Undercurrents in Konoha, the Shinobi Hero's Bearing!

To be honest, Tōka really likes Konoha.

In recent years, the White Zetsu Clone have kept a very low profile in Konoha, never venturing out except for necessary missions and purchasing ingredients to avoid attracting attention.

Looking at her familiar "home," Tōka's body inexplicably relaxed.

Although he lacked the Tenseigan's field of vision, Tōka's perception was still quite good; there were no ninjas monitoring the area around the house.

It seems that Konoha has been quite satisfied with his performance over the years.

"Has anything important happened in Konoha recently?" Tōka glanced at the White Zetsu Clone standing respectfully to the side and asked casually.

"Nothing special..." The White Zetsu Clone pondered for a moment; Konoha had been quite peaceful lately.

"Fine, I'll see for myself."

As soon as the words fell, the world spun around, the background distorted, and Tōka and White Zetsu Clone were instantly sucked into the Vortex.

Even though he lost his Dojutsu, Tōka still has the Six Harmonies Divine Technique!

Deep within the Vortex, in an illusion woven from Tōka's own mind, the memories of White Zetsu Clone were clearly displayed before his eyes.

That morning, Tōka, who had been quietly staying in the cabin for several days, decided to go out.

Since arriving in Konoha, he has stayed in his room refining the power of the Reincarnation Seal his eyebrows.

When a person calms down and focuses on something, the results are remarkably significant, especially if they continue practicing at the pace they've been doing these past few days.

The immense natural power within the Reincarnation Seal could be completely converted into Tōka's own chakra within a year.

"Phew, let's go for a walk!" Tōka, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation all night, let out a long breath, then stood up and glanced out the window.

The morning mist still shrouded the streets, and you could vaguely see that more and more stalls were gradually appearing.

Leaving the small house where I usually stay, I walked on the familiar yet unfamiliar streets.

There are more buildings and unfamiliar faces on both sides of the street, mostly shops built in the last few years.

The area where Tōka House is located is in the central area of Konoha, Hokage Building is not far away. You can see the huge "fire" character as soon as you look up.

Suddenly!

A gust of Cold Wind swept across my face, stirring up dust from the ground.

The icy sensation was like cold water splashing on my face, making the fine hairs on my cheeks stand on end.

"Huh? It's snowing?" Tōka raised her hand to wipe the coldness from the tip of her nose, only to find a crystal-clear snowflake.

Pure white and flawless, clean and beautiful.

Tōka looked up and saw a vast expanse of white between heaven and earth, with snowflakes fluttering down from the sky.

It was as if white tents had been drawn all around, and in the hazy distance, the earth was covered with a layer of silver.

Snowflakes fluttered in the wind, dancing in the air in various ways, sometimes flying, sometimes swirling, and sometimes falling straight down quickly.

The arrival of winter snow means that the new year is not far away.

Next year will be the Year 59 of Konoha.

Just as Tōka was gazing absently at the falling snow, two familiar faces suddenly appeared ahead on the path. This path led to the Hokage Building, and the two had clearly just finished accepting a mission and left.

"Huh, Tōka?" Kurenai Yuhi was the first to spot Tōka.

Asuma, walking to the side, kept her attention on Red; her eyes had no time to look anywhere else.

Hearing the sound, Tōka looked up.

Then, Kurenai, dressed in ninja attire, and Asuma walked side by side, both looking surprised to see Tōka.

"Are you two on a date?" Tōka asked teasingly, glancing between the two of them.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We just accepted a mission." Hong's face flushed red, and she glared at Tōka.

Asuma didn't deny it, awkwardly scratching the back of his head and giving a silly, good-natured grin.

After many years, the mischievous child who only had eyes for his little sister Hongmei has now become more composed and capable.

"Where are you going? To the Hokage Building?" Asuma asked.

"I'm out of money, I'll go take on a mission." Tōka has been out of the loop in Konoha for so long that many people have almost forgotten his existence.

After speaking, Tōka bypassed the two and walked straight towards the Hokage Building.

Red and Asuma exchanged a glance, a hint of doubt welling up in their hearts.

"Tōka seems a little different." Hong bit her nails, watching Tōka's departing figure with a hesitant look on her face.

Something feels off.

Asuma stood beside Red, his gaze equally stern as he watched the departing figure. Tōka before him was indeed somewhat different.

Hokage Building, Mission Hall.

It was still early, and there were only a few ninjas scattered around the hall, so it seemed that Tōka hadn't arrived very early.

"Are there any C-level or low-level missions?" Tōka asked casually, glancing at the mission list.

"Tōka, are you interested in doing a special mission?" A slightly aged but powerful voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Tōka subconsciously turned her head and happened to see the Third Hokage smiling at her.

A special mission? That Fox, the Third Hokage, hasn't let his guard down yet.

"Lord Hokage." Tōka stood Budong to the side, neither accepting nor refusing the call, looking down at the tip of his nose, appearing completely composed.

The Third Hokage looked at Tōka with a beaming smile, the light in their eyes unreadable.

The relationship between the two appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are actually swirling beneath.

The White Zetsu Clone kept a very low profile in Konoha. Tōka has returned to Konoha, so he can't be too outgoing in his daily life.

As the original Tōka, it takes time to change and change people's perception of "Tōka".

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, his beaming smile fading, and said, "Tōka, have you gotten used to life in Konoha these past few years?"

"I'm very happy living in the village." Tōka noticed the Third Hokage's choice of words and took the initiative to replace "Konoha" with "village" in the Third Hokage's words.

It's just a difference in the word, but the meanings are completely opposite.

The village is much closer to me than Konoha.

A look of satisfaction flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes. What Tōka answered was not important; what mattered was that Tōka had already acknowledged Konoha.

"Come with me, I have a task for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Hokage turned around and walked straight out of the Mission Hall. Tōka followed him without hesitation.

If it were the White Zetsu Clone from before, it might have refused, but since Tōka wants to be himself again, he naturally can't continue to keep a low profile.

He must appear in everyone's sight as soon as possible, and the only way is through the Third Hokage!

In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage stood by the window, a pipe in his hand, white smoke swirling and drifting out.

Tōka stood quietly behind the Third Hokage, his eyes downcast and his mind focused.

"What a wonderful village. It would be even better if it could stay peaceful forever." The Third Hokage took a deep breath, suppressing the exclamation on his face.

Finally, the Third Hokage slowly turned around to look at Tōka and asked casually.

"Don't you think so?"

"It's a very peaceful village, quite nice." Tōka nodded, not denying what the Third Hokage had said, but unfortunately there was still one sentence he didn't say aloud.

Without sufficient strength, it is impossible to safeguard this peace and tranquility.

The Third Hokage sat down, leaning on a chair. His dry, calloused hand emerged from his wide sleeve and took out a key he always carried.

He inserted the key into the locked drawer under the table, gripped it tightly with his fingertips, and twisted his wrist.

Click! The drawer lock slammed shut.

A mission locked in a cabinet? And if I'm not mistaken, that seal just now should be... a handprint to break the seal.

Normally, only confidential documents are handled with such care.

Could it be... S-rank Mission?

Tōka stood Budong in front of the table, seemingly completely unaware of the Third Hokage's subtle actions.

"I really like this peaceful village. I like being able to protect this tranquility forever." The Third Hokage looked at Tōka earnestly and reached into the drawer to take out a Scroll.

Similarly, there are seals on the Scroll!

Tōka's eyes narrowed, revealing a look of surprise.

"This is?"

"An S-rank Mission: to protect this peace."

The Third Hokage didn't explicitly state this, clearly indicating that Tōka should see the Scroll's contents for himself.

Seeing this, Tōka was in no hurry to break the seal on the Scroll. He recognized the Jutsu Formula; it was a commonly used seal for protecting information— the Evil Flame Seal!

If the method of unlocking is wrong, it will unleash the sealing Evil Fire, which can instantly burn the Scroll to ensure that the secret is not leaked.

"Lord Hokage think I can do it?" Tōka's gaze left the Scroll and returned to the Third Hokage's aged face.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Tōka." The Third Hokage chuckled, giving Tōka a encouraging look. "This mission is important; someone will help you."

Upon hearing this, Tōka did not hesitate. With a flick of his finger, he channeled his Senjutsu Chakra into the seal, completely refining the Evil Fire.

This single move of lifting the lockdown impressed the Third Hokage.

Tōka's gaze fell on the Scroll. The huge character for "kill" was written in vermilion ink, glaring and eye-catching, giving people a strong visual impact.

Below that is a list of targets, clearly a list of those to be hunted!

"From the village?" Tōka glanced at the list quickly, looked up at the Third Hokage in surprise, and then looked down again.

Tōka didn't recognize any of the names on the Scroll, but he knew the surnames of the major families in Konoha very well.

Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Aburame, Sarutobi, Shimura.

In Konoha, besides the Anbu directly under the Hokage, only one other person possesses such immense power to gather the strength of all the major clans!

The leader of the Dark Root — Shimura Danzō!

"Lord Hokage, what does this mean?" Tōka pretended Budong, looking at the Third Hokage with a questioning expression.

The Third Hokage, with his pipe dangling from his lips, took a deep breath, a captivating glint in his eyes.

When the elderly Shinobi Hero saw the blood staining the village's land, his former glory reappeared.

"The roots of the Big Tree are rotten and cannot absorb nutrients for the leaves, so the rotten parts need to be removed so that healthy new green leaves can grow on the trunk."

Tōka carried Scroll in his arms, Scroll was filled with the names of Root members, all of whom were die-hard loyalists of Danzo.

Even the Hokage cannot invoke it, and would not even dare to disobey the Hokage's orders.

I vaguely remember that after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the Third Hokage began to take a series of actions to weaken Danzo's Danzo.

The first to be affected was Root, who belonged to Danzo.

"Why would that old man from the Third Hokage entrust me with such a top-secret mission?" Tōka's eyes flashed with doubt.

Is it a test? Or is there another purpose?

Tōka left the Hokage's Office with doubts and headed to the designated meeting place.

In a dense Forest outside Konoha, the morning light was faint, filtering through the leaves and dappling the ground.

Uneven, tangled Grass Pile are faintly visible running through the soil beneath the tree.

Rustling...

Suddenly, a series of light footsteps sounded in the woods, unhurried and giving the impression of a leisurely stroll.

The shadowy figures hidden in the darkness all raised their eyes to look at the newcomer, their gazes piercing through the thick, foggy mist.

Swish!!

Two figures wearing animal masks descended from the sky, landing beside Tōka and blocking his path.

"Tōka? What brings you here?" A familiar female voice rang out, and it was the bird- Anbu Ninja standing on the left who spoke.

With flowing black curly hair and scarlet eyes, she stared directly at Tōka through the mask, as if she could suck him in in an instant.

Her graceful figure and exquisite curves are visible even when not in sight.

There aren't many female ninjas with red eyes in Konoha. In Tōka's memory, there are only a handful, and currently, there is only one who is still alive and young.

Kurenai Yuhi, the Genjutsu ninja.

"Hong?" Tōka tentatively called out the other person's name.

The two people wearing animal masks looked at each other, then simultaneously reached out and removed their masks, revealing their true faces.

Kurenai and Asuma Tōka nodded secretly. Both of them were extremely powerful Jonin, and genuine Hokage.

"Did the Lord Hokage send you?" Kurenai did not lower her guard just because she knew Tōka, and continued to stare at him in a businesslike manner.

"Hmm." Tōka took out the confidential Scroll. The Scroll was not only a list of mission targets, but also a token.

Red reached out and took the Scroll, carefully examining the list inside. Then she turned to Asuma and nodded slightly, indicating that the list was correct.

Asuma gestured towards the Woods behind him, and several dark figures hidden in the shadows suddenly appeared.

A total of seven figures appeared, including Red and Asuma.

With his own team, they now have a total of two squads? Tōka secretly observed everyone. Although they were wearing animal masks, he could still recognize familiar people at a glance.

For example...

Kakashi with silver hair!

The disguise was too simple; silver hair is rare, and Tōka was very familiar with Kakashi's aura.

It had a lazy, yet leisurely feel to it.

And, most importantly, it's Kakashi's eye!

Tōka is extremely sensitive to the Sharingan's Dojutsu; even Kakashi, wearing a mask, cannot suppress the Sharingan's powerful Dojutsu.

"So you already have Three Tomoe?" Tōka's heart stirred slightly, Budong he remained standing still, waiting for the other party to speak.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get ready to go." Kakashi glanced at Tōka with a strange expression, then simply nodded slightly in greeting.

The long-term silence of the White Zetsu Clone caused the classmates to become distant and estranged.

The eight were clearly divided into two teams. Tōka was assigned to Kakashi's team, which also included Asuma and Kurenai.

The two teams split up in a Valley deep in the forest.

Tōka was unaware of the specific mission of the other team, but he knew the mission objective of Team Kakashi.

Infiltrate and assassinate!