White Fang Returns, the Hokage of Light and Darkness

Graduating early did not actually mean stepping onto the battlefield.

Ying Shu understood that, at this stage of the war, Konoha had not yet been pushed to the brink.

And even in the middle and later stages, when Obito entered the battlefield and was set up by Madara Uchiha, Konoha had basically never sent children their age to war.

At the end of the day, the core of a shinobi war was the division of benefits. It was far from the point where Konoha's survival was at stake.

The four great ninja villages had divided their forces to attack rather than forming a shinobi alliance to assault Konoha. That was the best proof.

Everyone coveted Konoha and wanted to tear off a piece of its flesh, yet none of them dared truly drive the leader of the ninja villages into a corner.

So, in Ying Shu's view—

At this stage, graduating from the Ninja Academy as soon as possible, obtaining a ninja forehead protector, and becoming a shinobi was extremely worthwhile.

The tense wartime period could often give him experience and growth he could never obtain by staying in Konoha.

If the old man had still been willing to teach him, that would have been one thing. But Ying Shu was still far from mastering chakra nature transformation, and it could not be rushed.

Besides, no matter how willing the old man was to teach, there was only so much he could teach... Ying Shu did want the old man's Earth Release, and he wanted the Senju Clan's enormous chakra reserves, but he could not exactly drain the old man dry, could he?

Of course, there was one more important point.

Ying Shu felt that his Hydrogen Release had reached the stage where it needed to be tested in real combat...

Nuclear peace in the Shinobi World could not be developed behind closed doors.

The caliber of truth needed to be tested through practice!

And so, the trio's class-cutting squad officially began its plan to "save the White Fang."

The plan consisted of skipping class and training, but unlike before, each of them prepared a clone for cutting class. Even Obito was no exception.

And these were no longer the basic Clone Technique Ying Shu had used before, but the more solid Shadow Clone.

To ensure nothing went wrong with this miraculous technique, Ying Shu had even conducted some tests.

With over half his chakra, it could last an entire day. Even if it got jostled slightly or took a not-too-heavy punch, it could endure without immediately dispersing.

But Ying Shu discovered that he was the only one among the three for whom this was true.

Kakashi needed to divide all his chakra into a Shadow Clone for it to last a full day and achieve the same result as Ying Shu.

As for Obito... no matter how hard he squeezed himself dry, his Shadow Clone could only last half a day, and it was extremely fragile. It would not shatter at a touch, but it still had to be handled carefully.

Obito's starting point really was the lowest.

Still, that left Ying Shu somewhat puzzled. He did not know whether he simply had too much chakra, or whether the Shadow Clone technique had grown stronger under the old man's training.

So Ying Shu simply took on the task of making Obito's afternoon Shadow Clone as well. Only then did the three begin their special training.

No more sparring. Instead, it was shuriken throwing, ninjutsu practice, and... synchronizing their Hydrogen Release!

Ying Shu's idea was this.

He and Kakashi would use Water Release: Water Chain Bullet and Lightning Release: Lightning Explosion simultaneously. Once Kakashi's technique struck his, Ying Shu would still retain control.

It would still retain the firing capabilities of Water Chain Bullet.

Then Obito would use Great Fire Dragon to target the enemy, multiplying the power of Hydrogen Release several times over.

Great Fire Dragon ranked among the more notable Fire Release techniques not because of its power, but because of its room for development.

A skilled user could unleash several fire dragons at once, but Obito clearly could not manage that. His chakra was limited, so he could only focus on controlling the fire dragon's direction of travel.

According to Ying Shu's idea, this move could be called Great Fire Dragon: Hydrogen Release Cannon. Once they synchronized successfully, the combined chakra of all three would produce an unexpected chemical reaction.

Days passed, and the three trained madly, as though each of them were holding back a breath.

Kakashi turned his worries into motivation. Ying Shu also wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible. Obito followed behind them; he seemed to have no clear goal, but he simply did not want Kakashi to get ahead of him.

Then, on the fourth day of their training, explosive news suddenly spread through Konoha.

The White Fang had returned.

In the corridors of Konoha Hospital.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Root leader Shimura Danzo walked swiftly. The nurses and shinobi before them showed the utmost respect, then silently stepped aside.

The accompanying head nurse, Nonō, quickly reported, "Six blade wounds, and his lower leg was injured by an Explosive Tag, but none are fatal. Excessive chakra consumption and severe physical exhaustion have left Lord White Fang unconscious. He has passed the critical stage."

At last, Hiruzen Sarutobi reached the ward. Nonō pushed open the door for him.

Before them lay a burly but unconscious man. He wore a hospital gown, though circles of bandages could still be seen all over his body.

That specially made chakra short blade was still clenched tightly in the unconscious man's hand, though it too had been wrapped in bandages.

"Lord White Fang's willpower is astonishing. We tried so hard, but we could not make him release it. Even stimulating his nerves with a technique did nothing. It is truly... incredible."

Nonō sighed.

"Because he is the White Fang," Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured. Then he sighed and added in a complicated tone, "Konoha's White Fang."

"Unfortunately, even that sharp blade failed to cut down Kannabi Bridge."

Shimura Danzo spoke coldly from beside him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, while head nurse Nonō lowered her head.

"Now is not the time to say such things, Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Shimura Danzo a cold glance and shook his head.

Shimura Danzo narrowed his eyes. The two seemed to be at each other's throats, but perhaps only they themselves knew the relationship behind it.

After confirming that White Fang's life was no longer in danger, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo visited the other injured patients at Konoha Hospital.

Only after a full two hours did they return to the Hokage Building.

Upon entering the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately dismissed all his subordinates. The Hokage of light and the Hokage of darkness met each other's eyes across a broad desk.

"Have you found out the truth, Danzo?"

"The facts are right there, Hiruzen... Perhaps you can wait until White Fang wakes up. That depends on you."

With those few simple words, the air instantly fell silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked in agitation, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted a report on the desk.

It was from the Ninja Academy. Calling it one report would be less accurate than calling it three.

Three children had applied for early graduation at the same time, including White Fang's son.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression gradually became complicated.

After a long while, he finally sighed.

"Do as you said... Try not to hurt the children."

"You are too naive, Hiruzen. Even if I—" Shimura Danzo sneered, intending to argue further, but then he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's icy eyes!

At that moment, even Shimura Danzo, the Hokage of darkness, was shaken. For a time, he could not continue.

He snorted coldly.

"Fine."