Drawing Near

Uzumaki Hane bid farewell to Tsunade and left the office.

After watching Uzumaki Hane leave, Tsunade said to Shizune beside her, "Shizune, remember, don't let Danzo know about Naruto being attacked this time."

Shizune nodded and said, "Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade frowned and continued, "Leave the Akatsuki issue to Jiraiya for now. What we need to worry about now is that several villages near the Land of Fire have been destroyed. It seems someone wants to start a war. Shizune, go and call Asuma over."

Shizune replied, "Yes, Lady Tsunade." Then Shizune left the office to find Asuma.

Uzumaki Hane didn't go home immediately, but instead prepared to look for Naruto and the others. As he walked down the street, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead. Uzumaki Hane knew it must have been caused by Sora, so he vanished from the spot in a flash.

Soon, Uzumaki Hane found Naruto and the others. He saw Sora fighting Choji and Choji, while Naruto looked completely bewildered, having no idea what to do. Asuma, standing nearby, was intently watching Sora's every move, his eyes deep in thought. Then, as if remembering something, he took a deep drag on his cigarette.

Uzumaki Hane landed beside Asuma and said, "Asuma- sensei, you've returned from your mission."

Asuma snapped out of his daze and said, "It's Uzumaki Hane. I haven't seen you in a while."

At that moment, Shizune quickly walked over to Asuma and said, "Asuma, Lady Tsunade wishes to see you."

Asuma said in a deep voice, "Perfect timing, I was just about to go find the Lord Hokage." As the two talked, Naruto finally couldn't resist and rushed over, joining the chaotic fight. Rock Lee and Neji also came over, and seeing the group fighting, Rock Lee immediately got excited and rushed over, making the scene increasingly chaotic.

Uzumaki Hane said, "Asuma- sensei, let's stop them together."

Asuma nodded, and the two of them transformed into afterimages, instantly appearing in front of the group. Uzumaki Hane grabbed Naruto and Sora's arms, stopping their fight. Asuma used both hands to block Kiba and Choji's attacks, and his right foot blocked Rock Lee's flying kick.

Asuma said, "Alright, that's enough." All five of them were restrained and naturally stopped attacking.

Uzumaki Hane said, "Let's go, I'll treat everyone to barbecue." Hearing this, Naruto immediately cheered, "Great! Let's go eat barbecue!"

Asuma said, "Then you guys go ahead and eat. I'll go see the Lord Hokage first."

So, the group split into two teams. Uzumaki Hane led Naruto, Sora, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Neji, and Rock Lee to eat barbecue.

After finishing their barbecue, it was getting late, so everyone went home. Naruto and Sora somehow ran into Asuma and ended up learning wind-style Chakra transformations from Asuma. With Asuma looking after him, Naruto should be safe, so Uzumaki Hane ignored him and went straight home.

Arriving at her doorstep, she found the house lit up. A warmth Uzumaki Hane her heart; she knew that at this hour, only Yamano Koromo would be in her home. Just then, the door opened, and sure enough, Yamano Koromo stepped out.

Seemingly surprised to see Uzumaki Hane, Yamano Koromo beamed with joy and revealed a warm smile.

Uzumaki Hane smiled slightly, "I'm back."

Yamano Koromo said gently, "Welcome back."

Everything is understood without words.

The night was still, the moon was bright and the stars were few. It was the home of the Kohaku Clan in the Land of Fire.

Kazuma, accompanied by three of his men, stood on a high platform, looking down at the castle below.

Kazuma said, "From here on, our plan will be complete."

At that moment, a bolt of lightning shot into the sky from each of the four corners of the castle below, flashing continuously.

A series of booming sounds rang out, like thunderclaps, and the entire castle exploded. The next instant, the explosion disappeared, leaving only a village in ruins. Almost all the houses were destroyed, and screams, cries for help, and wails mingled together.

The four of them silently gazed down below. Kazuma said, "Let's go. The next step is Konoha. If we want the Land of Fire to rise, we must eliminate the corrupt Konoha." After saying that, he led his three subordinates away, completely unmoved by the apocalyptic scene below.

The next day at noon, Tsunade received an urgent message in her office. Tsunade picked up the scroll, her expression immediately turning grim.

Shizune asked from the side, "Lady Tsunade, what happened?"

Tsunade handed the scroll directly to Shizune, Shizune immediately exclaimed in shock upon reading it, "What? The Kohaku Clan on the border has been destroyed?"

Just then, Uzumaki Hane walked in, heard Shizune's words, and asked, "Teacher Tsunade, what happened?"

Tsunade said, "Yu, you're here. How are Naruto and Sora doing?"

Uzumaki Hane smiled slightly and said, "They're learning wind-style Chakra transformation from Asuma, and they seem very enthusiastic."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade smiled slightly, then her expression turned serious as she said, "The Kohaku Clan on the border of the Land of Fire has been destroyed." Just then, Yamato entered.

Seeing Tsunade's grim expression, Yamato knew something must have happened. Yamato stepped forward, handed Tsunade a scroll, and said, "Lord Hokage, this is information sent by Chiriku- sensei."

Tsunade took the scroll, and after reading it, her expression became even more unpleasant.

After a moment's hesitation, he said to Yamato, "Yamato, the Kohaku Clan has been mysteriously destroyed on the border of the Land of Fire. I need you to lead a team of Anbu to investigate."

Yamato respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage," and then left the office.

Uzumaki Hane had been listening quietly to everything. She knew that Kazuma made his move and might already be in the village. Uzumaki Hane was about to speak up and reveal some information to Tsunade.

At that moment, an Anbu suddenly burst in.

Tsunade realized something might have happened again and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

The Anbu reported, "Lady Tsunade, Danzo has suddenly disappeared."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade stood up in shock and said, "What did you say?" At the same time, she thought to herself, "This incident just happened, Danzo has already disappeared. Could Danzo be plotting something again?"

Tsunade immediately shouted, "Go out right now and bring Danzo back!"

The Anbu replied in a deep voice, "Yes, Lord Hokage," and then quickly left.

After the Anbu left, Tsunade paced back and forth in her office, clearly still unsettled by the recent events. Tsunade soon calmed down.

Then, Uzumaki Hane stepped forward and said, "Teacher Tsunade, I have some information here about the mysterious person who destroyed the village."

Upon hearing Tsunade looked at Uzumaki Hane and said in a deep voice, "Yu, what information do you have?"