The forces depleted during the Third Shinobi World War had yet to recover, and many more shinobi perished in the chaos caused by the masked man. No matter how large and deep-rooted Konoha was, it could not bear such losses indefinitely.
Anyone could see the awkward gap in generations within Konoha. Though Kumogakure and Iwagakure had been struck hard before, they could not help but feel tempted when faced with such an opportunity.
As a result, both kept probing the borders of the Land of Fire. Almost every few months, border clashes erupted due to provocations from Cloud and Stone, with the number of wounded steadily increasing.
There was no helping it. Konoha's consistently restrained stance made it look easy to bully, greatly feeding the arrogance of Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Fortunately, not much time had passed since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, and war weariness among the citizens of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth was still strong. Kumogakure and Iwagakure did not dare to openly declare war on Konoha without cause.
Still, all it would take to escalate things into full war was a single legitimate excuse. One excuse capable of stirring the war sentiments of daimyos, nobles, and civilians alike.
That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi kept choosing patience in the face of repeated provocations. He truly did not dare to gamble, and Konoha could no longer afford to gamble either.
"Huff."
With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled smoke and lowered his gaze to the intelligence submitted by ANBU. His aging face was hidden in the haze, unreadable even in the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Iwagakure, Kumogakure…" After a moment, he sighed. "Endure for now. Assemble a group of shinobi and send them to the border to guard against the Cloud."
Danzo frowned and retorted instinctively. "Doing this will only make those bastards even more arrogant."
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him and replied calmly. "In that case, draw a group from 'my' Root to reinforce the border."
"What?" Danzo froze.
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, his tone meaningful. "Is there a problem?"
Any further objection would mean losing his position as head of Root. Realizing this, Danzo's expression darkened and shifted. He snorted, turned away, and spoke with resentment. "Hmph, what problem could I have? After all, that is your 'Root'!"
He walked toward the door, then suddenly stopped and spoke unwillingly. "Sarutobi, remember today's choice. You will regret it."
"Watch your attitude, Danzo," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a low voice as he tapped his pipe. "Remember, I am the Hokage."
Danzo's face twitched at those words. "Then be your Hokage properly!" he growled, grabbing the handle.
Bang.
The door slammed shut with a loud crash, making Koharu Utatane flinch. Seeing this, Homura Mitokado sighed inwardly, feeling that Danzo was still firmly in Hiruzen's grasp.
Hopefully, after this lesson, Danzo would behave himself a little more.
"By the way, Hiruzen."
As if recalling something, Homura Mitokado frowned and lowered his voice. "With the village already short on strength, is it really fine to let Jiraiya remain outside?"
Hearing this and thinking of Jiraiya leaving the village under the pretext of pursuing Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly and replied evenly. "When it is time for him to return, he will."
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane exchanged a look, saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi did not wish to elaborate, and could only stand up and leave with helpless shakes of their heads.
Click.
Staring at the closed door, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time. The room held only the sound of his breathing.
After a while, he rose stiffly and walked to the window. His clouded eyes were hard to see clearly through the smoke rising from his pipe.
After the rain, Konoha always looked clean. Droplets hung from the eaves, and scattered reflections shimmered on leaves, street lamps, and tiled walls, all mirroring the village's prosperity.
Looking at the scene outside, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of many things. He thought of the hard-won peace of Konoha, the troubles hidden beneath it, Orochimaru and Jiraiya who had left the village, Tsunade numbing herself at gambling tables, the orphan left behind by Minato and Kushina, and the hopeful gaze of that child from the Hyuga Clan.
"Hiss…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a deep breath, the bitter smoke filling his lungs before he slowly exhaled. The pipe flared faintly, pressing all those feelings deep into his heart.
"It is fine." After a moment, he murmured in a hoarse voice, as if speaking to himself. "No matter the sacrifice, we must protect everything Konoha has gained."
At the same time, at Training Ground 44 on the edge of Konoha, deep within the Forest of Death, sunlight filtered through the leaves and scattered golden flecks across two figures' shoulders.
"Senior, power rises from the ground, force flows through the spine, balance hard and soft…"
"Yah!"
Both wooden posts before Yunchuan Hyuga and Might Guy had shattered, but the former's was clearly blown apart from the inside. The latter looked as though it had been brutally smashed by sheer punches.
Looking at Might Guy's almost completely unrefined, brute-force style, Yunchuan Hyuga could barely maintain his smile after teaching all morning. Even so, Might Guy, who could usually run around Konoha all day without tiring, was drenched in sweat and panting as he scratched his head with a wry grin.
"Yunchuan, this improved version of Gentle Fist is really hard to learn."
"You have trained Strong Fist for over ten years," Yunchuan Hyuga shook his head. "Adjusting your body's instincts will take some effort. Let us stop here for today."
In taijutsu, techniques focused on direct damage like breaking bones were called Strong Fist, while the Hyuga's style that attacked the chakra network and organs was Gentle Fist. Those combining ninjutsu and taijutsu, like Tsunade or the Fourth Raikage, were called nin-taijutsu.
What Yunchuan Hyuga was attempting now was to combine the strengths of Strong Fist and Gentle Fist. In the future, on the foundation of the Eight Gates, he aimed to develop a taijutsu system best suited to himself.
"All right, then…"
Might Guy had barely begun speaking when Yunchuan Hyuga suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. A deep chill surged up without warning.
It was abrupt and terrifying. Yunchuan Hyuga's muscles tightened and the veins at his temples bulged.
Hiss.
Sure enough, almost the instant he reacted, a faint sound of air being split reached his ears. This was an assassination attempt, aimed at him, carrying lethal intent.
At this distance and speed, there was no time to search for the source and dodge. Realizing this, Yunchuan Hyuga's dark gaze suddenly calmed, and he closed his eyes under the drive of instinct.
In the next moment, an invisible ripple spread from his body, as if he had stepped into another world. All physical senses shut down, leaving only mental perception.
There was no wind, no insects, no breath, no heartbeat. The world was silent, as if time itself had stopped.
And so, he saw it. He saw the kunai behind him, wrapped in razor-sharp currents of air.
Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, a technique that infused wind nature Chakra into a weapon, turning it into something impossibly sharp and fast. The assassin had mastered it to the extreme, so fast that even Might Guy had not reacted.