This was something well-known among the older generation in Konoha Village. During the time of the Second Hokage, he had six disciples: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Kagami Uchiha, and the least conspicuous of them all, Torifu Akimichi.
Of course, the term "disciple" had some flexibility to it.
These individuals had received teachings from the Second Hokage while attending the Ninja Academy. In reality, only Hiruzen Sarutobi could be considered the Second's direct disciple. Nevertheless, the Second never denied being referred to as "teacher" by the others, which tacitly acknowledged their status as his students.
By now, the disciples of the Second Hokage had all risen to high positions within Konoha, becoming prominent figures in the village.
Only Kagami Uchiha, who died young, and the low-profile Torifu Akimichi remained relatively unknown.
However, those in the know would never underestimate the strongest member of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. Torifu, who once served as the Second Hokage's personal bodyguard, had made a name for himself in the ninja world. But after growing older—and more precisely, after the night of the Nine-Tails attack—he chose to retire.
These days, he only occasionally came out to attend meetings as the head of the Akimichi clan, or to show his face as the military pillar of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
Like today, Torifu Akimichi had come to the meeting at the invitation of Shikaku Nara, standing in for his old friend Chōza. After all, the Third Hokage was preparing to confront the Uchiha, and no one knew how the situation might unfold. To prevent any disastrous outcomes, precautions had to be taken.
"Could it be... Yang Release?" Torifu muttered under his breath, in a voice barely audible to others.
In today's era, where the name of the Senju had lost its former glory, the Akimichi clan was the leading expert in Yang Release techniques in Konoha. Their signature technique, the Multi-Size Jutsu, was derived from Yang Release.
Torifu, the plump old man, saw it clearly. The punch that knocked Danzō aside was undoubtedly an application of Yang Release, similar to the monstrous strength of that violent girl Tsunade. Although he wasn't a sensory ninja, unable to confirm if they were the same, he was certain it was Yang Release.
"Torifu, what's wrong?" the Third Hokage asked.
He would never underestimate his old classmate, who was quite shrewd. Back in the day, among the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Torifu stood out enough to be taken in as a student by the Second Hokage, proving he was no simple character.
"Nothing, it just reminded me of the time Uchiha Madara left the village. I was just a kid back then!" Torifu replied.
"Is that so?" The Third Hokage gave Torifu a deep look. His hearing wasn't failing yet, and he'd clearly heard the words "Yang Release" just now.
"What are you saying, Torifu? That brat is nothing like Uchiha Madara!" Koharu Utatane interjected.
"If you say so," Torifu muttered, not bothering to argue. Winning or losing such a debate held no benefit, so why waste the energy?
The plump old man simply glanced at the hole in the wall and at the ongoing brawl in the hallway between Sougen and Danzō. "Hiruzen, are you really planning to start a war with the Uchiha? If you don't control the situation, it'll spiral out of control. Don't say I didn't warn you—unless you bring Jiraiya and Tsunade back, the village might not have the strength to take on the Uchiha."
Though Torifu spoke these words, he couldn't help but ponder: Was the Uchiha clan on the verge of rising to new heights once again?
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio had always been viewed as loyal allies of the Sarutobi clan, staunch supporters of the Third Hokage. However, this subordinate relationship hadn't existed for long. It began with Hiruzen's father, Sasuke Sarutobi, who was a powerful ninja renowned even in the era dominated by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. In fact, Uchiha Sasuke was named after him.
Before Sasuke Sarutobi's rise, the Sarutobi clan was just another unremarkable ninja family, with no bloodline limits or secret techniques. In fact, their contracted summon beasts, the Monkey Clan, were more famous than the Sarutobi themselves.
The Akimichi clan, on the other hand, had a much longer history than the Sarutobi clan. In addition, they inherited the secret arts of Yang Release. Torifu understood very well that any ninja who mastered Yang or Yin Release was an extraordinary force to be reckoned with.
Take a recent example: the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had perfected Yang Release, while Uchiha Madara had taken Yin Release to unprecedented heights. No one in Akimichi history had ever surpassed those two.
Now, however, an Uchiha had mastered Yang Release, and combined with the Sharingan—an embodiment of Yin Release—it created a deeply unsettling combination.
Especially the overwhelming life force that radiated as he threw those punches...
Torifu subtly signaled Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka, who were confused but decided to slow their pace and not follow the Third Hokage into the fray to stop Sougen and Danzō from fighting.
Meanwhile, Sougen and Danzō were already fully engaged in combat in the hallway.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" Danzō unleashed his most proficient Wind Release technique.
Caught off guard by Sougen's punch, which had shaken his organs, Danzō's fury drove him to attack with lethal intent.
"This technique is useless!" Sougen said coldly, throwing shuriken infused with chakra. Each shuriken had the destructive power of a D-rank treasure.
The high-pressure wind orbs were easily shattered by the shuriken, which continued to create holes in the walls, their terrifying power making the Third Hokage hesitate.
Wasn't the Uchiha clan's shurikenjutsu supposed to be known for its precision and subtlety? Since when did it have such raw destructive power?
The Third Hokage found himself recalling Torifu's earlier mention of "Yang Release," and began to doubt whether, without Jiraiya or Tsunade, the village could truly handle the Uchiha.
"Ryōma!" Danzō shouted.
In an instant, a black swarm of insects erupted from the corridor, accompanied by an irritating buzzing, rushing towards Sougen.
"Shisui!" Sougen called coldly.
Who did Danzō think he was dealing with? Sougen was no loner—he was the head of the Uchiha clan and the new head of the Konoha Police Force.
Flames ignited in the hallway as Shisui intercepted Ryōma Aburame.
If it had been the Third Hokage, Shisui might have hesitated. But for Danzō's minions, he had no such reservations.
"Everyone, this is a private matter between the Uchiha and Danzō. Please do not interfere!" Sougen warned the clan leaders in the meeting room.
This was his subtle way of declaring that the Uchiha didn't intend to make enemies of the other clans—unless they decided to provoke trouble themselves.
(End of chapter)