Border Disturbance, Depart Immediately

Hokage Office.

Smoke swirled in the air.

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, his brows furrowed as he watched the Anbu kneeling on one knee before him.

Beside him, Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane with one hand, a cold, eerie light flickering in his single eye.

The Anbu took a deep breath and repeated, word for word:

"Sawada Hiroki demonstrated the ability to walk on water at Training Ground 3. The process was extremely fluid, without a single mistake. Subsequently, he proposed a quantitative system for chakra—"

"He defined the chakra consumption of a basic Transformation Technique as one 'Ka' and used this as a standard unit to precisely measure chakra output. During the demonstration, Hiroki was able to output exactly 1 Ka of chakra steadily, and according to Orochimaru-sama's perception, his output fluctuation was near zero."

Near zero?

What kind of concept was that?

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. He certainly knew how much chakra a Transformation Technique consumed, but it varied from person to person; everyone had different weights and body types, so the chakra consumption for the technique differed.

Taking Naruto from the original work as an example, turning Gamabunta into the Nine-Tails was already a massive strain.

Yet, Naruto frequently used the technique to transform into a shuriken.

Therefore, even though Sarutobi Hiruzen was well aware of the approximate chakra consumption of a single transformation, he had no way to quantify it.

"What about Orochimaru? Did he say what his own fluctuation margin was?" Danzō stared at the Anbu, frowning as he asked.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama stated that his own fluctuation margin is around 0.02," the Anbu replied in a low voice.

0.02!?

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō exchanged glances, instantly realizing the gravity of the situation!

Orochimaru was an elite Jonin!

He was an incredibly well-rounded ninja. If even he could perceive a fluctuation margin of around 0.02 in his own chakra, yet could not sense any fluctuation in Hiroki's chakra at all...

Did that not mean that Hiroki's chakra fluctuation was as perfect as a machine's!?

The office fell into a brief silence. Danzō, standing in the shadows, was the first to break it, his voice as raspy as ever: "This unit called 'Ka'—if it can be popularized, the efficiency of the Ninja Academy could increase by at least thirty percent. Courses on chakra control could be fully integrated into the Ninja Academy, and students could reach the standards of past Chunin before graduation."

"The idea is sound, Danzō." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk and picked up the pipe, though he didn't light it, merely turning it slowly in his hands.

He certainly knew that Danzō was right.

However, as the headmaster of the Ninja Academy, he was even more aware of the reality within the school.

If only Orochimaru could achieve a fluctuation margin of 0.02, what would the margin be for the teachers at the Ninja Academy?

"The problem now is, how do we measure it? Just because Hiroki can feel it doesn't mean everyone else in the village can. We don't have a standard 'ruler'."

Sarutobi Hiruzen hit the nail on the head, pointing out the core difficulty.

As the founder of the Ninja Academy, the Second Hokage surely must have considered the issue of chakra standardization, yet he never promoted it.

That meant there was definitely a problem.

"Then let Orochimaru make a ruler." Danzō's answer was simple and direct. "Since he is that child's teacher and the village's top researcher, finding a method for quantification or creating a tool capable of measuring chakra output is his task."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; this was exactly what he had been thinking.

Leaving professional problems to professionals was the safest approach. Orochimaru's interest in this matter was likely even stronger than any of theirs.

"But I'm afraid it won't work right now; we'll have to wait until Orochimaru returns." Sarutobi Hiruzen placed the pipe back on the desk, and the atmosphere in the office eased slightly. The discussion regarding chakra standardization was temporarily put to rest. "Let's leave it at that for now."

Knock, knock, knock. Just as the exchange between the Third Hokage and Danzō ended with a hint of astonishment, a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter—"

The Third Hokage's face had already shifted into a kind and amiable expression.

It was Orochimaru who entered.

He had received the Anbu's order and brought the members of Team 7 to the office.

"Sensei! I have brought Team 7." There was still a trace of confusion on Orochimaru's face. He was currently in the middle of training his students; could there be some emergency mission that required a lead Jonin like him to depart?

But, there truly was.

Seeing Orochimaru, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief, but his expression immediately turned serious again.

"Orochimaru, there is an urgent mission for you! The ninjas of Amegakure have been restless lately, causing many frictions with Konoha, especially with the news we just received today!"

"There have been sightings of large squads of Amegakure ninjas entering the Land of Fire. We have determined that they are attempting to provoke a war!"

"..." Danzō hid in the dark corner without speaking, silently observing Hiroki, wondering what he was thinking.

Orochimaru was stunned, his brows furrowing as he glanced at Hiroki and the other two.

"Sensei, these three—" He hinted cryptically about the information regarding Kushina and the others. These were the candidates for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiroki was a genius among geniuses, and Nawaki was Tsunade's own younger brother and one of the direct heirs to the Daimyo.

"..." Sarutobi shook his head regretfully, cutting off Orochimaru's words.

"Everyone else has other missions. The Anbu operative is in the Land of Wind, Jiraiya is in the Land of Lightning, and Tsunade and Dan are on alert in the Land of Earth. Only you remain, Orochimaru!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, his voice gradually turning cold:

"Your primary mission is to scout the movements of Amegakure, gather intelligence in the border regions, and assess Hanzo's troop deployments and strategic intentions."

"If you encounter Amegakure ninja within our borders—"

His gaze turned sharp, sweeping across the three children:

"You are authorized to engage without conditions! Remember, this is not an exercise, nor is it training. This is a real battlefield, a place where people die."

The air in the office seemed to solidify.

Nawaki swallowed hard, his fists clenching involuntarily.

Kushina's breathing became somewhat rapid.

Even Hiroki's breathing quickened.

War. It was about to begin.

"I understand, I will protect them well," Orochimaru said in a low voice.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru, a flicker of gratification passing through his eyes:

"You are my most outstanding student and one of the youngest jonin in Konoha. I am very relieved to entrust these three children to you." Then, his gaze turned to the three children, his voice becoming solemn:

"Nawaki, Kushina, Hiroki. This is your first combat mission; you must learn as much as possible on the battlefield! You cannot be students forever! You must also become ninja capable of standing on your own!"

"But remember: on the training ground, if you fail, you can try again. But on the battlefield, there is only one chance."

As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the three children, his voice gradually becoming deep and powerful:

"Only those who survive have the right to speak of the future."

"Yes!"

Nawaki responded loudly. Although his voice carried a hint of nervousness, his eyes burned with the flames of excitement. A child of this age was in the midst of a rebellious phase, and he had yet to realize the cruelty of war.

"Yes!" Kushina also clenched her fists. She had been kidnapped once before, but was ultimately saved by Hiroki. Although she felt a bit apprehensive, she was more eager to prove herself.

And Hiroki—

He simply nodded quietly, showing no excitement.

As an adult who had seen various photos of battlefields in the information age, he understood the meaning of the battlefield far better than Kushina or Nawaki.

Moreover...

Nawaki was destined to die this year. Hiroki had no idea if it would be during this mission, so he appeared even more cautious and quiet.

"Very well."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction:

"Then, prepare yourselves as quickly as possible, and depart immediately once you are ready. Orochimaru, the specific mission details and border maps are already being compiled by the Anbu and will be handed to you shortly."

"There is no time to lose! Depart at once!"

Orochimaru bowed again, but the worry in his eyes deepened.

He was now leading three children, all of whom had such extraordinary identities, yet they were being sent on such an urgent mission—was this really okay? Even leaving the three children in the village would surely be better than having them come with him.

But his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was here, and the Root leader Danzo was also here; presumably, there were deeper considerations at play.

"And one more thing—"

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly added:

"During this mission, you might encounter Sunagakure ninja in Amegakure. If you do, try to avoid conflict.

After all, we are still in an alliance with Sunagakure."

"But if they appear within Konoha's borders—"

His eyes turned cold:

"Then there is no need for courtesy; kill them without mercy!"

"Understood!"

Orochimaru nodded.

"Go!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled at the three little ones and waved his hand:

"Go back and prepare immediately."

"Yes!"

Orochimaru led the three children out of the Hokage office.

The moment the door closed, the gentle expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face vanished.

He sat back down in his chair and took a deep drag from his pipe.

"Danzo."

His voice was low:

"Tell me, how many of these three children will survive?"

"At least two of them will survive."

Danzo said coldly:

"It is only Amegakure, Orochimaru will protect them. Besides, those three children all have decent talent. As long as they don't run into Hanzo himself, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"You cannot keep the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from the battlefield entirely, without any war experience! She must experience real combat and have a clear judgment of the specific strength of a ninja!"

"Otherwise, it would be ridiculous if a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki saw an ordinary life-and-death struggle between jonin and thought it was a life-or-death crisis for Konoha!" Danzo let out a laugh.

"Furthermore, according to the report, doesn't Hiroki also possess the ability to assassinate jonin-level ninjas? This is already the most suitable window! Whether such an opportunity will exist later on is not certain."

"But what if they encounter Hanzo?"

"Then that depends on their fate."

Danzo said mercilessly: "This is the destiny of a ninja. The weak die, the strong live. There are no exceptions."

"Kushina is the best candidate, but she is not the only one. If their luck is that bad, then replacing her is a helpless matter!"

"Sarutobi! Everything has risks! Even the Second Hokage could not plan for every contingency!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes; he knew that Danzo was right.

But as Hokage, he still hoped that—

All three of these children could return alive.

Especially Hiroki.

That child, who was in all likelihood the legacy of the Second Hokage, should be able to accomplish more things.

"I hope—they can all return alive."