The Second Great Ninja War had quietly begun. At this moment, the three great ninja villages were devouring the smaller ones around their territories like ravenous beasts.
Of course, Konohagakure was no exception.
Konoha was not some saintly land of moral purity—if other nations were eEXPanding and conquering, how could it possibly remain still? The difference was only in method: compared to the crude brutality of the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone, Konoha preferred a softer hand—subduing others through persuasion where possible.
But those who resisted… were annihilated without mercy.
That was the shinobi world now—where the strong consumed the weak, and the powerful nations monopolized all resources. The weak were left to be plundered, enslaved, or exterminated.
Those who basked in the sunlight could never truly understand the despair of those who lived in the dark.
There was no justice in war—only profit. No lofty ideals, no pure heroism.
At this moment, Konoha's forces were moving in secret, dispatching squads into the Land of Rain, clashing with the other two great villages for control of supply routes and resources.
Leo, stationed near the border of the Land of Fire, knew nothing of these developments. He and Kushina Uzumaki were on their way back to the village.
Both of them infused chakra into their feet, leaping swiftly through the dense forest canopy. Leo led in front, while Kushina followed close behind.
Her crimson hair fluttered as she kept her gaze fixed on his back, her face flushing crimson at the memory of last night's embarrassing misunderstanding.
When she'd seen Leo lying motionless after the battle, she thought he'd died of exhaustion—and had burst into tears, wailing so loudly that she actually woke him up.
Leo had sat up, bleary-eyed and annoyed, while Kushina wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.
Still, as long as he was alive, she didn't care how embarrassed she'd been. Somewhere along the way, she realized that she'd begun watching this quiet, cold boy more and more often without noticing.
Her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, had once said something about these feelings… and the thought made Kushina's heart stir.
"Waaahhh!"
As they raced onward, a loud wail suddenly echoed through the forest.
The voice sounded oddly familiar.
Leo landed on the forest floor and followed the sound—before long, he found a familiar figure: Might Duy.
The scene before him, however, was… less than dignified.
On a clearing not far away, Might Duy was kneeling beside a freshly filled grave, crying his eyes out. Tears and snot streamed freely down his face as he wailed:
"Leo-kun! My dearest friend! You died such a tragic death! Do you know, after you left, the flames of my youth went out! My passion died with you! Ahhh! Why wasn't I stronger? Why did I let you face danger alone?! Waaaahhh!"
Kushina stared, speechless. "Leo, is he… talking about you?"
Leo felt his face twitch. He was right here, alive and well—and yet someone was already crying over his grave.
Suppressing a sigh, he finally spoke. "Duy."
Might Duy froze mid-sob, slowly turning around. When he saw Leo standing there, he jumped to his feet in utter shock.
"Leo-kun?! You're back?! No—wait, it can't be! You went on a suicide mission… you must be a ghost!"
His exaggerated eEXPression defied description.
"I understand now! You've come to me because you want me to avenge you, right?! Don't worry! I, Might Duy, will stake my life to avenge your death!"
Tears poured down his cheeks again as he clenched his fists, his nose dripping dramatically.
Leo couldn't help but be moved, even though the whole misunderstanding was ridiculous.
"I'm not dead, Duy," Leo said helplessly. "This is Kushina—she was the Cloud Ninja's Jinchūriki they tried to kidnap."
Duy blinked, then looked at Kushina, then back at Leo. He touched his own forehead and muttered, "No fever… not an illusion…"
Then, bursting into laughter, he cried again—this time with joy. "Hahahaha! Leo-kun, you're alive! This is wonderful!"
Kushina tilted her head, whispering, "What a strange man…"
Leo briefly summarized what had happened the previous night, omitting most details. Duy listened solemnly, every word deepening his admiration and regret that he hadn't been there to help.
"By the way, Duy," Leo said dryly, glancing at the nearby mound of dirt, "what's with the grave? You even engraved my name on it. Were you cursing me?"
Duy scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, well… after I buried that ANBU ninja who died in the battle, I figured I'd dig one more grave—just in case. Better to be prepared."
Leo: "…"
Kushina snorted, covering her mouth to hide her laughter.
"When you didn't come back by morning, I assumed the worst," Duy continued. "So I finished the funeral arrangements and… well, started reminiscing. I got a little carried away."
As he spoke, tears welled up again—but this time, Leo cut him off with a sigh and a sharp kick, shattering the makeshift tombstone to dust.
"Let's just forget about it," Leo muttered.
After a brief rest, the trio prepared to head back toward Konoha—but just as they set off, Leo's Observation Haki flared.
He sensed multiple presences nearby—concealed and skillfully hidden.
Before he could react further, several bursts of smoke erupted around them—poof, poof, poof!—and six masked figures in black flak uniforms appeared, surrounding them.
Konoha's ANBU, unmistakably.
"What's going on?" Duy said, his eEXPression tense.
"No need to worry," Leo replied calmly. "They're ANBU."
"Stand down."
A deep, authoritative voice came from behind the masked operatives.
At once, the ANBU stepped aside respectfully—making way for a man walking out from the shadows.
He wore a green Konoha flak jacket, his forehead protector gleaming beneath silver hair that shimmered in the sunlight. A short blade rested across his back.
There was only one man in Konoha who fit that description—Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of the Leaf.
"Might Duy?" Sakumo nodded as he approached, recognizing him.
"Hatake…" Duy said, his tone softening with familiarity.
"Greetings, Hatake jonin," Leo said politely, bowing slightly. He didn't address him as "Captain"—his ANBU identity wasn't publicly known, after all.
Sakumo's sharp gaze swept over Leo, noting the unintentional sharpness in the boy's aura. His eyes glimmered with admiration.
He's grown stronger again, Sakumo thought.
Then his gaze turned to Kushina, and his eEXPression relaxed. "Good. The Jinchūriki is safe. You've done well."
"From here, we'll take over her escort," he added firmly.
"Hatake, what brings you here?" Duy asked, still looking puzzled.
Among Konoha's shinobi, Duy didn't have many friends—but Sakumo was one of the few who treated him with respect. While others mocked Duy for his lack of ninjutsu, Sakumo always encouraged him, insisting that mastery of taijutsu was its own kind of strength.
It was that faith that kept Duy training relentlessly, never losing heart.
Leo, observing silently, realized that Duy probably didn't know the truth—that Hatake Sakumo wasn't just the White Fang, but also the ANBU Commander of Konoha.
Sakumo smiled faintly. "This girl's identity is extremely important to the village. I had to come personally."
Duy's eyes lit up. "I see! If you're here, Hatake, then the enemies won't stand a chance. As eEXPected of the great Konoha White Fang!"
Sakumo chuckled softly—but his gaze drifted toward the distant treeline, where a faint killing intent flickered.
The next battle… was already approaching.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0