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Inside the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared out the window at the bustling street below, a flicker of anxiety in his eyes.
He and Danzo had debated all night without reaching a conclusion. The stalemate left them both feeling frustrated, forcing them to question if their grip on Konoha was as absolute as they thought.
However, the immediate priority was clear: they had to stop the rumors from spreading.
"It's up to you now," Hiruzen said in a low voice, glancing at Danzo standing beside him. After all, this mess was largely of Danzo's making.
"I will handle it," Danzo replied simply before leaving the office to deploy his forces.
With the high command united, the efficiency of the Konoha political machine spiked to terrifying levels.
Root, ANBU, and even the Police Force received new orders. Anyone caught discussing the rumors would be warned the first time and arrested the second. Anyone caught deliberately spreading them was to be arrested immediately—and if they resisted, authorization was granted to kill on sight.
Under such draconian measures, the streets felt noticeably different when Taiichi finished his morning workout and headed out. The chaotic, gossipy atmosphere of the past few days had been scrubbed clean.
Taiichi was just glad he and Kakashi had decided to stop their operations yesterday. With this level of crackdown, continuing would have undoubtedly exposed them.
Even in the short time he'd been walking, Taiichi felt no fewer than four gazes sweep over him, scanning for anything suspicious.
Taiichi and Kakashi returned to their daily routines, but the aftershocks of the incident continued to ripple through Konoha.
Root and ANBU went into a frenzy, sniffing around, interrogating, and monitoring like they'd kicked a hornet's nest. But it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The Shadow Clones had dispelled cleanly, and the two boys had ceased all activity. With the trail cold, the authorities ultimately had to classify the incident as sabotage by an "unknown hostile faction."
With the passage of time and the iron-fisted suppression by the officials, the controversy surrounding Hatake Sakumo, the dark secrets of Elder Danzo, and the gossip involving the Hokage all began to fade. They dissolved into the numb nerves and solemn atmosphere of the villagers.
Life returned to a superficial calm.
Taiichi's life fell back into its comfortable rhythm: relentless Taijutsu and Kenjutsu training in the morning until his clothes were soaked in sweat; squad drills with Yohei and Saori; afternoons spent at the Konoha Hospital or researching Ninjutsu at home; and evenings reserved for reading or visiting the kids at the orphanage.
Mission-wise, they continued to run B-Rank and even A-Rank assignments. The days passed with a sense of regularity and stability, a grounding peace after the storm.
The only deviation from the norm involved Hatake Sakumo.
The legendary "White Fang," whose name shook the ninja world, did not return to high-risk missions after the controversy died down.
Instead, Sakumo submitted a surprising application to become a standard Jonin instructor for fresh Genin. The Hokage's office approved it almost immediately.
By the time Taiichi heard the news from Kakashi, Sakumo had already taken charge of a new three-man squad.
Kakashi's tone held a mix of nostalgia and relief. "My father... he seems at peace. He says this is good for him, that he doesn't have to carry such a heavy burden anymore. Teaching rookies is a hassle, sure, but watching them make mistakes and grow... he says it has more meaning for him now."
It was as if Sakumo had set down an invisible weight. He now poured his lifetime of experience into guiding the next generation. Occasionally, Taiichi would see him at the training grounds, instructing a few green kids. His posture was still upright, his blade still sharp, but the harsh edge between his brows had softened.
Taiichi listened quietly, seeing the tension leave Kakashi's eyes along with his father's.
Sakumo had found his own peace and a new purpose. This was probably the best possible ending for their family.
The storm had passed, at least on the surface. But the sharp-eyed veterans in Konoha could smell the rot. They could guess what kind of people had the means and the guts to pull something like this off.
A seed of dissatisfaction had been planted in everyone's hearts. Today it was Sakumo; tomorrow, it could be them.
Furthermore, the rumors about Danzo and Hiruzen—though quickly silenced—left a thorn in the public consciousness. It was a prick that would occasionally sting, ensuring no one truly forgot.
Time flowed on like a river, indifferent to the will of men. The events of the ninja world were just splashes in the current, quickly swallowed by history.
Spring arrived in Konoha Year 46.
Thunder rumbled, and life returned to the earth, but the warm spring breeze couldn't blow away the heavy gloom hanging over the ninja world.
On the contrary, as the new year began, the tension on the continent tightened like a bowstring. The silence was ominous, the friction palpable.
The covert shadow war had evolved into open military mobilization and border standoffs. As if by agreement, every nation began reinforcing their borders simultaneously.
Around Konoha, the Sand Village had been massing troops since last year. Sparse observation posts were replaced by heavy fortresses. Organized Sand units patrolled the desert frequently, and Puppet Brigade activity spiked.
This year, Sand battalions had even begun moving openly into the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rivers didn't dare utter a word of protest.
At the same time, the Cloud Village—famous for their aggression—flexed their muscles, sending troops to both the Fire and Earth borders, making their intentions dangerously unclear.
The Rock Village was relatively restrained, but they increased their defenses in response. However, everyone knew the Tsuchikage was a cunning old wolf; he wouldn't hesitate to bite if he saw an opening.
The Mist Village, usually isolated across the sea, was also making moves. Their ships were frequently spotted in the waters near the Fire Nation.
Under this immense pressure, Konoha was forced into full alert. The rumors of Year 45 had left the populace jittery, and that shadow hadn't fully dissipated.
Facing hungry tigers on all sides, the Hokage had to pull more ninjas from the mission pool—especially experienced Jonin and Chunin squads—to reinforce the borders.
Team 8, now a mature combat unit, was affected by the reshuffling.
Captain Yamaguchi, a seasoned combat veteran, was transferred out of the team to operate as a solo specialist agent for the village.
The remaining members of Team 8 were assigned a newly promoted Chunin to form a new squad.
And Taiichi was named the Captain.
Since the start of the year, missions involving infiltration, reconnaissance, and sabotage became the norm. Prices in the village fluctuated wildly every day. The air was thick with the anxiety of impending war.
Facing this escalating tension, Taiichi didn't dare slack off. In this chaotic world, only personal strength could protect the people he cared about.
The morning sun slanted across his private training ground, illuminating a teenager swinging a short sword. The blade was wrapped in flowing golden flames, making the scene look majestic.
Of course, if you ignored the decimated rocks and earth mounds serving as targets, it would have been a peaceful picture.
Slash.
A diagonal cut cleaved a massive boulder in two. The cross-section glowed a molten dark red.
Taiichi's strikes could now cut through almost anything that lacked special magical protection.
Finishing his set, Taiichi delivered a horizontal sweep. Scorching flames manifested as a blade of energy, shearing through everything in a wide arc. Earth mounds, rocks, targets—all bisected. The flame wave rushed forward until it slammed into the protective barrier at the edge of the field.
This barrier was Taiichi's pride and joy over the last few months. After half a year of tinkering, the perimeter ward no longer shattered at the slightest touch.
Now, unless Taiichi went all out, the barrier could hold, allowing him to train without holding back (too much).
His biggest achievement, however, was the perfection of his Fire Body Technique (Elementalization).
With his Chakra Control hitting Level 10, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. After months of practice, Taiichi could finally transform his entire body into fire.
Standing in the center of the field, Taiichi focused. Starting from his fingertips, his body dissolved into drifting flames inch by inch. The flames collapsed and concentrated, leaving behind a humanoid mass of intense, solid, bright gold fire.
It didn't flicker like normal fire; it flowed like liquid, cycling from the bottom up.
He floated in mid-air, the fire extending to form limbs and a head, returning to a human shape. When he opened his eyes, they were like two glowing rubies.
The sensation was entirely different from his physical body.
In this state, his vision wasn't normal. It was overlaid with thermal imaging. Everything was a mix of red and blue—the hotter it was, the brighter the red; the colder, the darker the blue.
While fully elementalized, he could float, though his flight speed was currently painfully slow—a serious defect.
To fix this, he surmised he needed to level up his Chakra Control again, to the point where he could convert other chakra natures while in this fire state.
He extended his right hand, grasping at the air. A blade made entirely of condensed fire formed in his grip. Unlike his "Flame Blade" technique which required a physical sword as a medium, this was pure energy.
He swung it casually.
Boom!
The resulting wave of fire nearly shattered the expensive barrier.
Taiichi hurriedly dialed back the power. The barrier was tough, sure, but fixing it cost a fortune!
He slowly reverted to his flesh-and-blood form. This was the technique's biggest flaw: the transformation time was too slow.
But the primary goal had been achieved: Taiichi no longer had physical vital points. If you stabbed him, unless it was an instant-kill attack that wiped out his chakra, he could turn into fire and regenerate instantly.
He had effectively achieved a form of immortality on the battlefield. His survivability was now off the charts.
Taiichi pulled up his system interface.
> Name: Matsushita Taiichi
> Job: Chunin Lv4 (183/600)
> Talents: Hard Work (Grind), Scholar, Potency (70% Boost)
> Age: 10
> Constitution: 24 (1/5)
> Strength: 23
> Agility: 23
> Spirit: 27
> Chakra: 25,000 (24,500)
> Nature Transformation Mastery:
> Fire: Lv11
> Wind: Lv10
> Water: Lv9
> Earth: Lv6
> Lightning: Lv6
> Yang: Lv8
> Yin: Lv6
>
>
> Skills:
> Chakra Shape Manipulation: Lv9
> Chakra Control: Lv10
> Advanced Taijutsu: Lv4
> Advanced Meditation: Lv3
> Advanced Kenjutsu: Lv4
>
>
> Derivative Skills:
> Sword Intent (Guardian): Power +5%. A blade swung to protect carries the will of a guardian, giving the enemy the sensation of facing an immovable wall.
> Monstrous Strength: Lv7
>
>
> Evaluation: War is coming, and your preparations are complete. Now, young man, go out there and let yourself go!
For once, the system's snarky evaluation actually made sense. Taiichi felt that unless he actively tried to get killed or got trapped in a barrier he couldn't break, dying was going to be difficult.
Daily routine complete, Taiichi packed his gear and headed to the Mission Hall. Today was mission pick-up day.
The clouds of war hung heavy over the village, and manpower was scarce.
The squad no longer had the luxury of long breaks. Usually, they'd finish a mission, rest for a day, and be back on the road.
Konoha was like a giant war machine, slowly accelerating its gears.
Arriving at the hall, the rest of the team was waiting. Uchiha Yohei, Furukawa Saori, and their new teammate: Kazema.
Kazema was the sole survivor of his previous squad. He had just been promoted to Chunin due to merit, a typical "wartime promotion."
He was the oldest in the team—four years older than Yohei and Saori—but undoubtedly the weakest.
He knew his place. He was the new guy, and his skills were average, so he rarely spoke and followed Taiichi's orders implicitly.
The team had been working together for three months now, so Taiichi decided it was time to ramp up the difficulty.
Walking up to the counter, Taiichi went straight for the A-Rank mission scroll.
Beside him, Yohei and Saori looked eager, practically itching for a fight.
Kazema, however, looked nervous. He wanted to ask if this was too aggressive, but seeing the expressions of the two veteran members, he swallowed his words.
Previously, to break the new guy in, Taiichi had stuck to B-Rank missions. But honestly? Not only was Taiichi overpowered, but even Yohei was operating at a Jonin level.
This was an elite squad in everything but name.
Taiichi scanned the list. One mission caught his eye: "Eliminate Foreign Ninjas Infiltrating the Fire Nation."
He took it immediately. Reasons? Plenty of opponents, and total operational freedom.
Opening the scroll, the four read the details.
It was simple and brutal: The village had detected large numbers of foreign ninjas entering the country to sabotage supply lines and raid towns. The squad's mission was to hunt down and terminate any foreign ninja they encountered.
Kazema frowned, confused. " 'Any' foreign ninja? Isn't that too broad? What if they are just passing through on a legitimate mission? Do we kill them too?"
Taiichi glanced at him. The guy had been a ninja for years; how could he ask something so naive?
Before Taiichi could speak, Yohei beat him to it.
"We are operating in the rear lines of a war zone," Yohei said, his voice cold. "Anyone sneaking around here right now isn't a 'good guy.' And even if they are? Bad luck for them. War isn't a joke."