"You've all heard a few things lately, haven't you? That's right. Ever since the First Hokage passed away, some of the ninja villages have started getting ideas."
"The borders are very unstable now, with constant clashes. The ninja villages keep probing and harassing our borders. It looks like it's time to teach them a few lessons."
Tobirama Senju looked utterly calm, as though he thought nothing of any of this and was merely discussing something perfectly ordinary.
Shimura Danzō's eyes shifted. He glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, then immediately said, "You're right, Teacher. Those ninja villages really are like the Sage of Six Paths hanging himself."
"How so?" Tobirama Senju obligingly asked.
"They've had enough of living..." Shimura Danzō said!
In a distant and mysterious Pure Land, an old man with the Rinnegan suddenly opened his eyes and sneezed.
What's going on?
The old man wondered in confusion.
Everyone looked at Shimura Danzō in surprise.
Not bad, you old rascal. That wisecrack really caught everyone off guard!
Seeing everyone looking at him, Shimura Danzō glanced at his teacher again and found him smiling. He was instantly delighted. He looked smugly at Sarutobi Hiruzen. I finally got ahead of you this time.
The corners of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched wordlessly, his face utterly bewildered. (⊙v⊙)
After that little interlude, Tobirama Senju began assigning missions.
"Kagami, Hiruzen, Danzo, the three of you will investigate the Land of Wind border. If necessary, you may attack. No need to hold back." "Yes," all three answered together. They exchanged glances and stood to one side.
"Torifu, Koharu, Homura, the three of you will conduct reconnaissance in the Land of Rain. Report promptly if anything happens, and don't act rashly." "Yes," those three also answered together.
After Tobirama Senju finished assigning the six their missions.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Itō Yuying.
Itō Yuying looked at Tobirama Senju, waiting for his mission. Tobirama Senju lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Yuying, you'll remain on standby in the village! You're still too young. This isn't something you should be worrying about. Since Konoha was founded, we've never sent children to the front lines. That was also the original purpose of establishing the village."
Itō Yuying knew he definitely wouldn't get to go to the battlefield. Even if he asked, Tobirama Senju wouldn't agree, even knowing how strong Itō Yuying was.
Itō Yuying nodded and said, "I understand." Tobirama Senju nodded in satisfaction. "All right, get going! Remember to stay safe." "Yes," the six answered, then vanished from the Hokage's office.
Tobirama Senju glanced at Itō Yuying. "You've been training pretty hard lately, haven't you? Take better care of your body. Don't end up covered in hidden injuries at such a young age. That would do you more harm than good."
"Yes," Itō Yuying said.
Tobirama Senju nodded. "You can get back to your own business too." Itō Yuying nodded, then vanished from the office as well.
As he walked back, Itō Yuying remained distracted.
What should I do? At this rate, history is definitely going to repeat itself. Once Tobirama Senju dies, Konoha's strength will decline drastically. On top of that, the newly appointed Sarutobi Hiruzen will still be too young to command everyone's respect and will need his best buddy Danzo to help him. Then Danzo will slowly turn to darkness and become Konoha's scapegoat, wreaking havoc on Konoha and harming its promising ninja.
"Ugh, what a headache," Itō Yuying muttered. Looking at the wooden posts and rock he usually trained with, he found that even they had lost their appeal.
Ugh, forget it. I'll take it one step at a time! I'm a Super Saiyan, after all. Why should I be afraid of them? Dealing with them would only take one Energy Wave. I'll let you experience it too: how many floors must a bag of rice be carried up? (Roughly meaning: feel pain!)
Then he happily dragged his rock along and continued training.
More than a month passed, and the situation in the Shinobi World grew increasingly serious. The Four Countries became more and more brazen, all turning their aggression toward Konoha and scrambling to organize large numbers of ninja to invade it. Konoha's casualties gradually increased as well. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were covered in wounds, while Mitokado Homura had nearly died on the battlefield and was still unconscious.
Just a few days earlier, Tobirama Senju had also gone to the battlefield.
The good news was that under Tobirama Senju's leadership, Konoha won battle after battle, beating the Four Countries until they cried, "Please stop!" All Four Countries pulled their forces back, retreating to their borders and hunkering down without coming out, waiting for an opportunity.
Once the fighting began to stabilize, Tobirama Senju returned to the village to oversee the overall situation. He left the battlefield in the hands of his disciples, giving them some training in the process.
When they learned that Tobirama Senju was returning, everyone in the village came out to welcome their Lord Hokage. Cheers and shouts of praise rang out without end. Looking at the villagers' beaming faces, Tobirama Senju became even more determined to protect the village his older brother had left behind.
Itō Yuying was also shouting happily in the crowd. Although he stood among the crowd, with many taller villagers blocking him from the front, Tobirama Senju still spotted his beloved young disciple at a glance. His mood brightened even further, and the sight of his disciple stirred many feelings in his heart. When he was still some distance from Itō Yuying, the villagers in front of Itō Yuying were so enthusiastic.
Tobirama Senju had no choice but to stop. Looking at the villagers, he said, "Yuying!"
"We haven't seen each other for over a year, and you've already grown this tall! You're almost up to my chest. What have you been eating to grow like that? As your teacher, I'm very curious." When the villagers cleared a path, leaving Itō Yuying's figure exposed.
Tobirama Senju saw his disciple standing on a familiar rock, and his expression immediately turned awkward, a blush slowly rising in his cheeks. Seeing Itō Yuying's situation, the surrounding villagers stopped cheering too, each looking elsewhere in embarrassment. Some looked up at the sky, some tapped the ground with their feet, and others glanced from side to side, all doing their utmost to spare Lord Hokage's dignity.
No one had expected such a rock to be at the Konoha Gate, leading their Lord Hokage to believe Itō Yuying had really grown taller. Itō Yuying was embarrassed too. After learning that Tobirama Senju was returning to the village, he had hurriedly dragged his usual training rock to the village entrance to welcome him. But he was still a step too late. Many villagers were blocking his way, and he was too short to see past them. Just as he was scratching his head, he turned and saw his usual training rock. He smiled, then climbed onto the rock to wait for Tobirama Senju's return. That had ultimately led to the awkward scene just now.
Tobirama Senju recovered and said, "Yuying, I still have things to attend to. Come see me when you have time. I'll check whether you've been keeping up with your training lately." Then he walked away without looking back, leaving Itō Yuying alone, flustered in the wind.
Itō Yuying thought, What did I ever do to deserve this? Training at the drop of a hat. Hmph... Then he dragged his rock and ran off into the distance.
Tobirama Senju returned to the Hokage's office, sat down in his chair, and let out a long breath before yawning. Finally back. I really did miss the village a little over this past year or so. Then he stood and walked over to the window, looking out at the villagers' beaming expressions and the children playing ninja games, chasing one another and roughhousing in an open space, their laughter carrying far into the distance.
Tobirama Senju's expression gradually softened as well. He happened to look up and saw a child in the distance dragging a rock toward a grove. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Looks like it's time to check on my little disciple.
In the distance, as Itō Yuying headed toward the grove, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine and had a bad feeling. Looks like my usual training has been too intense.
I'll do another ten thousand push-ups, twenty thousand frog jumps, and thirty thousand squats, then go home and rest! Even Saiyans need rest!!!
Before you continue