"Ah, you're all here?"
Inside the forest of Training Ground Three.
Sensing the chakra gathering outside the forest, Akira Ren couldn't help but shrug. "Looks like I went a bit overboard…"
Looking at Kakashi, Tenzo, and the other Anbu members bound tightly—
He lightly stomped his foot.
"Rustle… rustle…"
A large number of vines, as if they possessed life, began to contract and withdraw.
One after another, they released the bound Anbu members.
Yet Kakashi and the others showed no joy at regaining their freedom.
Instead, each of them looked dusty and dispirited, standing there with lowered heads, staring straight at Akira Ren.
The only visible eyes behind their masks were filled with awe, fear, shock, and other complicated emotions.
But there was no unwillingness or jealousy.
Because the gap between them was simply too great—clear at a glance.
If the other party hadn't deliberately held back, they would've been lucky to escape with their lives.
They were completely convinced.
Beaten so badly by a ten-year-old genius that they were questioning life itself.
"Ahem… don't look at me like that. I'm not paying any compensation for your emotional distress…"
Akira Ren coughed dryly.
Clapping his hands, he spoke casually.
Then, he turned and walked away.
Without even looking back, he waved at Kakashi and the others. "Tell the Third I'll visit the Hokage Building later. For now, he should take his time cleaning up the aftermath."
He had no interest in being surrounded and watched.
Making such a big scene was only to stop that old man, the Third, from constantly sending people to bother him every few days.
Just showing a bit of strength—to intimidate those higher-ups.
As for handling the aftermath?
That was something Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, needed to worry about.
What did it have to do with him, Qianye Akira Ren?
"Wait—Qianye Akira Ren…"
Before Kakashi could finish speaking—
All of them suddenly widened their eyes.
"That is… chakra materialization!?"
They saw—
From Akira Ren's body—
A massive amount of chakra, visible to the naked eye, surged out.
It directly transformed into a pair of dazzling blue chakra wings.
"Whoosh—!"
With a burst of wind pressure, his entire body shot into the air.
Flying off toward the distant horizon.
"To think he can activate chakra to this extent… freely manipulating and shaping it…"
Watching this scene through his Sharingan, Kakashi's pupils shrank sharply.
He muttered absentmindedly.
A bitter smile appeared in his heart.
Compared to Qianye Akira Ren—
His so-called genius…
All these years had practically been lived like a dog's life.
"Rustle… rustle…"
Not long after—
Led by the Third Hokage—
Nara Shikaku, Sarutobi Asuma, Might Guy, and other jonin arrived one after another.
But all they saw were the dusty, defeated Anbu members preparing to leave.
"Lord Hokage…"
"Kakashi…"
Before Kakashi could finish—
The Third Hokage directly asked, "Where is that boy Akira Ren?"
"He flew off in that direction…"
Pointing toward the distant horizon, Kakashi replied helplessly, "He said he'll visit you at the Hokage Building later. For now… you should handle the aftermath first, Lord Hokage…"
The Third Hokage: "…"
Looking at Training Ground Three, now completely covered by towering trees growing wildly in all directions—
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Especially when he thought about the cracked Hokage Rock.
His already aching heart felt like it was about to split open.
A headache.
...
Half an hour later—
In front of the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage addressed the somewhat panicked ninjas and villagers after the sudden destruction of Hokage Rock.
He announced that enemy spies, who had infiltrated the village long ago and attempted to cause chaos, had already been captured by the Anbu.
Upon hearing the news—
The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who could no longer sit still, hurried to the Hokage Building.
"Third, what exactly is going on?"
Koharu frowned and asked in a deep voice, "That kid Qianye Akira Ren—has he really awakened Wood Release?"
Beside her, Homura also looked solemn. "Who would've thought Tsunade's disciple had been hiding so deeply? What a shock!"
"Mm, he indeed possesses the Wood Release bloodline limit, and it's far beyond what that experimental subject Tenzo can compare to…"
Sitting there, the Third Hokage nodded, revealing a smile. "For the village, this is—"
However—
Before he could finish—
Koharu directly interrupted him.
"The reappearance of Wood Release may not be a good thing for the village!"
She frowned and continued, "Strictly speaking, he's a descendant of the Senju… and Tsunade's bias against us isn't something you don't know, Third!"
"Especially since this Qianye Akira Ren clearly hid his abilities during his time at the Academy. What exactly was he guarding against?"
Koharu's gaze flickered as she stared at the Third Hokage.
"I'm afraid he's been influenced by his grandmother, Qianye Naxu… after all…"
They knew very well what they had done to the Senju.
No matter how righteous and noble they claimed to be—for the sake of the village—
That might fool hot-blooded youths.
But under Tsunade's influence, Qianye Akira Ren likely wouldn't have any goodwill toward them.
"Koharu, the current Konoha can no longer withstand turmoil…"
The Third Hokage's smile faded.
He silently took a puff from his pipe and spoke in a low tone.
Once, Konoha had been filled with powerful figures, known as the cradle of geniuses.
Talents had emerged endlessly.
But now—
Aside from the three who had already left and refused to return—
The younger generation of Konoha had clearly fallen into decline.
Once hailed as the "Yellow Flash," Namikaze Minato—who became the Fourth Hokage at a young age—had died in the Nine-Tails incident nine years ago.
Kakashi, once a prodigy who graduated at five, became a chunin at six, and a jonin at twelve—
Had, after successive blows, fallen into depression and stagnation.
His growth was far from expectations.
Among the younger generation, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were both true geniuses.
But now, one was dead, and the other had defected.
As the head of the Five Great Ninja Villages—
Konoha was already facing a gap in its generations.
It was declining with each passing day.
Sometimes, even the Third Hokage couldn't help but wonder—
Had he made the wrong choices?
"Homura, Koharu didn't mean it like that…"
Seeing the Third Hokage's expression darken, Homura hurriedly said, "A strategic-level force like this is extremely important. We must find a way to bring Qianye Akira Ren under the village's control. We can't let him continue wandering outside with Tsunade…"
He was worried that the longer Akira Ren stayed with Tsunade, the more he would be influenced by her.
By then, he would only grow more distant and hostile toward them.
That would not be a good thing.
While he was still young, there was still room to remedy things.
"Easily defeating an entire Anbu squad—including Captain Kakashi—without a single scratch, and without truly injuring anyone… that exaggerated level of chakra likely rivals that of a Tailed Beast, if not surpasses it…"
The Third Hokage tapped his pipe lightly against the desk.
Looking at his two old friends, who were full of righteous conviction, he spoke quietly:
"Even I, the Third Hokage, am not his opponent."
"How exactly do you plan to control him?"
He had already listened carefully to Kakashi's report.
His assessment of Qianye Akira Ren's strength had risen once again.
Though unbelievable—
There was no doubt that the boy already possessed power not inferior to a Kage.
Especially since that kid even dared to damage Hokage Rock—it showed he didn't fear authority at all.
If they truly angered him—
He might just turn around and leave Konoha without hesitation.
And they still wanted to restrain him using those old methods?
…
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