Northern Base

Konoha, the Hokage Building.

An Anbu Ninja knelt on one knee in the Hokage's office, reporting the intelligence he had obtained to the Third Hokage.

Though an animal mask covered his face, his full head of silver hair, unusual even among the entire village, revealed the Anbu's true identity-Kakashi Hatake.

The old man seated behind the desk had set his pipe aside and was studying a document with a solemn expression, occasionally pausing to listen to Kakashi's report.

The old man was over seventy, and even his white hair had grown sparse. His deeply wrinkled face bore the marks of time.

To anyone looking at him, he was an ordinary, hunched old man, the sort one could find anywhere.

But seated in the Hokage's chair, his almost frail body radiated an indescribable presence.

He was the man who had commanded the most powerful organization of violence in the entire Shinobi World for decades, led Konoha to victory over powerful enemies in both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, established its title as the strongest ninja village, mastered all five Chakra natures, and learned every Ninjutsu in Konoha—the "Professor of Ninjutsu," the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!

The old man's life could be called legendary. As the Second Hokage's disciple, he had lost the two teachers he respected most, the village's pillars of support, at a young age. Forced to shoulder the burden of becoming Hokage in a time of crisis, he had also trained outstanding disciples such as the Sannin while facing powerful enemies.

But in the years that followed, the old man lost his eldest son and daughter-in-law in war, and the successor in whom he had placed great hopes, the Fourth Hokage, also died young on the Night of the Nine-Tails. He lost his wife that same night, and in the end, the three disciples he had been proudest of also turned away from him.

Such a legendary life had long since made the old man's resolve exceptionally resilient, but the invaluable classified intelligence from the Land of Water still left him astonished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, firmly suppressing his emotions as he rapidly went over the information Kakashi had brought.

The Fourth Mizukage is suspected of being controlled. The Kaguya Clan was wiped out after starting a rebellion. Zabuza defected after successfully assassinating the Mizukage. The Land of Water has temporarily lost the Three-Tails.

Any one of those revelations would cause enormous waves throughout the Shinobi World, but taken together with the intelligence he had received from the Anbu—that Kirigakure had temporarily sealed off its village—they all corroborated Kakashi's account.

"Phew!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi blew out a mouthful of smoke and tapped his pipe against the desk.

"Kakashi!"

"Yes, Lord Third!" Kakashi listened solemnly for the Hokage's orders.

"Seal the report and place it in the archives. Do not disclose it to anyone."

"Also, record this operation as an S-rank mission. Your reward and bonus will be issued later!"

Only after the two had finished handing over the intelligence on the Land of Water did Hiruzen Sarutobi return to his usual kindly manner. He smiled as he asked Kakashi a question.

"Kakashi, what do you think of the suggestion I made earlier?"

"Becoming a team leader?"

The image of his teacher Minato came to Kakashi's mind, and he froze for a moment, but he still shook his head with a wry smile.

"Lord Third, give me a break!" Kakashi's eyes returned to their dead-fish stare. "Ever since I met that boy from Otogakure, I've realized just how troublesome kids are these days!"

"That Otogakure?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile. "I remember it's a new ninja village that was established in the Land of Rice Fields just a few years ago. Come to think of it, they're allies of Konoha!"

The old man looked interested. "But for him to give even you trouble, Kakashi, Otogakure must have produced an extraordinary genius!"

"A genius?" Kakashi recalled the boy's strength and had to admit that he probably could not have reached that level at the same age. Of everyone he knew, perhaps only that former subordinate of his could compare!

The Third Hokage continued to urge Kakashi to become a team leader. "The young people in our village are pretty good too!"

"Wherever the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire will burn on. Its light will continue to illuminate the village and let new leaves sprout!"

"The future of Konoha must also be inherited by the children at the Ninja Academy!"

Hearing the Third Hokage bring out the Will of Fire, Kakashi reluctantly accepted the appointment, but still bargained until the Third agreed to give him the right to fail students.

Having now left the Anbu, Kakashi walked out of the Hokage Building. Before he could take in the beauty of the village, a familiar voice rang in his ear.

"Kakashi, my dear friend, this must be fate! Let's have ourselves a rousing contest!"

Kakashi looked up helplessly and saw a green kappa with a bowl cut giving him a thumbs-up. The flash from the white teeth in his broad grin dazzled Kakashi for a moment.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, the Third Hokage saw Kakashi's helpless expression as Might Guy pestered him and smiled knowingly. Then he frowned and uttered a few words.

"Four more years!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was then interrupted by a knock on his office door. After he allowed his subordinate in, he received news that the Land of Grass had been destroyed.

"The Shinobi World is troubled again!"

The Third Hokage sighed.

Of course, the Third Hokage's premonition did not come true. The fellow who liked to stir up trouble was working hard at his training in the Land of Rice Fields.

Dōmeki stood where he was and casually split the bullet-like finger bone with a stroke of his blade. Then a flurry of attacks descended around him.

Like willow fluff drifting in the wind, two bone blades protruding from Kimimaro's palms swept through the air in his hands. The white-haired boy moved around Dōmeki with gentle, dance-like motions.

In keeping with those graceful movements, the bone blades struck at his opponent with mechanical precision, without the slightest wasted motion. The bone spikes that occasionally burst from his elbows or knees added countless more threats to the attacks.

Yet the red-haired boy's movements were just as nimble, as though he were dancing on the edge of a blade. It was as if a silent dance tune accompanied the two as he swept and parried with the long sword in his hand, answering Kimimaro's attacks.

Their deadly forms were graceful and sharp, their crossing steps following a passionate rhythm, as though a fervent flamenco were playing across the training ground.

But at last, the cold iron blade pierced the harmonious dance. Like a crescent moon rising from the ground, it drove the white-haired boy back with a cold glimmer, leaving a fine sword mark across the ground between them.

Just as Dōmeki stepped forward to close in on Kimimaro, frigid ice suddenly formed beneath his feet and stopped him.

Dōmeki flashed a carefree smile and shattered the ice with only a slight exertion. His blade spun back at lightning speed, its edge gleaming blue as it pulverized the ice spikes swarming toward him.

Haku and Kimimaro exchanged a glance, then charged the red-haired boy from opposite sides.

"Ice Release: Ice Mirror Demonic Mirror!"

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch!"

In an instant, Dōmeki, enclosed by a semicircle of ice mirrors, saw countless Kimimaros and Hakus rushing at him.

"Super Electromagnetic Mode, Form Two!"

Dōmeki called out in a low voice. Countless chains emerged beneath his feet and, like a living swarm of snakes, identified the two real attackers and surged toward them.

In an instant, the two were hanging upside down in midair, and their Ninjutsu dissipated as their Chakra was completely drained away.

But after they had remained at an impasse for only a moment, the chains suddenly crumbled into dust.

"Lord Shun, what was that?"

Baffled, the two got up from the ground and walked over to Dōmeki, who looked lost in thought. The red-haired boy scratched his head sheepishly. "Hahaha! Looks like I failed again!"

Just then, Xiaobai, the white snake, emerged from the boy's sleeve and gave Dōmeki an order from Orochimaru.

"Go to the Northern Base?"