Yoruha's answer was quite similar to those given by the other children in the village. Although Naruto was ostracized by the villagers, the Fourth Hokage was held in high esteem in Konoha Village. The Third Hokage nodded with satisfaction, "That's right, the Fourth Hokage is a hero of Konoha Village, but one cannot become a hero without great strength."
"The Fourth Hokage was an exceptional ninja, arguably the best in the ninja world during his time." Yoruha listened quietly as the Third Hokage recounted stories from the Fourth Hokage's era. This marked the beginning of the Third Hokage's mentorship.
The Third Hokage spoke for about an hour, covering not only Minato Namikaze but also the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and the Legendary Sannin. The reason he shared these stories was that all this information was available in Konoha's archives. Even if he didn't tell them, Yoruha could find out if he wanted to.
Of course, the Third Hokage chose to share because he wanted to inspire Yoruha to have aspirations for the village and the position of Hokage. He was very pleased with Yoruha's current strength but felt that Yoruha's personality was a bit too calm.
This trait was somewhat reminiscent of Minato Namikaze. However, the Third Hokage hoped Yoruha would develop the ambition to compete for the Hokage position, as only then would Yoruha truly value the hard-earned role of Hokage. After finishing his talk, the Third Hokage smiled at Yoruha and said, "I hope that in the future, you can become a pillar that Konoha needs, just like the Fourth Hokage."
"I'm too old; the future of Konoha depends on you young ones." The Third Hokage's words were quite clear. Yoruha understood his meaning, but he had no particular thoughts on the matter.
Yoruha was definitely not someone who would give up easily, but he also wanted to live a more relaxed life. He was fine with carrying out missions, but the idea of constantly balancing various interests in Konoha was bothersome to him. However, he couldn't express his true thoughts.
Otherwise, he might lose access to the archives. Yoruha smiled and said, "Hokage-sama is still in his prime; there's no need to think so far ahead." "Hahaha!
How could I still be in my prime? I'm already 69 this year, and I'll be 70 next year." "If it weren't for the lack of a suitable successor, I would have retired to enjoy my later years by now." The Third Hokage's words to Yoruha were sincere.
He genuinely saw Yoruha as his successor, especially after learning that Yoruha had mastered sealing techniques. The Third Hokage chuckled, searching the bookshelf, and asked Yoruha, "What sealing techniques has Kakashi taught you?"
"Sealing techniques can be very dangerous. Did he tell you that?" Yoruha nodded, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei told me, but I still want to learn. I think sealing techniques will be very useful to me." Yoruha's words surprised the Third Hokage.
He was surprised by Yoruha's sincerity. He could tell that Yoruha was being truthful. The Third Hokage knew well that Yoruha was not someone without depth.
Thinking of this, the Third Hokage felt quite pleased.
"That power, if fully unleashed, would pose a great threat. I don't want Naruto to become a criminal in the village; the villagers already dislike him enough," the Third Hokage paused.
He sighed, "Naruto's situation is unavoidable. I assume Kakashi has told you about Naruto's lineage?"
"Do you think I was wrong?" Yoruha asked frankly. "In the past, I might have thought it was wrong, but after this mission, having witnessed Naruto's rampage firsthand, I believe you did the right thing."
"The villagers indeed acted inappropriately, but it's just because they're afraid of the Nine-Tails' power. Although it's not right, there's no way to resolve it; distancing is the best choice. Moreover, I don't think revealing Naruto's lineage to the villagers would make them accept him."
"The Fourth Hokage was indeed a hero, but Naruto has a tailed beast sealed inside him that could go berserk at any time. The villagers would not change their attitude towards him just because he's the Fourth's son. On the contrary, telling them about Naruto's identity might make them resent the Fourth. I don't think it's a good idea. I believe the best solution is for Naruto to master the Nine-Tails' power as soon as possible, so he won't go berserk again. I think the villagers would be willing to trust him then."
Yoruha based this on how the villagers' perception of Naruto changed after the Chunin Exams. Most of the prejudice against Naruto in Konoha was due to his pranks. As long as he showed some improvement, he would quickly gain the villagers' approval.
At that time, Naruto hadn't even mastered the Nine-Tails' power. The Third Hokage turned to look at Yoruha, remaining silent for a long time.
He was surprised that Yoruha had such thoughts. Over the years, he had always felt guilty towards the Fourth. But after hearing Yoruha's words, he felt much relieved.
The Third Hokage was silent for a while, and then he suddenly remembered something. "You, you've mastered the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal?!" The Third was stunned.
These seals were not basic sealing techniques. Even he hadn't learned them, yet Yoruha had mastered them? Yoruha nodded, puzzled, "Yes."
The Third Hokage was silent for a long time, stunned again. He didn't know what to say. "Are you sure?"
He was still somewhat incredulous. Yoruha nodded again. The Third's hands trembled as he held the scroll.
"Are you really sure you've mastered the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal, the ones from the Fourth Hokage?" Yoruha nodded once more. The Third suddenly burst into laughter.
The ANBU guarding the area around the archive room were bewildered. They almost thought something had happened to the Third inside, but when they rushed in, they found the Third and Yoruha chatting, seemingly having a pleasant conversation. The ANBU gave Yoruha a deep look before retreating.
They knew that Yoruha's status in Konoha would not be low in the future. The Third Hokage had given Yoruha too much authority. Even Danzo, who was also part of Konoha's leadership, needed the Third's permission to enter the archives. Although Danzo had his own intelligence network and generally didn't need to enter, any ninja who could access this place was someone the Third trusted deeply. Not to mention, Yoruha had been granted the power to enter without reporting to the Third. Such authority was unprecedented in Konoha.
Of course, the ANBU couldn't have known that the Third had already started grooming Yoruha as his successor. The Third was very pleased. Since Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze had died, no one in Konoha had been able to use the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal.
These sealing techniques were incredibly powerful. Later, when Naruto trained with Killer Bee on Turtle Island, Killer Bee remarked that Yoruha's sealing techniques were much stronger than his. This attested to the strength of these seals. But precisely because they were so powerful, no one in Konoha could use them now.
As a result, after one of Naruto's rampages, they had suffered significant casualties before they could calm him down.
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