"Third Hokage."
"Mm... Hm? Sakumo? When did you get back... Is the situation that bad?"
Late at night, at the residence of the Third Hokage and head of the Sarutobi Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been working overtime to review documents, saw the grave-faced White Fang, freshly returned from a reconnaissance mission, and his expression immediately turned solemn.
"As you expected, Third Hokage." White Fang took a scroll stained with dried blood from his robes and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Following Sunagakure and Kumogakure, Iwagakure has also torn up the peace treaty."
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll. After reading it for a while, his gaze gradually turned cold.
The contents of this scroll, purchased with the lives of countless Konoha shinobi, were actually quite simple:
Iwagakure had assembled a large force of shinobi at the border of the Land of Earth. Their vanguard had already crossed Kannabi Bridge and was lying in wait within the Land of Grass.
"They're coming straight for Konoha... Sakumo." Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully put away the scroll, his voice carrying a faint killing intent.
The Hero of the Shinobi had not yet grown old. Though he had passed his prime, the lion beneath the setting sun still possessed his majesty.
"Only Kirigakure remains. It seems the Third Shinobi World War can no longer be stopped, Third Hokage," White Fang replied gravely.
In truth, anyone with a clear eye knew that Kirigakure joining the war was only a matter of time.
And their direction of attack would most likely be the same as the other hidden villages, just like in the previous Shinobi World Wars—straight toward Konoha.
The gap between Konoha and the other hidden villages was simply too great...
The First Shinobi World War had produced the Professor of Ninjutsu, while the Second had produced the White Fang and the Legendary Sannin.
From the First Shinobi World War until now, although every village had remained in a state of attrition, Konoha, with its endless stream of talented shinobi, had always held firmly to the throne of the strongest hidden village.
And such an existence that shattered the balance was not something human nature would permit.
"Kirigakure has already launched its attack." Hiruzen Sarutobi found another scroll, likewise marked by dried blood, and tossed it to White Fang.
White Fang carefully caught it. This was the last respect he could show to those heroes who could not even be buried in Konoha.
"Kirigakure has forged seven powerful ninja swords. Their wielders are all Elite Jonin, known as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. They are powerful and cruel, and have already wiped out a small country."
"They are now advancing toward Konoha." At some point, Hiruzen Sarutobi had picked up his pipe.
White Fang read the intelligence on the scroll while Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked. After several puffs, the entire room was wreathed in smoke.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen..." White Fang pondered for a moment. When he raised his head again, his eyes gleamed sharply. "Lord Hokage, I wonder whether their blades or my White Fang is sharper."
White Fang was brimming with fighting spirit as he volunteered, yet he failed to notice the strange look in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
"You have a more important mission, Sakumo." Hiruzen Sarutobi deftly deflected White Fang's request. "I have already placed the Hyuga Clan in full charge of the Kirigakure front."
"With so many Hyuga clan members, the effects of Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Jutsu will be reduced to a minimum. Victory may not be possible, but holding them back should not be a problem."
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a plume of smoke and continued, "Compared to Kirigakure, the battlefields against Iwagakure and Kumogakure are where you are needed most, Sakumo."
White Fang froze for a moment, then immediately bowed and dropped to one knee. "Yes, Lord Hokage!"
At daybreak, dawn was approaching.
After washing up, Hideki made a decision that went against his ancestral teachings—he had to eat instant noodles for breakfast today.
Full and satisfied, Hideki stepped out of his house. Beneath the starlight before dawn and against the morning breeze, his steps were firm.
Today would be the first day of his journey to grow stronger through daily check-ins.
Before long, Hideki arrived at Training Ground Three. The old man had not arrived yet, but Hideki was not worried.
He found himself a spot and began refining chakra, while mentally simulating the workings of a new ninjutsu.
Compared to his restless, wild thoughts from the night before, Hideki was exceptionally focused now.
He had lived two lives. His worldview had changed, but his values had not.
The only difference was that his way of striving had gone from working 996 to fighting and killing.
Finally, as the moon was snatched away by the clouds and the morning sun was about to emerge over the horizon,
the old man finally appeared.
"Yo!" Upon seeing Hideki, the old man had intended to tease him with a "You're here pretty early," but when he saw the serious look on Hideki's little face, he gradually became serious as well.
"You..."
"I'm ready. Let's begin."
"..." Hideki's enthusiasm made the old man a little uncomfortable, yet he felt that this was the boy's true nature.
Just like those people back then...
"Hit me." The old man said something astonishing.
Yet Hideki did not move. He stood where he was, staring directly at the old man with a puzzled look in his eyes.
"Just imagine I'm the person you hate most. Hurry up and attack. Stop dawdling," the old man urged impatiently.
But Hideki shook his head, as though bound by morality and sealed by his conscience.
The old man grew even more impatient. "You..."
"What I mean is, there's no need to imagine."
Bzz—
A Rasengan in each hand, Hideki charged straight at the old man!
Hideki had read plenty of novels in his previous life. He understood the routine—only by going all out could the old man gain a clearer understanding of everything about him!
"Hm?" Looking at the charging Hideki, it was now the old man's turn to be confused.
"No need to imagine... You bastard! You little brat, are you... Hm?"
The old man, who should have flown into a rage, suddenly paused before the corner of his mouth curled upward.
"So this is one of your ways of attacking too? I really don't know who you take after." He murmured under his breath, his eyes full of gratification.
But all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
The old man raised two fingers, forming a hand seal. Vast chakra instantly took command of the surrounding earth!
"Your spirit is decent, but you're too slow, and your intentions are far too obvious. This isn't some street brawl, kid." The old man mobilized his chakra.
He was about to bury Hideki in the ground, then start over from the beginning.
This would be Hideki's first lesson—what the Headhunter Jutsu was.
But then—
"Don't think you can trick me with the same move twice, you old geezer!"
With Hideki's roar, one of his hands slammed fiercely into the ground. The Rasengan in his palm erupted with chakra, its rampaging force blasting a crater into the earth!
Damaging the turf was secondary. More importantly, the old man's chakra buried beneath the ground was scattered as well.
Yet Hideki's assault did not slow. He accelerated, aiming his remaining Rasengan straight at the old man, while his free hand began spinning up another one!
Hideki had actually noticed this issue some time ago.
When Obito was recovering naturally and did not refine chakra, he could use three Great Fireballs in one day at most. That was his limit.
But under the same conditions, Hideki could form more than five Rasengan in a day!
Putting aside the possibility that his Rasengan were miniature chicken-sized Rasengan like Boruto's, Hideki came to a conclusion.
His chakra reserves seemed to be considerably greater than those of an ordinary person!
And now, facing this Senju-freak old man, Hideki actually had a bold guess in his heart.
Could it be possible...
that the reason he had no surname was not because he was the same kind of person as Orochimaru or Jiraiya?
Could he possibly be following Tsunade's path?
It was a bold guess, almost no different from a dream.
But precisely because of that, Hideki felt it was not entirely impossible. He even found himself looking forward to it.
Besides, even if he was overthinking it, he would not lose anything, right?
And anyway, dreams had a chance of coming true, didn't they?
Before you continue