Yet in the next instant, his perception instantly shifted.
His fist shattered the air, and the air pressure solidified into a devastating shockwave that struck him from afar.
Invisible but incredibly destructive.
As Uwada Tora watched in horror, the invisible force ripped through the air and slammed straight into him.
There was no physical contact, yet he felt like a truck had run him over.
Peng peng peng...
His body flew like a ragdoll, flipping through the air more than ten times before crashing to the ground.
"You... what kind of monster are you?"
Spitting blood, Uwada Tora struggled to ask, staring at Satori Hyūga with wide eyes.
"You talk way too much. Time to die."
Satori stepped forward, channeling all his strength into a single kick that sent him flying again.
A simple attack, effortlessly sending him far away, his body shattering like old cloth.
The chaotic energy warped Satori's mind, making him more brutal and impulsive.
His inner destructive impulse was magnified tenfold.
Killing for the first time meant nothing to him.
Effortless—like crushing an ant beneath his boot.
Truthfully, the Jonin from Cloud Village lost due to poor intelligence.
Satori intimidated Uwada Tora with his appearance and aura (qiashi), shaking his courage and paralyzing him with fear.
Then came something completely unexpected—Satori punched thin air, yet still struck him directly without dodging.
[T0 Martial Arts], truly terrifying.
Misjudging both intelligence and mindset led him deeper and deeper into ruin.
"Cloud ninjas are total garbage. Didn't even entertain me in battle."
With most of his strength spent, Satori reverted to his usual self.
He squatted down and checked the corpse for belongings.
But this man carried only money—nothing valuable whatsoever.
As for secret jutsu scrolls from Cloud Village? Forget it.
Guess I'm not the Chosen One after all. Nothing worth taking.
Just as he turned to leave, two Branch House guards finally showed up.
"My lord, are you unharmed?"
"Who is this person?"
Satori Hyūga stood with hands behind his back, coldly replying, "Keep this quiet. If anyone asks, say it was your doing."
With that, he turned and headed off to find Minato Namikaze and Kushina.
Arriving at the battlefield, he saw Minato dispatching the last enemy ninja.
"Water Gate, congrats on rescuing the maiden," Satori teased with a smirk.
Kushina blushed, her fiery temper somewhat subdued.
Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, looked helplessly at Satori Hyūga—he'd long grown used to his antics.
"Satori, thank you for bringing backup," Minato said gratefully.
That Cloud Village Jonin had been extremely powerful; even Minato wasn't certain he could beat him alone.
No problem. I'm a Main House member. Summoning backup was easy." Satori replied casually.
This was how dominant the Main House was within the Hyuga Clan.
On the surface, Branch House and Main House were family.
But in reality, even under the protection of the Caged Bird Seal, Branch House members lived like dogs. They were expected to obey the Main House's every command.
Fortunately, Satori Hyūga wasn't that kind of person—he sometimes even defended the Branch House.
Kushina peeked out and turned to Satori Hyūga with curiosity. "Who was that just now?"
Clearly, Kushina hadn't recognized Satori.
After his transformation, Satori looked quite different—his physique, demeanor, and overall appearance had changed significantly. Without a close look, ordinary people wouldn't recognize him.
Satori gave a light smile. "One of my Guardian Ninja."
"No wonder he seemed so impressive! He scared off the enemies as soon as he showed up." Kushina clearly believed his explanation.
"The Hyūga Clan truly is a prestigious family in Konoha. A taijutsu expert like that must be rare even in the ninja world."
She regarded Satori as a powerful figure from the Hyūga Clan, without the slightest doubt.
Minato Namikaze glanced at Satori's wrinkled clothing but didn't say anything.
The three walked back chatting happily, as if the chase after their captured enemy had never taken place—as carefree as if they were on a spring outing.
That was the composure of ninja in the ninja world.
Just about to reach the entrance of Konoha, they ran into members of Anbu.
They were taken straight to the Hokage's office.
Satori glanced around the Hokage's office with curiosity, carefully observing all the decorations and items inside.
Of course, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was there too.
This was the first time Satori had seen the living Hiruzen.
He didn't look as aged as he would become later in the series. He appeared quite energetic, wearing the Hokage ceremonial robe.
"Third Hokage, sir."
"Third Hokage, sir."
"Third Hokage, sir."
The three greeted Hiruzen respectfully.
Hiruzen's teachings and promotion of the Will of Fire worked extremely well.
Minato and Kushina had both fully internalized it, holding the old Hokage in high regard.
Satori, however, respected Hiruzen only for his strength and authority.
As for the Will of Fire? To him, it was complete nonsense.
No matter how he looked at it, it felt more like a pyramid scheme—talk was cheap, action was absent.
Hiruzen gazed at the three before him, surveying them with satisfaction in his eyes.
Kushina, the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Minato, a genius ninja from a non-ninja background.
And Satori, born into the Main House of the Hyūga Clan and an apprentice of Orochimaru.
Each of them alone had immense potential.
And now they formed a closely bonded group together.
It made Hiruzen feel as though he was witnessing the next generation inheriting the legacy of the Hokage.
"You're Minato Namikaze, correct?"
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Minato, smiling warmly to show friendliness.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
"Very good, very good indeed. I've already been informed by the Anbu about what you did—when you discovered Kushina was in danger, you immediately rushed to rescue your comrades."
"We're teammates. It was the right thing to do."
"The Will of Fire is about protecting the village and the people we care about."
Hiruzen nodded, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Indeed, your grasp of the Will of Fire is quite profound."
A commoner ninja who's a combat genius and has deep insight into the Will of Fire? He was practically a prime candidate for the Hokage succession line.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had already made up his mind. Once he graduated, he planned to have Jiraiya take him as a disciple and bring him into the Hokage lineage.
If Orochimaru ever strayed down the wrong path and could no longer inherit the Hokage title, Minato Namikaze could serve as a contingency option.
The very reason he chose Minato Namikaze was his background as a commoner ninja.
Unlike Kushina and Satori Hyūga—he wouldn't choose them.
Satori Hyūga was a member of the Hyūga Clan. After becoming Hokage, who could say whether he'd favor his own clan and allow the Hyūga to become too powerful?
Everyone had personal motives; even Sarutobi Hiruzen himself couldn't avoid that.
As for Kushina, it went without saying—she was the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, a strategic weapon of Konoha.
How could she be made Hokage when the village still needed to utilize that weapon?
Plus, she originally came from the Uzumaki Clan, a survivor from the fallen Whirlpool Country. She lacked deep ties to Konoha, so no one would support her.
Though Hiruzen greatly favored Minato Namikaze, he still publicly praised and encouraged Kushina and Satori Hyūga.
Kushina, being naturally guileless, felt genuinely delighted.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>