Second Shinobi World War

"Forget becoming your disciple. Wouldn't that put me a generation below you? Becoming the Third Hokage's disciple would be more like it. That way, we'd be peers."

"What? Are you looking down on me? You're already a generation below me, and you still want to be my junior disciple? Kid, you've got some nerve." Tsunade had only mentioned it casually, and the thought of taking him as a disciple had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, not something she cared much about. But Beichen Haotian's words immediately set her off, and her arm tightened.

Beichen Haotian immediately found it a little hard to breathe, while the pressure from those magnificent peaks became even tighter.

So this was pain mixed with pleasure!

"If I became your disciple, what could you teach me?" Beichen Haotian asked slowly. He had no choice; he was being squeezed too tightly and was having trouble breathing.

The three beside them quietly watched the scene. No one cared about those details. After all, Beichen Haotian was still a child.

"What could I teach you? Plenty. Medical Ninjutsu, Monster Strength Fist, Chakra control, guidance in practicing ninjutsu, and so on."

"How about this? I'll become your sworn little brother, and you can be my sworn big sister. Wouldn't that be about the same?" Beichen Haotian suggested. In Naruto, a sworn sibling relationship was much easier to dissolve than a master-disciple relationship. After all, masters and disciples shared the debt of instruction and the bond of inheritance. Sworn siblings did not necessarily have that.

Tsunade had no idea about Beichen Haotian's wicked little scheme. She turned to Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

"What do you think?"

"Sure. This kid has some pride in his bones. You really can't tell normally," Jiraiya said in agreement.

Orochimaru also gave a slight nod. At this time, Orochimaru still had a very good relationship with Jiraiya and Tsunade. Later on, the only people capable of stirring emotions in Orochimaru's heart were the teammates he had grown up with and the Third Hokage.

In truth, Orochimaru's later Konoha Crush Plan was less an invasion than a farewell. Otherwise, there had been no need to kill the Fourth Kazekage. Keeping him alive would have been far more useful for destroying Konoha.

The Third Hokage had grown old, and Orochimaru did not want to see the person he had worshipped as a child die of old age. So he gave him a grand stage for his final departure. Fighting Orochimaru, the First Hokage, and the Second Hokage, then dying while protecting Konoha—perhaps that was a fitting death. It was simply a method that was difficult for people to accept. If there had been another objective, it was probably Sasuke. After being defeated by Itachi, Orochimaru had become crazily obsessed with the Sharingan.

"Fine. From today onward, you're my sworn little brother, and I'm your sworn big sister. Kid, call me Big Sis," Tsunade said smugly.

Beichen Haotian broke into a cold sweat inside, then obediently called out, "Sister Tsunade."

"Hahaha!" Tsunade laughed proudly, leaving the people beside her speechless.

Just as Tsunade was laughing, a Ninja Hawk flew near Konoha's back mountain and let out a series of sharp, piercing cries. It seemed exceptionally urgent.

Everyone's expressions immediately turned grave, including Beichen Haotian's. He had learned at the Ninja Academy that this was the signal summoning all Jonin and shinobi above Jonin rank in Konoha. What could warrant summoning every Konoha Jonin? There was only one answer: war was coming. The Second Shinobi World War was about to begin.

"You two, go back and make your preparations. War is about to begin. The three of us need to head to the Hokage Building," Jiraiya said, his usual joking and carefree demeanor gone. War was a heavy word. It meant countless sacrifices, endless bloodshed, and innumerable families torn apart.

Minato and Beichen Haotian acknowledged him, then turned and left. War was coming. Even with their talents, they would generally be assigned less dangerous tasks. But war was war; one could never predict whether they would fall into danger. Making preparations was still necessary.

On the way home, Beichen Haotian stopped by a pharmacy and bought some commonly used medicines. They could not compare to the supplies at Konoha Hospital, much less Medical Ninjutsu, but they were still somewhat useful.

After returning home, he put the kunai and shuriken stored in the house into his ninja tools pouch. He took out his Tang Saber and wiped it with a white rag, all while pondering ninjutsu in his mind. He did not seem worried in the slightest.

Beichen Haotian had experienced too much killing in his previous life, so he naturally did not fear war. Instead, he was somewhat excited. The Blood Battle General Saber passed down through his family had been refined in the One Piece World. To reach its highest level and unleash the greatest power of the ultimate techniques he had created in his previous life, killing and blood were essential.

In his previous life in the One Piece World, Beichen Haotian had been known as the Asura Great Swordsman. Whenever his blade flashed, blood filled the sky. His sword light was domineering, sharp, bloodthirsty, and mad. After merging with Armament Haki, it took on a black-red hue, becoming even more powerful. In the One Piece World, there were truly very few things that Beichen Haotian could not cut through.

Inside the Hokage Building, the Jonin currently in Konoha had gathered in the enormous conference room, while Jonin carrying out missions elsewhere were being summoned back one after another.

The Third Hokage sat at the head of the massive conference table. On either side sat Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Anbu Captain Hatake Sakumo, the clan heads of the Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and other clans, Jiraiya's group of three, the Jonin Squad Leader, and the other important figures of Konoha. Centered around these people, Jonin packed both sides of the room. The entire conference room was heavy with tension.

The Third Hokage coughed twice, breaking the silence first. "Reliable intelligence has arrived. Sunagakure and Stone Village are gathering ninja on a massive scale. By the time the news reached Konoha, they may already have begun moving."

"Is the Second Shinobi World War about to begin? Hiruzen, since Sunagakure and Stone Village have already acted, we cannot remain passive. I suggest immediately dispatching the First Legion and Fourth Legion to the Land of Rain. Intercept the enemy outside the Land of Fire's borders. We must not allow the flames of war to spread into the Land of Fire," Danzo said coldly, a glint of icy light flashing in his eyes. His implication was clear: use the Land of Rain as the battlefield.

Though some of those present felt reluctant, they had no way to object. Were they supposed to let the flames of war burn across the Land of Fire? Before such words could even be finished, they would likely be condemned by everyone.

"However, if we want to use the Land of Rain as the battlefield, we must first defeat Amegakure and Hanzō. It may be troublesome, but Amegakure cannot possibly withstand the repeated assaults of the three great ninja villages. Once Amegakure is dealt with, we can defeat Sunagakure and Stone Village. Leave the Second Legion and Third Legion behind to guard against Kirigakure and Kumogakure, while the Garrison Legion protects Konoha. Then everything will be foolproof," Shimura Danzō said again, his tone incomparably confident, as though the other ninja villages were nothing but rabble before Konoha.

Yet Konoha at this time truly had reason to be proud. The Third Hokage, hailed as a "Shinobi Hero," was in his prime, and there were only a handful in the entire Ninja World capable of contending with him. The Konoha White Fang's fame had spread far and wide. Some ninja villages even said, "If you encounter the Konoha White Fang, you may abandon the mission. There is no need for meaningless sacrifice."

The Third Hokage's disciples had also already matured. Their strength lay between Elite Jonin and Kage-level experts, and they could be called Pseudo-Kage. They only needed an opportunity to become Kage-level experts.

Though Konoha's Uchiha Clan was still suspected by the village during this period, it was not as severe as it would become later. As the foremost noble clan of the Ninja World, its strength was beyond doubt. The power of a single clan was even greater than that of some small ninja villages. Since the Hyuga Clan could contend with the Uchiha Clan, its strength was not far behind either.

Together with the Sarutobi Clan, Nara Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and countless other clans, as well as the vast number of civilian ninja, Konoha's strength was an absolute crushing advantage against any other ninja village.

"Does anyone have any other opinions?" The Third Hokage asked, his fingers interlocked and his elbows resting on the table. His gaze was calm, revealing no emotion.

No one had any objections. There was no problem with the overall strategy; the specific tactical execution would need to be handled by the commanders responsible.

"Good. Since no one has any objections, the meeting is adjourned. Go make your preparations," the Third Hokage declared.

Early the next morning, Beichen Haotian sensed the change in the village atmosphere. Entertainment activities had visibly decreased, and the streets carried a somewhat grave mood.

Beichen Haotian also received his assignment: transport supplies to the front lines. Though it was still dangerous, it was much safer than the frontal battlefield. There would not be many enemy ninja capable of breaking through Konoha's defenses to attack Konoha's rear supply lines. Besides, he would not be alone.

At eight in the morning, Beichen Haotian followed the logistics supply team, transporting medicines, food, kunai, shuriken, tents, and other supplies toward the Land of Rain. As for Konoha's First Legion and Fourth Legion, they had already rushed toward the Land of Rain before dawn. The person leading them was the Konoha White Fang. The Third Hokage remained in Konoha, but if the battlefield required it, he too would immediately enter the fray.

By the time Beichen Haotian reached the border of the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Rain, he could occasionally hear faint explosions in the distance.

Rain poured endlessly throughout the Land of Rain, growing heavier and heavier. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, creating an intensely heavy and oppressive feeling. War, the oppressive environment, and the transport personnel wrapped in raincoats left everyone silent. Under such circumstances, no one was in the mood to talk or joke.

Beichen Haotian, however, was in quite a good mood. He liked rainy days very much. It was still the early stage of the war, so things were not yet busy and he had some free time. Beichen Haotian practiced Hand Seals whenever he had nothing to do, increasing his sealing speed. Once he had enough strength, status, and merit, he would have the leverage to ask the Third Hokage for one-handed Hand Seals. Using ninjutsu through Hand Seals while wielding his saber would greatly increase Beichen Haotian's strength.

Thanks, brother who voted with recommendation tickets. Are those two characters of yours supposed to be "diaosi"? I only looked up the first character and guessed the second. If so, brother, you're absolutely killing it!