Then...(3/4)

Only... one person?

The smile at the corners of the Third Hokage's mouth slowly froze, his eyes widening slightly. At that moment, in his eyes, behind the ten-year-old child standing before him and handing over the scroll, the phantom of a young man identical to the child seemed to emerge, gazing at him with blazing eyes.

At that moment, the Third Hokage suddenly felt that those seemingly illusory, burning eyes contained an energy beyond anything he could imagine. The problems at the front that had left him stumped and unable to resolve seemed, in this young man's eyes, to be no problem at all.

Perhaps they were even matters this young man had long since sensed, or even known about.

Prepared in advance!

That feeling suddenly arose within him.

"According to the battle reports, although there are still scattered skirmishes, things have generally settled down. At the very least, no large-scale battles have taken place for five days. Although Iwa and Kumogakure scattered our main forces, aside from the small units that were hastily split apart, eighty percent of our remaining main forces are still gathered together. With Lord Orochimaru holding the line, they still possess the strength to threaten both sides. Therefore, most of Iwa and Kumogakure's main forces are still tied down by our main forces. In fact, they are so tied down that they cannot immediately wipe out even our scattered units..."

At that moment, Chiba's voice reached him, instantly shattering the illusion in the Third Hokage's eyes. Before him was still that ten-year-old boy, seriously analyzing the situation. There was no young man identical to him at all.

Was I imagining things?

After confirming that what lay before him was real, that thought flashed through the Third Hokage's mind. At the same time, Chiba's words poured