Postwar developments (2)

But he truly had not expected Chihane to slaughter Kakkō Squad. Those were three elite jonin!

Yet a child had killed them so easily. Couldn't they have fled if they couldn't win? Couldn't they have waited for Minato Namikaze to arrive and kill them?

What he had expected even less was that, although sending Minato Namikaze to steal the credit had worked-Minato had killed the Iwa shinobi Higashishibito, a major achievement in its own right-

Chihane Hatake had actually killed Kitsuchi, the Iwa shinobi commander. That was far beyond his expectations. A frontline commander! The credit for that was too great for anyone to ignore!

Now all of Konoha knew that Orochimaru had led the Konoha Army to rout the Iwa shinobi forces and defend Konoha's borders.

Orochimaru now had his own loyal supporters and his own reputation. He was no longer someone Hiruzen could easily manipulate.

Moreover, Chihane Hatake had fully come into his own. Together, this master and disciple, backed by the Uchiha Clan, already had the strength to rival him.

At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help taking another deep pull on his pipe.

Whoosh!

He exhaled a cloud of smoke. By now, he had made his decision. It was a little late, but this was his only option.

He waved a hand, summoning an ANBU ninja.

Swish!

It was the familiar figure of the Cat-Faced ANBU from last time. Upon seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's gesture, the ninja promptly appeared beside him.

"Have Jonin Akita come here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe and spoke sternly to the Cat-Faced ANBU.

"Yes!"

Swish!

After receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's order, the Cat-Faced ANBU acknowledged it and vanished from the Hokage's office.

A short while later!

Swish! Swish!

Two figures appeared in the Hokage's office.

"Lord Hokage, you wanted to see me?"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's stern expression, Jonin Akita spoke first.

"Jonin Akita, I intend to have you lead three thousand ninja to reinforce Orochimaru."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke sternly.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. When should I leave?"

Jonin Akita paused briefly at Hiruzen Sarutobi's words. Hadn't they already won the war over there? Despite that confusion, Akita quickly recovered and answered.

"Besides going to the battlefield, I need you to deliver this to Orochimaru. Then have Chihane Hatake return to Konoha. The Land of Lightning Battlefield needs him!"

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi handed Jonin Akita a document.

Jonin Akita opened it and found a jonin appointment letter-Chihane Hatake's jonin appointment letter. It came as something of a surprise. Judging by the reports of Chihane's achievements from the front, he was certainly more than qualified to become a jonin.

But Akita remembered that Chihane Hatake had been a genin before this. This was the first time Akita had seen anyone skip the chunin rank and jump straight to jonin.

Still, Akita said nothing about it, merely nodding lightly and waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi's next order.

"Go back and get ready. Leave at dawn tomorrow, and reach the battlefield as quickly as possible."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke sternly to Jonin Akita. By now, he had forgotten to put on his usual kindly expression.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I'll take my leave, then."

Jonin Akita replied respectfully, then vanished with a swish.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained where he was.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, took a deep pull on his pipe, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"Orochimaru, I trust you'll make the right decision!"

Clearly, this was also a test for Orochimaru.

If Orochimaru chose to disobey his orders, it would mean he was ready to break with him completely. ...

Night.

Orochimaru's camp.

In a patch of woods not far from the camp-

"One thousand and one, one thousand and two."

"Two thousand and one, two thousand and two."

Chihane put all his strength into every swing, sweat spraying from his body with each movement.

Even though Chihane had already become one of the strongest known fighters in the entire shinobi world, he still never neglected his daily sword-drawing practice.

Whew!

At last, today's training was over.

Chihane removed his soaking-wet bandana and sat down, leaning lightly against a nearby tree as he looked up at the full moon.

After each training session, Chihane's favorite way to relax was to admire the moon. It made him feel as though he were back on Earth, gazing at the moon with his family.

"System, open my status panel!"

"Ding."

Host: Chihane Hatake

Gender: Male

Class: Swordmaster

Strength: Kage level

Swordsmanship: Swordless Style: True Sword: Catching a Blade Barehanded

One-Sword Style: Iai: Death Lion's Song

One Sword Style: Thirty-Six Pound Phoenixes

...

Haki: Conqueror's Haki - Asura Killing Intent

Armament Haki - Hardening

Observation Haki - Sensing living presences

Taijutsu: Eight Gates of Death (Sixth Gate)

Lightning Release Chakra Mode

Items: Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, Kusanagi Sword, Zoro's Green Bandana, Zoro's Training Manual

A powerhouse at the pinnacle of the shinobi world, with the strength to decide the outcome of wars.

Without realizing it, Chihane had already gained the strength to decide his own future.

In this era, when the aged Madara was still clinging to life and Nagato had yet to gain the power of the Six Paths, remaining an ordinary ninja, Chihane already ranked among the strongest in the shinobi world.

"The Iwa shinobi have been routed in a head-on battle, Rin has fully become a medical ninja, Obito is being specially trained by the Uchiha Clan, and Kakashi is much stronger now than he was in the original story. I wonder if the Battle of Kannabi Bridge will still happen."

Looking at his status panel, Chihane finally felt ready to pit himself against the true mastermind behind the shinobi world, Madara Uchiha.

This war had brought Chihane many gains. Most importantly, during his final showdown with Kitsuchi, hovering between life and death, he had finally broken through the thin barrier that had kept him from mastering Iron-Cutting Swordsmanship.

His haki had also improved. In particular, he had grasped Asura Killing Intent and fused it with the Conqueror's Haki Seed awarded by the system, creating his own unique Conqueror's Haki: Asura Killing Intent.

But what worried Chihane most now was the Battle of Kannabi Bridge from the original story. There, Team Minato had encountered Kakkō Squad, Obito had been crushed beneath a rock and rescued by Madara Uchiha, and Kakashi had received a Sharingan. It had also indirectly led to Obito's later descent into darkness, while the Sharingan's limitations had stalled Kakashi's growth.

Kakkō Squad had already been wiped out by Chihane, but he feared that some Sunlight Squad or Moonlight Squad might still appear in their place.

So Chihane planned to visit the area around Kannabi Bridge after a while, see whether he could find Madara Uchiha, and eliminate him first. Then he would see whether the events that followed would still happen.

He no longer had any use for Zoro's Green Bandana, either, but he could give it to Kakashi to wear. Kakashi still had room to push himself further.

The night deepened. Even the full moon overhead could not fully illuminate the woods.

While Chihane was thinking, his Observation Haki suddenly sensed someone approaching rapidly from afar. He immediately broke off his train of thought and looked toward the approaching figure.

Swish!

A dark-skinned ninja appeared before Chihane. Dressed entirely in black, with equally dark skin, he blended so thoroughly into the darkness that, unless he opened his eyes and revealed their whites, Chihane could barely make out where his features were.

"Lord Chihane, Lord Orochimaru wishes to see you."