Compared to the lighthearted atmosphere of the Ninja Academy, the tension inside the Hokage's Office was heavy.
The Leaf's Council had all gathered, each with a solemn expression as they read over the latest intel in their hands.
"Kumogakure has rejected our letter of condemnation. They've also begun increasing their forces along the border. Our ninja have already clashed with theirs in small skirmishes."
"Kirigakure is responding the same way. Hiruzen, this is a coordinated plot targeting Konoha!" said Shimura Danzō, his voice like a thunderclap.
This was a blatant provocation.
Ever since the Second Hokage fell in an ambush by rogue ninja from Kumogakure while signing a peace treaty with the Second Raikage, relations between the two villages had grown increasingly fragile.
The peace agreement still stood—on paper. Both sides had respected it, at least on the surface.
The Third Raikage and the Third Hokage had both honored the decisions of their predecessors, but as time wore on, the treaty's binding force had gradually eroded. The recent crisis in the Land of Whirlpools had caused tensions to explode.
And Kirigakure? They had always kept to themselves on that remote island of theirs—until now. For some inexplicable reason, even they were mobilizing against Konoha. It was as if they were under genjutsu.
An invisible cloud of unease loomed over the four men.
"At this point, Konoha has no choice but to prepare for war," said Sarutobi Hiruzen, rubbing the space between his brows. "I've already sent Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya to the Kirigakure front."
After over a decade of peace, it seemed the ninja world was once again on the brink of chaos.
Fortunately, he and Danzō had lived up to Tobirama-sensei's expectations. Together, they had kept Konoha running efficiently and had built up a formidable reserve of shinobi.
That was why Hiruzen wasn't panicked despite facing threats from two of the Five Great Nations. Konoha had the strength to resist.
"Then let's focus on the threat at hand," Hiruzen continued. "Danzō, I'll leave Iwagakure and Sunagakure to you. Keep a close eye on them."
With the Sannin handling Kirigakure, the next concern was whether the other two villages would make a move. Sunagakure had always coveted the Land of Fire's territory, while Iwagakure's intentions remained unclear.
But knowing Ōnoki, that guy preferred mass-producing troops over focusing on quality. Too bad their quality couldn't match that of Konoha's elite shinobi.
Thanks to Konoha's prime geography, it consistently produced more food and medicinal herbs than any other village. With abundant training resources, it had long pulled ahead of the others in development.
The Fire Country's expansive forests also provided the key materials for explosive tags and sealing scrolls—supplies critical to warfare. Konoha had stockpiles the others could only dream of.
"As for the Kumogakure front... If things escalate further, I'll deploy Sakumo."
Against a village known for Lightning Release and raw aggression, a swordmaster like Hatake Sakumo was the perfect counter. Most of Kumo's ninja didn't possess the Lightning Chakra Mode.
Sakumo only needed to infuse his strikes with Wind Release to completely overpower his enemies. Unless the Raikage himself took the field, Sakumo could easily tear through Kumogakure's typical one-on-one specialists.
Even more terrifying was the fact that Sakumo was proficient in Lightning Release as well. His mastery of lightning-enhanced body techniques could rival—or even surpass—theirs.
"Still," Hiruzen said, stretching his arm until his bones cracked, "this old body of mine isn't completely useless yet. Might be time to stretch my legs."
Though short in stature, he emanated overwhelming pressure. With a single step, his aura rippled through the room, and Danzō instinctively narrowed his eyes.
So the old Sarutobi hadn't dulled with age.
No—he had grown stronger.
That stubborn ape must've learned more than a few secret techniques from the Scroll of Seals.
Back when Uzumaki Mito was still alive, Hiruzen in his prime had been one of Konoha's top-tier forces. With Mito anchoring the village and housing the complete form of the Nine-Tails, Konoha had possessed unmatched strength. Apart from Uchiha Madara in the shadows, few could rival her.
The power of a fully suppressed Nine-Tails outclassed even five Tailed Beasts combined.
That's why Hiruzen could fight without worry—roaming the battlefield freely, unleashing the strength of a Hokage worthy of leading the most powerful ninja village.
"It's settled, then," he said. "Koharu, Homura—you'll handle logistics. I trust you can coordinate everything efficiently."
"Of course. I've still got some fight left in me," said Mitokado Homura.
He was a textbook example of what a shinobi could achieve without bloodline limits, clan jutsu, or summoning contracts—just decades of honed experience and sharpened instincts.
"As for medical supplies, leave that to me," said Koharu. "Also, Tsunade has brought up increasing investment in medical-nin training. What do you think?"
"It's a good proposal," Hiruzen said after a moment of thought. "But now's not the right time. Once things settle down, we'll let her handle it."
Medical-nin were essential, but with tensions rising across multiple borders, it made no sense to pour resources into a program that took years to yield results when the frontlines needed immediate reinforcements.
...
"Kaien, go easy, okay? The Hyūga clan is the largest in Konoha, after all..." Hyūga Hizashi said in a low voice—just loud enough for Uchiha Kaien to hear.
Then he raised his voice for the crowd:
"The Hyūga clan is the number one clan in Konoha! Uchiha, are you ready?"
The Hyūga were sticklers for rules, and if anyone else had heard that, Hizashi would definitely be punished.
"We, the Uchiha, are the true number one clan in Konoha!"
Kaien shouted right back without a trace of shame, completely playing along.
So the Hyūga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi, were still this playful back then, huh?
Guess they weren't always the stiff, by-the-book types.
As soon as the signal to begin was given, the two clashed.
Hizashi activated his Byakugan and closed in on Kaien at lightning speed.
As masters of taijutsu, the Hyūga's Gentle Fist, paired with their Byakugan, was usually enough to end fights instantly.
One solid hit to the chakra points, and the opponent would be caught in a relentless combo—with no way to escape and nothing but despair to look forward to.
That was what most shinobi faced when fighting the Hyūga.
With the Byakugan's tracking, shuriken could be dodged with ease, jutsu interrupted before they formed, and taijutsu? Well, that was their bread and butter.
It was a one-sided massacre against ordinary opponents.
But this time... Hizashi was up against a fellow dōjutsu user.
An Uchiha.
The Sharingan specialized in one-on-one combat even more than the Byakugan. Its dynamic vision and perception allowed it to read and counter almost any move.
Hizashi felt a wave of relief—Kaien hadn't activated his Sharingan yet. At least this way, he could lose gracefully.
But things didn't go as expected.
The moment Hizashi activated his Byakugan, Kaien's eyes turned crimson. A single tomoe spun in his pupils—alive and alert.
"Sharingan?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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