"But… they were all wiped out!"
The shinobi's eyes still carried disbelief as he spoke, his voice trembling.
"The one leading them was none other than a famous Kirigakure jōnin—Hōzuki Mugetsu!"
"All wiped out?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice cut off abruptly. He stared in shock.
"Who did it?"
"Yu Ye and Might Dai!"
Even as he spoke those names, the messenger himself sounded unconvinced.
Clatter!
The documents in Hiruzen's hand slipped and landed on the desk.
And at the doorway of the Hokage's office—
Uchiha Kageyama, who had already taken one step out, suddenly froze.
His other foot felt as if it had been nailed to the floor, unable to move forward.
Hiruzen sat there in a daze, as though he were listening to a fairy tale.
"Where are Yu Ye and Might Dai now?" he asked.
"They just returned."
Crack.
A trace of chakra leaked beneath Uchiha Kageyama's foot, leaving a faint fracture in the floor.
His expression could no longer be described with words.
Then, stiffly, he dragged his frozen foot out of the Hokage's office and left.
"…That was strange."
The messenger looked at Kageyama's retreating figure in confusion.
Wasn't that the head of the Uchiha clan?
Cracking the floor of the Hokage's office—what did that mean? A provocation toward Hiruzen?
Wasn't that far too arrogant?!
"Hokage-sama, wasn't Uchiha Kageyama a bit too disrespectful just now?"
"That's enough. It's nothing. You may leave."
Hiruzen forced himself to maintain a calm expression and waved his hand.
The shinobi immediately shut his mouth.
A shinobi knew better than to pry. Even though he was puzzled, he turned and withdrew at once.
But the very next moment—
"Wait!"
Hiruzen suddenly called him back.
"Return. Explain the entire sequence of events to me—clearly."
The messenger hurried back and gave a detailed account.
In short:
Yu Ye and Might Dai had returned and submitted their mission report—along with a pile of severed heads.
Once the identities of those heads were confirmed, the entire office was thrown into shock.
The matter was so unbelievable that it could only be reported directly to the Hokage.
"What?!" Hiruzen exclaimed.
"Might Dai… can actually open the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates?!"
This time, he truly lost his composure.
No matter how talented Yu Ye was, in Hiruzen's eyes he was still a child who hadn't fully grown—his immediate strategic value was limited.
But Might Dai was different.
A shinobi who could open the Seventh Gate—
Such a person could change the tide of an entire war!
And he had completely overlooked such a talent?!
Eternal Genin—what nonsense!
"Summon Might Dai immediately!"
"Yes!"
Yu Ye and Might Dai had just finished submitting their mission report when Might Dai received the Hokage's summons.
Yu Ye took none of the mission reward, pushing it all onto Dai.
Dai felt embarrassed. True, he had killed the enemy jōnin captain—but Yu Ye's contribution was undeniable.
Yet Yu Ye brushed all the credit onto him.
Just as Dai was about to force some of the reward back into Yu Ye's hands, the Third Hokage's summons arrived.
Yu Ye gave Might Dai a faint, meaningful smile—
Then vanished in a flash.
Dai tried to chase after him but failed, left only with gratitude as he accepted the reward and headed toward the Hokage's office.
After separating from Might Dai, Yu Ye moved quickly through several streets before slowing his pace.
Walking through Konoha, he could feel the tension in the air.
Even civilians—rarely seen on the streets—carried anxious expressions.
The Second Great Ninja War felt imminent.
Even ordinary people could sense the storm gathering.
The ninja sword Yu Ye had taken from Uchiha Yue lacked a sheath.
The sheath's material was far inferior to the blade itself and had been caught in the shock of Collapse, turning to ash along with its owner.
Holding the sword, Yu Ye headed to Konoha's underground ANBU weapons division, intending to have a new sheath custom-made.
This time, the ANBU in charge of ninja tools couldn't help but show a strange expression when he saw the blade Yu Ye handed over.
"This ninja sword… isn't it—"
Uchiha Yue had been a squad leader within the Konoha Military Police Force and was fairly well-known.
As an ANBU operative, the man recognized the weapon.
"Is there a problem?" Yu Ye asked calmly.
By now, he had little reason to fear the Uchiha clan.
Unless someone like Uchiha Madara suddenly appeared, there was nothing to worry about.
And once he advanced further—unlocking the Third Gate of the True Eight Gates—
Even elite Uchiha jōnin with the Sharingan would pose no threat.
So what if you can read movements?
A single punch will crush everything.
"…No problem."
The ANBU operative hesitated, then took a deep breath and suppressed his shock.
ANBU rules were simple:
Don't ask.
Don't interfere.
"This ninja sword is made of excellent material," he said.
"But it's suffered some damage. Crafting a sheath will take some time."
"Fine. I'll come back when it's ready."
"Understood."
He nodded and accepted the blade.
During the exchange, he couldn't help sneaking another glance at Yu Ye.
The sword was damaged.
It had ended up in Yu Ye's hands.
And even behind the mask, Yu Ye's silhouette was unmistakable.
Within ANBU, Yu Ye's reputation was already formidable.
And everyone knew about his conflict with the Uchiha clan.
The operative's eyes suddenly widened as a terrifying thought struck him.
Did Yu Ye… kill Uchiha Yue and take this sword?!
Otherwise—why was the sheath missing?
Destroyed in battle?
The thought was nearly unbelievable.
Yet Yu Ye was no stranger to the impossible.
He had already crushed every ANBU trainee single-handedly—shattering countless jaws.
Absurd as it sounded, if it involved Yu Ye…
It somehow felt plausible.
By the time the operative snapped out of his shock—
Yu Ye was already gone.
No one knew when he had left.
"…What a terrifying kid," the ANBU murmured softly.
"I wonder just how far he'll grow."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789