Chapter 82

Danzo's provocation pushed Sarutobi Hiruzen over the edge.

Already devastated, Sarutobi Hiruzen spat out blood.

Toki observed the scene with a sneer, relishing the chaos.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had been concealed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped forward and shouted angrily:

"Enough! I take full responsibility for my actions! Isn't it my life they want? Fine, they can have it!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened in despair as Shinnosuke cast a disappointed glance at his father and said:

"Father, don't be sad. Even without this incident, I wouldn't have lived much longer. Wood Release is not something that ordinary people like me can truly master."

Turning toward Toki, Shinnosuke declared sternly:

"Konoha's peace was not destroyed by the Sarutobi clan!"

With that, he plunged a kunai into his heart, ending his own life.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched his son collapse, his face contorted in grief.

"Shinnosuke…"

Toki clapped, feigning admiration:

"How noble. Third Hokage-sama, please accept my condolences."

He then casually instructed Uchiha Setsuna, who stood nearby:

"Dispose of the body properly. Konoha's Wood Release secrets must not fall into Kumogakure's hands."

With a sinister grin, Setsuna replied:

"Don't worry, Lord Toki. We'll ensure that Sarutobi Shinnosuke's sacrifice won't be in vain."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, trembling with fury, shouted:

"What are you planning to do?!"

Uchiha Setsuna smirked:

"Just following ANBU protocol for handling traitorous ninja remains. We'll make sure Kumogakure gets nothing, not even ashes."

The clan leaders present exchanged uneasy glances. They all understood what ANBU protocols entailed—utter destruction of the body. Toki's ruthlessness far exceeded their expectations.

Setsuna approached Shinnosuke's lifeless body and began the grim task of dismantling it. Moments later, a fireball reduced it to ashes, erasing all traces.

Sarutobi Hiruzen collapsed in anguish, unable to bear the sight. He coughed up blood and fainted.

Toki sneered, turned to leave, and said indifferently:

"Don't worry, Lord Third Hokage. The village will erect a grand monument for Shinnosuke. He will be remembered as a hero of Konoha."

Meanwhile, the ashes were delivered to Kumogakure, leaving Dodai stunned.

"What are we supposed to do with ashes?!" he muttered in disbelief.

Before Kumogakure could react, Uchiha Setsuna led a small elite force to the frontlines, exuding an overwhelming aura. Confronting Dodai, Setsuna sneered as he threw the peace treaty in his face.

"Sign it or fight. Your choice. But if you want war, Konoha will gladly oblige."

Facing three Kage-level opponents, Dodai, flanked by only three elite Jonin, had no choice but to comply. He forced a smile and quickly signed the treaty.

"We're reasonable people here in Kumogakure. Let's maintain peace."

Setsuna rolled his eyes, thinking to himself:

"If Kumogakure were reasonable, the ninja world would have no unreasonable people."

With their mission accomplished, the Konoha delegation departed. Dodai breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to have avoided further conflict.

The signing of the treaty sent Konoha into celebration. It marked the end of the Third Ninja World War for the village. Konoha was now free to focus on reconstruction.

Unlike the original timeline, Konoha's strength had not diminished significantly. Elite clans like Ino-Shika-Cho and Aburame were still active, and the Uchiha clan's power had surged under Toki's leadership.

At the Ninja Academy, Toki addressed a group of young students. The children gazed at him with admiration, their eyes shining with excitement.

Toki pondered what to say and finally began:

"Where the leaves fly, the fire burns eternal—"

A child interrupted:

"But, Lord Toki, if there's fire, won't it burn down the village?"

Another shouted:

"So cool! Lord Toki, I want to have your child someday!"

One more chimed in:

"If I become a ninja, can I join the Defense Ministry and fight bad guys?"

Toki froze, at a loss for words.

"Wait… aren't ninja world kids supposed to mature early? How are these brats acting like normal kids?!"

He glanced around, baffled, wondering what criteria were used to select these students.

But these were not issues for Toki. He glanced at the excited villagers surrounding him and the secretly relieved ninjas behind him and sneered inwardly.

He smiled at the mischievous children in front of him and asked,

"Next, you'll undergo a month of intensive special training. After one month, you'll compete with the famous disciples. Are you confident?"

"No~!"

Toki: "..."

Behind him, Chizuru Uzumaki covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, but failed, and the ninjas below burst into laughter.

These children had been carefully chosen to meet the absolute minimum admission standards. Many of them couldn't even meet the usual rankings for entry. The clans had scoured the village to gather such students for Toki.

Although the powerful Uchiha clan was now nearly untouchable, the ninja clans still wanted to make their presence felt, even in small ways. Sacrificing their own children for the ninja academy was something they were reluctant to do.

At its core, the only clans that had selflessly contributed to Konoha's foundation were the Senju and Uchiha clans. The other clans had joined to seek protection, never fully integrating into Konoha. Their loyalty was first to their clans, and only then to the village.

Sacrificing their clans for Konoha? Such thoughts were ridiculous to them. If it came to such sacrifices, they'd have never joined in the first place.

Thus, when Toki introduced a policy requiring all ninja clans to send children of appropriate age to the academy, the clans immediately feared for their independence.

Fearing what seemed like a renewed campaign akin to Sarutobi Hiruzen's attempts to assimilate them, the clans united. Under a cunning leader, they decided to make Toki experience firsthand the "power of the masses."

So, they filled the academy with mischievous children barely meeting admission standards, thinking Toki wouldn't stand a chance with these recruits.

Watching the children's antics, the ninja clan leaders smirked, satisfied they'd scored a victory.

But Toki also smirked, his expression dark.

The ceremony concluded, and Toki wasted no time returning to the Uchiha clan's Psychic Beast Cultivation Center.

Unlike the Training Ground and the Bloodline R&D Center, which were exclusive to the Uchiha clan, the Psychic Beast Cultivation Center and Ninja Tool R&D Center allowed outsiders to access their facilities, making them more versatile.

These facilities provided Toki an edge. They allowed him to introduce cutting-edge technology and even Pokémon into the ninja world.

"System, let's go for eight consecutive draws!" Toki ordered.

Ding!

Congratulations! The host has spent 8,000 reputation points exploring the psychic world.

Congratulations! The Uchiha clan has signed psychic contracts with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pichu, Caterpie, Pidgey, Mankey, and Ponyta.

Congratulations! A critical success was triggered, leading to the discovery of a Level 6 Rayquaza. Do you wish to attempt a capture?

Toki was stunned. A critical success? Could this really happen?

He reviewed the system's description.

[Name]: Rayquaza

[Weight]: 20,650 kg

[Size]: 70 meters tall, 230 meters long

[Capture Probability]: 0%

[Category]: Sky Pokémon

[Evolution]: Capable of evolving into Mega Rayquaza (Ōtsutsuki God Level)

Toki's eyelids twitched. The Rayquaza in this world had been scaled up significantly. It was over ten times larger than the original Pokémon.

"If I could catch this, I'd easily dominate the ninja world. Even weaker Six Paths-level enemies like Obito wouldn't stand a chance!" Toki thought.

But then his gaze fell on the 0% capture probability, and his excitement evaporated.

"System, doesn't the Master Ball guarantee a 100% capture rate? Can I use it to catch Rayquaza?"

Ding!

[The host's current power level is too low compared to Rayquaza's. The Master Ball cannot achieve a 100% capture efficiency without first defeating the target.]

Toki's face darkened. The mass-produced Master Ball, available for just 1,000 reputation points, was a cheap imitation. The once-mighty capture tool wasn't all-powerful here.

When he'd first acquired the Master Ball, Toki dreamed of capturing godlike Pokémon like Arceus or Rayquaza. But reality had set in.

Seeing the system's red warning icon, Toki sighed. "Forget Rayquaza."

Ding!

[Congratulations on releasing your first mythical Pokémon! As a consolation prize, you've received 100 Psychic Balls!]

Toki rubbed his forehead in frustration but quickly composed himself.

"Fine. I'll work with what I've got. If Rayquaza's out of reach for now, I'll just keep improving until the day comes when I can tame even the gods themselves."

He looked at the mischievous children in the academy and smirked.

"Well, they'll have no idea what hit them once I'm done."