Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

Heiyan walked out of the Hokage Tower.

He truly hadn't expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi would grant him access to the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It was an unexpected blessing.

He took one final look at the Hokage office before leaving.

From Heiyan's perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been a controversial figure among Naruto fans, drawing more negative opinions than positive ones.

However, at least up to this point, Heiyan held a fairly positive impression of this Third Hokage.

In his eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen was definitely an outstanding Hokage.

After the death of the Second Hokage, he single-handedly carried the entire Leaf Village. On one hand, he successfully expanded the legacy left behind by the Second Hokage, such as the Ninja Academy, Anbu, and policies regarding the Uchiha Clan; on the other, he vigorously developed and constructed the village, bringing its population and economy to new heights.

Later, under his leadership, Konoha emerged victorious in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, maintaining its status and reputation as the top village among the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Finally, during Orochimaru's destruction plan against Konoha, he sacrificed his own life to protect the village, embodying the Will of Fire with his very existence.

As for those so-called "black spots" on his record.

Some claimed that during his reign, the Leaf lost many powerful shinobi, causing the village's strength to decline.

But here's the problem—how could there be no casualties in times of continuous wars and political struggles?

This was just how things were in the ninja world.

Let's take a look at other villages.

Sunagakure: During the Second Great Ninja War, they lost many experts, including Sasori of the Red Sand's parents, eventually suffering a crushing defeat by Konoha. A few years later, their proud Third Kazekage was assassinated by Sasori and turned into a human puppet, leaving the village weakened and vulnerable to invasion by Kumogakure. His successor, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, turned out to be a complete failure—he not only caused the death of the village's hero, Pakura, but was also eventually killed by Orochimaru himself.

Kumogakure: They lost both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. Their high-ranking officials blindly pursued military expansionism, recklessly declaring wars against multiple ninja villages, even going as far as launching a bizarre long-range attack on Sunagakure. The simplistic-minded Third Raikage ultimately died after being surrounded and attacked by countless enemies.

Iwagakure: Similarly defeated in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, they suffered massive losses of talent, forcing them to fund terrorist organizations like Akatsuki—so much so that even the Tsuchikage's own disciple, Deidara, became a terrorist.

As for Kirigakure, they were even worse off. Their Kage was controlled by someone else, enforcing the Bloody Mist Policy, which led to the deaths or escapes of members from the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and various Kekkei Genkai (bloodline limit) users. The entire village became a living hell under the infamous Bloody Mist Policy.

When compared side by side,

The Leaf Village under Sarutobi's rule was practically a paradise on earth.

This Third Hokage not only excelled on the battlefield but also governed the village excellently. Considering the company he kept among his contemporaries, it was entirely reasonable to regard him as the "Strongest Hokage of All Time."

Of course, nobody is perfect.

From Heiyan's perspective, the biggest flaw in Sarutobi's personality was his indecisiveness—his repeated tolerance and lenience toward Danzo and Orochimaru eventually led to irreversible disasters.

As he aged, this shortcoming became increasingly apparent.

But then again, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already stepped down from his position. Nobody expected the Fourth Hokage to suddenly sacrifice himself, forcing this retired old man to come out of retirement.

It was natural for him to feel overwhelmed.

Heiyan could actually see it clearly.

At forty years old, Hiruzen had already begun grooming potential successors, one of whom was Heiyan himself—whom the Hokage deeply admired.

Still, as previously mentioned, Heiyan had no interest in becoming Hokage.

He was willing to contribute to Konoha and repay the Hokage's favor, but he had no desire to be confined to the Hokage office, weighed down by endless paperwork and political infighting among the high-ranking elders.

Lost in thought, Heiyan found himself back at his three-story home by the hot spring river without realizing it.

After returning home, he first soaked in a bath and changed into fresh clothes to wash away the fatigue accumulated from days of travel and duty.

Then, he found a quiet room and opened the [Flying Thunder God Scroll].

As expected, it was both exquisite and surprisingly intricate.

After reading through it once, Heiyan couldn't help but admire its complexity, gaining even more respect for the Second Hokage.

However, Heiyan also noticed that the version of the Flying Thunder God Technique recorded on this scroll seemed somewhat rougher compared to the technique used by the Fourth Hokage in his original timeline.

Upon reflection, it was understandable.

After all, human beings have limitations—unless you're willing to stop being human altogether.

Throughout his life, the Second Hokage not only pioneered numerous ninjutsu and kinjutsu but also spent massive amounts of time and energy governing the village.

Under those circumstances, he simply didn't have time to polish the techniques he had developed.

Therefore, many of these jutsu or kinjutsu remained in their early versions.

Take [Impure World Reincarnation] for example.

The Second Hokage created the 1.0 version; Orochimaru upgraded it to 2.0, while Kabuto Yakushi further refined it, eventually achieving an almost perfect 3.0 variant.

From Version 1.0 to 3.0, several decades passed.

The Flying Thunder God Technique likely followed the same evolutionary pattern.

Minato Namikaze, after learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, spent several years—up to a decade—gradually improving and perfecting it, ultimately earning his title as the Yellow Flash.

Reflecting upon this, Heiyan made a decision:

Set aside the Flying Thunder God Technique for now and study it later, in a few days.

For one thing, mastering this jutsu required a significant amount of time, and considerable effort would still be needed afterward to refine it.

Secondly, the Flying Thunder God's flexible and mobile combat style conflicted with Heiyan's preference for direct confrontation. For him, it would be better suited as a tool for entering battlefields or escaping dangerous situations.

All things considered, the cost-benefit ratio of learning this technique wasn't very favorable for Heiyan.

Ten minutes later,

Heiyan left his house.

First, he went to visit Kosuke Maruboshi, just to let his teacher know he was safe and sound, so he wouldn't worry.

Then, he hurried straight to Konoha Hospital, only to be told by a nurse that Pakura had already recovered and been discharged, seemingly called back to Sunagakure due to an urgent mission.

She had left Heiyan a letter that overflowed with heartfelt emotions.

He carefully put the letter away.

He wasn't dense or oblivious. Deep down, he already understood Pakura's affection toward him.

But now, to unlock his body's full chakra potential, he had no choice but to fully devote himself to harsh training.

Only in this way could the [Sage Transformation] continue evolving.

Moreover, there was still a terrifying enemy like Madara Uchiha keeping a wary eye on Heiyan.

Maybe next time.

However, no one could say when their next meeting would be.

It was already quite late.

After a long day's work, Heiyan went home to rest.

The next day.

Cloudy sky, light rain falling.

Heiyan got up early, dressed in solemn black clothes, and headed toward Konoha Shinobi Graveyard.

Nawaki's funeral would be held today.

As the grandson of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, this brave child had sacrificed himself heroically on the battlefield.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and many other high-ranking elders from Konoha all attended this grand funeral ceremony.

Instead of approaching the crowd, Heiyan watched quietly from afar.

After all, being the [[Death Prophecy]] and the [Omen of Misfortune] had placed him at the center of village gossip lately.

If he revealed himself, it would surely cause a commotion and disturb the solemnity of the funeral.

Something he absolutely refused to allow.

When the funeral was nearly over, Heiyan silently turned to leave.

An hour later.

Uchiha clan territory, Naka Shrine.

Like a ghost, Heiyan silently slipped into the hidden room beneath the shrine.

Yes, he had come again.

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