After traveling nonstop for more than a day, Leo finally made it back to Konohagakure.
The moment he entered the village, he headed straight for the Mission Office, where Might Duy and he had just finished submitting their assignment.
Almost immediately, Might Duy received a summons from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Leo didn't take any of the mission reward—instead, he handed all of it to Duy.
Duy felt embarrassed. Although he had seriously wounded the enemy jonin captain, Leo's contribution was just as vital. Without Leo, Duy probably wouldn't have made it back alive—the backlash from the Eight Inner Gates isn't something to be taken lightly.
Yet Leo insisted on giving him all the credit and payment, merely saying that Duy needed the money more than he did.
Not long after, the Hokage's summons arrived.
Leo could already guess why—Hatake Sakumo and the ANBU had clearly returned to the village ahead of them.
Beforehand, Leo had agreed with Duy that under no circumstances should his hidden abilities be eEXPosed. If the Hokage questioned them about the mission, Duy was to take full credit.
After all, being able to open the Seventh Gate, achieving near–Kage-level strength, was enough to make the Third Hokage take notice.
That was why Hiruzen was so eager to summon Might Duy—a "perennial genin" with that kind of power, right under his nose? It was practically an embarrassment to the Hokage himself!
Naturally, most of the Hokage's attention would be on Duy, not Leo. And with Duy's straightforward nature, once he'd promised to keep Leo's secrets, he definitely wouldn't breathe a word.
After parting ways with Duy, Leo didn't report to the ANBU Headquarters. Instead, he returned to his official residence. The journey back had been perilous and exhausting; now that he was home, he could finally rest.
As he walked through the streets of Konoha, he could feel the tense atmosphere hanging invisibly over the village.
Even the few ordinary people in tea shops and restaurants wore nervous eEXPressions.
The Second Great Ninja War was clearly on the verge of breaking out. Even civilians could sense that the storm was coming.
The whole village felt taut, like a bowstring ready to snap.
Leo noticed that there were far more shinobi on guard, and ANBU were patrolling even outside the village walls.
But such grand matters weren't for a child like him to meddle in. He ignored them and went straight home.
By the time he returned to his little wooden house, dusk was falling.
He decided that he would resume training tomorrow. Tonight, he'd rest and organize what he had gained from this mission.
Lying in bed that night, Leo closed his eyes and recalled the fierce battle with the Kirigakure assassins—and that Kumogakure spy, the jonin who specialized in taijutsu. That had been one of his toughest fights yet.
According to Hatake Sakumo, Leo's abilities were too focused on raw strength—he lacked a true trump card technique.
But Leo knew better than anyone that he couldn't freely use the powers of the Flame-Flame Fruit within Konoha—it would cause far too much attention and suspicion.
If he could use that ability, though, his strength would rise to a whole new level.
Among all his powers, the Flame-Flame Fruit was currently at Level 4, higher even than his Haki skills at Level 3.
Level 3 already made him capable of battling a jonin on equal footing; Level 4 would clearly boost him much further.
But if he had used the Flame-Flame Fruit in that fight against the Cloud ninja, the massive flames would've left obvious traces. The ANBU's trackers would have noticed immediately.
There had only been two people in that battle: himself and Might Duy. Duy was hopeless at ninjutsu—he couldn't possibly use Fire Release.
And while Leo did have a fire-nature chakra affinity, he had never learned any major Fire Release techniques.
He sighed, rolling over. It all came down to one thing—his strength still wasn't enough.
If he were truly powerful, he wouldn't have to worry about hiding anything.
If he didn't want to be constrained by others, he had to grow stronger—fast. The Second Great Ninja War might well be his opportunity.
He silently opened his status panel:
Host: Leo
Abilities: Conqueror's Haki Lv 3, Observation Haki Lv 3, Armament Haki Lv 3, Tornado Secret Art Lv 2, Soru Lv 3, Geppo Lv 3, Thirty-Six Calamity Winds Lv 3
→ Next Level: 10,000 EEXP
Devil Fruit: Flame-Flame Fruit Lv 4 → Next Level: 50,000 EEXP
Weapon: Great Blade Enma
Current EEXP: 5,300 / 50,000
Just seeing the EEXP requirements made his head ache.
Level 3 to 4 had cost 10,000. But Level 4 to 5—50,000!
How many lives would he have to grind for that much?
"Forget it… sleep first."
Pulling the blanket over his head, he drifted off.
The next morning, Leo was up early for training.
The first order of business was always physical conditioning. A shinobi without a strong body could never reach the top, no matter how strong their ninjutsu was.
Look at the likes of Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, even Hatake Kakashi—none of them were weak in taijutsu.
"The body is the foundation of all power." Leo understood that deeply and never slacked off.
He struck at the iron-wrapped wooden post—thousand straight punches, thousand hooks, five hundred side kicks, five hundred chops—an endless cycle of blood, sweat, and willpower.
By the end, his breath was ragged, his heart pounding like a drum, his blood surging like roaring waves.
But the results were visible—minor wounds healed themselves in about an hour, and his cells had grown noticeably more active. His recovery ability had improved dramatically.
After finishing his physical regimen, Leo added a new exercise.
He sat cross-legged on the roof, facing the eastern dawn. His Observation Haki spread outward, reaching into heaven and earth, listening to the voice of all things.
He could hear everything—the whisper of the morning wind, the hum of the earth, the songs of insects and grass, even the quiet pulse of the natural world.
Through his Haki, an invisible world unfolded before him.
Natural Energy—the raw essence of the elements—flowed freely around him.
As the morning sun rose, its light spilling across the land, Leo sat unmoving atop his roof, attuned to the forces of nature: wind, fire, lightning, water…
These weren't chakra in the usual sense—they were like sentient spirits.
He used Observation Haki to communicate with them.
Though it was difficult, he managed to draw in a trace of that Natural Energy, merging it into his body.
When that energy coursed through his meridians, it reacted with his own chakra, forming a special type known as Senjutsu Chakra—Sage Chakra.
However, this Natural Energy was chaotic and hard to control, so he couldn't absorb too much without risking loss of control.
He already knew what that would lead to—disaster.
In the original Naruto story, only the three great holy lands had records of Sage Arts.
Aside from them, there was one other person who could use Natural Energy—Jūgo of Taka.
Jūgo was born with the ability to absorb Natural Energy and even communicate with animals. But when the energy became too dense, he would lose control, his body transforming under the influence of his second, violent personality.
Leo's situation was similar—but thanks to Observation Haki, he could monitor and regulate how much Natural Energy he absorbed, avoiding berserk episodes.
Still, with no teacher, he could only eEXPlore step by step.
When his body reached its limit, Leo stopped drawing in Natural Energy and closed his eyes.
Inside his body, two distinct chakra streams circulated—one ordinary, one Senjutsu.
His total chakra volume had already reached that of a chūnin.
Unfortunately, he couldn't yet use the Sage Chakra. It was like having a treasure he couldn't touch.
He'd tried forming a Rasengan with it before, but it eEXPloded instantly, nearly blowing him up instead.
Using normal chakra worked fine.
Clearly, something was missing. Sage Chakra required not only greater control and perception, but also… something else.
"What am I missing?" he muttered.
The original story didn't eEXPlain much about Sage Arts—but they were definitely above the Five Elemental Ninjutsu.
Those who could use them included Six Paths Madara, the Ōtsutsuki clan, Naruto, and Jiraiya…
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He smacked his forehead.
"I've been overthinking it! I kept focusing on gathering Sage Chakra, but I forgot about Sage Mode itself!"
In the original, didn't every Sage Art user first enter Sage Mode before using it?
Why? Because Natural Energy is too powerful—the normal body can't handle it!
Sage Mode transforms the user's body, allowing them to safely wield Sage Chakra.
Once you're in Sage Mode, you can naturally use Sage Arts.
Leo finally understood—but then sighed helplessly.
"Where the hell am I supposed to learn Sage Mode? People will think I'm insane!"
At this point in history, no one in the entire ninja world might even know how to use it.
"Forget it. I've still got plenty of hidden cards. Sage Mode can wait."
He leapt down from the rooftop.
That day, he simply went to the ANBU to report in, made a brief statement about the mission, and left.
He didn't see Hatake Sakumo.
With his current ANBU status, life was relatively carefree—no heavy responsibilities.
On the way back, he saw a number of Uchiha clan shinobi leaving their compound, heading out of the village.
Not all of them recognized him, and he didn't bother avoiding them either.
The day passed quickly.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Leo stood atop his roof again, gazing at Konoha.
The last rays of sunset painted the Hokage Rock in gold, the three carved faces glowing faintly with the majesty of leaders who once ruled the ninja world.
Leo looked up at the visages—two of those men were gone now—but he could still feel the power and spirit of Hashirama and Tobirama in that stone.
What an era it must have been!
Hashirama swept across the ninja world with Wood Release, ending the Warring States Period, bringing order and peace.
He might have come much later, but with the Great Pirate System in his hands, Leo believed he would not be any weaker than those legends!
Staring at the Hokage Rock, his heart burned with ambition.
Someday, his face too would stand beside theirs—eternal and unshakable.
The sun slowly disappeared. Twilight deepened.
Just then, Leo noticed a figure below.
It was a young girl, looking nervous and restless.
He blinked in surprise, then smiled slightly—it was only natural, really.
Since joining the ANBU, he'd rarely been seen around openly. His small house had gone unkempt, but he knew who had been quietly taking care of it behind his back—Kushina.
Now, apparently, she'd come again.
Kushina glanced around. Seeing no one, she pouted. "Gone again?"
She stomped her foot in frustration.
Recently, she'd been visiting his house quite often, hoping to see that cold, mysterious boy again.
But ever since he'd applied for early graduation, their encounters had grown rare.
After their brief time fighting side by side a few days ago, she had thought he'd be home now—only to find the door open and the place empty.
"Didn't even bother closing the door! Hmph."
Still grumbling, she went over and gently pulled the door shut.
Watching from above, Leo couldn't help but chuckle.
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