I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

The daimyo had arrived, but the third stage of the exam wouldn't begin immediately.

The next few days were for the participating shinobi to recover.

Additionally, the Third Hokage had called for a confidential meeting.

Inside the Hokage Tower

Kyoichi and Minato sat in the meeting room, waiting for the others to arrive.

Before long...

A voice came from outside the door.

"Minato-kun, Kyoichi-kun, I didn't expect to see you both here."

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Kyoichi and Minato stood up simultaneously.

Orochimaru had arrived!

This guy moved as silently as a snake. They only sensed his presence when he was already near the door.

Orochimaru walked in and took a seat.

Shortly after, the Third Hokage appeared.

"This meeting—"

"Hiruzen, why didn’t you inform us about this meeting?"

"Uh…"

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had arrived.

Kyoichi shot the Third Hokage an exasperated look.

Why were these two here?

The Third Hokage sighed lightly and shook his head.

He hadn’t invited them.

Kyoichi understood immediately.

Like flies smelling blood, they had rushed in, eager to leech off whatever they could.

He sneered inwardly but kept his expression neutral, rising with Minato to formally greet them before sitting down and ignoring their presence.

With no other choice, the Third Hokage gestured toward the empty seats.

Koharu entered first and said, "Hiruzen, I heard you intend to partially lift the ban on forbidden techniques?"

"Not all of them, just a select few," the Third Hokage replied.

"Absolutely not!"

Homura objected immediately. "Most forbidden techniques are either too dangerous or harmful to the user. Some even violate ethical boundaries! Allowing their use would only bring harm."

Orochimaru chuckled but remained silent, his gaze flickering between the Third Hokage and the two elders.

"Hiruzen, we've been comrades for years. You know full well that our sensei personally sealed away many of these techniques. If you move forward with this, aren’t you going against his wishes?"

Once again, Koharu invoked the Second Hokage to pressure Hiruzen.

These two were so stubborn that even Hiruzen often found them a headache to deal with.

That was precisely why he hadn’t invited them to this small meeting—yet they still showed up uninvited.

The Third Hokage sighed. "Sensei studied many forbidden techniques throughout his life. Some he never even recorded. The ones he did leave behind, I believe, were meant for us to use with discretion."

"The Third Hokage is correct," Kyoichi chimed in at the perfect moment, subtly nudging Minato under the table.

Minato immediately understood and added, "Forbidden techniques shouldn't be misused, but a controlled release, especially for jōnin, shouldn't be a problem. They have enough judgment to decide whether or not to use them."

Sitting across from them, Orochimaru watched the two younger shinobi with interest.

At first, he had assumed this meeting was meant to put pressure on him.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

A push to unseal forbidden techniques...

Convincing the Third Hokage—this old, stubborn man—was no easy feat.

But more importantly...

There were still two other obstacles.

Orochimaru glanced at the elders, a faint smirk forming.

"Kyoichi, I know you're the one advocating for this. We've reviewed your 'Respiratory Activation Technique'—it's indeed useful. But do you realize it shortens one's lifespan?"

Koharu suddenly shifted the attack toward Kyoichi.

"Lifespan?"

Kyoichi sneered. "If you sit safely in an office with no threats around you, then sure, lifespan matters. But out on the battlefield, where you’re fighting for your life every second, who has time to care about that?"

"Using the technique shortens lifespan? Breathing shortens lifespan? Hell, might as well just stop living altogether!"

"You—! Are you implying that we’re too afraid to risk our lives? We’ve fought in wars too!"

Koharu’s face darkened instantly.@@novelbin@@

That comment hit straight to the heart.

"Alright, Kyoichi didn’t mean it that way."

The Third Hokage attempted to mediate.

"Hiruzen, don’t cover for him! You little brat, we’ve all risked our lives on the battlefield. We’re not as weak as you think!"

Homura was just as furious.

"Oh?"

Kyoichi didn't back down.

"The Second Hokage fought on the frontlines even after becoming Hokage. The Third Hokage has personally led troops into battle. But you two? Ever since you became 'advisors,' you haven't stepped foot onto the battlefield, have you?"

No hesitation.

No courtesy.

Kyoichi had long been fed up with these two.

The Third Hokage might be incompetent, but at least he had risked his life for the village.

These two?

They just clung to power, acting as if they were Hokage themselves.

The moment Kyoichi finished speaking—

BANG!

Both elders slammed their hands on the table and shot to their feet.

"Is this how you speak to your elders?!"

Before they could say another word—

CRASH!

A figure smashed through the window, shattering the glass into countless shards.

"What’s the problem? You old fossils, I think Kyoichi made a damn good point!"

The familiar surge of chakra.

Kyoichi and Minato turned, momentarily stunned.

Orochimaru, however, simply smiled.

Tsunade!

She had returned.

The Third Hokage was visibly shocked.

Koharu froze for a moment before her anger surged again. "Tsunade, this is highly inappropriate!"

"Oh, now you want to talk about 'inappropriate'?"

Tsunade smirked. "When I tried to push for medical-nin deployment years ago, you dismissed me. Now, you're lecturing about rules and manners? Spare me."

She strolled over, pulled up a chair, and sat next to Kyoichi without hesitation.

Leaning forward, she planted her elbows on the table and said bluntly, "After the Second Hokage died, it was my teacher and I leading battles on the frontlines. Have either of you ever experienced life-or-death combat since then?"

"You—!"

Homura's hands trembled with rage.

"Past glories? Who doesn’t have those? Everyone here has risked their lives before. But you two are the only ones who keep bringing it up, over and over again, as if it somehow justifies your complacency!"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, smirking.

She had returned, but not really.

She wasn’t here for Konoha.

She was here to back up Kyoichi.

So...

Screw their feelings!

She was going to say everything she'd bottled up over the years.

The Third Hokage sighed.

At this point, anything he said would only make things worse.

"Tsunade, that’s not fair. Both the frontlines and the homefront contribute to the village’s survival. Besides, we don’t fear death."

A cold voice interrupted.

Danzo had arrived.

Kyoichi glanced at him and was mildly surprised.

At this point, Danzo still wasn’t using a cane.

He actually looked somewhat respectable.

But...

That sinister air was still there.

"Contributed? All I see is Konoha getting attacked over and over again. External threats are closing in, and internally, it’s nothing but endless scheming and backstabbing. Aside from creating 'Root' to disgust everyone, what else have you accomplished?"

Tsunade fired back immediately.

Kyoichi was impressed.

She had been holding this in for a long time.

Danzo remained unfazed. "Root serves a purpose beyond your understanding."

"Oh? If it's so effective, then why is Konoha constantly declining?"

Tsunade showed no mercy, dragging even the Third Hokage into her argument.

She was on a rampage!

Orochimaru's smile widened. Finally, he spoke up:

"Everyone, let’s put the advisors’ 'contributions' aside for now—after all, they’re not particularly important. The real discussion here is whether or not to promote the use of forbidden techniques, correct?"

"..."

That tone—so condescending!

Kyoichi almost laughed.

Orochimaru’s wording made it clear: The so-called merits and honor of the two advisors weren’t even worth discussing. What truly mattered was the topic of the meeting.

And honestly...

He wasn’t wrong.

Koharu’s face turned an ugly shade of green.