That night, while Shimura Danzo in the north was enduring the thunderous fists of the Raikage, Uchiha Anlan sat cross-legged inside his tent in the south, his breathing gradually settling into a steady rhythm.
The Summoning Technique, a strange hybrid influenced by Chinese Buddhism and Daoism and heavily modified by local island beliefs, progressed at a pace as slow as a crawling turtle for Anlan.
Each time he tried to capture the vague spiritual presence filling the surroundings—the invisible spirit that seemed to exist everywhere—his consciousness would sink into a fog, unable to grasp anything tangible.
Slow as it was, however, he had at least begun to find a direction.
He would not leave the treasure mountain empty-handed.
After a long while, Anlan exhaled a turbid breath and allowed his consciousness to sink once more into the Sharingan space.
Within the deep void of awareness stood the ancient Azure-White Stone Gate, silent and mysterious.
The patterns carved across its surface glowed faintly.
As his ocular power flowed into it, light slowly gathered at the center of the door.
At last—
A sphere of light emerged.
Inside a bubble floated a perfectly round object about the size of a basketball.
It emitted a soft, milky radiance.
An egg.
Outside the mindscape, Anlan's eyes snapped open.
A look of wild disbelief flashed across them.
He shot to his feet, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
He paced rapidly across the tent.
Then took several deep breaths.
But the excitement boiling inside him refused to settle.
With a sudden motion, he lifted the heavy tent curtain and stepped outside.
Moonlight poured down like liquid silver across the forest.
Several Red Guard soldiers on watch looked over and immediately saluted.
Anlan waved to them with an unusually bright smile.
The next moment, the three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eyes.
His figure flickered—
And he instantly arrived outside the neighboring tent belonging to Uchiha Mikoto.
Inside the tent, Mikoto sat before a desk, reading intelligence scrolls by candlelight.
Her long black hair flowed over her slender shoulders.
A few loose strands brushed gently across her pale neck, smooth as polished jade.
Information from across the ninja world required constant updates.
She and Uchiha Hazuki had already arranged to work in shifts.
Just as she concentrated on a scroll—
A figure carrying the cool night breeze suddenly approached.
Before she could even look up—
Warm hands gently cupped her cheeks.
Then—
A kiss fell.
Hot, urgent, and overflowing with joy.
"Mmm—?!"
Mikoto froze.
The scroll in her hand remained suspended in mid-air.
Her beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Her face filled with confusion.
Anlan pulled back slightly and looked at her dazed expression under the candlelight.
Her lips glistened faintly.
Her stunned expression carried an innocent charm.
Unable to resist—
He kissed her again.
Then vanished instantly from the scene.
Leaving Mikoto alone in the tent.
A blush slowly spread across her cheeks.
She pouted slightly toward the place where he had disappeared.
"Detestable little brother…"
In another nearby tent, Hazuki, who had been awakened by the disturbance, smiled like an amused aunt.
Meanwhile—
Back in his own tent, Anlan finally stopped suppressing his excitement.
He clenched his fist tightly and punched the air.
"This isn't a dream!"
"Who cares about Ultraman—WarGreymon is the real king!"
"No… calm down."
"As a general commanding an army, one should remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before him."
"This is nothing."
Slowly, Anlan regulated his breathing and forced his emotions back under control.
Then he opened his hands.
With a thought—
The bubble appeared in reality.
Pop.
The bubble burst.
A smooth egg dropped into his hands.
[Item: Digimon Egg]
[Evaluation: A miraculous egg born from virtual data, existing between reality and illusion. When pure emotion resonates with it, the life sleeping within may awaken.]
[Origin: Digimon]
Anlan stared at the egg in his hands.
The egg that symbolized Botamon.
He raised it to his ear.
The shell felt warm.
But there was no heartbeat.
No breath.
Not even the faintest stir of life.
He shook it gently.
The interior remained silent.
No liquid sound.
No sign of life forming.
It felt like a dead egg.
Just like the lifeless body he had once drawn.
"So… it requires courage, does it?"
He sighed.
"What a bunch of mystical nonsense."
Anlan placed the egg beside him.
After thinking for a moment, however—
He picked it up again.
Holding it in his arms, he lay down on the bedding and covered himself with the blanket.
Then he closed his eyes.
Outside the tent, moonlight flowed quietly across the world like a silver veil.
Two figures walked slowly beneath the swaying shadows of the trees.
The woman walking ahead had pale skin, long blonde hair, and a strikingly curvaceous figure.
Across the back of her dark green coat was the bold character:
"Gamble."
Underneath, she wore a sleeveless kimono-style blouse.
Yet even that loose clothing could not hide the towering curves of her chest.
Deep shadows formed between them.
Behind her followed a young girl dressed in simple black clothing.
In her arms she carried a small pink pig, snoring softly.
The girl—Shizune—walked close behind Tsunade, looking tired under the moonlight.
"Lady Tsunade."
Her voice was gentle in the night wind.
"The money we have left… can only afford three more nights at an ordinary inn."
"If we want to stay longer, we really need a proper source of income."
She hesitated before adding softly,
"And… you've been losing at the casino so often that people call you a walking fat sheep."
"You absolutely cannot go gambling again."
"You little brat, what do you know!"
Tsunade glared back at her.
"That was just bad luck!"
"When the north isn't bright, the south will be!"
"This time I'll show you what a true gambling god looks like!"
She planted her hands on her hips.
Her gambling coat fluttered dramatically in the night wind.
Her chest rose and fell with heroic momentum.
"This time we're gambling in a different place!"
"That means different feng shui!"
"I'm winning back everything I lost!"
Anyone hearing her speech might think she was about to embark on a mission to save the world.
This is what a gambling addict looks like…
Shizune hugged the pig Tonton tighter and sighed inwardly.
Sometimes she seriously suspected that her teacher had grown her brain somewhere else—
Like inside her enormous chest.
Shizune ignored the grand declaration and reminded her again.
"Lady Tsunade, Infinite City is the most prosperous city in the east."
"There are many nobles who require discreet medical treatment."
"We don't need to make a scene."
"If we cure just a few patients—"
"I have no interest in treating those scum."
Tsunade interrupted impatiently.
But when she saw Shizune's dark expression and the nearly empty coin purse—
She fell silent.
Finally she sighed.
"Fine, fine."
"I remember there's some Senju property nearby."
"We'll sell it and get money."
Shizune said nothing more.
After surviving two ninja wars, Tsunade was already alone in the world.
Money meant little to someone who had nothing left.
Shizune herself had also been alone.
If Tsunade hadn't taken her in, she likely would have died anonymously on some battlefield.
Suddenly—
Shizune stiffened.
She hurried after Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"I heard on the road that the Mist Village is launching a large-scale attack."
"Even Infinite City might not be safe."
"Silly girl."
Tsunade didn't turn back.
"Infinite City belongs to the nobles."
"Those salty fish from the sea wouldn't dare attack it openly."
Her voice carried faint mockery.
"This world has always been nothing more than a game played by a small handful of people."
Shizune looked at the lonely yet carefree figure walking beneath the moon.
She felt Tsunade meant something deeper.
But it didn't matter.
As long as I follow Lady Tsunade, that's enough.
"Stop daydreaming."
"I'm not sleeping in the wilderness tonight."
"I'm coming, Lady Tsunade!"
Meanwhile—
Inside the Fire Daimyo's palace, the main hall was brightly lit.
While blood flowed on Konoha's front lines—
Inside the palace there was only music and celebration.
Elegant dancers wearing thin silk dresses—designed by the Ginza Merchant Guild—moved gracefully.
Their steps were seductive.
Their bodies swayed like flowers waiting to be picked.
The air was thick with the scent of expensive incense, fine wine, and luxurious food.
The Fire Daimyo reclined lazily on a couch at the center.
His fat fingers tapped lightly to the rhythm of the music.
Below him, ministers toasted one another.
Among them sat Mitokado Homura.
After several days in the capital, the luxurious world outside Konoha still dazzled him.
It felt as if an invisible gulf existed between nobles and ninja.
This prosperity…
This peace…
This is exactly what Konoha fights to protect.
Homura smiled politely.
Sometimes he raised his cup toward the daimyo.
Sometimes he chatted with nearby ministers.
As for the military funding request—
He wasn't neglecting it.
It simply had to be handled slowly.
First establish connections with the finance ministers.
Only when everyone—from bottom to top—agreed could the matter proceed.
Homura was certain.
No one understood this process better than he did.
Hiruzen… I won't disappoint you.
The elderly Konoha advisor stared passionately at the dancers' flowing skirts.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Hokage's office.
For once, the room wasn't filled with smoke.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the war reports in his hands.
"Shinnosuke."
"Any news from Homura regarding the military funds?"
"Father—"
"Call me Hokage during work."
"…Yes, Hokage."
As Hiruzen listened to his son's report, his expression twitched.
Thinking about the nobles, anger surged within him.
"How can Konoha improve while dealing with these parasites?"
He looked up again.
"Danzo's northeastern front is collapsing under the Raikage's assault."
"Minato's northwest sector is maintaining a fragile balance with Iwagakure."
"Only the southwest front—Orochimaru and Jiraiya—has success against Sunagakure."
"But that battle already uses most of Konoha's strength."
He pointed toward a sealed scroll nearby.
"The Uchiha Red Guard, which didn't request a single soldier from Konoha…"
"On their first day of battle, they killed one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
"The head is inside that scroll."
"Now they claim heavy losses and have stopped to recover."
"By tomorrow, this news will spread throughout Konoha."
The rising prestige of the Uchiha was something Hiruzen's faction did not want.
Dead Uchiha could be heroes.
Living ones…
Were inconvenient.
"Shinnosuke."
"Take the last thousand ninja remaining in the village."
"Join Orochimaru and Jiraiya."
"Crush Sunagakure with overwhelming force."
"Win the battle in one decisive strike."
"And inform Minato to make full use of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Strike whenever opportunities appear."
"As for Danzo…"
Hiruzen's voice turned cold.
"Tell him even if he dies—"
"He dies holding his position."
"Yes, Hokage."
After Shinnosuke left, silence returned.
Hiruzen walked to the window.
His gaze drifted toward the Ginza Tower rising at the center of Konoha.
A suffocating pressure filled his chest.
The behavior of the Uchiha confused him more and more.
If Kagami were still alive…
Perhaps I wouldn't feel so unfamiliar with today's Uchiha.
He remembered how the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had insisted on accepting Uchiha Kagami as his disciple.
Looking back now—
That decision had been brilliant.
Unfortunately…
I failed to accept Kagami's relative, Shisui, as my student.
I lack Tobirama-sensei's foresight.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples.
Konoha desperately needed time.
Hopefully the eastern front could hold with the combined strength of the Uchiha and Konoha forces.
Perhaps…
It was time to choose the Fourth Hokage.
Three figures flashed through his mind:
Jiraiya.
Orochimaru.
Tsunade.
Finally—
His thoughts lingered on Tsunade.
He sighed deeply.
If Tsunade truly wanted the position…
Even he might not be able to stop her.
But right now, Konoha needs her.
Where did she go?
Konoha stands on the brink of destruction.
Can she truly stay away?
Hiruzen lit his pipe and exhaled slowly.
His gaze drifted toward the direction of the Ninja Academy.
If the situation reached the point of desperation—
He might have no choice but to abandon the old rules.
Konoha would return to the Warring States spirit.
He refused to believe—
That the great clans would watch their children go to war without acting.
Everything…
Is for Konoha.
The Third Hokage's resolve hardened.
Even if, after the war, he had to take responsibility and step down as Hokage—
So be it.
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