I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

"Wood Release!" the slug exclaimed.

At this moment, it looked at Senju Unting again, as if it could see through him its old friend who was invincible in the ninja world but still kind and easygoing in personality.

"So, it seems Lord Yunting might actually succeed in cultivating immortal arts." The live slug quickly recovered and congratulated him, "I agree to Lord Yunting's request. So, shall we begin cultivating immortal arts now?"

Yun Ting was about to agree, but after noticing the time, he realized he had been gone for quite a while, so he changed his mind and said, "Not today, I still need to go back and give some instructions. Let's start tomorrow. From now on, I will set aside some time each day to study immortal techniques in the Wet Bone Forest. I'll leave the rest to you, Huo Yu."

"It's no trouble at all. With Lord Yunting here, it'll be perfect for keeping me entertained," the live slug said cheerfully.

"Oh? Tsunade doesn't come here often?" Yun Ting asked curiously.

Live Slug: "Lady Tsunade probably spends most of her time drinking and gambling. Even when she comes to Shikkotsu Forest, it's mostly to escape her creditors."

Hmm~ that really fits Tsunade's style.

In his memory, Yun Ting had received countless stacks of IOUs with Tsunade's handwritten signature sent to the Senju clan every year.

At first, he helped pay off some of the debts, but after seeing that the outstanding bills kept coming in, he gave up on the idea.

After all, no matter how rich the assets left by the Senju clan were, they couldn't withstand such extravagance!

For this reason, Tsunade, who was traveling or running away from home, even sent a letter back to scold him for being ungrateful.

Looking back now, Yun Ting can only say that he did the right thing.

Furthermore, the remnants of the Senju clan certainly had foresight.

They chose to entrust the Senju clan's legacy to him, rather than to Tsunade, who had the more legitimate claim.

Aside from the preference for sons over daughters, it was also due to a deep understanding of Tsunade's personality.

If it were to fall into the latter's hands, given that spendthrift woman's style, the Thousand Hands legacy would probably be completely wiped out in no time.

At this moment, Yun Ting couldn't help but think of Kato Shizune, who was with Tsunade.

I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse for the little girl, having followed such an unreliable adult at such a young age.

I imagine her childhood must have been very colorful.

After a moment of silence, Yun Ting was about to form a hand seal and leave when he suddenly remembered something and lowered his hand, saying to the live slug:

"By the way, Live Slug, please keep my Wood Release a secret from me from now on."

"Should we keep this a secret from Lady Tsunade?" Katsuyu quickly figured it out.

“Yes, for the time being, the matter of Wood Release cannot be revealed. Also, compared to you telling her directly, I am more looking forward to her reaction after she accidentally hears it herself.” Yun Ting said with a gloating smile on his face.

I imagine that Tsunade, as Hashirama Senju's granddaughter who didn't inherit Wood Release herself, will have a very complex expression on her face when she hears that he knows Wood Release.

“I see. Although we are both contractors, since Lady Yunting has requested that this be kept secret, I will also keep my mouth shut in front of Lady Tsunade. Also…” As she said this, the slug’s tone also carried a hint of anticipation, “I’d really like to see Lady Tsunade’s reaction then.”

"Don't worry! When that day comes, I'll make a point of reminding you, Live Slug."

Yun Ting smiled and said his final farewell before turning into a wisp of smoke and departing from the Wet Bone Forest.

Looking at the spot where the former had disappeared, the live slug stretched slightly and smiled, "What an interesting contractor!"

Chapter Fourteen: The Crystal Ball of the Third Generation

Inside the Hokage's office.

The previously empty place is now crowded with ninjas.

However, compared to the initial panic, everyone's mindset is much calmer now.

All of this is naturally thanks to the experienced and cunning Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The latter was sitting in Yun Ting's seat, smoking a cigarette while looking down at the Shikkotsu Forest Contract scroll spread out on the desk. He couldn't help but sigh that even a fallen noble ninja clan's foundation was not to be underestimated.

It takes a lot of effort for him to have his disciple Jiraiya form a pact with Orochimaru in the Holy Land.

Ultimately, it was their own qualities that allowed them to open the gates to the Holy Land.

Unlike Tsunade, who easily produced the contract scroll of Shikkotsu Forest and succeeded so simply.

Now it's Thousand Hands Cloud Court's turn.

That's really enviable!

Despite this, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no greed for the contract scroll.

You could say he was hesitant and weak-willed, and greedy for power, but undeniably, in terms of personal integrity alone, he was extremely upright.

If it were Shimura Danzo here, he probably would have greedily taken it all for himself long ago.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was taking another drag of his cigarette, he suddenly sensed something and quickly got up and moved aside.

The next second, a puff of white smoke rose from where he had been standing.

After the latter dissipated, Yun Ting's figure appeared in everyone's sight.

"Fourth Hokage!" the others in the room exclaimed with delight.

"I'm sorry to have worried everyone. I'm fine. I just went to chat with my friend who just started to develop spiritual powers. Everyone, you can all go home now," Yun Ting said with a smile.

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.

"Thank you for your help this time, Third Hokage." Yun Ting then expressed his gratitude to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The latter waved his pipe dismissively, saying, "It's nothing serious, just explain it to them. Also, congratulations, Yun Ting, the Slug Immortal is quite an extraordinary being."

Yun Ting humbly replied, "The Living Slug Sage is indeed remarkable, and his personality is also very kind and amiable. With him around, not only me, but also Konoha would be of great help if they encountered any trouble."

“Yes!” Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, thinking of the slug’s incredibly powerful healing abilities.

Then he thought of Tsunade, who was also a contractor of Shikkotsu Forest, and sighed, "It's a pity that Tsunade isn't in Konoha right now. If there really is any trouble, the two of you working together, with the Slug Sage's abilities, can minimize the losses."

Yun Ting remained silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi probably knows perfectly well why Tsunade is unwilling to return.

Aside from wanting to relax and heal psychological trauma, perhaps they also didn't want to face the sordid affairs among the upper echelons of Konoha.

Jiraiya was the same.

Neither of the two disciples wanted to return to Konoha, clearly indicating that some past events in the village had created a rift between them.

In other words, after the Third Hokage's death in battle, Tsunade had no choice but to return to Konoha to clean up the mess and because she didn't want someone like Danzo to take over. Of course, Naruto's talk-no-jutsu also played a role in pushing things along.

"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer. As people get older, they always like to reminisce about the past!" At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, having come to his senses, said goodbye.

"The Third Generation Elder is still as vigorous as ever," Yun Ting said with a smile as he saw him off.

Midway through, he suddenly remembered something and said expectantly, "By the way! Lord Third Generation, when can I borrow that crystal ball you have? I've mentioned it to you so many times."

The so-called crystal ball was, of course, the tool that the Third Hokage used to spy on Naruto at the beginning of the original story.

Actually, there's a more professional explanation for its activation: the art of telescopes.

Yun Ting had been eyeing this thing for a long time.

Since it can watch Naruto's every move from thousands of miles away, what if we moved it to another place, like a bath... cough cough cough!

Yun Ting originally thought this was standard equipment for the Naruto, but unexpectedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi took it away.

That's why he kept asking for it.

However, it is clear that the latter will not agree.

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately jumped over the wall in a panic, shaking his head vigorously and saying, "No, no! Cough cough... I told you before, the crystal ball is broken and hasn't been fixed yet. Now it seems highly likely that it can't be fixed at all, so Yun Ting, you shouldn't think about this thing anymore."

Just kidding! The crystal ball is his lifeblood. Whenever he's alone, it brings him immense satisfaction.

How could I possibly give it away?

Absolutely not!

Without waiting for Yun Ting to reply, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately took off with an unusually fast pace for his age, leaving the former far behind.

"Tch~~" Yun Ting looked at the latter's back and said disdainfully.

No wonder he taught three disciples who were involved in prostitution, gambling, and drugs; even at his advanced age, his heart is still young.

He would never believe the crystal ball was broken.

It seems there's another reason to overthrow three generations of rule.

Yun Ting returned to his office full of confidence.

It's a pity that the famous "Make-Out Paradise" novel is still nowhere to be seen, as Jiraiya is still gathering material. Otherwise, he would really like to see just how good the novel, which Kakashi praised so highly and which sold like hotcakes in every country, really is.

Or should he send a message urging Jiraiya to update?

As the Fourth Hokage, Yun Ting naturally had a way to contact Jiraiya.

However, if he were to actually use this channel to send out this kind of message, he would probably be bombarded with criticism!

They've gotten cocky!

Still too arrogant!

Seeing that he could cultivate immortal arts, Yun Ting felt himself getting carried away.

The image of Hashirama Senju crushing the Nine-Tails in Sage Mode was simply too memorable for him.

Once he has mastered the skill, he doesn't aspire to be comparable to Hashirama Senju. After all, Hashirama had spent so many years fighting and training, while he had only been training for a short time.

But having four or five tenths of his ability is more than enough.

To calm himself down, Yun Ting took out another very familiar novel, "The Story of Strong Willpower and Perseverance".

It was Jiraiya's groundbreaking work, which he cherished dearly.

However, because it was a cliché story of an ordinary person becoming a great hero, the sales performance was far from ideal, which inspired Jiraiya to embark on the path of becoming a true master of love and action.

Speaking of which, the book that Yun Ting has in his hand was recommended to him by Minato when they met at Ichiraku Ramen.

The latter is a loyal fan of the book, and even plans to name his unborn child after the novel's protagonist.

As he opened the novel's first page and saw the protagonist appear, Yun Ting's eyes were deep and unfathomable.

Naruto...

With the unexpected appearance of this person, what will become of their future?

I'm really looking forward to it!