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HGBW: Ch. 57
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 03:00:54 +0000 UTCUpon hearing Minato's evaluation of Tanaka, Hiruzen's pupils slightly contracted, and the pipe in his mouth trembled.
This was exactly what he feared the most.
A kid capable of developing a space-time ninjutsu superior to the Flying Thunder God.
That was beyond the scope of what the word "genius" could describe.
"This is also the reason why he was able to break the Caged Bird, isn't it?"
Although Minato was also shocked by Tanaka's talent, his thoughts were far purer than Hiruzen's.
No fear.
No wariness.
Only mutual admiration and sincere respect.
Because he himself could use the Flying Thunder God, he understood better than anyone just how extraordinary Tanaka's talent was to be able to develop a space-time ninjutsu.
"Indeed." Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
If Tanaka wasn't immensely talented, there was no way he could have broken the Caged Bird of the Hyūga clan at such a young age.
After all, even his own teacher, Tobirama, had found that seal troublesome to deal with.
"If you were to fight Tanaka, do you think you could win?" After thinking for a while, Hiruzen posed this crucial question.
In the past, the Hyūga clan in his eyes was like a fierce tiger that willingly put on a collar and locked itself in a cage.
A beast that could only bare its fangs behind bars, posing no real threat—so much so that suppressing them wasn't even necessary.
But now, things had changed.
With the Hyūga main house wiped out, the Caged Bird broken, and the clan unified under Tanaka, the Hyūga had transformed into a tiger breaking free from its shackles—a beast that had been starving for a long time.
If left unchecked, such a beast could become a threat to Konoha.
Of course, if that were the only issue, Hiruzen believed he could still handle it with ease.
The real problem was that the Hyūga clan had produced a once-in-a-century—no, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.
The combination of these two factors was clear as day to Hiruzen.
It was akin to the Senju clan led by Hashirama during the Warring States period, or the Uchiha clan under the control of Madara.
Speaking of the Uchiha clan…
Aside from the Hyūga clan, which was growing increasingly uncontrollable, Konoha also had the Uchiha to worry about.
For this reason, he was desperate to find someone capable of suppressing Tanaka.
And that person, ideally, was the man before him—Minato.
The one person who could truly inherit his Will of Fire.
Even Orochimaru wouldn't do.
"There's too little information. If we met on the battlefield, it would depend on who strikes first."
"If it were a one-on-one spar, it'd probably be a fifty-fifty fight. He has the advantage of not needing Flying Thunder God markers, while I have greater chakra reserves."
Minato furrowed his brows slightly.
Although he needed to leave markers to use the Flying Thunder God, after mastering it, he hadn't scattered kunai across the entire shinobi world, but he had at least planted them all over Konoha's streets and alleys.
In other words, even in a battle against Tanaka, he could leave a marker on the spot, teleport elsewhere using the Flying Thunder God, then instantly return to land a counterattack.
So, the fact that his technique required markers wasn't necessarily a limitation on his combat ability.
"Information, huh?"
Hiruzen's eyes lit up slightly, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
As the Third Hokage, he understood very well how much of an advantage it would be to have precise intelligence on an opponent before a battle.
With that in mind, his gaze returned to the water sphere, locking onto Tanaka's image. In that moment, his decision was made.
"Let's go, Minato."
Retracting his Telescope Technique, he picked up his Hokage hat and, along with Minato and Shinnosuke—who had remained silent behind his fox mask—left the Hokage's office.
The Hokage's office and the conference room were in the same building.
About ten minutes later, the three of them arrived at the entrance to the conference room.
"Ahem, apologies for keeping everyone waiting."
Opening the door, Hiruzen entered and swept his gaze across the room before heading straight for the main seat.
So this is the Professor in his prime?
Tanaka's eyes sharpened as he observed Hiruzen.
Gone was the frail and elderly figure from his memories. The man before him walked with the commanding presence of a dragon and tiger, exuding an aura of dominance.
Even compared to Doflamingo, whom he had encountered in the One Piece world, this pressure was not inferior in the slightest.
Despite standing at less than 170 cm and not actively releasing his aura, Hiruzen gave off an overwhelming presence, like an immovable mountain.
Through the ROOM that enveloped the entire conference room, Tanaka confirmed that this was not just his imagination.
The moment Hiruzen stepped in, even the Sannin, Fugaku, the ever-defiant Setsuna, and everyone else present instinctively straightened their backs.
Through his ROOM's sensory feedback, he caught every subtle reaction of those in the room.
No wonder... He was able to suppress all the ninja clans of Konoha, forcing them into submission, and even drove the Sannin to leave the village.
It wasn't because the Konoha Council had brilliant political maneuvering—it was because the Third Hokage, in his prime, was simply too strong.
Tanaka's heart tightened.
During the council's reign, they had made countless disastrous internal decisions and engaged in multiple Great Ninja Wars.
Yet, despite these internal and external crises, under Hiruzen's rule, Konoha still managed to fight against four of the five great villages and emerge victorious.
One major reason was, of course, Konoha's status as a cradle of geniuses, with an uninterrupted lineage of Kage-level powerhouses.
But to suppress figures like Sakumo, the Three Sannin, and Minato—it all relied on Hiruzen's overwhelming strength, standing above the Kage-level.
Because in the shinobi world, power is the foundation of all political schemes. Without strength to back it up, political maneuvering is nothing but a joke.
As Tanaka was processing this realization, two more figures entered the conference room, following closely behind Hiruzen like shadows.
They were Minato and Shinnosuke.
After entering, both men walked directly to the seats flanking Hiruzen.
When the others saw this, murmurs rippled through the room.
Among the Sannin, Tsunade frowned slightly.
Jiraiya looked pleased.
Only Orochimaru, though his face remained unchanged, had his yellow, snake-like eyes flash with a cold, venomous glint when he glanced at Hiruzen. However, that expression vanished in an instant.
On the other hand, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō clans, who had long been aligned with Hiruzen, showed no surprise at all when they saw Minato sitting in the first seat to Hiruzen's left.
