I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 183: The Meaning of Teaching—A Revolution in the Shinobi World!

Chapter 183 - 183: The Meaning of Teaching—A Revolution in the Shinobi World!

Backstage.

The Third Hokage sat with a furrowed brow.

He was well aware of the value in this kind of tactical system and training model. He had even discussed it with Tsunade before. But Tsunade's support for Kanda Kyoichi had been unwavering, with not a trace of doubt.

And so...

In the end, he hadn't brought it up to Kyoichi at all.

If there were any tangible benefits to all this, perhaps it was only that the nobles of the Land of Fire now had greater confidence in Konoha, and the other shinobi villages had been thoroughly intimidated. Beyond that... not much else.

Even now, he still couldn't quite understand.

Of course...

Just because he didn't understand didn't mean he could deny it.

"Why on earth would you agree to such a foolish decision, Hiruzen?" came a voice.

"Old friend," Hiruzen said solemnly, "if you look at the results, Kyoichi's decisions have never failed. Under his and Tsunade's leadership, Konoha has grown stronger and stronger. Meanwhile, under mine, Homura, and Koharu's governance, we've only declined."

He sighed with sincerity. "It's best if you stop worrying about this. Root has been quiet lately, and once Tsunade takes over, I really am retiring for good."

"...Tch," Danzo looked dissatisfied, but he said nothing. He cast one last glance at Hiruzen before silently turning to leave.

He had come here to test the waters.

In his mind, even if Hiruzen said he would retire, he would surely still act as an advisor and participate in running the village. He hadn't expected that Sarutobi Hiruzen genuinely intended to step away.

In that case...

His strategy would have to change.

Danzo left without a word.

He had never planned to get involved in the Chūnin Exams in the first place. If he had, he wouldn't be here probing the Third—he would've gone straight to Tsunade.

Back in the room, Hiruzen lit a cigarette, maintaining his Telescope Technique, glancing occasionally toward the neighboring observation booth.

Truth be told, he didn't fully understand what Kyoichi was planning either, but he had a vague sense that it was all part of a bigger picture.

And besides...

If Danzo opposes something, then supporting it is probably the right move.

Time and again, that judgment had proven sound.

If nothing else, eliminating the wrong answer narrows the choices. And at this point... even if he wanted to oppose it, it would be meaningless.

He sighed inwardly.

That said... he had to admit—Kyoichi had trained the genin quite well. Most of them only knew one jutsu, but they used that one jutsu very effectively, with impressive adaptability.

Take, for instance, the Triple-Line Dragon Fire Jutsu, using kunai and steel wire for optimal setup.

Many chūnin couldn't pull that off.

Still...

It had to be said—Suzume's close-quarters combat was terrible. She struggled even against a rather unimpressive genin from Sunagakure. Her only decent tools were her ninja gear and the Dragon Fire Jutsu.

As for Asuma...

All Hiruzen could say was: Kyoichi really taught him well!

That Vacuum Blade—truly impressive.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched, lingering longer than he meant to.

"You really like watching Asuma, huh, Lord Third?" came a knock, followed by a teasing voice. "If that's the case, why not talk to him more? What's with all the secret spying? At least switch the channel—he's already finished his match!"

It was Kyoichi—well, a Shadow Clone of Kyoichi—at the door.

Hiruzen snapped back to the present, a bit embarrassed.

But he immediately noticed—it was just a clone.

Clearly, Kyoichi wasn't just here to deliver a friendly reminder. After all, the Telescope Technique had already been taught to Orochimaru; between Orochimaru, Kyoichi, and himself, only he ever used it for slacking off.

"Just now—"

"Danzo came by, didn't he?" Kyoichi cut in with a scoff. "That old fossil always jumps at the chance to play critic."

He had sensed Danzo's chakra earlier and split off a shadow clone to check things out.

"Don't worry, I talked him into leaving."

"Talked him into it? Come on, you? Convincing Danzo?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "If that were even possible, Konoha wouldn't be in this mess. That guy's brain... He's so bad at political maneuvering I almost feel embarrassed for him. Can't see the big picture at all."

"Ahem!"

Hiruzen coughed repeatedly, trying not to laugh.

What a bold kid!

Are you cursing Danzō, or are you sneakily cursing me?

Still...

He really couldn't refute it.

After all, under his leadership, Konoha had nearly been besieged on all sides. The situation had gotten so dire that they almost had to push batches of children to graduate early—again. Fortunately, Kyoichi had stepped up.

Otherwise...

Konoha might still be caught in full-scale war with the other shinobi villages even now.

"Hokage-sama, the lab just sent over their report. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to explain my plan."

Kyoichi handed over a scroll.

It was the research institute's progress report.

Hiruzen took it.

He glanced at it—then nearly leapt to his feet in delight, almost losing control of his Telescope Technique in the process.

"It worked?"

"Calm down, calm down... It's just one person for now. This is only the beginning. Besides, it's clear that the version of Wood Release an ordinary person can use doesn't have much combat power."

Kyoichi gently reassured the old man.

Hiruzen shook his head with a sigh. "Kyoichi, you didn't live through that era. Back then, Wood Release was the ultimate symbol of invincibility. We went so far as to conduct forbidden experiments in a mad attempt to recreate it—only to fail again and again."

And yet...

Kyoichi hadn't done any human experiments. He had relied purely on research, analysis, repeated discussions, and methodical trial and error. And in the end, he had recreated Wood Release. A severely weakened version, yes—but that wasn't the point.

This was the first step to success.

Holding the scroll in his hands, Hiruzen was overwhelmed with emotion.

"So far, only Kazamatsuri Toshiki has managed to use it. No one else has grasped it yet—and the Kazamatsuri clan, like my own Kanda lineage, are descendants of the Senju. It doesn't prove anything."

Kyoichi shook his head.

He still wasn't satisfied. He suspected that Kazamatsuri Toshiki was actually the father of Moegi Kazamatsuri—a conclusion drawn from their matching hair color and equally eccentric hairstyles.

Hiruzen gradually calmed down from his initial excitement. He nodded repeatedly, treating the report as a treasure.

After several seconds of silence, he finally said, "Go on. I've collected myself."

"Yes. There's a price to learning nature transformation. In this period, our village's military ration pill consumption has been several times higher than before—and we're providing them free of charge."

"Military ration pills... The Green Sprout Project?"

Hiruzen murmured, deep in thought.

Kyoichi had mentioned this before. The ultimate goal of the Green Sprout Project was to use Wood Release chakra to accelerate the growth of medicinal herbs and mass-produce high-quality military ration pills.

So...

These pills?

He was beginning to understand.

The Observation Hall project wasn't just about making money in the short term—it was about establishing long-term dominance. With mass-produced ration pills, Kyoichi could even disrupt the inner systems of enemy villages.

That...

Hadn't occurred to him.

He froze for a moment, then said solemnly, "Go on!"

"Yes. Of course, they can choose not to buy them—but if everyone else is buying and they don't, they'll fall behind. That's why we have to keep this kind of Chūnin Exam going."

Kyoichi explained.

This round of exams had been relatively fair. He hadn't manipulated the rules too much.

The only real unfair advantage was...

They'd trained in advance.

"I see. It's like a team-based competition—if you don't train like everyone else, you fall behind. You can't maintain your current standing unless you compete."

Hiruzen finally understood.

But this whole structure only worked if Konoha stayed ahead. If another village surpassed them, the rules would no longer be set by Konoha. Their system would become obsolete.

Kyoichi nodded, but then gently shook his head and said:

"It's more than that. Stronger rival villages create pressure. Our younger generation won't rest on the laurels of their predecessors. They'll stay sharp."

The catfish effect.

The other villages were the catfish—keeping Konoha's fish from growing fat and lazy.

Of course...

If Konoha got caught and devoured...

Well, that would be their own fault.

"Think about it. If the First Hokage had kept all the Tailed Beasts in Konoha, would we even have the Ino-Shika-Chō trio? The ANBU? The police force?"

"War is never good... but I have to admit, you're right."

Hiruzen sighed.

War is destructive—but it also sparks innovation.

The Ino-Shika-Chō alliance wasn't born complete. No...

They forged their synergy through generations of war, training together under fire until their coordination became second nature. Now, all three clans deliberately train their members to work in tandem.

The Sarutobi clan's Five Nature Bullets, the Second Hokage's countless jutsu innovations—these techniques were created to overcome real threats.

If the Tailed Beasts had all remained in Konoha, the village wouldn't be this vibrant and diverse. It might appear strong, but in truth be hollow—because its strength would be built on its Jinchūriki, not its people.

And if the Jinchūriki lost control?

Of course...

That had been Tobirama's argument all along.

Tailed Beasts couldn't be relied upon. Nor could Jinchūriki.

Kyoichi's words brought Hiruzen back to his teacher's philosophy, and he fell silent again, then let out a long sigh.

This boy had never met Tobirama—but somehow, he seemed more like Tobirama's and Hashirama's heir than Hiruzen himself.

It was...

Both heartening and frustrating.

Because it forced him to wonder—after all his years of learning from the Second Hokage, what had he actually learned?

Was he just a fraud?

Just some bookworm who understood less than this kid?

Pathetic!

Hiruzen's confidence cracked. He waved Kyoichi off.

He didn't feel like saying any more.

Because ever since returning from the front lines, Hiruzen had rarely interfered in the matters between Kyoichi and Tsunade. Even when he did ask, it was just to inquire, not to challenge or change the outcome.

This time was no different.

Kyoichi didn't say anything more, and Hiruzen had no intention of pressing him—especially since, after the Chūnin Exams, he planned to step down and pass the village fully to Tsunade.

So, after a pause, he added:

"You don't need to overthink this. Of course I won't always agree with you—but that doesn't mean I'll oppose you. If I didn't trust you, I'd never have passed the Hokage mantle to Tsunade."

"Understood. And it's precisely because of that trust, I hope you'll understand my intentions."

Kyoichi gave a shallow bow—and vanished.

Hiruzen stood silent for a while, then let out a sigh of resignation.

Just moments ago, he'd felt it deep in his heart—

The era had moved on.

Their old ways might not work in this new age. And with someone like Kyoichi driving change, what would become of Konoha? What would happen to the shinobi world?

He didn't know.

With his limited experience, he could no longer predict such a future.

But he wanted to witness it with his own eyes.

He turned his attention back to the exam. The chaos of the ring-shrinking phase had finally settled, though battles continued to erupt. With the map shrinking, clashes were now inevitable.

And it was clear—

Everyone was beginning to understand how to play this game—

A different kind of war.

Each village's shinobi squads were regrouping, sweeping smaller village teams off the field. This was the approach most of the major villages had taken.

Except Kumogakure.

They had a different goal—they were here to prove themselves.

Even though they knew someone had impersonated a Kumo-nin, they were still fiercely fighting the Iwagakure squad—completely disregarding their final score.

And the key figure in that effort was Samui.

She had distributed a large share of resources to the other squads, significantly strengthening Kumogakure's overall power. Otherwise, by the second ring, they would've been too drained—and some would've been eliminated.

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