"So you just… ran away from Sasori of the Red Sand?"
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Kushina's eyes.
Her tone carried the faint warning signs of an imminent outburst.
Although the information was classified at the highest level, for Hagoromo, Kushina was clearly outside the scope of secrecy.
On the surface, he remained calm and steady—but in reality, he subtly shifted his seat a little farther away from her.
Just in case a fist came flying.
He picked up the cup on the table, took a sip of water, and only then replied leisurely,
"Otherwise?"
"What do you mean otherwise? You should've killed him! Finished him off! That was free food delivered to your doorstep! And that Pakura earlier—you were this close to dealing with her. Why did you back off?"
"Cough—!"
Hagoromo nearly choked on his water.
He shot Kushina a sideways look. She made it sound so easy—but was it really that simple?
That was Sasori.
What, was he supposed to talk-no-jutsu him to death?
As for Pakura… with enough effort, sure, she could've been taken down. But Sasori was a different matter. Setting aside who would win, if Hagoromo truly intended to kill him, he would've had to go all out—no holding back.
"Kushina-sensei," Hagoromo said, pointing at his own head,
"that was Sasori—the S-rank missing-nin, a confirmed Kage-level shinobi. Me? A freshly promoted chūnin. Do you really think that's comparable? The fact that I made it back alive means I deserve the Shinobi World's Best Escape Artist of the Year award."
Let's be reasonable, okay?
And also—did Minato know how violent she was?
"Tch. If I had been there, I could've taken down two Sasoris," Kushina said, clicking her tongue.
Her tone was full of bravado, though she knew perfectly well she was mostly talking big. She had confidence in fighting Sasori one-on-one—but a one-versus-two? Not happening.
Even though Hagoromo described the battle lightly, Kushina could sense how dangerous it truly had been.
Yes. Escaping alive really was good enough.
"That's right," Hagoromo nodded solemnly.
"If we'd fought together, sensei, forget Sasori—we could've wiped out Sunagakure itself."
That bit of flattery was shameless, even by his standards.
Kushina didn't even bother responding. Take down Suna? What, unleash the Nine-Tails?
"Oh, and according to the mission you gave me earlier," Hagoromo added casually,
"I already reported your name to Sasori."
There was a reason for that.
Kushina had a small personal goal: she wanted her own name to resound throughout the shinobi world—at the very least, louder than the Yellow Flash.
Her name as Kushina Uzumaki, not merely as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. That latter goal had long since been achieved.
But she herself couldn't go to the battlefield.
So that responsibility fell—half jokingly—onto her disciple.
It was meant as a joke. Shinobi were supposed to stay in the shadows; being famous was technically a debuff.
But Hagoromo had taken it seriously.
For him, acting in Kushina's name was nothing. If needed, he'd impersonate her outright.
"Really?"
That question alone could've led to a much deeper discussion—but before Kushina could continue, a voice called out from outside.
Hagoromo had expected this.
"Sensei, I'll be heading out first," he said.
"I'll be staying in Konoha for a few days. There's something I already agreed to take care of."
The person looking for him outside was Might Guy.
Hagoromo said goodbye to Kushina, stepped out, and greeted Guy.
The two chatted as they walked together toward a certain direction.
Their conversation naturally drifted to the battlefield.
Hagoromo had been active on the western front, while Guy—together with his father—had remained on the Mist front. Since graduation, the two hadn't seen each other often—far less frequently than Hagoromo saw Obito.
As for why Guy and Might Duy had returned to Konoha during a lull in missions, the reason was perfectly legitimate.
A father and son.
Same exam.
Same year.
Yes—it was time for the Chūnin Exams again.
In theory, since this was wartime, promotion could be decided purely by battlefield performance. Real combat proved a shinobi far better than any test.
Hagoromo himself had been promoted directly by the Third Hokage.
Still, for various reasons, the exam-based system was preserved—once per year.
Might Duy was a genin.
Might Guy was also a genin.
So the two of them taking the exam together wasn't strange at all.
That said, frontline missions always took priority. Previously, Kurenai Yūhi hadn't even received notice of the exams because she was deployed with Hagoromo's squad.
As dusk approached, Hagoromo and Guy stopped at a training ground.
"Guy, think carefully," Hagoromo said.
"With the Chūnin Exams coming up, sparring with me now will definitely affect your condition."
"And isn't Kakashi supposed to be your eternal rival?"
"The Chūnin Exams are important," Guy replied seriously.
"But testing whether my techniques can work against a shinobi like you is just as important."
"Kakashi is my eternal rival. But you, Hagoromo—you are a wall standing in front of me."
"As for the exams, the technique I'm about to use is sealed anyway. I won't be able to use it there regardless."
Guy's expression was solemn.
Though he often—no, frequently—displayed bizarre behavior, that didn't mean he was foolish.
His father had remained a genin his entire life, and both Duy and Guy had endured ridicule because of it. But after spending time on the battlefield, Guy had matured noticeably.
He now understood his father.
The rank of chūnin no longer held the same meaning it once had for him. Whether he passed or failed mattered—and yet didn't.
The last time he fought Hagoromo had been the graduation exam.
He'd lost without any chance to fight back.
Did he accept the defeat?
Of course. The difference was obvious.
But was he content with it?
Who ever is?
That was why Hagoromo was a wall to him.
That was why he wanted Hagoromo to test his new technique.
And Hagoromo agreed.
They stood roughly ten meters apart.
Guy began unwrapping the bandages around his body.
"My father taught me that this is a forbidden technique—one that should never be used against comrades," Guy said.
"But against you, Hagoromo… I believe you can withstand it."
Compared to the time of the graduation exam, Guy's strength had increased dramatically.
His growth during this period had been explosive.
And yet, he still believed—purely by instinct—that Hagoromo could take his attack.
What was Guy's new technique?
There was no need to say it out loud.
Boom!
The weighted gear hit the ground.
"First Gate: Gate of Opening!"
"Second Gate: Gate of Healing!"
"Third Gate: Gate of Life!"
"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain!"
To face Hagoromo, Might Guy opened four of the Eight Gates in succession!
The Gate of Life marked the last "safe" boundary of the Eight Gates. From the Fourth Gate onward, the user's body began to suffer damage.
Only then did the Eight Gates truly become the Eight Gates.
Only then did their real power emerge.
Would Hagoromo take this lightly?
He would not.
Almost the moment Guy activated the Eight Gates, lightning began to flicker across Hagoromo's body.
Behind him, iron sand gathered and dispersed in clustered formations.
"A new technique?" Guy said with a hint of emotion.
"I expected nothing less. Only if we both improve does this test mean anything."
"It counts as a new technique, I suppose," Hagoromo replied.
"It's called Iron Sand—"
He paused.
Iron Sand Sword didn't sound quite right…
"It's called Raiden Mei(Iron Sand Technique )."
"My new technique—Lightning Release: Raiden Mei(Iron Sand Technique )."
…That name had a very ojō-sama elegance to it, didn't it?
Yes.
Absolutely not something he made up on the spot.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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