I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

"Lord Hokage, you've worked hard. For the final sweep, it's best to experience it firsthand."

"Uh..." Before the words fully landed, the person had already slipped away.

The Third Hokage was left speechless.

This brat...

So real!

When he needs you, he's all politeness. But once he's done, he vanishes without a trace.

The others quickly followed suit.

The Third Hokage only internally grumbled for a moment before leading the group to the designated Point A in the Forest of Death.

Reality wasn’t a game—there were no live updates or dynamic maps. So Kyoichi had predesignated two locations, with Point A as the final battle zone.

Now, two sides stood in confrontation.

On one side: exhausted remnants, battered and weary.

On the other: two fully organized teams, brimming with momentum. Having just secured a victory, they had looted all of Asuma’s supplies and tools.

Every member popped a Soldier Pill immediately, replenishing their strength. With their fresh arsenal of weapons and ninja tools, this wasn’t even a fair fight anymore.

Genma Shiranui pulled out a handful of shuriken, ready to unleash a jutsu—only to see a storm of shuriken already flying at them.

A dense barrage.

As if they were disposable.

He froze for a second.

Then, exchanging a glance with Might Guy, he muttered, "Guy… we can’t win this fight."

"Huh?"

Guy looked confused.

If they couldn’t win, didn’t that just mean they had to fight even harder?!

"Ahem. Look, we just need to place in the top five. You go… give them one big kick."

Genma cleared his throat.

They couldn’t win outright—

But they could backstab their way to safety.@@novelbin@@

The main issue?

Nara Enji clearly had no intention of charging ahead. Meanwhile, their own team had Might Guy—who was reckless enough to definitely go down first.

So...

Why not eliminate him first?

Keep their own spots safe.

"...Isn't this kinda bad?"

Rin Nohara looked stunned.

Hadn't they just agreed to an alliance?

How had they immediately turned to betrayal?!

Might Guy didn’t care.

Compared to Rin, he trusted Genma’s judgment more.

And so...

As Enji maneuvered to dodge the incoming shuriken barrage, Guy suddenly exploded into motion.

Activation Technique, Shadow Dance.

Then—

One devastating kick.

Nara Enji was sent flying, crashing straight into the middle of the battlefield.

In the next instant—

Both sides unleashed their attacks.

Before Enji could even react, he was forcibly teleported away—swiftly removed by Minato Namikaze himself.

"Shikaku-senpai, your clan's kids are still too naive."

Kyoichi shook his head in mock regret.

Alliances?

With only one slot left in the top five, who in their right mind would believe in alliances?!

"Can’t blame him," Shikaku chuckled. "He didn’t have any other choice."

Nara Enji might have been naïve, but he also had no better options.

They were the weakest team left—whether through betrayal or brute force, they were bound to be eliminated.

An alliance gave them the best chance.

But…

With so many conflicting agendas, how could anyone expect real unity?

Kakashi stood by, deep in thought.

This situation…

Wasn’t it exactly like the relationships between the small ninja villages?

Sure, uniting would make them stronger.

But—

Five people.

Four teams.

Only three could advance.

How could anyone guarantee that the alliance would actually benefit them?

Kyoichi’s words had been dead-on.

And then… Kakashi remembered something else.

"Useless… is worse than being dead."

"But… if teamwork is most important, then… what was my father?"

His fists clenched.

His father, Sakumo Hatake, had been driven to suicide—because he chose to save his comrades over completing a mission.

His heart ached.

Kyoichi noticed.

But he said nothing.

He already knew what Kakashi was thinking—there was no need to spell it out.

Back in the Battlefield

With Enji’s team eliminated, only five teams remained.

At this point, true alliances were pointless.

Shisui and Kurenai had already stopped working together—there was no reason to anymore.

Might Guy still hadn’t activated the Eight Gates. He only used the Breathing Activation, a technique from Might Duy, which stimulated his cells and partially opened his body’s limiters.

Even so…

His taijutsu was overwhelming!

His target?

Ebisu from Kurenai’s team.

Ebisu didn’t even stand a chance.

Genma and Rin also sprang into action—not against Kurenai, but to assist in restraining Shisui.

Guy brutally pummeled Ebisu.

Despite being teammates just minutes ago, he showed zero hesitation!

As he turned to attack Raido, something felt wrong.

Both the distance and environment felt… off.

Genjutsu?!

When?!

Guy immediately dispelled it.

But—

The moment he regained clarity…

Kurenai was already in front of him.

Her leg swung up.

BOOM!

The ground shattered, forming a deep crater.

Guy was sent flying.

A green blur caught him mid-air.

Might Duy!

"Father, I can still—"

"Guy, you IDIOT!"

Duy’s punch left Guy’s head spinning.

Then, clutching his son, he burst into tears.

"Guy, you did great! You gave it your all!"

"Uh…" Hagane Kotetsu covered his face in embarrassment.

Before, he couldn’t understand why Guy was so… Guy.

Why he always screamed about youth and passion…

Now he understood.

Like father, like son.

Meanwhile…

Everyone else was stunned.

Who would have thought—

That the seemingly frail and delicate Kurenai…

Had mastered Tsunade’s Heavenly Foot of Pain Technique?!

And—

The most insidious part?

Kyoichi had taught her to pair it with genjutsu!

Even if the opponent wasn’t fully caught in the illusion, even a split-second disruption was enough.

It was terrifying.

An absolute trump card.

"Kyoichi… this is reckless."

The Third Hokage frowned.

Had that kick landed squarely on Guy’s head, he’d be dead.

And more than that—

This technique wasn’t meant for ordinary people.

Tsunade could use it freely because her body was absurdly strong.

Kurenai… was not.

She might be able to pull it off once, but to her, Monster Strength was basically a forbidden technique.

He was about to speak.

But—

He saw Raido and Ebisu rushing toward Kurenai.

Kurenai swiftly formed hand seals.

Her palm glowed with chakra as she healed herself first.

Raido stood guard, sword in hand.

Clearly—

Kurenai understood her own limits.

"Lord Hokage, I don’t believe forbidden techniques should be banned—only that one should understand when and how to use them."

Kyoichi’s tone was firm.

He knew exactly what the Third Hokage was thinking.

But—

He disagreed.

The Hokage was too conservative.

If forbidden techniques were so dangerous, why had Tobirama Senju invented so many?

The Third fell silent.

Kurenai Yuhi had just unleashed her Heavenly Foot of Pain and immediately followed up with Mystical Palm Technique to heal herself, maintaining a certain level of combat readiness. Without wasting time, she turned her attention to treating Ebisu.

A single so-called "forbidden technique" had completely shifted the tide of battle!

Was it worth it?

On the battlefield, absolutely!

Besides…

Kurenai’s condition wasn’t too bad. With her teammates covering her, she would be able to recover quickly—though in the short term, using Heavenly Foot of Pain again was out of the question.

Recovery had its limits.

The ligaments and muscles she had just healed were still fragile. If she forced another use of the technique, she might end up crippling herself for real.