Naruto：Immortality and the Eight Inner Gates[Double agent]

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The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was dead.

Yet, the village wasn't as grief-stricken as one might have imagined.

The sorrow of mourning the deceased could not overshadow the hard-earned joy and longing for peace.

The departed were gone, and the living carried on.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in the ceremonial Hokage robes, wore an expression of exasperation as he stared at the reports spread across his desk.

It had been less than a week since Tobirama Senju's passing, and the Konoha Police Force had already arrested seven or eight villagers for causing disturbances while drunk.

On top of that, countless mundane and trivial matters flooded in, leaving Hiruzen overwhelmed and exhausted.

For the first time, he truly felt the immense burden his teacher had carried on his shoulders.

These administrative duties couldn't be solved with strength alone. On the contrary, strength seemed utterly useless in such situations.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were clamoring to join the administrative department to help Hiruzen ease his burdens.

Shimura Danzō, on the other hand, suggested, "Hiruzen, you need someone to help you control the ANBU. And that someone is me."

In stark contrast, Hiruzen's trusted friend Torifu Akimichi said, "Hiruzen, my brother, I'm tired, worn out, and done. I've got over a dozen barbecue restaurants waiting for me to inherit back home."

As for Kagami Uchiha, ever since their teacher's death, the man seemed to have gone mad.

He spent all his time at home, obsessed with having children, constantly muttering about making his son Rinjin's disciple.

Kagami wanted Rinjin to train his son to become the next clan head of the Uchiha and the Fourth Hokage, someone who could inherit Hashirama's Will of Fire and abolish the cursed Uchiha surname.

The mere thought of Kagami lurking around the academy gates, waiting for Rinjin after school, made Hiruzen's head throb.

What baffled Hiruzen even more was that the once-reliable Kagami had somehow teamed up with the ever-unpredictable Rinjin. The two were constantly scheming together, their plans shrouded in secrecy.

And the children these two would raise—combining Rinjin's cunning with the Uchiha's Sharingan—might actually have a good chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage.

It would be like an upgraded version of Madara Uchiha!

The thought made Hiruzen's chest tighten with unease.

"Every single one of them is just here to give me a headache!" he muttered under his breath, glancing out the window.

The horizon was bathed in the warm hues of sunset, its final rays illuminating Konoha.

Hiruzen had no desire to deal with the endless paperwork anymore. Standing up decisively, he turned to the ANBU operative nearby and gave a simple order.

"Take me to the cemetery. I want to visit my teacher."

With that, he left the Hokage's office without waiting for a response.

To be honest, during the first couple of days after taking office, he had indeed felt the thrill of wielding power. But that thrill had been fleeting, lasting only a short while.

Afterward, he was crushed under the immense weight of responsibility and pressure.

Whenever he felt overwhelmed, he would go to the graves of his two teachers, the First and Second Hokage, to find solace.

Walking through the streets, he played briefly with some children and even exchanged a few words with an elderly woman about postnatal care for pigs. Eventually, he arrived at the Konoha Ninja Cemetery.

Today, he wasn't the cemetery's only visitor.

Rinjin, having mastered the *Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu*, had delegated the exhausting task of blacksmithing to his clones.

He had also assigned the tedious duty of accompanying his sister on shopping trips to another clone.

Along with those tasks, he had also distanced himself from the monotony of attending classes.

Now, he was essentially living a life of early retirement.

As Hiruzen entered the cemetery, he finally saw the peculiar visitor.

Rinjin was seated cross-legged on the ground in front of Tobirama Senju's tombstone. In front of him was a low table.

As Hiruzen approached, he saw the table more clearly.

It was a small, square table densely covered with black and white stones.

Rinjin sat there, holding a black stone in his left hand, his right hand stroking his chin as he stared intently at the board.

Hiruzen slowly approached from behind.

Surprisingly, Rinjin showed no sign of awareness, lost in his thoughts.

"Ahem..." Hiruzen cleared his throat twice, breaking Rinjin's concentration.

"Rinjin-kun, what are you doing?"

Startled by the voice, Rinjin instinctively turned around. Seeing that it was Hiruzen Sarutobi, he immediately stood up.

"Uncle Hiruzen, I'm playing a game of Go."

"Go? Who are you playing with?" Hiruzen asked curiously.

"With Lord Tobirama," Rinjin replied enthusiastically, pointing to the board as he began explaining the rules he roughly knew.

"This is Go. It's very simple. One side plays black, the other white. Once a stone is placed, it can't be moved. Each side takes turns."

As he explained, Rinjin cleared the board and placed a black stone on it.

"Look, once the black stone is placed, it can't move. The four points around the stone are called its 'liberties.'"

He placed four white stones around the black stone.

"When the black stone's liberties are gone, it's captured." Rinjin removed the black stone and pointed to the empty spot where it had been.

"This spot is now a 'forbidden point,' meaning black can't play there again. That's it for the rules. Simple, right?"

As Rinjin finished, Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.

"Compared to shogi, where each piece has specific movements, this does seem simpler."

"Care for a game?" Rinjin asked, a sly smile playing on his lips. Simple? Wait till I crush you.

With that, Rinjin moved the board closer, setting up a game right in front of Tobirama's tombstone.

To call it a match would be generous—it was more like a one-sided beatdown.

Rinjin used all sorts of tricks and traps on the board, capturing Hiruzen's stones effortlessly. Even when surrounded, Rinjin left 'forbidden points' to prevent Hiruzen from capturing a single stone.

After losing several games in a row, Hiruzen's face grew darker and darker.

He hadn't expected that after being driven to the brink by Rinjin and Kagami's antics at work, he'd come here, only to be humiliated on the Go board as well.

Just as Hiruzen was about to lose his temper, Rinjin quickly reached out and disrupted the board, scattering the stones.

"Uncle Hiruzen, this isn't fun. Go is meant to be a battle of wits. Let's change things up—you can pretend to be Lord Tobirama, and I'll humbly emulate Lord Hashirama's intelligence."

Hiruzen initially wanted to refuse, but the thought of how effortlessly Tobirama had managed the village made him reconsider. Perhaps he could learn something from his teacher's approach.

"Alright, let's do it," Hiruzen agreed, nodding.

The two began another game.

This time, Rinjin abandoned his usual cunning style, opting for reckless and aggressive moves, like a headstrong child.

Hiruzen, on the other hand, played cautiously, carefully considering each move from Tobirama's perspective.

Before long, Rinjin's black stones were decimated by Hiruzen's white stones.

Victory seemed imminent, yet Hiruzen felt no joy.

Instead, he grew increasingly alarmed as the game progressed.

This seemingly simple game, with its unfamiliar mechanics, mirrored the principles of warfare!

Compared to shogi, which felt constrained and lacking grandeur, Go was vast and strategic.

Gradually, Hiruzen began to grasp its essence, his moves becoming more fluid and confident.

Rinjin frowned, staring at the board's unfavorable situation. Suddenly, he grinned and remarked, "As expected, Lord Tobirama's intellect surpasses Lord Hashirama's."

Then, he shifted the tone.

"However, Lord Hashirama's greatness lies in his ability to transcend rules and create new ones with his overwhelming strength."

As Rinjin spoke, he swiftly reached out and scrambled the entire board.

Hiruzen, who had been focused on the game, froze for a moment before shaking his head with a wry smile.

As Hokage, Hiruzen wasn't a fool. In fact, he was highly intelligent.

He understood Rinjin's true purpose in inviting him to play Go.

This wasn't just a game—it was Rinjin's way of subtly guiding him.

Aware of this, Hiruzen didn't feel offended. He wasn't a power-hungry tyrant; otherwise, he wouldn't have delegated authority to Danzō, Koharu, and Homura.

On the contrary, Hiruzen was the true inheritor of the Will of Fire.

Thus, he didn't mind Rinjin's indirect advice on how to become a better Hokage.

It was a simple yet profound lesson.

One could either be like Hashirama, using unmatched strength to suppress all opposition, or like Tobirama, ruling the village with wisdom and foresight.

Hiruzen wanted both.

At this moment, the usually modest Third Hokage felt a surge of ambition.

"Another round?" Rinjin asked with a mischievous grin.

"Another round!" Hiruzen agreed.

This time, their game was markedly different. The previous fierce competition gave way to a surprisingly harmonious balance on the board.

As they played, Hiruzen casually brought up a topic.

"Lately, I've heard you've been spending a lot of time with Kagami, sneaking around together. What's that about?"

"Heh." Rinjin chuckled. "Don't blame me. He's always waiting for me outside the academy. I had no choice—it's all his fault."

Hiruzen played along, feigning curiosity. "What do you two talk about that keeps you so busy?"

"Not much," Rinjin replied honestly. "The guy's gone mad. He's obsessed with having kids. His wife's about to fall into depression."

Hiruzen looked up, bewildered, at the still-young Rinjin. *This kid talks like an old man!*

Unaware of Hiruzen's thoughts, Rinjin continued, "He keeps pestering me to train his son, saying he wants his boy to be as cunning as me. Uncle Hiruzen, tell me—what kind of person says that?"

Rinjin sighed dramatically, looking aggrieved.

Hiruzen sighed as well, his face darkening.

"And then he asked me how to instill the Will of Fire into his child's heart."

Hiruzen perked up at this, setting aside the game. "Did you have an answer for him?"

"Of course," Rinjin said matter-of-factly. "I told him to have the kid first, then ask the Yamanaka clan to implant the Will of Fire directly into his brain."

*Damn it! I must've been blind to ask you for advice!* Hiruzen's face turned as dark as a storm cloud.

Taking a deep breath, he managed to calm himself.

"Well... that's too shallow. Do you have a... better method?" Hiruzen asked hesitantly.

Rinjin nodded. "Kagami had the same reaction and asked if I had a better idea.

I told him to brainwash the kid first, then send him to the Jashin Cult. When the kid comes back, he'll be as smart as me, have the Sharingan, and carry the Will of Fire in his heart. Perfect, right?"

Hiruzen was utterly done with this conversation.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Rinjin-kun, what's your view on the Will of Fire?"

Hearing this, Rinjin paused mid-move. Slowly, he raised his head to look at Hiruzen.

"Uncle, do you think someone like me, with my past, has the right to carry the burden of this village?"

Scratching his head, Rinjin added, "The Will of Fire is an ideal, a goal.

Uncle, do you think I'm the kind of person who'd have something as lofty as ideals or goals?

All I have is a little bit of emotion. That's the only thing I'd risk my life to protect."

Rinjin chuckled, tossing his stone onto the board before standing up and leaving the cemetery.

Watching Rinjin's carefree figure disappear into the sunset, Hiruzen bent down to pick up the fallen stone. Looking around the empty cemetery, he gave a quiet order.

"From now on, there's no need to monitor Rinjin anymore."