The Battle About to Begin

"Th... These were all your own ideas!?"

Guy, seated across from him, swallowed hard, his eyes wide as saucers.

To be able to think of so much at such a young age—even the Nara Clan, who had always served as Konoha's strategists, had never seen anything like it. Though children in this world matured early, none had ever been as monstrously gifted as he was.

"Haha! Not entirely. I heard quite a lot from other people too before drawing my conclusions! This time, my life is in your hands, Brother Guy."

Seeing Guy's shock, Samu Kokaze hurriedly put on the childish expression appropriate for his age and gave a playful smile.

Tap tap... Tap tap...

The carriage raced freely along the official road. Tanaka Keishi, driving the carriage, occasionally flicked his whip. Dressed in a trench coat, he watched the winter scenery streaming past on both sides, a trace of reminiscence flashing through his eyes.

Listening to the conversation in the carriage behind him, he could not help recalling the first time he had met Samu Kokaze.

Back then, Tanaka Takuho, the old head of the Tanaka Clan, was still in decent health. Young Master Yoshikado, who had yet to inherit the position of clan head, had been ordered by the old patriarch to train with a merchant caravan.

The first time Young Master Yoshikado left the clan, he was curious about everything outside. After arriving in Konoha, another center of the Land of Fire, he ran wildly up and down Konoha's streets as though he had been set loose.

At the time, Samu Kokaze had just opened the Samu Carving Shop and was standing on the street soliciting customers.

Seeing a child standing outside the shop with a carving knife and a block of wood in his hands, Young Master Yoshikado approached out of curiosity and silently watched. Naturally, Keishi, who was responsible for introducing things to Young Master Yoshikado, followed along as well.

Wood chips flew as time slowly passed during the carving process, yet neither of the two standing before him noticed it at all. Only when he made the final cut did they see the miniature Great Hero Temple he had created with carving skill so exquisite it was beyond compare. Looking closely, they could even see tiny Buddhas of various styles seated within.

Stunned by his craftsmanship, Young Master Yoshikado strode forward, and the two began negotiating over the carving. The way he behaved then was exactly the same as when he had just analyzed the current situation.

Although Samu Kokaze was always very polite to him whenever they met in Konoha, as one of the few who had seen his true face, Keishi found this disguise utterly fake.

Inside the carriage.

"Ha... Haha!"

Hearing Samu Kokaze's words, Guy laughed awkwardly twice and patted his chest. "Don't worry! As Konoha's Blue Beast, Might Guy, I guarantee your safety!"

"Of course I believe in you, Brother Guy!"

Samu Kokaze, seated across from him, nodded very seriously.

Though Guy was not yet the Guy who would open the Eight Gates and smash Uchiha Madara to pieces more than a decade later, dealing with a mere Land of Fire noble without any real armed forces would not be a problem.

Just as Samu Kokaze was continuously flattering Guy, rustling sounds came from the woods on either side of the road.

A young man in monk's robes watched the carriage speeding along the official road, a faint killing intent flashing through his eyes. His hands rapidly formed seals as he softly uttered, "Earth Style: Earth Wall."

Rumble...

The horses pulling the carriage let out shrill neighs. Tanaka Keishi, driving the carriage, saw a stone wall suddenly erupt from the ground ahead of them, terror appearing in his eyes. He pulled the reins with all his strength, finally stopping just before they crashed into the wall.

Inside the carriage behind him, Guy inwardly cried out in alarm the instant he sensed the ground tremble.

He grabbed the startled Samu Kokaze into his arms, stomped forcefully, and shot out of the carriage in an instant, landing in a snowbank beside the official road.

"Pah!"

After rolling through the snow a few times, Samu Kokaze lay prone and spat out the melted snow that had gotten into his mouth.

His face slightly bruised and swollen, he stared at the stone wall that had suddenly appeared ahead, his expression dark.

"Looks like the enemy has arrived."

Samu Kokaze's voice was icy.

"Mm!" Guy widened his eyes and stared gravely at a patch of forest opposite them, answering softly.

"One... two... four enemies. Can you handle them, Brother Guy?"

Samu Kokaze stood from the snowbank, faint silver light appearing in his eyes. Everything within five hundred meters clearly emerged within his perception.

"Don't worry! I'm Konoha's Blue Beast, Might Guy!"

Guy lowered his head with a confident smile, then narrowed his eyes at the young man in monk's robes slowly emerging from the woods ahead.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're a ninja monk from the Fire Temple. Why are you blocking our way?"

Seeing the clothes worn by the man who had stepped out, Guy spoke up.

The Fire Temple was a renowned temple in the Land of Fire. Its abbot, Jiriku, had once served alongside the Hokage's son, Asuma Sarutobi, as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja beside the Daimyo. Its relationship with Konoha was also quite good.

"No!"

Hearing Guy's question, the young man in monk's robes lowered his eyes. "As of yesterday, I am no longer a ninja monk of the Fire Temple."

Whoosh...

The young man violently tore off his monk's robe, revealing black ninja attire beneath. He assumed a combat stance.

"Genichi. Please enlighten me."

"Such powerful chakra—several times more than Brother Guy's!" Standing behind him, Samu Kokaze sensed the surging chakra within the other man's body, his expression turning somewhat grave.

"Uncle Keishi, are you all right?"

Temporarily ignoring the two men facing off, Samu Kokaze ran to the shattered carriage and picked up the bundle that had fallen to the ground. Seeing it was completely undamaged, he sighed in relief and asked Tanaka Keishi, who had yet to recover from the fright.

"I'm fine!" Tanaka Keishi swallowed hard, his face looking terrible.

Rustle... Rustle...

The sound of vegetation rubbing together rose from the trees on both sides. Samu Kokaze's ears twitched slightly as he turned his head.

Three ninjas dressed in ninja attire emerged from the forests on either side of the official road. Sensing the amount of chakra in their bodies, Samu Kokaze relaxed slightly.

Though having a lot of chakra did not necessarily make a ninja strong, chakra reserves were still an important part of a ninja's strength. The three before them could only cast three or four C-rank ninjutsu at most. No matter how he looked at them, they were just cannon fodder who would not survive beyond a single chapter.

Yet the men emerging from the woods had no awareness whatsoever of being cannon fodder. Together with Genichi, who had stepped out first, they surrounded the group in a swastika formation, their eyes filled with icy killing intent fixed firmly on Samu Kokaze's small body.

Guy, who was facing off against Genichi, glanced at the men who had emerged from the corner of his eye. His legs tensed slightly, maintaining a posture that allowed him to strike at any moment.

"Were you sent by the Sato Clan?" Guy could not help asking as he looked at Genichi opposite him.

The howling winter wind surged wildly across the ground, making the hems of the clothes worn by those standing on the official road flap loudly.

Hearing the question, Genichi, who stood opposite Guy, showed not the slightest ripple on his impassive face.

"Attack!"

Seeing that the others had reached their designated positions, Genichi did not waste words and directly gave the order to attack.