"Old man, you were looking for me?"
When Kyusei appeared in the Hokage's office, the first thing he noticed was that Hiruzen Sarutobi felt different.
With Kagura's Mind Eye combined with the Nine-Tails' ability to sense malice, Kyusei's perception was already close to reading people's hearts.
The chakra radiating from Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer carried that steel-like firmness it used to have.
Now, his chakra felt like a piece of iron heated red-hot.
Scorching.
Blazing.
Something that would burn the moment you touched it.
"Old man… are you okay?"
Kyusei looked at Hiruzen with some hesitation as he spoke.
Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi snap out of his thoughts. He looked straight at Kyusei, his gaze blazing.
"Have you heard the intelligence from the River Country battlefield?"
Kyusei nodded.
This was the first victory. Hiruzen hadn't tried to hide it at all—he had announced it to the entire village to boost morale.
Naturally, Kaoru's outstanding performance was highlighted. Just like in the original storyline, the title 'Golden Flash' had been placed upon the shoulders of this seventeen-year-old girl.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the young man who had brought war—and opportunity—to Konoha.
"Kyusei, prepare yourself."
Just five simple words, yet Kyusei froze, his expression turning serious.
So soon?
The war had only just begun.
Three days? Five days?
Wasn't this too fast?
Seeming to notice Kyusei's confusion, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up. An imposing pressure instantly erupted from his seemingly frail body.
This was an aura unique to someone who had long occupied a position of supreme authority.
No matter how strong Kyusei was, as long as he had never touched such power, he could never possess this presence.
"The situation on all four fronts is favorable. Ōnoki, that old fox, will never sit still."
Sensing Kyusei's unease, Hiruzen softened his tone slightly. Yet the usually cloudy eyes of the Third Hokage were now frighteningly clear, faint flames flickering within them.
"The Hidden Stone still has plenty of strength it hasn't deployed."
"Thousands of shinobi. Two tailed beasts. None of them have moved."
"With just four thousand men, they've already stalled Konoha's advance."
"Calling the Hidden Stone the strongest village beneath Konoha wouldn't be an exaggeration."
Hiruzen's voice grew firm—almost excited.
"So…"
Kyusei's gaze sharpened as he was about to speak, but Hiruzen cut him off.
"So—strike first, or be struck later!"
"If that old fox Ōnoki wants to wait for someone else to lose patience—"
"Then we'll sever his hand first!"
Hiruzen hadn't said I.
He said we.
That meant he was personally going to the battlefield.
And in a situation where things were going so well, he hadn't hesitated at all.
He intended to break the deadlock himself.
Looking at the imposing Hiruzen Sarutobi before him, Kyusei finally remembered—
This man, already nearing old age, was not merely the so-called Professor of Ninjutsu.
In his youth, he had been known as the Shinobi Hero.
Hero—one of strength and might.
"Old man, if you're willing to go that far, then I can't just stand by and watch either."
Facing Hiruzen's ferocious grin, Kyusei grinned just as fiercely in return.
He had never been the type to stay obediently in place.
Not as a child.
Not now.
Still, he hadn't expected that even at over fifty years old, Hiruzen Sarutobi would possess such bold resolve.
Was it because Kyusei himself had given him confidence?
Either way, this was fine.
Chasing someone down and beating them was always better than getting beaten first and then counterattacking.
"So when do we leave?"
Kyusei asked.
Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly took out his pipe, lit it with practiced ease, and took a deep drag. Pale smoke drifted from his mouth, obscuring his expression.
But even without seeing it, Kyusei knew—
Those eyes were burning with fire.
"In warfare, speed is paramount!"
"Now!"
Hiruzen declared decisively.
"Alright. I'll have someone look after Kakashi. We'll set out immediately."
Kyusei responded at once.
"Old man, do you need to prepare anything?"
"I'll leave a letter. For the time being, all village affairs will be handled by Homura and Koharu."
Hiruzen quickly finished writing, then wrote six bold characters on the envelope:
'To Homura — Hokage's Orders.'
Once everything was done, the old man and the young man exchanged a glance and smiled—an unspoken understanding passing between them.
Inside the necklace, Senju Hashirama silently observed the scene.
With the power he now possessed, he was completely unable to stop what was happening.
He had a strange feeling—
That Monkey was even more aggressive than Tobirama ever was.
—
Grass Country Battlefield
Orochimaru was irritated.
He had naturally received the intelligence from the River Country battlefield. For Konoha, this was undoubtedly good news.
But Orochimaru had always been proud.
Growing up alongside Tsunade and Jiraiya, no matter what he did, he had always been first.
Now that Tsunade had seized the initiative, he was unwilling to accept it.
With his insight, Orochimaru knew this was merely a probing exchange. The real decisive battles had yet to come.
But the pride in his heart refused to let him remain calm.
Just then, Jiraiya's loud shouting outside the central command tent further aggravated his already foul mood.
"Jiraiya! Shut up!"
Orochimaru finally snapped.
"Orochimaru!"
"Take a look at who's here!"
Jiraiya ignored Orochimaru's attitude entirely. To him, this was just business as usual.
As Jiraiya dragged a somewhat short figure into view—
Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly.
"Sensei…"
The person standing before him was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Third Hokage of Konoha.
At this moment, Hiruzen wore black combat gear, a steel helmet atop his head.
Had their teacher decided the battle wasn't going well and personally come to the front lines?
That was Orochimaru's first thought.
"Orochimaru, you've done well during this period."
Hiruzen's first words were praise.
Holding off four thousand Stone shinobi with just three thousand of their own, without the front line retreating even an inch—
In Hiruzen's eyes, that was already an outstanding achievement.
After all, the Hidden Stone's combined ninjutsu was among the best in the shinobi world, especially in large-scale warfare.
Orochimaru's performance was all the more impressive because of it.
"Sensei…"
Seeing that Hiruzen didn't blame him at all—and instead praised him—Orochimaru felt moved, unsure of what to say.
"But now, the situation is different."
"Rather than passively defending—"
"We should take the initiative."
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"So…"
"I'm here."
In that instant, Orochimaru felt as though he was once again seeing the invincible Shinobi Hero of the past.
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