FLIP
FLIP
The sound of pages flipping echoed all around the rectangular space. The air that entered through the window was fresh and cold.Two attendants sat in the corner, looking through bundles of documents.
The room itself looked simple—wooden boards covered the floor. The walls were filled with ornaments and portraits.
Pictures of strong figures hung on the wall: Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage of the Leaf;Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of the Leaf.
And yet, who really sat at the desk was something old. Despite being in his fifties, white hair appeared on his scalp. His face looked reminiscent of a monkey.
Of the Sarutobi clan, considered the favorite of Tobirama.
Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Professor—was sitting, undergoing the heaps of classified documents on his table.
His hand grabbed his tobacco, occasionally letting out puffs of air.
JINGLE
JINGLE
His eyes looked up, expecting just another one of his attendants, yet what presented itself was a face he recognized very well.
Blond hair and a presence like the sun—a very young Jonin of the Leaf.Minato Namikaze entered with a smile on his face.
Yet what interested him wasn't his grand disciple but the new man who entered the room.Fiery hair unlike anything Hiruzen had seen, a simple black shirt with the Uchiha emblem.A simple katana hung by his waist, and if he didn't carry a ninja pack on his thigh, Hiruzen would have taken him for a samurai.
'Since when did the Uchiha start producing blond hair?' he thought with a smile on his face.
"What brought you here, Minato? Your team giving you any trouble?" Hiruzen asked.
Minato smiled brightly. "No, they were excellent in the mission, and I believe with time, Kakashi too will lower his walls with them."
Hiruzen nodded.
"But… something unexpected happened in the mission," Minato spoke with a sigh. A small report appeared in his hands. Handing it to Hiruzen, he spoke, "We encountered a whole squad of Iwa shinobi on our way."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "One of them was an elite Jonin, while the other three were Chunins." His voice dropped two octaves lower. "While Kakashi and Kyojiro killed the Chunins, the Jonin ran away."
Minato finally added, "All of them had the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai."
Hiruzen paused for a moment before nodding. 'So Kakashi has grown to that extent…' He once again glanced towards the stoic Uchiha. 'So he too killed a Chunin?'
He turned towards the document, his eyes darting around the text, absorbing the information like a sponge.
He took another puff of tobacco as he read that Kyojiro killed two of the Chunins with a massive Fireball Jutsu. 'A Ninjutsu specialist Uchiha… someone who can contend against Explosion Release.'
While the boy was seventeen years old, Hiruzen didn't think less of him. It was people like Kakashi and Minato who were out of the norm.
Being able to kill two Chunins of Explosion Release in a match of Ninjutsu was a feat worth noting.
Minato asked, "Has the Iwa made any moves?" His face completely serious.
Hiruzen sighed before speaking. "Unfortunately, yes. Border skirmishes have already started. At the pace this is going, I believe another war is upon us."
Minato's heart tightened. 'A war…' A fire to protect the Leaf lit under his very eyes.
While Kyojiro himself was in a completely different situation, his stoic face gave away nothing. 'A war? So soon? Being an unimportant Uchiha… my clan itself would send me to the war as soon as they could.'
Kyojiro, while uninterested, wasn't unaware of Uchiha tactics. They loved showcasing their patriotism towards the Leaf and the might of their clan.While the heavy hitters went last, someone like him—a Chunin—would be sent first to the front lines.
Before he could think any further, Hiruzen interrupted his chain of thoughts. "Kyojiro, was it? What do you think of the situation?" His eyes looked at the boy kindly.
Yet Kyojiro wasn't fooled—he could sense the calculations undergoing in the man's brain.
He cleared his throat. "The last war, I believe, has left Iwagakure and most nations at a loss of resources," he spoke confidently. "The moment Iwa starts the attack, Kumogakure, with their battle-hungriness, wouldn't stop either…"
He paused and spoke, "The best thing we can do is perhaps establish an alliance with the Sand while mobilizing our forces along the borders."
Kyojiro sharpened his gaze. "Our best bet is to lessen our enemies and increase our allies. While I doubt Kumogakure would agree to an alliance, we can try with Suna and Kumo both."
Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh. He looked towards the Uchiha, a smile tugging on his face. "Excellent, excellent. That is quite similar to what I was planning."The Third Hokage tilted his head as he gazed at the Uchiha. "It's a pity I hadn't met you until today."
The Third Hokage turned towards Kyojiro with full interest. "I have a small proposal, though. In the upcoming war, would you want to fight alongside Minato's team?"
.
.
.
In the dull office of an underground facility, shadows pranced in the corners. Smoke and fog filled the air as if something unseen and mysterious was going on.
The place was like a maze—corners, corridors, and even rooms. Silent and quiet.
In a dimly lit office stood a man. He held a small cane in his hands, his eye hidden behind a bandage.
As he was looking through the files, a small SWISH occurred in the air.
Where there was nothing but darkness in the room, now stood another man—his face hidden by a mask. "Danzo-sama, I have new news from the Hokage's office."
The Root was everywhere—like accursed branches that poisoned the entire tree. It had the whole of Konoha in its grasp.
Danzo looked at the new file with interest.
Kyojiro UchihaSeventeen years old.Ninjutsu specialist.93.8 percent mission accuracy.Best feat — killed two Chunins with Explosion Release in a Ninjutsu match.Sharingan — One Tomoe.
Danzo hummed as he heard the next words of his subordinate.
"Lord Hokage has asked him to work with Minato, Danzo-sama."