Do I Look Like a Dragon to You?

"Knock, knock~"

As Sarutobi Hiruzen rapped on the podium, the noisy discussion in the conference room quickly died down.

The scene felt strangely familiar to Yusuke, like sitting through a lecture in a tiered university classroom in his previous life.

All the jōnin focused their attention on the Third Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke in a steady voice. "The situation is urgent, so I'll keep this brief."

"Amegakure has been on high alert lately, and has been carrying out a major purge of spies within the village."

"A few days ago, we received word from the Land of Iron. Hanzo the Salamander personally led a raid on the Land of Iron and seized a large quantity of strategic supplies."

Yusuke's brow furrowed ever so slightly. "Those samurai in the Land of Iron really have relied too much on their status as a neutral nation. They've been living comfortably for far too long."

The intelligence they'd sent earlier had clearly failed to garner enough attention. They hadn't expected Hanzo the Salamander to strike again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "Yesterday, Hanzo the Salamander officially declared war on the Five Great Nations."

"The terms he proposed are extremely harsh. He's demanding that the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth cede large areas of territory."

"He's also demanding compensation for the damage the three nations have inflicted on the Land of Rain through years of conflict."

"The Daimyo Office flatly rejected these demands."

"War is now unavoidable."

"To make matters worse, the defensive forces of the Land of Wind along the Land of Rivers show signs of unusual movements. Their intentions are unclear."

"We must prepare for the worst and be ready to fight on two fronts."

"Therefore, we'll be assigning some of our outstanding Genin to support missions."

His gaze swept over the room as he began announcing the appointments. "Shimura Danzō is hereby appointed commander-in-chief of the western front against Amegakure."

"Orochimaru will command the southern front's defense against the Land of Wind, with Hatake Sakumo as his deputy."

"All units are to collect their specific assignments from the mission office. We leave for the front in one hour."

With the main business concluded, Sarutobi Hiruzen changed his tone. His voice rose, filling with conviction.

"Everyone, Konoha is our shared home."

"When our enemies provoke us, we must strike back without hesitation!"

"Remember, wherever the leaves dance, the fire will burn on!"

His declaration of the Will of Fire ignited the fighting spirit of most of the jōnin.

The mood in the room surged. Many wore resolute expressions, and the determination to defend Konoha to the death spread among them.

Below the podium, Shimura Danzō lowered his single eye, the corner of his mouth curling in cold mockery.

"Hiruzen, you really are a hypocrite!"

"This is nothing but a struggle for profit, yet you use these empty slogans to send young people to their deaths."

Yusuke's gaze passed over the crowd and settled on a white-haired man with a ponytail, sitting ramrod straight.

His features were stern, his back perfectly straight, and he radiated the razor-sharp air of a veteran of countless battles.

"So that's Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi Hatake's father?"

That Kage Level warrior who failed a mission to save his teammates, then was hounded to death by rumors. The thought flashed through Yusuke's mind.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, Hatake Sakumo's sharp, knife-like eyes swept over at once.

His gaze seemed to have witnessed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, carrying a palpable pressure.

Yusuke didn't look away. He met Sakumo's gaze calmly and gave a slight nod.

A flicker of confusion crossed Hatake Sakumo's eyes. He didn't recognize the young shinobi, but out of courtesy, he returned the gesture with a slight, expressionless nod.

"Looking at Sakumo?"

"That's Hatake Sakumo, deputy commander of the southern front. They call him the White Fang of the Leaf."

Tsunade noticed Yusuke's gaze and explained in a quiet voice.

"He's a respected senior, and incredibly powerful."

"Even Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and I aren't his match."

"His family used to be a samurai clan. Don't be fooled by how unapproachable he seems right now. That's just how he is during wartime."

"Normally, he's a cheerful and easygoing senior."

Yusuke nodded, very much in agreement.

How could he not be cheerful and optimistic? You wouldn't come up with a jutsu like One Thousand Years of Death if you weren't.

I just don't understand why someone like that would be driven to death by rumors. He doesn't seem like a fragile person.

He couldn't help wondering to himself.

Yusuke had formed a preliminary impression of this tragic powerhouse.

The meeting ended, and everyone began filing out in an orderly manner, heading to the mission office.

Yusuke and Tsunade had barely left the conference room when a somewhat androgynous voice came from a side corridor.

"Yusuke, please wait."

They stopped. Orochimaru had appeared silently beside a pillar.

His golden snake-like eyes studied Yusuke with keen interest, scanning him up and down as if he were prey.

It's no good to have Orochimaru take an interest in me. Yusuke frowned slightly.

"Orochimaru, what is it?" Tsunade instinctively stepped half a pace forward, shielding Yusuke. She sensed a hint of ill intent.

Orochimaru licked his lips and laughed hoarsely. "Hehe, there's no need to be nervous, Tsunade. I'm just passing along a message from a certain 'great one.'"

His gaze settled on Yusuke again. "Yusuke, the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave is very interested in you."

"She formally invites you to visit Ryūchi Cave."

"Ryūchi Cave? The White Snake Sage?"

"Could it be like the Sage Slug, which sensed a change in fate through Orochimaru and came looking for me?"

"Then what about the Great Toad Sage?" Yusuke narrowed his eyes, feeling as if several ferocious beasts had him in their sights.

The Tyrant consciousness inside him, temporarily balanced by Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu, was still a hidden danger.

His own strength had now reached the level of a weaker Kage. After entering Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode, his power would rise by a level and reach standard Kage Level.

The Third Kazekage on the battlefield this time was reputed to be the strongest Kazekage. At the very least, he was standard Kage Level.

Hanzo the Salamander was a powerful Kage Level shinobi. Yusuke had managed to injure him last time thanks to the element of surprise and his intelligence advantage.

Defeating Hanzo the Salamander this time wouldn't be so easy.

And that wasn't even counting Shimura Danzō, another standard Kage Level schemer watching him from the shadows.

So, in this war, he would inevitably have to activate Stage One: Incursio to reach powerful Kage Level and be on the safe side.

But using Incursio repeatedly would inevitably nourish the Tyrant consciousness and break the balance he'd achieved.

That meant he needed to visit Mount Myoboku and Ryūchi Cave to study their Senjutsu.

Then he could merge with the Tyrant consciousness and eliminate this hidden danger once and for all. That was his top priority.

Yusuke hadn't known how to bring it up before. After all, he wasn't close with Orochimaru or Jiraiya.

Asking someone about their trump card right away would be far too abrupt and impolite.

"Why would the White Snake Sage take the initiative to seek me out?" Yusuke couldn't make sense of it.

"The only thing I can think of that has anything to do with snakes is Tyrant, that dragon-shaped monster."

Could the White Snake Sage really think I look like a dragon? Yusuke furrowed his brow. With no other information to go on, that was all he could deduce.

Orochimaru waited quietly, in no hurry.

His golden, slit-pupil eyes fixed on Yusuke. "Yusuke, what secret of yours could have attracted the White Snake Sage's attention?"

"Splendid..."

Just as the atmosphere began to grow tense, Tsunade broke the silence. "Ryūchi Cave? Orochimaru, what do you mean?"

She knew how dangerous Ryūchi Cave was. Even Orochimaru, a genius who had passed Ryūchi Cave's trial, had never dared to practice its Senjutsu.

Orochimaru spread his hands. "I'm only the messenger. The decision is Yusuke's to make."