Naruto: The Sarutobi Who Can't Spark

OMAKE~

At 4 p.m., the taste of Teuchi's ramen provided a heavenly respite before Raijin made his way to the Sarutobi Clan Library.

At Sarutobi Library, Raijin's fingers traced along the scrolls of countless texts, eventually settling on one of the scrolls of his clan lineage. The name 'Sasuke Sarutobi' caught his eye – a legendary shinobi whose actual achievements had become so entangled with the myth that separating facts proved nearly impossible.

The scroll spoke of his prowess in frustratingly vague terms. Raijin muttered, "Even his affinity remained mysterious. Affinity nature to water or wind or fire or potentially Kekkei Tōta everything remained uncertain."

However, Raijin was surprised. It was Sasuke Sarutobi's son, the current clan head, Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose presence dominated the clan records. Hiruzen's legacy was etched along with the first Hokage (Hashirama Senju) and the second Hokage (Tobirama Senju).

...

Raijin dibble dabbled his hands on many scrolls till he reached for the History of Konoha and its Foundation.

He noticed careful curation of the information – Madara Uchiha's name appeared sparingly, mentioned it almost only in the context of his defeats at Hashirama's hands. First at the Valley of the End and then during their earlier conflicts that eventually led to the village's formation. Meanwhile, Hashirama Senju's achievements filled entire books. His philosophy of Will of Fire was written through each and every page filled with his achievements and acts of valor during The Warring States Period.

"Propaganda?"

His thoughts then drifted to Orochimaru's potential future defection and controversial experiments with Hashirama's cells. Though the world would come to despise the Sannin, Raijin couldn't help but admire his raw determination behind such pursuit of power and immortality. "To abandon everything for a single dream…there's both madness and magnificence in such devotion."

Raijin pondered on Orochimaru's flaw. The Legendary Sannin's tragic flaw wasn't his ambition – rather losing sight of his humanity in pursuit of it (and getting his knees weak before the talented children).

It also reminded him – how Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki had intended Ninshū to connect people, only to witness Ninshū transformed into Ninjutsu – warfare, the tool of destruction and betrayal.

Currently without any grand ambition. Raijin's primary concern was survival in this ruthless world. Still, he couldn't help but dream bigger. "Naruto? Sasuke?" he scoffed inwardly. "I'll become a shinobi so formidable that even Kaguya herself would tremble."

Like wealth, he realized, power was universally coveted but rarely achieved. Many desired it, few worked for it, and fewer still attained it. Even then, those who reached the summit only saw two peaks to climb – either wander in darkness or remain sane enough not to stray from the 'right' path.

"Is this greed? Or is it the very essence of human nature – this endless drive to achieve what we currently have?" Catching himself deep in contemplation, Raijin allowed a small smile to cross his face. "Enough philosophy for today," he muttered, carefully returning the scrolls to their proper places.

In a world shaped by legends like Hashirama, Madara, and the Sage of Six Paths himself, Raijin knew that the path to absolute power would require more than just a dream.

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

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