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

  The few days were for the participating shinobi to recover.

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

  Ihe 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 shey only sensed his presence when he was already he 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 ihem.

  Kyoichi uood immediately.

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

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

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

  Koharu entered first and said, "Hiruzen, I heard you io partially lift the ban on forbidden teiques?"

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

  "Absolutely not!"

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

  Orochimaru chuckled but remained silent, his gaze flickeriweehird Hokage and the two elders.

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

  Once again, Koharu ihe Sed Hokage to pressure Hiruzen.

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

  That recisely why he hadn’t ihem to this small meetihey still showed up uninvited.

  The Third Hokage sighed. "Seudied many forbidden teiques 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 perfeent, subtly nudging Minato uhe table.

  Minato immediately uood and added, "Forbidden teiques shouldn't be misused, but a trolled 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 i.

  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 teiques...

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

  But more importantly...

  There were still two other obstacles.

  Orochimaru g the elders, a faint smirk f.

  "Kyoichi, I know you're the one advog for this. We've reviewed your 'Respiratory Activation Teique'—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 otlefield, where you’re fighting for your life every sed, who has time to care about that?"

  "Using the teique 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.

  That ent 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 otlefield. We’re not as weak as you think!"

  Homura was just as furious.

  "Oh?"

  Kyoichi didn't back down.

  "The Sed Hokage fought on the frontlines even after being 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?"

  ation.

  No courtesy.

  Kyoichi had long been fed up with these two.

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

  These two?

  They just g to power, ag as if they were Hokage themselves.

  The moment Kyoichi finished speaking—

  BANG!

  Both elders smmed their hands oable 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 gss into tless 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. "Tsuhis is highly inappropriate!"

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

  Tsunade smirked. "When I tried to push for mediin 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 o Kyoichi without hesitation.

  Leaning forward, she pnted her elbows oable and said bluntly, "After the Sed Hokage died, it was my teacher and I leading battles on the frontlines. Have either of you ever experienced life-or-death bat sihen?"

  "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 ain, as if it somehow justifies your pcy!"

  Tsunade leaned ba 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.

  "Tsuhat’s not fair. Both the frontlines and the homefront tribute to the vilge’s survival. Besides, we don’t fear death."

  A cold voiterrupted.

  Danzo had arrived.

  Kyoichi g him and was mildly surprised.

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

  He actually looked somewhat respectable.

  But...

  That sinister air was still there.

  "tributed? All I see is Konoha getting attacked over and aiernal 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 aplished?"

  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 uanding."

  "Oh? If it's so effective, then why is Konoha stantly deing?"

  Tsunade showed no mercy, dragging evehird Hokage intument.

  She was on a rampage!

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

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

  "..."

  That tone—so desding!

  Kyoichi almost ughed.

  Orochimaru’s w 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 holy...

  He wasn’t wrong.

  Koharu’s face turned an ugly shade of green.

  Gcell