The next morning, Sarutobi Ryo felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he gazed at Hyuga Ruri, still asleep in his arms.
[Injecting Hyuga Ruri with the Will of Fire...]
[Progress: 90%]
[Reward: Hyuga Power]
The system's notification was simple, just a line of text.
But Sarutobi Ryo understood that he had truly gained the Hyuga Power.
Whether it was Hyuga Ruri herself, or the child she might bear in the future... Hyuga Neji.
No, he should be called Sarutobi Neji from now on.
The Hyuga Clan's strongest mother, plus its strongest offspring - they were all connected to him now.
Obtaining Ruri was the same as obtaining the Hyuga Power.
The Byakugan, and perhaps even... the Tenseigan.
Furthermore, Hyuga Ruri's strength was clearly far greater than Hyuga Natsu's.
Therefore, he could also gain a significant part of the Hyuga Clan's legacy through her.
As for the specifics of the Secret Techniques passed down orally within the Main Family, he could learn them from Hyuga Hiashi, or even Hyuga Hazuki, when the time was right.
----
The next day, Hyuga Hizashi informed everyone about the changes within the Hyuga Clan.
Soon, the entire Konoha village knew about these changes.
Normally, such news would have been the subject of intense gossip and speculation, with everyone concocting possible conspiracy theories.
However, after the New Year, Konoha was facing intense pressure from the Four Great Shinobi Villages. This made everyone anxious and worried.
Faced with this national crisis, people could only focus on the impending battles.
Keen observers could see that Konoha was on the verge of collapse.
Was half a century of hard work about to be destroyed?
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt deeply troubled by this possibility.
He needed a breakthrough during the Third Shinobi World War to allow Konoha to escape its current predicament.
Fortunately, the Four Great Shinobi Villages were fighting independently, showing no signs of forming an alliance.
This gave Konoha a small window of opportunity to breathe, and perhaps... to hope.
Another Jonin Squad meeting ended, and the attendees began to leave.
Aside from Hyuga Hizashi's official recognition in place of Hyuga Hiashi, the meeting had been largely unproductive.
After everyone else had left, Sarutobi Ryo, Hatake Sakumo, and Namikaze Minato remained behind.
"Sakumo, Sarutobi Ryo, Namikaze Minato, we asked you three to stay because we have something we need to tell you..."
Utatane Koharu's tone softened slightly.
Perhaps it was because Konoha was facing an unprecedented crisis.
Even Hatake Sakumo, whom she had previously disliked, now seemed valuable.
"After careful consideration, the High Council believes that choosing a Fourth Hokage will help rally the village... and you three... are the most promising candidates..."
This decision would not only determine the Fourth Hokage, but also effectively narrow down the candidates for the Fifth.
Tsunade had left the village, Jiraiya had no interest in the Hokage position, and Orochimaru harbored dangerous ambitions.
After eliminating these individuals, Sarutobi Ryo, Hatake Sakumo, and Namikaze Minato were the best choices available.
"Sarutobi Ryo, you don't need to say anything yet. We know how much you admire your teacher... the Konoha White Fang..."
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, indicating that they understood Ryo's sentiments.
"But with the war as it is, we can't simply designate one person..."
Mitokado Homura implied that any of the three could die on the battlefield.
Therefore, they had to plan ahead and have a backup candidate in mind.
Normally, Hatake Sakumo would be the obvious choice for Fourth Hokage, followed by Sarutobi Ryo and Namikaze Minato competing for the Fifth Generation.
But these were not normal times.
"Why don't you ask the three of them if they have any thoughts on the current situation..."
Danzo spoke suddenly.
Instead of focusing on who would become Hokage, he was more concerned with winning the war.
If these three were worthy of being Hokage, then surely one of them could turn the tide of battle.
"..."
Hatake Sakumo scratched his head, unable to come up with a specific strategy.
Despite his strength, he lacked a broader understanding of the war's overall direction.
He was still relatively new to the political landscape.
Namikaze Minato remained silent as well.
He possessed the memories of his past life and the knowledge from his future self.
However, he needed more time.
That's right, he was racing against the clock and needed to grow stronger.
Young Master Ryo probably felt the same way.
Namikaze Minato glanced at Sarutobi Ryo, who also appeared calm.
Because they both knew that with enough time, they could become powerful enough to change the course of the war.
Sarutobi Ryo did have some ideas.
In the current situation, if he wanted to quickly turn things around, he needed powerful, almost unbelievable techniques.
Like the Impure World Reincarnation...
This was a surefire method.
Bringing back the dead to fight in place of the living would instantly change the situation.
Gathering all of Konoha's resources to research Impure World Reincarnation was a possibility, though an extreme one.
But Impure World Reincarnation was currently forbidden by the High Council, making it a last resort.
Aside from this forbidden technique, the remaining option might be the Eight Gates Formation.
The Book of Sealing likely contained records of this technique.
However, there was more than one way to obtain the Eight Gates Formation.
If he could find a way to ask Might Duy for help, perhaps he could learn it...
The three were lost in their own thoughts.
Suddenly, an Anbu Ninja rushed in.
"Honorable Hokage, terrible news... the Land of Fire's eastern defense line has been breached!"
"What?!" Utatane Koharu stood up in shock and anger.
"Lord Koharu, Yagura is leading the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the Kirigakure Army, advancing rapidly into our territory..."
The Anbu operative reported the dire situation on the front lines.
Why had Kirigakure suddenly broken through the defense line?
Was it the Byakugan?
That was the only explanation.
The Hyuga Clan had lost a Byakugan, and Kirigakure had used it to their advantage.
The Byakugan's 10-kilometer range allowed them to see all troop movements.
This was why they were advancing so quickly.
"Withdraw immediately! Preserve our fighting strength at all costs!" Utatane Koharu ordered.
"Sakumo, the three of you, go and provide support immediately, and try to rescue as many withdrawing comrades as possible..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply concerned about the fleeing villagers.
He hoped that Hatake Sakumo and the others could rescue them.
Save as many as possible.
----
The three received their orders and quickly set off, rushing towards the Land of Fire territory.
This time, the war had reached their homeland.
The Kirigakure had gathered a large army from the Land of Whirlpools Ruins, landed, destroyed several defense lines along the way, and begun to penetrate deep into the Land of Fire.
Many Konoha Ninja followed, rushing to the front lines.
Among them, Sarutobi Ryo saw a familiar figure.
"Senior Duy..."
"Young Master Ryo." Might Duy looked worried, because his son, Guy, was on that front line.
Therefore...
"Don't worry, let's go find Guy together," Sarutobi Ryo said, trying to comfort Might Duy.
Speaking of this, Sarutobi Ryo couldn't help but remember that in the original story, this was around the time Might Duy sacrificed himself...
*
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 139 PS
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]