"Yes, yes, sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
"Don't worry, it won't happen again."
"All right, I'll be sure to watch the time."
Watching the Anbu ninja disappear over the rooftops at the edge of his vision, Shin'un couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
After he had practiced Lightning Release here for over half an hour, a squad of Anbu ninja had suddenly appeared to question him.
This was Shin'un's first encounter with Konoha's Anbu ninja.
According to the Anbu ninja, it was because Shin'un's Lightning Release practice here after six in the morning had disturbed the rest of nearby Konoha residents.
That excuse... all he could say was that it sounded like a complete brush-off.
The Anbu ninja were the Hokage's direct subordinates, carrying out Konoha's most important and confidential missions every day. How could they possibly bother with petty neighborhood disputes like this?
Even the Uchiha Clan of Konoha's Military Police Force probably couldn't be bothered with something like this.
With a little thought, and considering the increasingly tense situation in the Land of Rain, he could immediately deduce why these Anbu ninja had appeared here.
Clearly, Konoha was now outwardly relaxed but inwardly on high alert.
With tensions mounting, even Anbu ninja had been sent out on patrol to ensure stability at their home base.
"Sigh... war isn't far off..."
Unable to hold back a sigh, Shin'un turned to look at the sky.
The sun had fully emerged, giving off dazzling rays that bathed the land in light.
"What a waste of time."
The Anbu's questioning had cost Shin'un nearly half an hour of training time. Judging by the time now, it was roughly when he usually started his morning training.
Not daring to delay, Shin'un immediately began his workout.
Sprints, squats, push-ups...
An hour and a half passed in a flash.
Shin'un collapsed on the ground and rested for a few minutes, then hurriedly grabbed his shoulder bag and ran toward the Ninja Academy.
"Hey, Shikaku, did you hear? Starting today, the seventh-year students are taking their graduation exams half a year early."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. So what? Hurry up and sit down for a bit."
"..."
Sitting in his seat, Shin'un picked up some news from his classmates' conversations.
The Ninja Academy's seventh-year students were beginning their collective graduation exams half a year early. Konoha High Command was making less and less effort to conceal its intention to prepare for war.
Under these circumstances, even Shin'un couldn't help feeling a sense of urgency.
After all, once war began, it would only be a matter of time before Shin'un, a member of the fifth-year elite class, was sent to the battlefield.
Taking a deep breath, Shin'un decided to double his training load to better prepare for the coming war.
Creeeak.
The grating sound of a chair being dragged rang out beside him, jolting Shin'un out of his thoughts.
He turned to look beside him. It was Kushina.
"Shin'un, I heard war is about to start?"
As soon as she settled into her seat, Kushina turned to Shin'un and asked.
Kushina's voice wasn't quiet, and everyone here was a ninja, with senses sharper than those of ordinary people.
The moment Kushina asked her question, Shin'un felt his surroundings fall silent.
Turning to look, he saw many of the people around him looking his way.
Shikaku Nara, Akimichi Chōza, Inoichi Yamanaka, Uchiha Fugaku, Minato Namikaze...
Clearly, everyone had their own thoughts about the current tensions in the Shinobi World.
"What are you all looking at me for? Would saying it make it come true?"
Shin'un didn't want to draw that sort of attention and quickly looked at Kushina beside him.
"Just tell us. You're the smartest, most decisive person I've ever met. You don't usually show it, but you must have your own thoughts on this."
Shin'un was a little stunned by Kushina's words. He hadn't expected her to have such a high opinion of him.
He turned to look at the people around him and saw them nodding, clearly all sharing that opinion.
Shin'un lowered his head in thought, recalling how they had openly arranged for the Ninja Academy students to graduate early today, without the slightest concern about exposing their preparations for war.
Shin'un simply decided to lay out all his views on the current tensions in the Shinobi World.
Stating outright that the Second Shinobi World War would happen was a little too absolute, so Shin'un decided to put it more indirectly.
"It's been nearly twenty years since the last Shinobi World War. Throughout that time, the major ninja villages have been constantly developing and fighting in secret.
The Shinobi World has only remained at peace until now because no village wants to be the first to break that peace."
"The situation in the Land of Rain is growing more and more tense. I feel that, rather than dying down, the conflict will only keep escalating.
It could even become the spark that ignites the Second Shinobi World War."
After finishing his thoughts without interruption, Shin'un looked straight at the people around him.
Hearing Shin'un's words, everyone lowered their heads in thought.
Sweeping his gaze around, Shin'un turned back before any of them could respond and began preparing the books he needed for the next lesson...
The Hokage's office, Hokage Building.
Smoke swirled around the desk, obscuring the Third Hokage as he sat beside it.
He raised the pipe in his hand, brought the mouthpiece to his lips, and took a long draw.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a contented puff, adding to the smoke around him.
Then Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the crystal ball sitting on the desk before him.
The crystal ball, which should have been transparent, was displaying an image.
A closer look revealed the scene inside Shin'un's classroom.
"I didn't expect young Hirakawa Shin'un to have some insight into the situation in the Shinobi World."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke those words with what seemed to be a touch of wonder.
Most of the children in the elite class were descendants of ninja clans. Even those from the humblest backgrounds had ninja parents. They could obtain more information from their parents, so it wasn't surprising for them to have a clear view of the current tensions in the Shinobi World.
For Hirakawa Shin'un, who came from a civilian family, to assess the situation in the Shinobi World so accurately was quite unusual.
To Hiruzen Sarutobi, this meant Hirakawa Shin'un possessed an innate ability to observe and understand the situation that far surpassed his peers.
Recalling the investigation into Hirakawa Shin'un he had ordered the Anbu ninja to conduct, Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually sank into thought.
"He has Senju blood, both parents are alive, he's an elite-class student, and he has good relationships with the heirs of the major ninja clans, as well as Kushina."
"Talented, persevering, has bonds in the village, and pays attention to the situation in the Shinobi World. He could be considered for focused training."
"There's also Minato Namikaze. Both are children worth paying particular attention to at the Ninja Academy."
"When the two of them graduate from the Ninja Academy in the future, suitable teachers will have to be chosen for them."
As he thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to suddenly remember something, and the happiness he felt at seeing two promising young people gradually cooled.
"What a pity. War is about to begin. There's no time for them to grow."