"Tch. They dumped a problem child on me, and they're still reluctant to offer me even a little compensation. To top it all off, the Hokage of a whole village took his anger out on a Genin. This village ruled by Third Hokage Hiruzen really is too dark... Still, I suppose it's only natural for the village's strongest fighter..."
Zhou Duan clutched his badly swollen right cheek.
"One punch sent me flying through a wall and over four hundred meters. After I hit the ground, aside from the fist mark he deliberately left on my face, I was completely unharmed everywhere else. I can't think of anyone but Might Duy who could pull off that kind of control. The Third Hokage's greatest strength is Ninjutsu, after all. With the Third Hokage at the peak of his powers, his strength really is terrifying!"
The sun had just peeked over the horizon. A rooster crowed in Konoha that morning, and Zhou Duan waited in a small grove not far from Konoha Hospital for the other three members of the supply squad to join him. Most of the Genin had already set out for the battlefield, while Hatake Sakumo had left the village in the middle of the night.
Zhou Duan had once asked Hatake Sakumo why the powerful fighters indispensable to the battlefield—Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—weren't fighting on the front lines, but had instead returned to the village. Hatake Sakumo had discreetly explained:
"The Sand Shinobi's giant war puppet is powerful and deadly. It's controlled by a couple with exceptional skill, and it's protected by countless Sand Shinobi. That's given Konoha a real headache. The reason we came back from the stretched-thin front lines this time was to have Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade learn the legendary sealing formation—the Three Nether Flame Array. We'll use it to isolate the Sand Shinobi guarding the war puppet, then Hatake Sakumo, who has learned how to move freely through the Three Nether Flame Array, will act as the spearhead and take out the puppet's controllers directly!
"As for why Orochimaru didn't come back, first, the front line simply can't do without him, whether it's for his personal strength or his battlefield instincts. Second..."
"Orochimaru's a genius. This is a technique that others need Lord Hokage to teach them personally, but he can learn it just from hearing someone describe it!"
Hatake Sakumo looked gratified that the village had such a talent.
"He's still a little lacking in both battlefield command and combat strength, but he can quickly build up experience commanding on the battlefield. And in another ten years or so, his strength should surpass mine as I am now!"
"You're way too damn humble, wearing that completely matter-of-fact expression!"
Recalling Hatake Sakumo's expression, Zhou Duan felt that, after spending so much time with him, he'd finally gotten to know the Elite Jonin of Konoha. He was the sort of man who could show off without realizing it, and you couldn't even find fault with him!
"Squad leader, Namikaze Minato reporting!"
"Squad leader, Hyuga Hyakusho reporting!"
The two brisk calls interrupted Zhou Duan's reverie. He looked at the squad members in front of him and silently nodded. There was no ridiculous scene of someone immediately refusing to obey him, and no problem child who wanted to be the leader. It was a great relief.
But that made sense. Even though they had only just graduated, Konoha Academy didn't just teach them how to improve their combat strength. Following orders and obeying the squad leader were the most basic rules. Questioning the leader's decisions for no reason or picking a fight because you wanted to take over was something only an idiot would do. If the offense was serious enough, the leader could even declare the ninja a rogue and kill them on the spot!
Before long, though, a person wearing a blue pendant, whose thought process was unlike that of any other ninja, appeared before Zhou Duan.
"Hatake Shudan, Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Hyakusho, are you three fresh graduates ready to welcome me, your powerful new squad leader?"
The wind blew. Senju Nawaki, overflowing with hot-blooded chuunibyou energy, staggered into view in a way that made you want to punch him. His white cloak billowed behind him, revealing the huge words printed across it—I'm the best! The sight blinded everyone present!
"Um!"
Faced with the scene before him, Hyuga Hyakusho, looking completely dumbfounded, voiced his confusion.
"Nawaki, the notice already said that Hatake Shudan is our squad leader, and you're just one of the squad members. Did you misunderstand something in the letter?"
"Hyuga Hyakusho, notices are dead. People are alive!"
Nawaki looked at Hyuga Hyakusho with an expression of utter exasperation.
"As a ninja, if you don't strive to improve and just stand still, how can you claim the Hokage Position in the near future? How can you lead the village to prosperity? Haven't you heard the saying, 'A ninja who doesn't want to become Hokage isn't fit to be a squad leader'?"
"So that means..."
Water Gate, who had been silent until then, asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Even though you knew what the notice said, you still want to challenge the squad leader for his position. What makes you think you can?"
"Obviously, my powerful combat skills! You were all there yesterday, weren't you? Didn't you see?"
"It was because we saw your fight yesterday that we wanted to ask where your baffling confidence came from!"
Before Zhou Duan could say anything, Hyuga Hyakusho couldn't hold back any longer.
"If you'd mentioned any other strong point, I wouldn't have said a thing. You call that a fight? You didn't prepare at all, didn't stop the enemy from attacking, and even took forever to finish your hand seals. What's there to be proud of in a fight that was practically idiotic? I thought having Zhou Duan and Water Gate on the squad meant we'd be fine, but then you showed up. Now I'm worried about the squad's safety!"
"Enough, Hyakusho!"
Zhou Duan patted Hyuga Hyakusho on the shoulder. Looking at Nawaki, who was still bristling with defiance, he sighed.
"Talking won't do any good with someone like him. We're running short on time. Nawaki, if you want to fight, then let's do it now. I'll let you make the first move!"
"Heh. Shudan, you really know how to see the big picture. No wonder you're a genius of the village. Don't worry, I'll make sure to promote you properly in the future!"
As he spoke, Nawaki immediately put on a serious expression.
"Shudan, your strength is still pretty lousy, but to show my recognition of you, I'll use the powerful A-rank Ninjutsu I've been learning these past few days: Earth Release: Earth Abyssal Current! Watch closely. Unseal, Tiger Seal, Earth—"
With Nawaki's scream, Zhou Duan kicked him to the ground. Holding a man-high wooden stick in his left hand, Zhou Duan planted his right foot on Nawaki's chest and spoke coldly.
"Do you give up?"
"Bastard..."
Nawaki still looked defiant.
"You actually ambushed me in a fight! I don't accept this kind of battle!"
"You stand there performing a Ninjutsu in the middle of a fight, naively thinking ambushes don't exist. I've never met anyone so stupid!"
"Smack!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Duan struck Nawaki across the face with the stick.
"Call me big brother!"
"You're three years younger than me. Keep dreaming!"
"Smack!"—"Call me squad leader!"
"Give it up!"
"Smack!"—"Call me big brother!"
"I won't submit!"
"Smack!"—"Do you give up?"
"Heh!"
Nawaki's head had been beaten to a pulp, but he still refused to yield.
"A ninja isn't afraid of death. You think a little pain like this will make me give in?"
"Nawaki, I respect you as a man. But you brought this on yourself, so don't blame me!"
Zhou Duan gave Nawaki a pitying look, then pulled a bottle of purple potion from his robes and poured it into Nawaki's struggling mouth.
"Nawaki, look at how stubborn you are. Did you forget that I'm Konoha's most talented potion maker?"
"Bastard, what did you make me drink?"
Nawaki sensed something was wrong, but Zhou Duan's potions had such wildly varied effects that he had no idea what this one would do. Before long, though, Nawaki's actions would show exactly what the scheming bastard had made him drink!
After drinking the potion, it felt as if he'd swallowed a flame, setting all of Nawaki's reason ablaze. He had never felt such boundless excitement. The sensation seeped into his bones, filling him with the desire to conquer everything in sight!
Swift as the wind, fierce as fire, and moving like thunder!
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