Chapter 328: A Bigger Stage
On a cold winter morning, even the birds seemed to suppress their chirping, afraid their tongues would freeze if they sang too loudly.
Most people in Konoha were still asleep, but there was already movement in the Hatake estate.
"The initial strike needs skill, not brute force. When you swing the first blade, you must already be thinking about the next three."
Three figures—large, medium, and small—were practicing the same sword style in the backyard.
The largest was about forty, wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes—Sakumo Hatake.
The medium one was eighteen or nineteen, with sunny blond hair—Minato Namikaze.
The smallest was a solemn-faced boy wearing a mask—Kakashi Hatake.
With synchronized movements, the three ended their morning practice. Sakumo and Minato exhaled long streams of white mist that lingered in the cold air, looking quite beautiful.
Kakashi wanted to try too, but only after exhaling did he remember he was wearing a mask.
He just ended up with a face full of moisture.
Sheathing his short sword, Sakumo said, "I have nothing left to teach you about swordsmanship, Minato. You have mastered the Hatake Style. The rest is accumulating combat experience. Combining Flying Thunder God with Hatake Style opens many possibilities; perhaps you can create something entirely new."
Kakashi wanted his father's critique too, but he knew that despite carrying the Hatake name, he wasn't as proficient in the clan's swordsmanship as Minato.
Every time he thought about this, he felt frustrated. To him, age was no excuse.
Sakumo asked, "Is today the day of departure?"
Minato and Kakashi exchanged a glance.
"Yes, Fourth-sama. The scheduled time is 8:00 AM."
Sakumo nodded. "Are all preparations made?"
Minato scratched his head. "I won't be staying there long, and with Flying Thunder God, I can return anytime. Kakashi is the one who needs to prepare more."
Kakashi retorted, "I don't need you to tell me! I've been ready for ages!"
Among his peers, Kakashi was the most mature, but facing Minato always made him petulant. Perhaps because he had felt Minato was stealing his father since childhood.
Sakumo smiled. "Good. Go back after practice. Kakashi, come with me."
Minato didn't leave immediately. Standing at the gate, he said, "Fourth-sama, regarding your return to active duty, please consider it carefully!"
Sakumo didn't look back. "I know."
With a bow, Minato vanished instantly from the Hatake courtyard.
Sakumo led Kakashi into the house, stopping before his wife's memorial tablet. He silently lit three incense sticks and handed them to Kakashi.
"Did you tell your mother you're going on a long journey?"
Kakashi raised the incense above his head, bowed three times, and said, "I told her."
Sakumo smiled, his eyes crinkling into lines, accentuating the crow's feet. He ruffled Kakashi's hair.
Kakashi froze. In his memory, his father rarely did this.
Then he saw his father take out the meticulously maintained short sword from his back and hand it, sheath and all, to Kakashi.
"Father... this is..."
"You will take care of 'White Fang' from now on... Cherish it."
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
Obito frantically pulled on his clothes.
"Oh no! Oh no! I was so excited I couldn't sleep half the night and woke up late! I haven't packed my luggage yet!"
Obito jumped around, stuffing things madly into his backpack. Underwear and socks flew everywhere.
Fugaku Uchiha pushed the door open, watching the chaotic scene with twitching eyebrows.
"Obito... what is this behavior?!"
Obito froze, embarrassed. "Clan Head... sorry, I woke up late..."
Fugaku sighed. This clan member hadn't been on his radar before, but his close relationship with the village's two geniuses and his early awakening of the Sharingan drew some attention.
Awakening at this age was considered genius by Uchiha standards.
However, after observing for a few days, Fugaku concluded: This kid might not have a good brain.
No matter how talented, a ninja needed intelligence...
To avoid wasting a good seedling, Fugaku occasionally disciplined the boy recently. Otherwise, the Clan Head wouldn't be here personally to hurry him up.
Now this kid was even a member of the Consul Guard Squad. The Inspector—no, Consul-sama—seemed to value him highly.
Fugaku snorted. "Hurry up, Obito. Everyone is waiting."
Many Uchiha, including himself, were going to attend the establishment ceremony of the Cloud-Thunder Federation.
"Okay! I'll be quick!"
With the Clan Head staring at him, Obito panicked even more. Without looking, he grabbed whatever was in the room and stuffed it into his bag.
Until he grabbed a piece of paper, crumpled it into a ball, and shoved it in.
Eh? Why is there a piece of paper?
Hiss... A sizzling sound came from the backpack, along with the smell of gunpowder.
"This is... an Explosive Tag!!!!"
Fugaku kicked Obito flying, grabbed the backpack, and threw it out the window.
BOOM!
A loud explosion. Obito's underwear, socks, toothbrush, and towel turned into fireworks in mid-air.
"AHHHH!!!! IT'S OVER! THAT WAS ALL MY PROPERTY!!!"
In a small house, two green figures, one large and one small, were vigorously doing sit-ups.
"Guy! Persist! 13,480!"
"Yes! Dad! I won't give up! 13,681!"
Father and son, legs interlocked, moved like pendulums face-to-face.
The speed was so fast they left afterimages.
They had pushed the basic exercise of sit-ups to a new height in every sense.
"14,542! If we don't finish, 5,000 one-finger push-ups!"
"14,789! Almost there!"
"14,89... 148... Wait, what number was I on?"
"...I forgot! ...It's over! 15,000 sit-ups failed! Is our Youth only this level?!!"
Might Duy wiped his nose. "Don't panic, Youthful Boy. How long until your departure?"
Might Guy looked at the wall clock. "53 minutes!"
"Shower, eat, pack, toilet—three minutes is enough! Since we agreed on 5,000 one-finger push-ups for failure, we must keep our word!"
Father and son were moved to tears by their own Youth.
"HAI! 5,000 one-finger push-ups! This is the Youth of me and Dad!"
"Hah! As expected of my son! If you fail the push-ups, add 10,000 sphincter clenches!"
"Understood! If I fail, 10,000 clenches... Eh? Dad, what's that?"
Duy said, "Don't panic, boy. That is the trial of adulthood!"
Top of the Hokage Monument.
Two figures overlooked the waking Konoha.
Many civilians were sweeping the streets, shops were opening, and children yawned as they reluctantly walked to the Ninja Academy.
The morning was cold, but full of vitality.
"Brother, have you decided? You really won't go see it?"
"No. I'll stay in Konoha until this Edo Tensei body gives out. I want to spend more time with the village children. I started a class at the Academy recently; I want to finish it!"
"Oh? What class?"
"Hand Seals."
Tobirama and Hashirama didn't feel the cold, standing in the wind.
Ignoring his brother's weird look, Hashirama continued, "When this body reaches its limit, I'll return to the Pure Land. Being able to come back and see Konoha again, and help everyone... I'm satisfied."
Tobirama opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
His brother, though usually goofy, never changed his mind once decided.
Moreover, even Tobirama couldn't say whether staying in the living world with an Edo Tensei body was right or wrong.
"I really want to pull Madara out of the Pure Land too, show him the current ninja world. He always said I was wrong, but he wasn't necessarily right either. Hahaha! Speaking of which... I don't remember seeing Madara in the Pure Land? My memory is fuzzy... What was the Pure Land like again?"
Tobirama said gravely, "Brother, coming back this time, I found many problems. My memory of the Pure Land is very blurred, but even though I don't remember what it's like, I always want to return... I feel this is abnormal... The Pure Land might not be as simple as we understand..."
Hashirama shrugged. "Anyway, that place is the ultimate destination for the dead. Tobirama... don't worry about me. Go see this new ninja world for my share too."
Konoha Heavenly Transfer Base.
Many people had gathered.
"Hey, Kakashi, lend me some underwear! Please!"
"Get lost!"
"Guy, why do you look constipated and sweaty?"
"You don't understand. This is the trial of an adult!"
"Elder Fugaku, good day. You brought quite a few people."
"Elder Hizashi, likewise. Hahaha."
The three brats, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, and representatives of other Konoha clans were all present.
Tobirama's appearance drew bows and greetings from everyone. Whether Elder or Clan Head, no one qualified to put on airs in front of him.
Then, the new Hokage, Minato Namikaze, teleported in, drawing another round of greetings.
About ten minutes later, a majestic figure flew in from the sky on time.
Dana looked at the motley crew of Konoha people below and smiled.
"Alright everyone, let's depart! Destination: Kumogakure!"