As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, opinions about him had always been divided on the internet in Yagami Yue’s previous life.
The positive evaluations described him as a great successor of Konoha, a heroic shinobi, and a true leader of the village.
The negative evaluations described him as calculating, politically shrewd, and skilled at manipulation—someone whose political methods were even more sophisticated than those of the Second Hokage.
There were even theories that he would use Danzō to eliminate his targets and then allow Danzō to take the blame.
Yagami Yue had always been suspicious of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s character.
Just look at Danzō.
A sinister and scheming man had spent decades being manipulated by Hiruzen.
Danzō had become universally hated, while the Third Hokage had maintained a glorious reputation as a great and benevolent leader.
The contrast alone showed just how terrifying Hiruzen’s political skills were.
And then there was the Senju clan.
During the Warring States era, the Senju had been one of the greatest shinobi clans in the world, capable of standing against the Uchiha.
A clan of that stature should have had hundreds of members.
Yet in the end, the only major Senju left was Tsunade.
If Hiruzen had truly been so loyal to, respectful of, and devoted to his teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, then how had the Senju clan been allowed to decline so completely?
And why had Tsunade ultimately left Konoha?
Surely it wasn’t simply because of the deaths of her younger brother and the man she loved.
Then there was the death of Konoha’s White Fang.
The Uchiha clan.
Itachi.
The Fourth Hokage’s death and Hiruzen’s return to the position of Hokage.
Naruto being condemned and insulted for more than a decade…
There were simply too many examples.
On the surface, Hiruzen seemed unrelated to all of them.
Judging by the process, Hiruzen always appeared righteous and honorable.
But judging by the results—
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the greatest winner of them all.
And as the person who held the greatest authority in Konoha, there was simply no way he could have been completely innocent and uninvolved in all those matters.
Therefore, Yagami Yue was extremely cautious around Hiruzen.
He did not trust him.
“I apologize for everything I have done!”
The Third Hokage bowed deeply to Yagami Yue.
But inside Yue’s heart, there was only one response.
Heh.
Come on.
Mr.
Actor.
Master performer.
Let’s see your performance.
However, Yagami Yue also knew that he was currently alone and lacked sufficient power.
He couldn’t openly turn against Hiruzen.
Thus, Yue the Actor also entered performance mode.
Just like Hiruzen.
He remained silent for a long time.
Then two tears slowly rolled down his face.
Finally, he let out a sorrowful cry before leaving in grief.
The next day, the cold expression that normally covered his face was gone.
There was even a faint smile.
He appeared warm and approachable.
It was as though the knot of hatred in his heart had finally been untied.
As though he had truly let everything go.
Acting?
Who says I can’t act?
Seeing that Yagami Yue was smiling more often, Hiruzen finally relaxed slightly.
Then came a series of rewards.
Hiruzen arranged for a new house to be built for Yue’s family, this time near the Hyūga clan compound.
He also provided money, ninjutsu, and, most importantly, a new sword.
It was an excellent blade.
Its name was—
Tenkoku.
It was a famous tachi that had been passed down since the age of warriors.
After the Taira clan’s campaign against Fujiwara no Sumitomo, it had been awarded to them by the imperial court.
It later became a treasured heirloom of the Taira family.
The sword was famous for its unusual double-edged design.
Its curvature was substantial, while both edges occupied most of the blade, giving it a peculiar and distinctive shape.
Two characters were engraved upon the sword:
Tenkoku.
Yagami Yue happily accepted it.
His Three-Sword Style had been missing one sword.
Now—
He had all three.
Yue tested the blade.
Its quality was roughly on the same level as Kiku Ichimonji.
It was an exceptionally fine sword, comparable to the Great Grade Meito of the One Piece world.
From this point onward—
Yue’s Three-Sword Style was complete.
His combat tactics would become much more flexible.
…
…
Yagami Yue spent half a month dealing with various matters in Konoha.
Then he returned to the battlefield in the Land of Wind.
Originally, Yue had wanted to travel to the other three battlefronts and increase his reputation there.
But Hiruzen refused.
Most likely, Hiruzen had the same concern as Yue.
He was afraid Yue’s reputation would eventually surpass even the Legendary Sannin.
He didn’t want another Konoha White Fang.
So Yue returned to the original battlefield.
“Lord Yagami Yue…”
“Lord Yagami Yue…”
“Lord Yagami Yue…”
As Yagami Yue made his way back to the Konoha war camp, every Konoha shinobi who saw him became excited.
They immediately stood up and respectfully saluted him.
With Yagami Yue around, they felt considerably safer.
…
Time passed.
Six months went by in the blink of an eye.
It was now Konoha Year 44.
During those six months, the Land of Wind did not launch any large-scale attacks.
There were only small-scale raids and skirmishes.
Konoha was currently surrounded by enemies on every side and therefore had even less desire to provoke trouble.
The two sides continued probing and harassing one another.
But neither launched a major offensive.
Both sides were exercising restraint.
During those six months, Yagami Yue also drew six Character Cards.
The first was—
One Piece — Xiaowu.
A completely insignificant supporting character.
He wasn’t even worth one of Zoro’s fingers.
The second was—
One Piece — Pisaro.
Another minor character.
A fish-man musician from the Arlong Pirates.
Again, completely useless.
The remaining cards came from Fairy Tail, Bleach, Sword Art Online, and several other series.
They were all supporting characters.
In Yue’s eyes—
They were all garbage.