Hiruzen Sarutobi's Forehead Protector

Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's guidance, Kazan threw himself into mastering Monster Strength Fist.

He no longer went to the Ninja Academy.

Some of his classmates were puzzled.

Their Chunin teacher told them Kazan had graduated early.

It hardly seemed remarkable when Kakashi had graduated years earlier and was already a Chunin.

But Kazan was still only the second student in their class to become a Genin, and his fighting ability was extraordinary. Asuka Hyuga still hadn't gotten over it.

Later, Asuka realized he might not even be able to defeat one of Kazan's Shadow Clones.

And there was something else...

Many of these students came from Konoha Clans, families at the village's core.

They heard from their parents that Kazan was receiving one-on-one instruction from Lord Third Hokage!

The Hokage's fourth student!

It was an immense honor, and plenty of them were jealous!

Obito was especially envious. Lately, he had trained hard enough to rival Might Guy.

Rain or shine, he completed his training every day.

He refused to fall behind!

But he wasn't the only one.

When Asuma heard the news, he was furious!

He already resented his father, the Hokage, for always working and neglecting his son and family.

Now his father would rather spend time with another kid than with him.

So Asuma trained hard too, determined to defeat Kazan and make his father regret it.

In short, competition at the Ninja Academy grew fierce. Might Guy shouted every day, "This is youth!!!"

Some time passed.

Kazan made more than a dozen clones each day to practice different skills.

The Six Powers, Monster Strength Fist, and Fist Bone techniques could all be trained that way. The Two Types of Haki, or even the Three Types of Haki, were things he had to figure out himself.

Whenever he dispelled the clones, the flood of training memories left him groggy for a while.

At times like that, he ate a huge meal, got a good night's sleep, then woke refreshed and kept training.

He loved the feeling of growing stronger!

Coming from a modern world without superpowers, he couldn't get enough of what it felt like to soar through the air and race across the land.

One day, Kazan went to the Forest of Death for breakfast as usual, then headed to the Back Mountain to train.

His strength had risen quickly lately.

Training in Tree Climbing, Water Walking, and Monster Strength Fist had let him bring together the power systems of the Naruto World and the Pirate world.

But Kazan kept his feet on the ground. He hadn't even smashed a single mountain yet.

Once he could smash two mountains like Garp, he could go almost anywhere in the Shinobi World.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Kazan drove punch after punch into the surface of the Back Mountain.

Rubble lay all around him. His fists had reduced a giant boulder to pieces, bit by bit.

With a whoosh, an Anbu Ninja wearing an animal mask appeared nearby.

"Lord Hokage wants to see you!"

With that, he vanished without a trace.

Typical ANBU!

"Tch. What a show-off!"

Kazan decided to give that show-off a little shock.

Chakra surged through his body and gathered at his feet in an instant.

In the next 0.36 seconds, he stamped the ground more times than he could count. The force sent him shooting forward like lightning.

"Shave!"

Whoosh!

The Anbu Ninja, hurrying back at top speed, saw a blur. The next instant, Kazan flashed past him and disappeared.

What was that?!

He was stunned. Was a Genin supposed to be that fast?

Kazan reveled in the feeling of tearing through the air. This was what came of combining two systems of power.

By using Chakra to push Shave even further, he had surpassed the Body Flicker Technique in speed.

Crash!

Breaking glass rang through the office.

"What did you want, old man?" Kazan had arrived quickly; it wasn't far.

He had a habit of skipping the front door.

He had come straight from the Back Mountain to the Hokage's Office, smashing Hiruzen Sarutobi's window with a punch on the way in.

"You should change that habit. A room needs fresh air, especially when you smoke."

Kazan thought his reasoning was sound. Hiruzen Sarutobi just wanted to kick him back out.

In all his years as Hokage, no one had dared smash his office window.

"This is what comes of indulging him, Sarutobi."

Danzo stepped out of the shadows.

Kazan had noticed him long ago. His Observation Haki had yet to awaken, but he could feel he was close to mastering it.

His senses had grown remarkably sharp, as though he constantly had a Chakra detection technique active.

"You're here, Kazan." Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Danzo and asked, "How has your training been?"

"It's going well. My control over Chakra has improved a lot."

He's ignoring me?

Danzo disliked that.

His opinion of Kazan sank even lower. Someone so unruly had no place in Root.

They were Konoha Heroes who walked in darkness, not clowns desperate for attention!

"Sarutobi, this isn't the time for small talk," Danzo interrupted.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shot Danzo a sidelong glance before saying, "This is sudden, but I have a mission for you."

A mission?

Kazan was surprised. Was he supposed to leave the village and train with Danzo?

"Do you want me to carry out a mission outside the village?"

"No. Konoha will hold the Chunin Ninja Exams soon, and I want you to take part."

Huh?

The Chunin Ninja Exams, at a time like this?

Tensions along the borders were rising fast. War could break out at any moment.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi chose now to hold the exams?

What was he thinking?

Did he simply want to deter their enemies?

To show the other Shinobi Villages that, even without a killer like Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's next generation had arrived?

But wouldn't that expose his village's gifted young Ninja to the others?

Once the Third Shinobi World War broke out in full, the enemy would be sure to target Kazan. Damn it, this would put him in danger.

Hiruzen Sarutobi offered no explanation, but Kazan accepted the mission anyway.

If he performed well in the exams, might he complete an achievement or two?

Besides, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression seemed to hint that he would explain later.

Sure enough, after Kazan returned to the Back Mountain to train, Hiruzen Sarutobi finished his official business and appeared before him.

"Are you wondering why I'd send a Ninja with no mission experience to take the Chunin Ninja Exams now?"

"Yes. I don't really understand. Kakashi is already on the other villages' kill lists. What good does sending me to the exams do? Is it meant to deter them?"

The boy really was clever, though he wasn't looking far enough ahead.

Still, thinking this much at his age was impressive.

"You've only guessed part of it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lit the tobacco in his pipe with practiced ease.

"Agreements between Shinobi Villages are fragile! Especially agreements between the Five Great Shinobi Villages!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had learned that lesson when he was young.

His teacher, the Second Hokage, had died on the way home.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku's rebellion and coup had caused it, but from Kumogakure's perspective, the death of a figure as important as Tobirama Senju was welcome.

"So?"

Kazan understood the point, but not why Hiruzen Sarutobi had made this decision.

"After the Second Shinobi World War, we formed strategic alliances with the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind, the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Grass, and others. My teacher, the Second Hokage, personally signed our alliance agreement with the Land of Lightning."

"In peacetime, those alliances bring both sides immense benefits. Trade creates wealth and helps everyone develop. In wartime, though, those agreements are no sturdier than paper."

"If war breaks out in full, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind won't hesitate to tear up their agreements. They might even attack us outright."

Kazan caught the distinction: Hiruzen Sarutobi had mentioned only the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind.

"What about the other villages?"

"I was right about you, Kazan. You're perceptive and clever."

Appreciation showed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. He slowly exhaled, then continued.

"The other Shinobi Villages are why I want you in the exams. We need to show our strength and win their support."

Now Kazan understood. They were afraid those smaller villages wouldn't be willing to serve Konoha as cannon fodder.

Every Shinobi World War brought enormous casualties.

Even Kage Level fighters risked dying in battle.

The Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage had killed each other in the First Shinobi World War.

Ninja trained with painstaking care entered war's meat grinder, where their lives were as brief and fragile as flowers.

But victory brought unimaginable rewards.

Territory, reparations, or both could benefit a village for decades. Wartime losses could be made up in a short span.

Smaller Shinobi Villages, however, lacked the strength to steer a war. Once drawn in, they had no choice but to attach themselves to one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Konoha therefore needed to display enough strength to persuade those villages to serve willingly as cannon fodder and help it win.

Konoha's current generation of powerful Ninja included Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, the Sannin—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—Shimura Danzō, the Uchiha, and the Hyuga Clan.

The younger generation had a gifted Ninja like Minato Namikaze and a brilliant strategist like Shikaku Nara.

But that wasn't enough. Hiruzen Sarutobi also wanted to show them Konoha's bright future and next generation, so those villages would believe their own futures lay with Konoha.

No wonder he suddenly taught me Monster Strength Fist. This was what he had in mind.

Kazan grew a little warier of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Hokage never acted without something to gain.

"I understand. I'll carry out the mission."

"Good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought highly of Kazan's future. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the time to explain so much.

"By the way, I took the liberty of graduating you early from the Ninja Academy. You're now a Konoha Genin."

"Of course, you'll need this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took something from inside his robes and handed it to Kazan.

It was a Konoha Ninja's Forehead Protector.

"This Forehead Protector has been with me for many years. I'm giving it to you now. I hope it brings you luck."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's Forehead Protector?

Kazan was taken aback. The man really did think highly of him.

But accepting it also tied Kazan to Hiruzen Sarutobi's faction.

Kazan took the Forehead Protector and tied it around his forehead.

He had made up his mind. For now, joining Hiruzen Sarutobi's side offered him benefits and no drawbacks.

At the very least, it would keep Pot Kage Danzo from targeting him. More importantly, he wouldn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back by his own side.