A Small Scroll Popped Out of the Smoke

"That's a given!" Hibari lifted his chin. "I'm not afraid of a damn thing!"

"You little brat..." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head with a chuckle, though his gaze was quite serious. "That may be so, but war is no child's play. Still, I believe that if it truly comes to a fight, Konoha will certainly be the winner."

After he finished speaking, he kicked off the ground and vanished from the tree branch ahead in a flash.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Hibari hurried to catch up, shouting as he chased after him, "Don't worry, Hiruzen! With me here, how could we possibly lose?"

From ahead came Sarutobi Hiruzen's exasperated voice: "Call me Uncle Hiruzen! And stop being so arrogant, you brat!"

On the edge of Insect King Valley, there was a small lake.

A Konoha ninja was crouching by the shore, drawing water with a wooden bucket. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a scar running across his face. He was the type of person you would never notice in a crowd—as ordinary as could be.

Yet, this man was none other than Sarutobi Sasuke.

Just as he carried the bucket to the nearby wooden shack, Sarutobi Sasuke's movements suddenly stopped. He looked up, casting his gaze toward the forest behind the house.

Before long, two figures emerged from the woods. Sarutobi Sasuke squinted, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

"I had expected the Hokage and Tobirama to send you, Hiruzen," he said, standing straight with the bucket in hand, "but I truly didn't expect you to be on the list as well, Hibari."

Before the words had even faded, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hibari landed in front of the shack one after the other. Just as Hiruzen was about to speak, Hibari darted out ahead of him.

"Heh heh, Grandpa Sarutobi, didn't expect that, did you?" He grinned, pulled his forehead protector from his tunic, and shook it in his hand. "Don't underestimate me! I'm a proper Konoha ninja now, so isn't it only right that I contribute to the village?"

Sarutobi Sasuke glanced at the forehead protector and smiled. "It seems the Hokage and Tobirama have finally decided to let you out..."

He turned to his son, his expression turning more serious. "Hiruzen, what are the Hokage's orders?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately replied, "Father, the Hokage has ordered me and Hibari to assist you. The mission is to investigate the movements of the Seven-Tails Chomei, confirm whether the information has been leaked, and... determine if any third-party forces are involved."

As he said this, he deliberately glanced at Hibari. Hibari understood immediately and quickly jumped into the conversation.

"If other forces really are involved," Hibari puffed out his chest, "we have to stall them until the Hokage arrives!"

Sarutobi Sasuke listened, silent for a moment, before speaking. "So, the Hokage will be coming personally to handle this soon?"

"Yes, this matter could be minor or major," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

"Sigh, it's my fault for not handling things well," Sarutobi Sasuke sighed, a look of shame appearing on his face. "Who would have thought a rogue ninja from Takigakure would appear at a time like this... The intelligence leaked just like that; it's truly a disgrace to the village."

"Grandpa Sarutobi, how can you blame yourself for that?" Hibari stepped closer and waved his hand. "You aren't familiar with those people from Takigakure, so it's perfectly normal for things to go wrong. But judging by what you just said... has the leak been confirmed?"

Sarutobi Sasuke nodded, his expression growing grave. "Yes, I've checked. That Takigakure rogue ninja named Kakuzu has already sold the information about the Seven-Tails on the black market, and... I hear there is already a buyer."

"So, not only has the information leaked, but the possibility of third-party intervention is high?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.

"Correct," Sarutobi Sasuke said firmly. "Therefore, before the Hokage arrives, we must ensure that nothing happens to the Seven-Tails Chomei."

As he listened, Hibari casually grabbed a steamed bun from the table at the shack's entrance, took a large bite, and asked indistinctly, "Grandpa Sarutobi, is the Seven-Tails really in the valley behind us?"

Seeing his overly familiar manner, Sarutobi Sasuke didn't mind, simply nodding. "I've gone in to scout; there is indeed a massive amount of chakra inside, and I saw the Seven-Tails with my own eyes. There's no mistake."

Hibari finished the bun in two bites, his eyes brightening. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in and keep watch! Let me see it for myself too!"

"Hahahaha!" Sarutobi Sasuke laughed loudly. "Aren't you afraid it will spit a Tailed Beast Bomb at you and blow you to smithereens?"

"With you and Uncle Hiruzen here, what do I have to fear?" Hibari said dismissively.

"Flattery won't work," Sarutobi Sasuke shook his head with a smile, then paused. "However, since you're here, we do need to go in. If someone else really is involved, they are the enemy... We need to prepare some 'gifts' for them in advance."

"Setting traps? That's my specialty!" Hibari patted his chest. "Even the Second Hokage has suffered because of my traps!"

"No one knows when those people might arrive," Sarutobi Sasuke stopped smiling. "There's no time to lose, let's move out."

After packing up, the three of them headed toward the nearby Insect King Valley. As they walked, Hibari pondered the "Yellow Springs Swamp" technique he had just seen, calling it impressive in his heart, though he didn't say anything more out loud.

The name "Insect King Valley" alone was enough to make one's skin crawl. Only a few steps into the valley, Hibari felt uneasy; it felt as if some behemoth was lurking in the depths of the valley, and a heart-palpitating pressure drifted over from far away.

"Good grief," Hibari smacked his lips. "This Seven-Tails has quite the ego, doesn't it? We haven't even seen it yet, and it's already trying to intimidate us?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled. "Ordinary ninjas might not even encounter a Tailed Beast in their entire lives. You're getting an eye-opener this time, so count yourself lucky."

Hibari grinned but didn't reply, focusing his energy on sensing the surroundings. After all, having studied under the Second Hokage, Tobirama, for so long, he had at least that much skill.

After walking a bit further, Sarutobi Sasuke, who was in the lead, suddenly raised his hand to signal a stop.

"We can't go any further," he whispered. "If we go any further, we might be discovered by the Seven-Tails, and it might stumble upon the traps we've set, which would make things quite lively."

"Got it!" As soon as he heard this, Hibari became energized, his face beaming. "Grandpa Sarutobi, Brother Hiruzen, you two take a rest, and let me show you what I can do!"

"It's Uncle Hiruzen!" Sarutobi Hiruzen corrected him with annoyance; this brat was always taking advantage of him with titles.

Sarutobi Sasuke, however, was all smiles, looking like he was ready to enjoy a show. "Alright, I've been wanting to see what kind of tricks are in those traps that even managed to trip up Tobirama."

"Just watch and learn!" Hibari said, his hands already moving rapidly through hand signs.

Sarutobi Sasuke squinted and muttered, "Earth Release?"

"Earth Release: Earth Sinking Technique!" Hibari shouted in a low voice. The ground in front of the three of them silently sank, forming a pit that was neither too deep nor too shallow. The edges looked quite natural; without a close look, one would never notice it.

Once the pit was ready, Hibari reached back and unslung his large scroll, spreading it out with a flourish before performing a single hand sign. With a soft pop, a small scroll sprang out from the smoke.

He walked to the edge of the pit with the small scroll, opening it as he said with a grin, "Since we're all family here, I won't hide it. You both know that my chakra is fundamentally incompatible with the Water attribute; Water Release is out of the question.

So, I've prepared some 'stock' just in case."

As he spoke, he aimed the unfurled small scroll at the pit.

The Sarutobi father and son weren't surprised; Hibari had had this problem since he was a child. Tobirama had often been troubled by it and had even asked Sarutobi Sasuke to examine him, though unfortunately, no cure was ever found.

"This problem... Tobirama still hasn't figured out a way to fix it?" Sarutobi Sasuke asked while watching Hibari work.

Hibari grinned and said, "There's been some progress, but we haven't had time to mess with it yet. Once we're done here, I'll go back and study it properly."

Sarutobi Sasuke nodded and replied, "Actually, I have an idea... I've been thinking about it lately, but the situation isn't right, and it would be quite a burden for you."

Upon hearing this, Hibari immediately stopped what he was doing and leaned in. "Grandpa Sarutobi, what idea? Even if I can't use it now, I'd like to hear it!"

Sarutobi Sasuke paused before speaking. "Coincidentally, the Five Kage Summit gave me some inspiration. You can't manipulate Water-attribute chakra, so what if... we forcibly filled that gap for you? Would that work?"

"Five Kage Summit... forcibly fill?" Hibari muttered, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "You don't mean... Tailed Beasts?"

"Exactly. The Tailed Beast that is best at playing with water is the Three-Tails Isobu.

If it were sealed inside you, making you a jinchuriki, the two might combine, and you might be able to command Water-attribute chakra." Sarutobi Sasuke said.

But then he smiled. "However, this method is too painful. A jinchuriki... is prone to trouble and is bound to be watched closely. By then, the Water-attribute problem might be solved, but you'd have even more trouble.

Besides, the Three-Tails Isobu has already been given to Kirigakure, so I'm just mentioning it... just to give you some food for thought."

"Three-Tails Isobu... huh? Sounds interesting. If there's a chance in the future, I might look into it." Hibari scratched his head and said cheerfully.

But for now, the Tailed Beasts had all been divided, and with the Three-Tails Isobu in the hands of Kirigakure, even if Hibari didn't mind the hassle of being a jinchuriki, he couldn't just go and snatch it.

This wasn't a game; if he ruined the peace that Hashirama had worked so hard to achieve, Hibari didn't consider himself that selfish.

But if a war were to break out later and he had the ability, Hibari wouldn't mind wading into the muddy waters.

"Thanks for the advice, Grandpa Sarutobi, I'll keep it in mind. Let's not talk about that for now; the matter at hand is more important... Release!" As he spoke, Hibari nimbly broke the scroll's seal.

The next second, with a splash, water poured out from the scroll. Judging by the flow, the storage capacity was significant, and in no time, it had filled the pit he had just dug.

Hibari quickly resealed it to stop the flow. After putting the scroll away, he looked at the "small pond" in front of him with satisfaction. Everything looked quite natural, with no signs of human intervention. Not bad.

"Hibari, why did you make a pond? Don't tell me you're hoping the people who fall into the trap will drown?

Don't assume that just because you can't swim, others can't either..." Sarutobi Hiruzen tilted his head, looking puzzled.

Hibari rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Drown, my foot! I wouldn't just jump into the water either.

You're just relying on having all five attributes, aren't you? Once I cure this problem and learn all of the Second Hokage's Water Release techniques, I'll show you what's what!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Sasuke both laughed. Of course, Hibari was just talking big; his relationship with Sarutobi Hiruzen was solid, and he wouldn't get serious over such a small matter.

"That's why you have to read more; the power of science is quite useful... Today, I'll let you both see something new."