The Gap at the Fingertips

In the next instant, Ebisu felt three sinister gazes fixed on him. The killing intent flashing in their eyes made his whole body tremble.

"Bastard!"

"Just a little more—just a tiny bit more and we could've kissed! Damn you, Ebisu!"

"Prepare yourself. You're already dead."

Slumped on the floor, Ebisu trembled as he leaned against the wall, feeling as though his death was imminent.

"Wait, this has nothing to do with me! It was the Third Hokage—Lord Third Hokage told me to find Uchiha Huayue! It has nothing to do with me!"

"Huh? It was an order from the Third Hokage? Then it must be an important mission. I'll be going first. Bye-bye."

With a flicker, Huayue, who had been pushed onto the sofa, vanished from where he lay. When he turned around again, Ebisu had vanished as well.

Meanwhile, at the Third Training Ground, Huayue let out a long breath and sighed.

"Saved at last. I almost ended up living a life of being drained dry. You came at exactly the right time, Senior Ebisu. What happened?"

Just as he was celebrating his narrow escape, Ebisu suddenly dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Damn it! What exactly am I lacking compared to that brat? Looks? Personality? Ninjutsu? Why does he get to have women on both arms while I still don't even have a girlfriend? Damn it!"

Huayue's mouth twitched. Only then did he remember that the man before him was Ebisu, known as the silent pervert. After hesitating for a moment, he offered a few words of comfort.

"Calm down, Senior Ebisu. With your charm, Senior Ebisu, you'll definitely find a girl who likes you."

"Really?"

Ebisu snapped out of his depression. His expression beneath the sunglasses was full of excitement as he hurriedly asked.

"Then just how big is the gap between you and me?"

"There isn't much of a gap. If I had to put it into words, it's probably only this much."

Huayue smiled faintly, bringing his index finger and thumb closer until only an almost imperceptible gap remained. This immediately lifted Ebisu's spirits.

"What a... what a good person! Uchiha Huayue, thank you for encouraging me! I'll definitely work even harder and become an outstanding ninja who surpasses you!"

"More importantly, what does the Third Hokage want from me?"

"Ah! Right, I almost forgot the important matter. That scene just now was too shocking—I nearly lost consciousness."

"The Third Hokage wants you to go to the Mission Assignment Hall immediately. It seems there's another extremely urgent situation. But if it's such a high-level mission, why would he summon a genin like you?"

"Come to think of it, what was that ninjutsu just now? How did we get from your house to the Third Training Ground in an instant...?"

By the time Ebisu came back to his senses from his thoughts, he realized that Uchiha Huayue had long since vanished without a trace.

"Gone again? Was that the Body Flicker Technique? Why would a genin know a ninjutsu of that level?"

Only the ninjas who had participated in the Battle of Kikyō Pass knew that Uchiha Huayue had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and had been accepted as Orochimaru's disciple. Most of them were Konoha jonin and clan heads.

It was wartime now, and most jonin were rushing between battlefields. Though they knew the truth, the chunin and genin had no idea about it.

Huayue himself had also remained home all this time, rarely stepping outside, in order to ease the Third Hokage's and Danzo's wariness. Naturally, he had no intention of flaunting his strength everywhere.

Inside the Third Hokage's study in the Hokage Office Building.

"I heard from Ebisu that you wanted to see me. What is it?"

"You're here already, Uchiha Huayue? I didn't summon you for any other reason. There is an extremely important mission I wish to entrust to you."

"Do you know about the Land of Water?"

After pondering for a moment, Uchiha Huayue nodded slightly, unable to guess what Sarutobi Hiruzen intended.

"I've heard of it. The Land of Water seems to be a barren and warlike nation. During the Third Great Ninja War, it was also the first great nation to attack the Land of Wind."

"That's right. Most of the Land of Water's territory consists of islands. Its people live in poverty, and the country is shrouded in mist all year round. It rarely interacts with the other great nations."

"But precisely because of that, they have no qualms about invading other countries to plunder them. And Kirigakure's ninjas are quite formidable, which has given Konoha quite a headache."

His brush paused, and a piece of calligraphy titled Will of Fire was completed. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, while Uchiha Huayue remained expressionless, unable to understand his meaning.

"So, what is my mission?"

"Konoha can no longer withstand excessive warfare. Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato both spoke highly of your performance at Kikyō Pass and against Sunagakure."

"Therefore, the mission being assigned to you now is battlefield support."

Huayue raised an eyebrow. Battlefield support? Which battlefield? Did Konoha still have any large-scale battlefields against the other great nations?

"To prevent another incident like Kikyō Pass, where enemies infiltrated deep into the Land of Fire without our knowledge, you are to independently guard against possible attacks from the other great nations."

The atmosphere fell into a strange silence. Without turning his head, Sarutobi Hiruzen waited for Huayue's answer.

"I understand. However, I need..."

After leaving the Third Hokage's office, Huayue's expression remained calm, as though that demanding mission had not caused him any dissatisfaction.

When he returned home, a row of black, coldly gleaming Special Kunai sat on the tea table amid the three portions of snacks, like an invisible threat.

"One, two, three... a standard three-man Anbu squad? This is why I hate that damned recommendation system."

Though he wanted to climb to the top step by step, his Uchiha identity ensured that he could not even become a candidate for Hokage. That damned recommendation system could not even achieve democracy or fairness!

Inner world. Huayue said nothing, but the expression on his face already made it clear that he was in a bad mood.

"What's wrong, kid? Have you reached your limit already? Then join forces with me now, and let's turn the world upside down! Wahahaha!"

He ignored the Black Nine-Tails' frantic temptation to spread the flames of war once more.

The Rasengan at his fingertips spun at high speed, carving his own Chakra markings into each specialized kunai capable of withstanding a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Kurama, why do you think humans crave power and authority? Is it because they fear growing older, or because they fear losing others' recognition once they lose that power?"

"This Lord isn't human, so how the hell would I know? This Lord only knows to slap to death anyone who tries to lay a hand on me."

The Black Nine-Tails lay in its little den and answered without even raising its head, completely failing to notice the fleeting killing intent in Huayue's eyes.

"Humans are human precisely because they never learn from history. It seems they still need to be completely destroyed."

"I will personally bring the age of shinobi to an end."