's little face was enough to give him a headache.
And now?
Now that the kid had grown into a teenager—
Hiruzen had zero desire to chat with him.
The Will of Fire hadn't been passed on.
Instead, he'd almost been talked into questioning his own life choices.
So yes—he walked away.
Unfortunately, he was still a step too slow.
The instant he turned, rapid pat-pat-pat footsteps sounded behind him.
The kind that came from little feet flailing at full speed.
"…Sigh."
Hiruzen let out a helpless breath.
When he turned back, his aged face was once again filled with that familiar kindly, grandfatherly smile.
"It's little Kai, is it? What seems to be the matter?"
"Third Hokage-sama,"
Kai smiled shyly—straight stabbing where it hurt.
"I heard you have a second son?"
The crow nearby nearly scattered into feathers on the spot.
What kind of "good son" goes off to serve the Daimyō as a guardian ninja—and then turns around and tries to assassinate his own father?
But that was exactly what Hiruzen's second son did.
Asuma—the second son—was doing quite well in front of the Daimyō, too.
The crow quickly fell silent.
Something about this felt… off.
A son killing his father in the name of "justice"?
This script felt oddly familiar.
The black crow's pupils flickered.
And Itachi's once-firm resolve wavered ever so slightly.
On the village street, Kai glanced sideways at the crow as it disappeared, not particularly bothered.
Instead, he continued.
"I've never met the second son, so… what about your eldest son, Third Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."
As expected—this truly is an Uchiha brat born evil.
That mouth—sweet as honey, sharp as a blade.
He took a deep breath, trying to put his benevolent smile back on.
He failed.
Second son attempted assassination.
Eldest son hiding away for… certain reasons.
Two sentences.
Two critical hits.
In the distance, two ANBU who had been watching showed no intention of stepping in.
Instead, they patted their chests in relief and vanished in puffs of smoke.
Perfect. A scapegoat has arrived.
Three minutes later.
[Conversation Target: Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen]
[Analyzing copyable traits…]
[Reaper Death Seal (Black), Will of Fire (Gold), Three-Way Seal (Purple), Monkey King · Enma (Blue), Fire Release Mastery (Blue), Earth Release Mastery (Blue), Water Release Mastery (Blue)…]
Trait panels flooded Kai's vision.
Especially the Five Nature Transformations—there were so many it was hard to even look through them all.
"So this is the so-called 'Professor of the Shinobi World'…"
Kai shook his head and kept talking.
Over the years, he'd run into the Third Hokage from time to time, but rarely had the chance to converse.
Even the few times he did, the copy attempts had failed.
Now?
With the clan massacre approaching, he had to squeeze one last harvest out of this old man.
Ten minutes passed.
[Conversation duration met. Attempting trait copy…]
[Success! Congratulations, host has obtained Legendary Trait: Monkey King · Enma (Blue).]
Kai: "???"
He looked at the Third Hokage—who now looked visibly more haggard.
The bags under his eyes were bigger than his eyes themselves.
…Yeah.
This really was "stealing the old man's monkey."
"Third Hokage-sama," Kai said solemnly,
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn on."
He tiptoed, stretched his arm, and patted Hiruzen on the shoulder—
Like a little adult—shaking his head repeatedly.
Then, under the Hokage's utterly baffled gaze, he turned and walked away.
Leaving Hiruzen frozen in place, the words he'd been about to say stuck in his throat.
After a long while, he finally squeezed out through clenched teeth:
"…What is wrong with that kid?"
For the first time in his life, he felt that phrase—
Coming from a child—
Was exceptionally irritating.
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Kai was in a great mood.
Not because Monkey King Enma was especially powerful—
But because of the pure joy of finally harvesting.
It was like being a millionaire in his past life—
And succeeding in a Pinduoduo "cut the price" event for fifty bucks.
Riding that high, he wandered the streets again.
Tap.
Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder.
The force was light—almost soft.
At the same time, a gentle, timid voice reached his ears.
"K-Kai… c-classmate… y-you… hello…"
Hm?
That voice—
Kai turned around in confusion.
Behind him stood a blue-haired girl with pale white eyes.
Her delicate features shimmered softly in the sunlight.
The moment Kai turned, she lowered her head, fingers nervously entwined.
A blush spread across her cheeks.
"The princess—uh, Hinata?" Kai blinked.
"What are you doing here?"
At this hour, shouldn't Hinata be at the Academy?
When did she start skipping class like the delinquent kids?
Damn it!
This was all Itachi's fault—always skipping class and corrupting the good young lady!
Across from him, Hinata's index fingers twisted together even faster.
She hesitated, struggled—
Then finally bit her lip and spoke.
"Um… um… Kai… my father… wants to invite you to our home."
"The Byakugan clan head… inviting me?"
To be honest, Kai was genuinely stunned for a moment.
He and Hinata hadn't interacted much.
After he copied the Byakugan, she'd basically been kept within the clan grounds and rarely went out.
He hadn't had many chances to see her again.
So why this sudden invitation from the Hyuga clan head?
Suppressing his curiosity, Kai smiled and nodded.
"Sure. Let's go."
A free trait invitation?
No reason to refuse.
At the same time, seeing Hinata's reddened cheeks, he found it amusing.
Without warning, he reached out—
And directly took her small hand.
Even gave it a gentle squeeze.
Soft.
Boneless.
Warm.
Whoosh!
Hinata's face turned even redder—like it might drip blood.
Yet—
She didn't pull away.
She only hurriedly raised her other hand and waved behind her.
Behind them, to the right—
A branch-family escort's face darkened.
"Outrageous! How dare he defile the young lady—I'll tear that brat apart!"
Another escort quickly grabbed his arm and pointed at Hinata's gesture.
"Shh. Look—don't move."
"…Huh? That's strange. The young lady is actually allowing a stranger to hold her hand?"
Confused whispers followed as the two quietly trailed behind.
Step.
Step.
Step.
With each step, the Hyuga estate gradually came into view.
Creak.
As the grand gate opened, Kai finally saw the grounds of Konoha's current number-one clan.
Elegant architecture.
Pavilions and courtyards.
High gates and deep halls.
So this was what a true great clan looked like.
Comparing it to this—
Kai could only come to one conclusion.
"Fugaku really should come see this."
"We're both great clans—so why is the gap this big?"
Even among great clans, there were levels.
Before the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha might not have surpassed the Hyuga—
But they wouldn't have lagged this far behind either.
Now…
Standing here felt like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.
Whoosh.
As the door to a lavish reception hall slid open—
A long-haired man appeared.
Hyuga Hiashi.
He turned, glanced over with a Byakugan stare, then smiled and gestured to the tea table.
"So we finally meet, Uchiha Kai."
"Or perhaps I should call you…"
"My daughter's savior?"
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