Chapter 126: The Sole Authority of the Third Hokage, the Fallen Sarutobi Tenchu
"Tenchu, don't worry, don't worry, Father will definitely kill Li Yao."
The Third Hokage hurriedly bent down, bowing low, gently cupping his son's twisted, ferocious face in his hands, softly comforting him and assuring him that he would kill Li Yao.
Soon.
In another half a year, under his guidance, Dan Kato would be able to master the Reaper Death Seal. At that time, he would immediately seek out Li Yao to seal him, condemning him to eternal imprisonment in the stomach of the Shinigami, to suffer endless pain and torment.
"No, Father, you didn't understand what I said."
Sarutobi Tenchu spoke anxiously: "I mean now, immediately, right now go find Li Yao and kill him. Otherwise, in the future, we truly won't be able to kill him."
Then Sarutobi Tenchu explained everything — starting from the moment he discovered Li Yao in the Sea of Storms, all the way through the battles where Li Yao displayed various powerful techniques against the Third Raikage and others, and finally to when he and his wife were captured and interrogated about the Spirit Transformation Technique. He revealed it all.
The Third Hokage felt as though he were listening to a myth. Li Yao unleashing Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence over a two-kilometer diameter had already shocked him.
But when he heard his son say that Li Yao didn't even know the Spirit Transformation Technique, he went numb.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
The Third Hokage shook his head in disbelief. He didn't want to believe his son was telling the truth.
He didn't want to accept that his judgment had been wrong.
Because if it was wrong, then he, known as the strongest Hokage in history, had been playing mental chess with thin air — nothing more than a complete fool.
For someone who prided himself on his intelligence and strategic ability, this was unacceptable.
"Father, you've always been wrong. Li Yao doesn't know the Spirit Transformation Technique, nor does he possess any soul-transfer immortality technique," Sarutobi Tenchu said with absolute certainty.
Given the circumstances back then, if Li Yao truly knew the Spirit Transformation Technique, there would've been no need to interrogate the two of them.
Because whether they talked or not, Li Yao would never have spared them from torture.
So the truth could only be one thing — Li Yao truly didn't know the Spirit Transformation Technique, perhaps didn't even know what it was.
"This isn't possible. This absolutely isn't possible!"
The Third Hokage stumbled back a few steps, his face full of disbelief. Though he kept muttering that it wasn't possible, deep down, memories began to resurface.
During that half year of torture, the Third Hokage asked himself — even he might not have survived that inhuman torment.
But Li Yao did.
Li Yao was alone, with no family, no burden to carry, no guiding sense of duty or belief — he shouldn't have been able to withstand that kind of torture.
Yet Li Yao did.
Now thinking back, he realized how many times Li Yao had told him he didn't know what the Spirit Transformation Technique was — he had never even heard of it. But at the time, the Third Hokage thought he was lying.
So... is it possible... that Li Yao had been telling the truth?
Maybe... he really couldn't withstand that kind of torture.
He simply didn't know what the Spirit Transformation Technique was!
Then...
"He might just be a soul that accidentally possessed the body of Mokumura Yao. At the very least, he has no way to leave Mokumura Yao's body right now."
Sarutobi Tenchu continued, "If we kill him now, we can truly kill him. If we let him grow any further, it won't be us killing him — it'll be him coming back to kill us in revenge, Father. You should know just how ruthless he is."
As he said this, a trace of hatred unintentionally flashed through Sarutobi Tenchu's eyes as he looked at the Third Hokage.
Ultimately, everything that had happened — his current state, his wife being defiled and humiliated — all stemmed from his father's greed.
If not for the Third Hokage's greed, for keeping Li Yao alive, he wouldn't have ended up like this. His wife wouldn't have... As he thought of it, Sarutobi Tenchu's expression darkened.
Tenchu...
That fleeting hatred in his son's eyes, though subtle, was as glaring as a beacon to the experienced eyes of the Third Hokage.
That sliver of hatred pierced the Third Hokage's heart deeply.
He immediately cast aside his pride, once again crouched in front of his son, and seriously asked, "Son, are you sure you're not mistaken? Li Yao truly doesn't know the Spirit Transformation Technique?"
Whether Li Yao knew the Spirit Transformation Technique or not was crucial.
The Third Hokage, worthy of the title of Shinobi Hero, did not lose his vigilance even while angry.
That was both his strength and his weakness — one he couldn't change.
He only hoped his son could remain calm and reconsider whether Li Yao really didn't know the Spirit Transformation Technique.
"He doesn't."
At this moment, Sarutobi Ayase suddenly spoke coldly, interrupting the father and son's conversation.
The Third Hokage frowned slightly and glanced at his son's wife with a trace of displeasure and disgust.
That night, when Ayase had returned completely intact — her body still covered in thick, sticky fluid — she had made it abundantly clear what had happened while Tenchu was missing.
He didn't even need to imagine it; the truth was more unbearable than he could accept.
Especially since his son had returned a cripple, while this woman had returned unharmed — even if it was Li Yao's doing, the Third Hokage couldn't accept having such a woman, defiled repeatedly by Li Yao, as his daughter-in-law.
If he weren't the Hokage, if he weren't the clan head, he would've driven this woman out of the Sarutobi clan long ago.
Unfortunately, his son's love for her surpassed all else.
The Third Hokage had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened.
"He doesn't."
Sarutobi Tenchu looked at his wife, finally speaking again, and then turned to the Third Hokage and repeated himself.
Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage nodded solemnly. "Alright. I understand. I'll immediately send someone to find Li Yao."
"You're not going, Father?" Sarutobi Tenchu looked at him in confusion.
"I… Once Li Yao is found, I'll—" The Third Hokage tried to explain, but Sarutobi Tenchu cut him off angrily: "Father, don't you understand what I'm saying? If you don't act personally now, Li Yao will soon be beyond your reach. His body is rapidly adapting to Wood Release cells. In a few years — no, even a year from now — you might not be able to beat him."
Sarutobi Tenchu said excitedly, "Only now, only right now is the best time to kill Li Yao. Why can't you understand me?"
From his battle with the Third Raikage, it was clear Li Yao had suffered serious damage. The fact that he only maintained a single shadow clone proved he was at his weakest now — the best time to kill him.
Tenchu couldn't believe his father didn't see this.
"I..." The Third Hokage was at a loss for words.
He couldn't explain that the four great nations and the semi-god of the shinobi world were at war with Konoha. Internally, the Uchiha's hawk faction was still waiting to seize power. He couldn't afford to be away from Konoha for long.
If he left, the Hokage's authority would immediately be encroached upon by the clans, especially the Uchiha. It would be extremely difficult to reclaim it later.
The loss or challenge of Hokage authority — that was something the Third Hokage could never accept.
"Forget it, leave."
Seeing the hesitation in his father's eyes, Sarutobi Tenchu painfully closed his eyes, filled with disappointment.
He had once believed his father — the Third Hokage who dedicated everything to Konoha — was a true hero, an ideal Hokage who could make hard decisions for the village's sake.
But now, from both a father's perspective and that of a Hokage, the Third had failed to show the necessary decisiveness and responsibility.
His father clearly knew Li Yao's hatred. Once Li Yao grew stronger, he would surely follow in Madara Uchiha's footsteps — returning to destroy Konoha in vengeance.
By then, would Konoha be able to produce another First Hokage?
Facing Li Yao, who possessed the First Hokage's peak-level Wood Release, what could Konoha rely on?
Another round of delusional speeches about "Konoha's sprouts of youth growing into a strong tree"?
But Li Yao was growing too fast. There wasn't time to wait for the next generation to mature!
Only now, right now, was the best time to kill Li Yao and stop everything.
And yet... his father, the strongest Hokage in history... heh.
Just a politician obsessed with power.
For the first time, Sarutobi Tenchu saw through the facade of his father — beneath his appearance of sacrifice for Konoha lay a heart selfishly obsessed with power.
He loved Konoha not because he truly loved it — but because he loved the Konoha under his own rule.
Once Konoha slipped from his grasp, any threat would cause him to fall into indecision.
"Let me go. Once I find Li Yao, I'll summon you through Enma's reverse summoning."
At this moment, Sarutobi Biwako walked in from outside. Having overheard her husband and son, she immediately volunteered to go and proposed a good plan.
"I'll go too. I must kill Li Yao with my own hands," Ayase said expressionlessly. No matter what, she would not give up the chance to kill Li Yao herself.
Hearing his mother's words, Sarutobi Tenchu opened his eyes again and looked at the man he once admired most — the Third Hokage.
Seeing his daughter-in-law's look, the Third Hokage finally nodded. If it was just to find Li Yao and summon him afterward, he could accept that.
With sufficient preparation, he could kill Li Yao and return quickly the same way. It shouldn't cause too many problems.
And so, Konoha sent out a three-person team once more to find Li Yao.
The three were the Third Hokage's wife and daughter-in-law, along with Dan Kato, who could use the Spirit Transformation Technique to sense souls.
The trio rode the Ink Bird once more into the Sea of War, searching for any trace of Li Yao.
(END CHAPTER)
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