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, pressing his back against the wall as he felt his end drawing near.

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

"Oh? Was it an order from the Third Hokage? It must be a very important mission then. I'll be off, bye-bye."

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

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

"Saved. I almost ended up living the life of a squeezed-out wretch. You arrived just in time, Ebisu-senpai. What on earth happened?"

Just as he was marveling at his narrow escape, Ebisu knelt on the ground, 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 left and right, while I don't even have a girlfriend to this day? Damn it!"

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

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

"Really?"

Ebisu snapped out of his despair, his expression beneath 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 a very big gap. If I had to say, it's probably only this much."

Hanazuki smiled slightly, bringing his index finger and thumb closer until only an imperceptible sliver of distance remained, which only served to further invigorate Ebisu.

"You really are a good person! Uchiha Hanazuki, thank you for your encouragement. I will definitely work harder to become an outstanding ninja who surpasses you!"

"Setting that aside, what exactly does the Third Hokage want with me?"

"Ah! Right, I almost forgot the real business. The shock of that scene just now almost made me lose my senses."

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

"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 Uchiha Hanazuki 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?"

Only the ninjas who had participated in the Battle of Mount Kikyo knew that Uchiha Hanazuki had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and had been taken as a disciple by Orochimaru, and most of those people were Konoha's Jonin and clan heads.

It was currently wartime, and most Jonin were rushing between various battlefields. While they were aware of the situation, the Chunin and Genin were not privy to this news.

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

Inside the Hokage 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, but to entrust you with a very important mission."

"Do you know about 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 also the first major power 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, shrouded in mist year-round, and it is a nation that rarely interacts with other major powers."

"But precisely because of that, they raid other countries without restraint. Coupled with the formidable strength of the Mist Village ninjas, they are a source of great headaches for Konoha."

The brush tip 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 meaning.

"So, what is my mission?"

"Konoha Village can no longer afford excessive warfare. Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato have spoken very highly of your performance at Mount Kikyo against the Sand Village."

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

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

"To avoid another situation like Mount Kikyo, where someone could sneak into the heart of the Land of Fire without us knowing, you are to guard against potential attacks from other major powers all on your own."

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

"I understand, but 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 snacks on the coffee table, a row of gleaming, pitch-black custom kunai were laid out like an invisible show of force.

"One, two, three... A standard three-man Anbu squad? This is exactly 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!"

Ignoring the Black Nine-Tails, who was frantically goading him and trying to spread the flames of war once more, he remained unmoved.

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 obsessed with 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, so how the hell should I know? All I know is that I'll swat anyone who tries to lay a hand on me into a pulp."

The Black Nine-Tails lay in its den and answered without even lifting its head, completely failing to notice the flash of killing intent in Hua Yue's eyes.

"The reason humans are human is precisely because they never learn from the lessons of history. As I thought, it must be destroyed completely."

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