Will of Fire!

After the New Year.

One dark, windy night, a month before Hatake Kakashi's early graduation, Hyuga Bin finally granted Kakashi's wish and accepted his challenge.

Hyuga Bin used roughly * tenths of his strength and defeated Hatake Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi was not discouraged after being defeated by Hyuga Bin.

As the inheritor of the Hatake clan's swordsmanship, he would not collapse from one or two defeats.

Back when he had turned one, his father, Hatake Sakumo, had laid out ten different swords for his first-birthday selection ritual. He had survived that, so what did losing to Hyuga Bin amount to?

Still, he was somewhat curious about the extent of Hyuga Bin's true strength, because he could tell that Hyuga Bin had not gone all out during their battle.

"Bin, can you tell me how strong you really are now?"

"When fighting you, I probably used eighty percent of my strength," Hyuga Bin said with a smile.

As a cautious ninja, Hyuga Bin naturally did not reveal the truth to Hatake Kakashi. On one hand, he wanted to keep some trump cards in reserve; on the other, he was afraid of discouraging Kakashi.

"Eighty percent?" After doing some rough calculations in his head, Hatake Kakashi regained his confidence and said to Hyuga Bin, "Bin, I'll continue challenging you next year."

He believed that with a year of hard work, he could close the remaining "twenty percent" gap between them.

"Alright." This time, Hyuga Bin did not refuse Hatake Kakashi.

"Bin, are you planning to graduate early this year?" Hatake Kakashi continued asking Hyuga Bin.

He had already discussed it with Hatake Sakumo and planned to apply for early graduation in March that year.

With his current strength, there was little to gain from remaining at the Ninja Academy.

He also hoped Hyuga Bin would graduate early, so he would have a clearer benchmark as he worked to surpass him.

"I still want to learn more basic knowledge at the Ninja Academy." Hyuga Bin smiled and shook his head.

Becoming a ninja was undoubtedly a very dangerous thing. He intended to lie low in the village for a few more years, graduating only once he was reasonably strong and no longer cannon fodder.

After all, the shinobi world was far too dangerous. Jonin were everywhere, and Kage Level shinobi were a dime a dozen.

After saying that, Hyuga Bin seemed to recall something and reminded Hatake Kakashi, "Oh, right, Kakashi. Pay more attention to your father in your daily life."

Hatake Sakumo's suicide due to a failed mission would happen not long after Hatake Kakashi graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Hatake Kakashi could be considered his friend. If possible, he did not want Kakashi to become, like in the original story, a machine under Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen who only knew how to carry out missions.

"I understand, Bin. Thank you." Though Hatake Kakashi did not quite understand, he still thanked him politely.

"Kakashi, you must remember to do it." Worried that Hatake Kakashi would let it go in one ear and out the other, Hyuga Bin brought it up again.

"Mm." Hatake Kakashi obediently nodded again.

In March of Konoha's thirty-ninth year, Hatake Kakashi graduated.

An empty seat suddenly appeared in the classroom, and Hyuga Bin occasionally felt as though something was missing.

On top of that, the system's random Attribute Points kept landing on [Dojutsu +0.1] lately, making his eyes occasionally feel swollen and extremely uncomfortable.

Autumn, Konoha's thirty-ninth year.

Hyuga Bin became a second-year student at the Ninja Academy.

The Ninja Academy normally had a six-year program, but because they were in wartime, ninja casualties were high and they needed a great deal of fresh blood, so the program had been shortened to four years.

That meant Hyuga Bin would have to graduate from the Ninja Academy by Konoha's forty-second year at the latest, then head to the battlefield.

And in Konoha's forty-second year, the Third Shinobi World War would begin.

With the assassination of the Third Kazekage by Sasori of the Red Sands in Konoha's forty-third year as the catalyst, the Third Shinobi World War would enter its most intense phase.

Hyuga Bin did not have much time left in the village to make his choices.

During the first week of school, there was a mandatory course on the Will of Fire, personally taught by Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

All the Ninja Academy students looked forward to this class, except Hyuga Bin.

Having grown up under the red flag, Hyuga Bin naturally would not be brainwashed by this hollow Will of Fire and then want to devote everything to Konoha.

As for sacrifice, Hyuga Bin had his own standards in his heart.

During Sarutobi Hiruzen's lecture on the Will of Fire, he repeated its spirit both at the beginning and the end: "Where leaves dance, fire continues to burn. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and make the new leaves sprout."

This sentence made many of the students and teachers present boil with passion, as though they could not wait to offer up their lives for the Will of Fire.

The meaning of the Will of Fire was this: the young were the hope of the future, and the older generation had to trust and protect them. The older generation's sacrifices were not meaningless; they would inspire the young and turn them into pillars who bore the future.

The flames of burning fallen leaves symbolized the heroic sacrifices of the older generation, while newly sprouted leaves symbolized the young.

But the Will of Fire in reality was Sarutobi Hiruzen frequently sending newly graduated Genin to the front lines to fight enemy ninja.

Many Genin were only ten years old when they died on the battlefield, leaving not even their bones behind.

Meanwhile, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, Konoha's publicly acknowledged strongest shinobi and the so-called "strongest Hokage in history," had not gone to the front lines even once in the years since the Second Shinobi World War ended. He remained firmly seated in Konoha, controlling the overall situation and planning from afar.