"Alright, I might as well go see that old man, the Third…"
After enjoying a nice barbecue meal with Tenten and Ino—
Akira Ren sent the two girls back.
Under their reluctant gazes, they agreed to meet again in the afternoon at their "usual place."
From afar, he could already see that on Hokage Rock—
Konoha ninja skilled in Earth Release were repairing the cracked surface, clearing away the greenery that had grown over the Third Hokage's head.
Taking advantage of the time, he headed to the Hokage Building to meet the Third Hokage.
The title of "Little Medical Sage," Qianye Akira Ren, had already spread widely throughout Konoha.
As Tsunade's direct disciple—and nominally also the Third Hokage's grand-disciple—
No one would make things difficult for him, and he was quickly allowed in.
"Akira Ren, ah… it's rare for you to remember to come see this old man…"
Inside the Hokage's office—
Looking at the impossibly young boy before him, the Third Hokage spoke with a smiling expression.
"Lord Hokage, you're joking. Not only are you the Hokage, but also Tsunade-jie's teacher—nominally, you're my grandmaster as well…"
Akira Ren wore a modest smile, appearing polite and respectful.
Completely unlike his unruly behavior from the morning, he said somewhat embarrassedly:
"Respecting teachers and valuing the Dao, honoring the elderly and caring for the young—those are long-standing fine traditions of the village… I just got back and have been a bit busy, that's all!"
This had to be mentioned—
Since the passing of the First and Second Hokage—
Over the years, the Hokage lineage had indeed carried "respecting teachers and valuing the Dao" to the extreme.
Only—
In the exact opposite direction.
Each one was ruthless—betraying their masters, destroying their ancestors, killing their teachers to prove their path.
Compared to that—
He, a rebellious disciple who only wanted to become the Fifth Hokage—
Seemed downright kind, like an unstained lotus rising from the mud.
Thinking of this, Akira Ren couldn't help but lift his chin proudly.
His brows exuded righteousness.
Full of confidence.
"…"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage's mouth twitched.
If not for what happened in the morning, he might actually have believed this was a humble and respectful young man.
"Ahem… well said. Wherever leaves dance, fire continues to burn…"
Once he started—
The Third Hokage launched into a long-winded speech.
He began instilling in Akira Ren the ultimate "winning formula" he had used for years while governing Konoha and dealing with hot-blooded youths—
The Will of Fire!
...
Two hours later—
Akira Ren walked out of the Hokage Building with black lines across his face.
The old man had circled around, probing for ages.
Constantly talking about the Will of Fire, treating Akira Ren as if he were the future successor—like once he grew up, he would naturally become the next Hokage.
But Akira Ren remained completely unmoved.
Setting aside whether the Third Hokage truly had such intentions—
Even if he did want to groom him as Hokage, Akira Ren had absolutely no interest.
The position of Hokage—
He had always kept at arm's length.
Wasn't freedom, doing as one pleased, far better?
Being tied to an office all day, reviewing documents until midnight without rest—what was so good about that?
He only needed the Hokage to be "one of his own."
So—
After a few words of refusal—
Akira Ren quickly took his leave.
...
Seeing that Kurenai Yuhi hadn't returned—
Akira Ren didn't feel like going back to disturb the mother and daughter who had just reunited.
He wandered aimlessly.
Before he knew it, he had arrived at the outskirts of the village.
"Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams… Sixteen Palms!"
"Bang… bang…"
From afar—
A thin figure in training clothes, with gray cloth tied around his head—
Moved swiftly.
His bandaged palms blurred into afterimages as they continuously struck wooden posts in front of him.
It was none other than a classmate he hadn't seen in two years—
Hyuga Neji.
"Huff… huff…"
Though he hadn't turned around—
The veins bulged at the corner of Neji's eyes, his pale gaze sharp and piercing.
"Akira Ren!?"
His pupils shrank slightly.
With the Hyuga clan's Byakugan—granting him a 360-degree field of vision, ignoring obstacles and seeing through everything—
He immediately noticed Akira Ren.
And from that familiar appearance, recognized him.
But within the opponent's chakra network—
That overwhelmingly vast chakra—
Made his pupils contract violently in disbelief.
"Hm?"
Looking at the familiar figure ahead—
Akira Ren raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Smiling, he greeted, "Yo, Neji. Long time no see…"
He had been wandering aimlessly, casually admiring the scenery he hadn't seen in two years.
He hadn't been actively using his sensory abilities.
That would be too exhausting.
"You're back?"
Neji was astonished.
He naturally knew that the person before him had long been taken in as a disciple by the legendary Sannin, the "Princess of Konoha," Tsunade.
For the past two years, Akira Ren had been training outside with her.
"Yeah, just got back…"
Looking at the faint blood seeping through Neji's bandages—
Akira Ren couldn't help but remark in admiration:
"You're really working hard… To be able to strike sixteen palms in an instant—worthy of being a genius of the Hyuga clan!"
Although Rock Lee was indeed extremely hardworking—
Neji's effort, even if not equal, was not far behind.
Behind the title of "genius" lay countless sweat and blood.
"Hmph, compared to you, it's nothing…"
Even without sparring, Neji could already tell the vast gap between them just from that immense chakra.
He had no intention of challenging him again.
Perhaps—
This was fate.
Some people were destined to be dazzling geniuses, shining so brightly that others could only look up to them.
Some, no matter how hard they tried, could only be seen as ordinary geniuses—unable to escape their tragic fate.
Some, no matter how much effort they put in, no matter how unwilling they were to give up—
Could never change their mediocre talent, destined to trail behind.
Thinking of this—
Neji clenched his fists.
The more he spoke of fate—
The more it showed his unwillingness to submit to it.
Clearly, within the Hyuga clan, his talent surpassed almost everyone—
Even far beyond that timid and mediocre main family heiress.
Yet—
She was born into the main family, holding noble status and receiving respect.
While he—
Despite his superior talent—
Was born into the branch family.
Even his life and death were controlled by others, destined to serve the main family.
A so-called clansman—
But in truth, nothing more than a servant enslaved by the main house.
Forever unable to escape that tragic fate.
"Feeling unwilling about your fate?"
Akira Ren understood immediately.
He knew Neji's situation very well.
It had to be said—Neji's father, Hyuga Hizashi, had truly been unfortunate.
Born just a minute or two later than his twin brother, Hyuga Hiashi—
Yet their fates were completely different.
One became the noble and respected head of the Hyuga main family.
The other—
Was branded from childhood with the Caged Bird Seal, his life and death forever controlled by the main family.
Even Neji himself—
At just four years old—
Had the Caged Bird Seal mercilessly engraved onto him, unable to escape the fate of the branch family.
And that wasn't all—
Shortly after receiving the seal—
His father, due to certain circumstances, was forced to die in place of his twin brother, sacrificed as a substitute.
Reduced to a tragic victim.
This made Neji harbor extreme hatred toward the main family—
And toward his own fate.
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