The Gap at the Fingertips

The next second, Ebisu felt three chilling gazes fixated upon him, the killing intent flickering in their eyes making his entire body tremble.

"Bastard!"

"Just a little more, just a tiny bit more and I would have kissed her, you bastard Ebisu."

"Prepare yourself, you're already dead."

Collapsing to the floor, Ebisu shivered uncontrollably, pressing his back against the wall as he felt his end drawing near.

"Wait, it has nothing to do with me! It was the Third Hokage, the Third Hokage ordered me to come find Uchiha Hanazuki, it has nothing to do with me!"

"Oh? Is it an order from the Third Hokage? It must be a very important mission. I'll be heading out now, bye-bye."

With a flicker of movement, Hanazuki, who had been pushed onto the sofa, vanished from the spot, and when he turned again, Ebisu had disappeared along with him.

At the same time, inside Training Ground 3, Hanazuki let out a long, weary sigh and lamented.

"Saved at last. I almost ended up living the life of a drained husk. You arrived just in time, Ebisu-senpai. What on earth happened?"

Just as he was marveling at his narrow escape, Ebisu fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Damn it, what exactly am I lacking compared to a brat? Is it my looks? My personality? My ninjutsu? Why can this guy have girls on both arms while I haven't even had a girlfriend to this day? Damn it!"

Hanazuki's mouth twitched. Only then did he remember that the person before him was the infamous "closet pervert" Ebisu. After a moment of hesitation, he offered a bit of consolation.

"Calm down, Ebisu-senpai. With your charm, you will surely find a girl who likes you."

"Really?"

Ebisu snapped out of his despair, his expression behind his sunglasses turning excited as he couldn't help but press for more.

"Then, how big is the gap between you and me?"

"There isn't much of a gap at all. If I had to say, it's only this much."

Hanazuki smiled slightly, bringing his thumb and index finger together until only an imperceptible sliver of space remained, which only served to bolster Ebisu's spirits.

"What a—what a truly good person! Uchiha Hanazuki, thank you for your encouragement. I will definitely work harder and become an excellent ninja who surpasses you!"

"More importantly, what did the Third Hokage want with me?"

"Ah! Right, I almost forgot the main point. The shock of that scene just now almost made me lose my mind."

"The Third Hokage wants you to go to the Mission Briefing Hall immediately. It seems like a very urgent situation. But if it's a high-level mission, why would he ask for you, a mere Genin?"

"Come to think of it, what was that ninjutsu from earlier? How did we get from your house to Training Ground 3 in an instant..."

When Ebisu finally snapped out of his thoughts, he realized that the Uchiha Hanazuki before him had already vanished without a trace.

"Disappeared again? Could it be the Body Flicker Technique? Why would a Genin know a ninjutsu of that level?"

The fact that Uchiha Hanazuki had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and been taken as a disciple by Orochimaru was known only to the ninjas who had participated in the Battle of Mount Kikyo, most of whom were Konoha Jonin and clan heads.

Now that they were in a time of war, most Jonin were rushing between various battlefields. While they were aware of the situation, the Chunin and Genin were completely oblivious to this news.

Hanazuki himself had also been staying home, avoiding the public eye to lower the guard of the Third Hokage and Danzo, so he naturally had no intention of broadcasting his own strength.

Inside the Hokage's office building, in the Third Hokage's study.

"I heard from Ebisu that you were looking for me? What exactly is it?"

"You've arrived? Uchiha Hanazuki, I didn't call you here for any other reason than to entrust you with a very important mission."

"Do you know of the Land of Water?"

After a moment of contemplation, Uchiha Hanazuki nodded slightly, unsure of what Sarutobi Hiruzen was aiming for.

"I have heard of it. The Land of Water seems to be a barren and warlike nation, and it was the first of the great powers to move against the Land of Wind during the Third Shinobi World War."

"That is correct. The territory of the Land of Water consists mostly of islands. Its people live in poverty, perpetually shrouded in mist, and it is a nation that rarely interacts with other great powers."

"Yet, precisely because of this, they unscrupulously invade other countries to plunder. Coupled with the formidable strength of the Mist Hidden ninjas, they are a source of great headaches for Konoha."

The tip of the brush stopped, and a piece of calligraphy titled "Will of Fire" was born. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction, while Uchiha Hanazuki remained expressionless, failing to grasp the intent.

"So, what is my mission?"

"Konoha Village can no longer afford excessive warfare. Your performance at Mount Kikyo against the Sand Hidden was highly praised by both Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato."

"Therefore, the mission I am bestowing upon you now is: battlefield support."

Hanazuki raised an eyebrow. Battlefield support? Which battlefield? Was there still a large-scale front between Konoha and the other great powers?

"To avoid a repeat of the situation at Mount Kikyo, where someone could sneak into the heart of the Land of Fire without anyone noticing, you are to act alone to guard against potential attacks from other great powers."

The atmosphere fell into an inexplicable silence. Sarutobi Hiruzen did not turn his head, waiting for Hanazuki's response.

"I understand. However, I will need..."

After leaving the Third Hokage's office, Hanazuki's expression remained calm, as if the demanding mission had not caused him any dissatisfaction.

Upon returning home, among the three portions of snacks, a row of cold, gleaming, pitch-black Specialized Kunai lay on the coffee table, like an invisible show of force.

"One, two, three... a standard Anbu three-man squad? This is why I hate the wretched recommendation system."

Even though he wanted to climb to the top step by step, his identity as an Uchiha destined him to never even become a candidate for... Hokage. The wretched recommendation system couldn't even achieve democratic fairness!

In his inner world, Hanazuki remained silent, but the expression on his face made it clear that he was in a foul mood.

"What's wrong, brat? Have you reached your limit? Then join forces with me now, and let's turn this world upside down! Wahahahaha!"

He ignored the Black Nine-Tails before him, who was frantically tempting him and trying to spread the flames of war once more.

The Rasengan at his fingertips spun at high speed, carving his own chakra signature into each of the specialized kunai capable of withstanding a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Kurama, why do you think humans are so greedy for power? Is it because they fear the passage of time, or because they fear losing the recognition of others once that power is gone?"

"I'm not a human, how the hell should I know? All I know is that I'll swat anyone who tries to lay a hand on me into the dirt."

The Black Nine-Tails replied from his den without even lifting his head, completely oblivious to the flash of killing intent in Hua Yue's eyes.

"The reason humans are human is precisely because they never learn from history. It seems they must be destroyed completely after all."

"I shall be the one to bring the era of ninjas to an end."