The next day.
Kazashiro and Asuma inevitably met at an intersection.
"Yo, good morning, good morning." Asuma greeted Kazeha with feigned Kazashiro.
"Good morning, good morning." Kazashiro nodded awkwardly in response.
Then the two fell into an awkward silence.
"Well, I'm going to find your old man..." Kazashiro broke the awkward silence first. He never expected that he would inexplicably become the Third Hokage's disciple and become an equal to Jiraiya and the others.
How is Minato supposed to feel about this? He was calling him "Big Brother" yesterday, and now he's expected to call him "Uncle-Master"?
"Well, I'm going to see your father too..." Asuma's nervousness stemmed from the rumors circulating in the village. Everyone said that Danzo was a well-known hawk leader in Konoha, and that he was naturally at odds with the moderate old man. He didn't know why his father would choose him to be his master.
With their own thoughts on their minds, the two embarked on their respective unknown paths.
"You're here quite early, Kazashiro."
Seeing Kazashiro cautiously push open the door and enter, Hiruzen's face lit up with joy. He quickly got up and moved a small seat next to himself.
"I happen to have some work to do right now. You can sit here for a while, and I'll take you to cultivate when I'm done."
"Um, Lord Hokage, I can wait outside..." Kazashiro tried to decline, but found that Hiruzen had already grabbed his hand and forcibly pulled him to sit down.
Kazashiro was thus forced to observe Hiruzen's work for two hours.
Unlike Danzo's naturally sinister demeanor, Hiruzen always greeted the villagers with a warm and welcoming smile. Even when faced with reports of mission failures, he never showed impatience but instead showed concern for their injuries.
They're complete opposites compared to their own fathers...
Even though he was impatient, Kazashiro still had to put on an awkward yet polite smile.
This performance earned Hiruzen, as he secretly observed Kazashiro.
Whenever a ninja finished reporting their mission and was about to leave, and curiously inquired about Kazashiro's identity, Hiruzen would always cheerfully reply, "This is my newly accepted disciple."
On the other side, Asuma followed Danzo, watching as Danzo decisively and efficiently issued orders to nip any threat to Konoha in the bud, and a sense of admiration rose in his heart.
"Compared to my indecisive and neglectful old man, Kazashiro's father is truly decisive. This kind of person is the ninja role model in my mind!"
The gears of fate shifted slightly in that instant, adding a touch of uncertainty to the future.
And so, two and a half years passed, or one Kun year.
The northern border of the Land of Fire.
"We've detected fourteen enemies so far. Judging by their Chakra levels, the one behind the tree trunk in the northwest corner is the sensory ninja, Kazashiro."
Hidden in the shadows, watching the enemy form a fan-shaped formation to search for their tracks, Aburame Ryoma, hiding in the shadows, successfully sensed the enemy's sensory ninja using Kikaichū.
"Understood."
Chunin vest, Kazashiro understood and looked in the direction Ryoma had given him, forming a hand seal with one hand.
"Strange, I feel a chill..."
The ninja who was hiding in the shadows, trying his best to sense the whereabouts of Kazashiro and his group, realized that the situation was bad. Just as he was about to turn around and dodge, an Ice Mirror instantly solidified. A handsome figure inside threw out an ice-made Senbon without any emotion, killing him on the spot.
"Damn it, my water!"
The male ninja responsible for protecting the sensory ninja watched his teammate perish, and in a fit of rage, threw Exploding Tag that shattered the Ice Mirror.
Upon hearing the explosion, the ninjas searching ahead realized something was wrong with their sensory ninja and halted their advance.
"Judging from the amount of Chakra, the enemy has at least three Jonin. Should we take advantage of the fact that the sensory ninja has been eliminated to hide and retreat back to the base to find reinforcements, or..." Aburame Ryoma asked the three team members for their opinions.
"Let's go back to base and call for backup. After all, there are more enemies, and the noise we made in the last few engagements should have attracted the attention of the border patrol."
Kazashiro's suggestion was moderate, its purpose being to preserve his own power.
"You're too weak, Kazashiro."
Asuma, standing nearby, offered a different opinion. "The enemy originally planned to infiltrate secretly, but we suddenly caught them. They're the ones who panicked. Besides, we need to let these guys know that Konoha isn't a place they can just come and go as they please!"
Looking at Asuma, who was also wearing Chunin vest, Kazashiro frowned. "Who knows if this enemy force is the vanguard? What if they are just scouts coming to investigate, and there's a main force following behind?"
"If that's the case, we need to find a way to annihilate this enemy force so that the large army behind them, whose existence is unknown, won't dare to take any rash actions!" Asuma waved his hand sharply, and in Aburame Ryoma's eyes, that swift movement even Danzo Danzo's style.
As expected of Danzo's disciple.
Aburame Ryoma looked at Asuma with a hint of approval in his eyes.
In contrast, Kazashiro's tone and demeanor showed a trend toward developing into Third Hokage.
Of the three, only Obito hadn't been promoted Chunin, so he could only watch them discuss it with longing.
"I'll go first, Obito cover me!"
Seeing that Kazashiro remained silent, Asuma made his own decision.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Suddenly leaping from his hiding place, Asuma unleashed a cross-shaped wind blade, flying straight towards the enemy awaiting further instructions.
"Why are you looking at me? Go away!"
Seeing that Asuma had already rushed out, Obito was still watching him waiting for his opinion, Kazashiro sighed and followed suit.
"Alright, it's time to let the enemy know the terror of the Uchiha!"
Pulling down his goggles, Obito quickly formed hand seals and, while the enemy's attention was drawn to Asuma, unleashed his signature Fire Style: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Compared to his Great Fireball two years ago, which were only the size of a basketball, Obito's progress has been nothing short of "lightning fast." Now, the Great Fireball he spews from his mouth have reached a diameter of five meters, charging towards the enemy at the forefront with unstoppable force.
Aburame Ryoma: It seems like I'm the captain, but I'm being ignored again...
"Earth Release · Earth Style Wall!"
Seeing this, the leading ninja first used Earth Release to block the Great Fireball, and then, taking advantage of the dust kicked up by the explosion, he held Kunai and charged towards Obito with his body bent.
"Cough, cough cough cough, this is bad."
Obito was coughing from the choking, also noticed his opponent's actions and somewhat awkwardly blocked the enemy's attack.
"Obito, hold your breath! Ice Release: Frozen Cloud!"
Noticing Obito's predicament, Kazashiro used Ninjutsu he developed based on a manga he had read in his previous life, exhaling a dense Ice Mist that instantly enveloped the enemy and Obito.
The Ice Mist contains countless tiny ice crystals, which, once inside an enemy's lungs, Kazashiro will control to wreak havoc within the enemy's body.
"An illusion? Watch me blow it away—cough!"
Just as he was about to use his skills to deal with the enemy in front of him shrouded in Ice Mist, he felt a burning pain in his lungs, and blood gushed uncontrollably from his throat.