"I shouldn't have taught you the flying Cloud Release Jutsu in the first place! Now you're using it all against me, aren't you!"
Akihara cheekily stuck out his tongue, then swiftly flew away, terrified that Torifu would beat him up.
Torifu shook his head helplessly, then closed his eyes. Eleven-year-old Akihara was much naughtier than when he was little. But the merits outweighed the flaws. If one were to ask who was the most outstanding ninja in Konoha today, it would be Kumotsuru Akihara. A Jōnin at eleven years old, he simultaneously mastered the Cloud Release, Ice Release, and Crystal Release, three special Jutsu styles, and the amount of Chakra in his body was astonishingly large. Whether among Konoha's new generation or the earlier batch of ninjas, Akihara stood out as the top candidate. He was a rising star in Konoha. He had surpassed the age at which Kakashi became a Jōnin by an even younger margin.
Undeniably, this was all due to inheriting Torifu's excellent genes and the foundation laid by consuming various herbs that enhanced Chakra and talent since childhood. His potential was considerably better than Torifu's. Although Torifu was reluctant to admit it, the facts were right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do but accept them.
"Alas, truly the waves of the River of fate push the waves ahead, the new generation replaces the old. I'm getting old too." Torifu didn't even believe his own words. What kind of genius could surpass Torifu, who was already Six Paths-level? Even Minato, who had reached the Kage-level pinnacle, didn't know how long it would take to break through to the Six Paths level. And besides Torifu, the person closest to the Six Paths level in Konoha should be Hashirama. Yet, whenever Torifu asked, Hashirama would just shake his head.
Torifu could understand. The realm of the Six Paths Sage was not easily attained by anyone. If Torifu hadn't completed the Chaos Event and received a reward, he would probably still be hovering at the Kage-level pinnacle. Torifu didn't know if there would be another opportunity in the future to receive a reward for advancing to the Six Paths level. If there were, he would choose to lend his Master a helping hand. After all, he had already entered the Six Paths level, and besides his Master, everyone else around him was still far behind.
Over the years, Torifu had also tried refreshing the System Store to see if anything useful would appear. But after spending millions of Peace Points, he hadn't seen a single thing of value. He could only give up helplessly. Come to think of it, if the chance to ascend to the Six Paths could be refreshed in the System Store, Torifu would have achieved the ascension long ago.
The wind on the cloud was quite biting, making Torifu's face hurt. Seeing that it was almost noon, Torifu flew back to the compound.
"Yo, Master, we were just about to call you. Your timing is impeccable," Yahiko said with a smile.
Torifu snorted. "Of course. Who do you think I am?"
With that, he left the backyard with his hands behind his back. Yahiko was left scratching his head. "What's he being proud about?"
Konan chuckled. "Isn't that just how Master is? It's not your first day knowing him. Come on, let's go eat quickly."
Yahiko and Konan were both eighteen years old, and Torifu had already passed on his Sage Jutsu to them. Konan's training was very smooth; she successfully merged with the descendant of the Azure Cloud Flowing Wind she had contracted, entering a special Sage Mode. However, Yahiko was similar to Minato back then, only managing to enter the normal form. After more than a year of continuous training, he still couldn't enter the special Sage Mode. Thus, they had no choice but to stop, unwilling to waste any more time.
From the training of these three—Minato, Yahiko, and Konan—Torifu discovered that he wasn't the only one who could enter the special Sage Mode. Just like training for normal Sage Jutsu, training in Torifu's complete Sage Jutsu required talent. If the talent was sufficient, one could successfully enter the special fused Sage Mode. If the talent was insufficient, they could only enter the normal mode. Regardless, Torifu's Sage Mode finally had successors. After Konan entered Sage Mode, the pair of white wings on her back, combined with her own Paper Wings, made her look like a four-winged angel, incredibly sacred and pure. It could be said that this Sage Mode was particularly well-suited for Konan, both in terms of power boost and appearance.
Torifu arrived at the front courtyard and saw that Minato and Anka had returned, so he happily walked over to them.
"You've pretty much understood the work side of things, right? You're about to become Hokage. Are you nervous?"
Minato scratched his head. "The work side is fine, but as for being nervous... well, I really am a little bit." Over the years, Minato had trained according to the plan Torifu gave him and his own pace. While his strength steadily increased, his love for the village also deepened. Apart from the large Kumotsuru Clan family, Minato had also forged deep friendships with the children of other clans. Konoha had long become an inseparable part of Minato; he genuinely wanted to protect it, to protect his family and friends.
When he was young, he was too weak to protect anyone. But now he possessed sufficient strength, had earned the recognition of the villagers, and was about to become the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. He was shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting the villagers and his home. How could he not be nervous?
Whenever he thought of himself wearing the Hokage cloak, Minato was so excited he couldn't sleep all night. Yet, alongside the excitement, Minato would ask himself if he could truly be a good Hokage. Would he disappoint the villagers? After all, he had Torifu, the nearly perfect Third Hokage, right here, whose achievements could rival those of Hashirama. When Minato asked himself if he could achieve the same level of success as his Big Brother, his heart offered no answer. Because he didn't know the answer himself.
"There's nothing difficult about being Hokage. Handle various matters, big and small, and step forward when the village is in danger. That's roughly all you need to do." "Haven't I been repeating these tasks every day for the past few years? The daily life of a Hokage is not as grand as you might imagine; it's just ordinary life. Don't be nervous."
Being told this by Torifu, Minato felt much better. It was true, with the Ninja World being so peaceful now, the village rarely faced danger. His job as Hokage would mostly be administrative. However, Minato thought this was fine. Konoha was now extremely powerful. Even if his abilities were lacking, as long as he could safeguard Konoha's prosperity, it wouldn't be considered a dereliction of duty. This was the goal Minato set for himself.