"Today! For reasons entirely of its own making, Kumogakure has declared war on our Konoha!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the roof of the Hokage Building and addressed the people below.
By then, most of the villagers had been drawn over by the commotion, gathering around one after another.
"And we in Konoha have never been troublemakers, but we aren't afraid of anyone who makes trouble for us, either! So, following the Council of Elders Meeting, our Hokage Advisor, Shimura Danzō, will lead our forces against Kumogakure. He will take 1,000 ninja to Kumogakure's border, departing today!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with vigor and confidence. He was the Shinobi Hero, not yet an old warrior past his prime, and he still had plenty of commanding presence in this regard.
After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Danzo also stepped forward, his gloomy gaze reflecting his mood.
"So! Let us wish Advisor Danzo success in driving Kumogakure back as quickly as possible!" Hiruzen Sarutobi declared.
As someone who manipulated people's hearts, he knew all too well how to fire up the villagers' enthusiasm.
Yes, Konoha had been far too oppressive lately, so oppressive that many people hadn't smiled at all during this time.
"Whooooo!!! Drive back those Kumogakure bastards!"
"Long live Lord Hokage!!!"
"Lord Danzo! Please crush them!!!"
After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, everyone erupted in excitement.
All the anger and fear they had accumulated over the past few days burst out at that moment.
Next, a thousand ninja lined up in front of the Hokage Building. After counting off one by one, they all went to assemble at Konoha's entrance.
Large quantities of supplies had already been gathered there ahead of time, waiting for them to arrive so they could head to the border front together!
"You don't have to go to the front?" Sōkyū Hatake had just been to the village entrance too, so naturally, he had seen the scene. Kakashi was now standing beside him.
"Not for now, but we've been getting more missions lately. There are problems at lots of places along the border," Kakashi said casually.
Over the past six months, he seemed to have let go of what had weighed on his heart, and he wasn't nearly as gloomy as he had been in the original story.
"That's good, but be careful on your missions, too." Sōkyū Hatake picked up an apple and handed it to Pikachu on his shoulder, who happily accepted it and began munching away.
"Sōkū, why do I always feel like you're the pillar of the family whenever I'm with you?" Kakashi said, somewhat annoyed.
He was clearly the older brother, yet in front of Sōkyū Hatake, he always felt like the little brother.
"Ahem, have you considered that, as your master's senior fellow disciple, I'm supposed to take good care of my little martial nephew?" Sōkyū Hatake said with a mischievous grin, completely failing to notice that Kakashi had already gripped the White Fang behind his back.
"My master's senior fellow disciple, huh? Then this is the perfect chance to ask you for a little demonstration of your strength," Kakashi said through gritted teeth. Why did Sōkyū Hatake look more punchable the longer he looked at him?
"Bring it on, then. This is the perfect chance for me to teach my martial nephew what real strength is," Sōkyū Hatake said smugly.
"Then you can't use Pikachu!" Kakashi looked at Pikachu on Sōkyū Hatake's shoulder. He had once let his guard slip a little and gotten hit by Pikachu's Thunder.
Kakashi really didn't want to experience that sensation again.
"No problem."
"Come on, training ground!" Kakashi said through gritted teeth. Sōkyū Hatake really was... Did he even know an eldest brother was like a father?
Sōkyū Hatake: I treat you as my martial nephew, and you're planning to be my father???
After arriving at the training ground, both picked up wooden swords from the side. This was a spar between brothers, after all, and they knew how far to go.
Kakashi and Sōkyū Hatake faced each other.
Over the past six months, Kakashi and Sōkyū Hatake had occasionally fought each other, and Kakashi was very curious about the strange skills Sōkyū Hatake used.
"White Fang Swordsmanship! First form!" Holding his wooden sword, Kakashi appeared beside Sōkyū Hatake with a Body Flicker Technique and mercilessly swung the wooden sword straight at his head.
"Soru! Wind Scar!" Sōkyū Hatake swiftly used Soru to evade Kakashi's attack, then used Soru to move behind him. Wind pressure was already beginning to form around the wooden sword in his hands.
Then five blades of sword energy shot straight toward Kakashi.
Bang! A log appeared where Kakashi had been, and the Wind Scar tore it directly into pieces.
"Those weird moves again!" Kakashi could sense the energy contained within the Wind Scar and had dodged it with a Substitution Technique.
But Sōkyū Hatake's moves were things Kakashi had never seen before.
That Wind Scar, in particular, was something Kakashi had never even heard of, let alone seen.
"Hehe, I only just learned this skill!" Sōkyū Hatake grinned. He really had only just obtained Wind Scar.
During his six months of check-ins, a minor critical reward had directly given him Inuyasha's skill pack.
That had been quite a treat for Sōkyū Hatake, too.
It was just that the system had modified all these skills to consume chakra, so Sōkyū Hatake's chakra reserves still weren't enough to sustain them.
It could only be called a weakened version of Wind Scar.
"Then let me show you a skill I just learned, too! Lightning Release! Chidori!" A mass of lightning appeared in Kakashi's hand as he stared straight at Sōkyū Hatake!
Chidori was a Lightning Release Ninjutsu developed by Kakashi Hatake in his youth. After discovering his inability to incorporate Lightning Release chakra into the Rasengan, Kakashi had developed a separate Lightning Release Ninjutsu-Chidori. This technique combined Chakra Nature Transformation with shape transformation. The user concentrated a powerful electric current formed from Lightning Release chakra in their hand and used the speed of a thrust to pierce the target. The powerful current produced a piercing sound like a thousand birds chirping, hence the name Chidori.
"Holy shit, you're serious?" Sōkyū Hatake felt as though a wild beast had fixed its gaze on him.
He knew that Chidori was still a very difficult skill for Kakashi to master. It could be called a half-finished technique!
After all, Kakashi hadn't yet obtained Obito Uchiha's Sharingan, which meant he couldn't control Chidori's accuracy!
Still, this really was an opportunity for Sōkyū Hatake, and he also noticed that Kakashi hadn't put much chakra into this Chidori!
Yes, Kakashi was still holding back considerably against his little brother!
Before you continue