The Hokage's office.
Smoke curled through the room.
Sarutobi Hiruzen held a pipe between his teeth, his brow furrowed as he looked at the Anbu kneeling before him.
Beside him, Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane with one hand, a cold glint in his single eye.
The Anbu took a deep breath and recounted the report word for word:
"Sawada Hiroki demonstrated the ability to walk on water at Training Ground 3. He did so with exceptional ease and made no mistakes. Afterward, he proposed a system for quantifying chakra—"
"He defined the chakra consumed by one basic Transformation Technique as '100 cards' and used that as a standard unit to precisely measure chakra output. During the demonstration, Hiroki was able to maintain an output of one card, with virtually no fluctuations, according to Lord Orochimaru's assessment."
Almost zero?
What did that even mean?
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow. Of course he knew how much chakra the Transformation Technique consumed, but that varied from person to person. Everyone had a different weight and build, so the technique required different amounts of chakra.
Take Naruto's chakra in the original story, for example. Even transforming Gamabunta to look like the Nine-Tails had been a struggle.
But Naruto used the technique to transform into a shuriken all the time.
So even though Sarutobi Hiruzen had a good idea of how much chakra a single Transformation Technique took, he had no way to quantify it.
"What about Orochimaru? Did he say how much his own output fluctuated?" Danzō asked, frowning at the Anbu.
"Yes. Lord Orochimaru said his fluctuations were around plus or minus 0.02," the Anbu replied quietly.
0.02!?
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō exchanged a glance, immediately realizing that this was no ordinary matter!
Orochimaru was an elite Jonin!
He was an exceptionally versatile ninja. If even he could sense a fluctuation of around 0.02 in his own chakra, yet couldn't detect any fluctuation in Hiroki's—
Didn't that mean Hiroki's chakra output was almost as perfect as a machine's!?
The office fell briefly silent. Standing in the shadows, Danzō was the first to break it. His voice was as hoarse as ever. "If this unit called a 'card' can be widely adopted, the Ninja Academy's efficiency could improve by at least thirty percent. Chakra control could be taught at the Academy, and students could meet the standards of a Chunin before graduation."
"It's a good idea, Danzō." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk and picked up the pipe, but didn't light it. He simply turned it over in his hands.
He knew Danzō was right.
But as the head of the Ninja Academy, he understood the school's situation better than anyone.
If only Orochimaru could keep his fluctuations to 0.02, what were the Academy teachers' fluctuations like?
"The problem is how to measure it. Hiroki can sense it, but that doesn't mean anyone else in the village can. We don't have a standard 'ruler.'"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had identified the central problem in a single stroke.
The Second Hokage had founded the Ninja Academy. Surely he must have considered standardizing chakra measurements, yet he hadn't implemented it.
That meant there had to be a problem.
"Then have Orochimaru make us a ruler," Danzō replied simply and directly. "He's the child's teacher and the village's foremost researcher. Finding a way to quantify chakra, or creating a tool to measure chakra output, is his job."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. It was exactly what he had in mind.
Leaving specialized problems to specialists was the safest approach. Orochimaru was probably more interested in this than any of them.
"But I'm afraid we can't do that just yet. We'll have to wait for Orochimaru to return." Sarutobi Hiruzen set his pipe back on the desk, and the mood in the office eased a little. The discussion of chakra standardization was put on hold. "That settles it for now."
Knock, knock, knock. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō had just finished their astonished exchange when someone knocked at the door.
"Come in—"
At some point, the Third had put on a kindly expression.
Orochimaru entered.
He'd received orders from the Anbu and brought Team 7 to the office.
"Teacher! I've brought Team 7." A trace of confusion still lingered on Orochimaru's face. He was already leading a team of students. Was there some urgent mission that even a Jonin squad leader like him had to go on?
There was.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was relieved to see Orochimaru, but his expression quickly turned serious.
"Orochimaru, I have an urgent mission for you! The ninjas of the Land of Rain have been causing trouble lately, and there have been numerous clashes with Konoha. Especially with the latest report we received today!"
"Witnesses have spotted large squads of Amegakure ninja moving in and out of the Land of Fire. We believe they're trying to start a war!"
"..." Danzō remained silent in the shadowy corner, watching Hiroki without a word. No one could tell what he was thinking.
Orochimaru paused, then frowned as he glanced at Hiroki and the others.
"Teacher, these three—" He subtly gestured toward Kushina and the others. She was the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiroki was a top-notch genius, and Nawaki was Tsunade's younger brother, as well as one of the daimyo's direct heirs.
"...There's no one else suitable for the job." The Third shook his head regretfully, cutting Orochimaru off.
"Everyone else has a mission. The Anbu ninja has gone to the Land of Wind, Jiraiya has gone to the Land of Lightning, and Tsunade and Dan are keeping an eye on the Land of Earth. That leaves you, Orochimaru!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, his voice turning colder:
"Your main task is to scout Amegakure's movements, gather intelligence along the border, and assess Hanzo's troop deployments and strategic intentions."
"If you encounter Amegakure ninja inside our territory—"
His gaze sharpened as it swept over the three children.
"You're authorized to attack without restriction! Remember, this isn't a drill or training. This is a real battlefield, where people die."
The air in the office seemed to freeze.
Nawaki swallowed, his fists clenching without him realizing it.
Kushina's breathing grew unsteady.
Even Hiroki was breathing a little faster.
War. It was about to begin.
"I understand. I'll keep them safe," Orochimaru said gravely.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru, a trace of relief in his eyes.
"You're my most outstanding student, and one of Konoha's youngest Jonin. I trust you with these three." Then he turned to the children, his expression growing stern.
"Nawaki, Kushina, Hiroki. This is your first real mission. Learn as much as you can on the battlefield! You can't remain students forever. You must become capable ninja in your own right!"
"But remember: on the training ground, you can try again if you fail. On the battlefield, you get only one chance."
Sarutobi Hiruzen fixed his gaze on the three children, his voice growing low and forceful.
"Only those who survive have the right to talk about the future."
"Yes!"
Nawaki answered loudly. Though his voice carried a trace of nervousness, excitement burned in his eyes. Kids his age were in the middle of their rebellious phase; he hadn't yet grasped how cruel war could be.
"Yes!" Kushina clenched her fists too. She had once been kidnapped, but Hiroki had saved her in the end. She was a little anxious, but even more eager to prove herself.
As for Hiroki—
He simply nodded in silence, showing no excitement.
As an adult who had seen photographs of battlefields in the information age, he understood what a battlefield meant far better than Kushina and Nawaki did.
Besides...
Nawaki was supposed to die this year. Hiroki had no idea if it would happen on this mission, so he was especially cautious and quiet.
"Good."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction.
"Now, prepare as quickly as you can. Once you're ready, depart at once. The Anbu are compiling the mission details and a map of the border. They'll deliver them to you shortly, Orochimaru."
"There's no time to waste! Move out as soon as possible!"
Orochimaru bowed again, but worry deepened in his eyes.
He was taking three children on this mission, each with an unusual background, and yet they had been assigned such an urgent task. Was this really a good idea? Surely leaving the children in the village would be better than bringing them along.
But his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was here, as was Danzō, the leader of Root. They must have had deeper reasons for this decision.
"One more thing—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen added suddenly:
"You may encounter Sunagakure ninja in Amegakure during this mission. If you do, avoid conflict if possible.
"After all, we're still allies with Sunagakure."
"But if you find them inside Konoha territory—"
His gaze turned icy.
"Show no mercy. Kill them all!"
"Understood!"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Go!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled at the three children and waved them off.
"Go prepare immediately."
"Yes!"
Orochimaru led the three children out of the Hokage's office.
The moment the door shut, the warmth vanished from Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
He sat back down and drew deeply on his pipe.
"Danzō."
His voice was low.
"How many of those three children do you think will survive?"
"At least two."
Danzō's reply was cold.
"It's only Amegakure. Orochimaru will protect them, and all three children have talent. As long as they don't run into Hanzo himself, they shouldn't have much trouble."
"You can't keep the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from ever seeing a battlefield or experiencing war. She has to fight for real and gain a clear understanding of a ninja's actual strength!"
"Otherwise, if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki witnesses an ordinary Jonin's deathmatch and thinks it's a crisis threatening Konoha's very survival, that would be ridiculous!" Danzō laughed.
"Besides, according to the report, Hiroki can assassinate Jonin-level ninja, can't he? This is the best opportunity we're going to get! There's no telling if we'll get another one later."
"But what if they run into Hanzo?"
"Then it'll be up to fate."
Danzō was merciless. "That's the fate of a ninja. The weak die, the strong survive. There are no exceptions."
"Kushina is the best candidate, but she isn't the only one. If we're unlucky enough for that to happen, we'll have no choice but to find someone else!"
"Sarutobi! Everything comes with risks! Even the Second Hokage couldn't plan for every possibility!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes. He knew Danzō was right.
But as Hokage, he still hoped—
all three children would make it back alive.
Especially Hiroki.
That child was most likely one of the Second Hokage's legacies. He deserved the chance to do far more.
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