radicalducati Chapter 13 The Will of Fire, Konoha's Successor
Chapter 13 The Will of Fire, Konoha's Successor
The next day, outside the Hokage Building.
"Seriously, did Kakashi-sensei really say we'd meet at eight yesterday? Did I hear that right??" Watching the ninja squads coming and going, Yamada Taro couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.
The more excited and enthusiastic he was before, the more sorrowful and helpless he is now...
"Kakashi-sensei, did you oversleep again? Is this really okay for such an important occasion? This is our team's first mission!" Heijiro chimed in with a dark face, awkwardly turning his head away with a frustrated expression.
How embarrassing! So embarrassing!
During this time, they saw at least several other teams from the same cohort come and go to report for and receive their assignments, and they were also pointed at and gossiped about by many people, as if the three of them were a joke...
Is a teacher who's always late really reliable?
"Be patient, we should be there soon!" Ishikawa said calmly, glancing at the sun high in the sky, already mentally prepared for this.
"Hey? Taro, have you noticed that Big Brother looks a little more handsome today than yesterday?" Suddenly, Jiro pointed at Ishikawa and exclaimed in surprise, as if he had discovered a new continent.
"Really? But it doesn't seem to have changed much. Could it be that I've entered puberty early?" Taro examined it closely, then stroked his chin and pretended to be serious.
"Puberty? I'm a teenager, okay? What nonsense are you spouting..." Ishikawa's face darkened, speechless, and he once again looked down on his two underlings' gazes.
I only realized this now; I was way too slow to realize the importance of ninja etiquette!
However, upon recalling this, Ishikawa couldn't help but sigh as he thought of what happened last night...
He originally thought that the one-hour time-space connection was the time limit for the two of them to have unlimited cheats, but that was not the case.
It's not that there's a limit to the number of times you can touch a doorknob, but rather that, based on experimental comparisons, the best body-tempering effect is achieved when you touch the doorknob only when you are completely exhausted.
If it's just about strengthening the body and increasing chakra, then it's fine. But the essence of increasing chakra is to perform ninjutsu, so this is putting the cart before the horse!
After discussing it, the two decided that after touching the doorknob, they would restore their chakra while consuming a large amount of chakra to practice ninjutsu. They would improve their skills while consuming chakra, and then, when they were exhausted, they would activate their cheat again to maximize their benefits.
However, this means that the two of them can only touch each other a few times during the one-hour transdimensional fusion, so it's basically a mixed bag!
"Hey... if it weren't for the fact that I don't recover chakra very quickly normally, and my own chakra is pitifully low, I wouldn't waste such important cheat time training ninjutsu." Ishikawa's absent-minded gaze wandered, leaving his two underlings bewildered.
However, remembering that Ishikawa had promised to teach them how to climb trees after today's mission, the two regained their fighting spirit and felt grateful. Yes, compared to the teacher, the boss is definitely more reliable!
"Well, I've kept you three waiting. This morning, I accidentally got lost on the path of life..." Suddenly, just as the two underlings were about to express their loyalty, Kakashi's voice rang out softly.
"Liar!!" "Liar..."
Without hesitation, the two underlings shouted angrily in unison to express their dissatisfaction.
Still lost on the path of life? You're probably lost in the warmth of your bed!
Even Ishikawa gave Kakashi a clear, silent glare in protest.
"Let's go see the Hokage." Kakashi, already thick-skinned, ignored him and walked straight into the Hokage Building.
Seeing this, the three Ishikawas, who had been eagerly waiting, said no more and immediately followed.
The four of them walked through the long corridor, but instead of going upstairs to the Hokage's office, they went directly into an office hall.
"This is the mission assignment center, where ninja teams receive or settle missions. Unless specifically summoned by the Hokage, we receive our team missions here," Kakashi said as he walked without turning his head. "Of course, today is an exception! Because today is the first mission for your graduating class, the Hokage will personally assign missions here."
"No wonder I met the Hokage here." Jiro looked at the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in front of his desk, feeling both excited and apprehensive.
Taro and Ishikawa, standing nearby, remained silent, but their eyes flickered with a complex mix of emotions. Ishikawa's gaze, in particular, was the most intricate…
Regarding the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Ishikawa has a lot to say about this Hokage who is both praised and criticized.
If he were Naruto, he would definitely cooperate with the Nine-Tails' rampage to show Konoha what a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is like! He would let those old guys know what it means to settle scores...
If he were Sasuke, he would have to cooperate with Orochimaru and Akatsuki to destroy Konoha. This was the revenge for the Uchiha clan's massacre, and it couldn't go unpunished!
If he were Sakura, well, never mind...
However, Ishikawa doesn't have any of these identities. He's just a minor, insignificant character with no conflict of interest whatsoever with the Third Hokage.
Since bloodline cheat codes and protagonist halo cannot be shared, why should a minor character like him empathize with the main characters?
Hostility towards three generations? What good would that do him?
Forget all those conspiracy theories! He's not going to become Hokage anyway, why should he care about all that nonsense?
He didn't care whether the third generation would live or die in two years; he just didn't want to die!
"Kakashi, are they your team members?" Almost as Ishikawa was lost in thought, the Third Hokage took a puff of his cigarette and asked.
His seemingly cloudy yet piercing gaze swept over them casually, and the three of them felt as if they had been seen through! But upon closer inspection, they saw the Third Hokage's kind expression and a relieved smile...
It was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion!
"Yes, it's them." Kakashi nodded, then turned to the three of them and gestured for them to introduce themselves.
"Lord Hokage, I am Konoha genin, Hei Jiro."
"I am Yamada Taro, a genin of Konoha, the Hokage."
[Is this the strength of Shinobu? Heh, I was really too arrogant to try and teach him a lesson.] Ishikawa chuckled inwardly as he listened to his two underlings' introduction, but his face remained impassive as he stepped forward: "My name is Mitarashi Ishikawa, the Third Hokage..."
Without showing much effort, Ishikawa just wanted to stay put and steadily improve his skills so he could learn the Rasengan as soon as possible.
"Hehe, you three little ones, don't be nervous!" The Third Hokage chuckled heartily as he looked at the three nervous children, then his breathing eased. "Seeing you all, it's like seeing the future of Konoha..."
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
"In my eyes, you are the seedlings that we elders must protect with our lives. We will burn ourselves to light up for you, and you will carry our will and legacy to light the way for the new generation."
"This is the Will of Fire passed down through generations of Konoha! So, are you willing to become the men who inherit the Will of Fire?"
"We are willing..."
Watching the powerful and resounding voice of the third generation, Ishikawa loudly echoed along, but a sense of unease crept into his heart.
Why does this sound so familiar?
I, a mere extra, have become the successor of Konoha?!
Danzo, no wonder you're the Nagakage while Sarutobi is the Hokage? There's no comparison, absolutely no comparison...