"Sensei, I think we need to keep our guard up around the Hidden Mist."
In the Hokage's office, Makoto Nishikado had come to Hiruzen Sarutobi once again.
"Oh?"
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow, his hands already halfway through the seals for his Crystal Ball Technique, aimed squarely at the women's bathhouse.
"I know it's unlikely anyone would start a war over a third-rate ninja," Makoto continued, "but Yagura Karatachi is the madman who created the Bloody Mist era. Who knows what's going on in his head."
Hiruzen had been scheming how to shoo the boy away so he could get back to his bathhouse viewing. That plan died on the spot.
The kid had a point.
You couldn't predict a lunatic.
Even Konoha's own Elder Council, who excelled at backstabbing their own people, couldn't match Yagura's brand of insanity.
And now the man had made the unprecedented request to send Hidden Mist ninja to participate in the Chunin Exams. Nobody could guess his real motive.
"So what do you suggest, Makoto?"
"First, we should station an elite force along the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire to deter any Mist incursion." He paused. "I'd recommend Might Guy to lead it."
"Why him?"
"Guy fought against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen during the Third Great War. And from what I've heard, the Mist's blades can absorb Chakra. Sending our best Taijutsu specialist makes the most sense."
The claim was a bit of a stretch. It had been Guy's father who'd tangled with the Seven Swordsmen, not Guy himself.
But the second half was sound logic.
Hiruzen considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I'll dispatch Guy with two hundred ninja to the eastern border immediately."
Makoto smiled inwardly.
This operation wasn't only about external threats like Obito and Orochimaru. Internal wildcards needed handling too.
And the most troublesome of them all was Might Guy, walking around with the Eight Inner Gates like a cheat code strapped to his body.
With Guy out of the picture, everything became much more manageable.
"There's one more thing, sensei."
"Go on."
"I'd like another look at the Scroll of Seals. To see if there are any new techniques suited to me."
Hiruzen hesitated.
Two years ago, he'd already broken protocol and let Makoto study the Scroll. The boy had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique from it.
Granting access again so soon was pushing it.
But the real reason for his reluctance ran deeper. Hiruzen had begun to feel that his young protégé was already strong enough.
He didn't need to be stronger.
Because stronger meant threatening.
Just like Sakumo Hatake, all those years ago.
Your strength pleases me, but too much strength... that, I don't care for.
Sakumo's suicide probably hadn't been Hiruzen's doing directly. If it had, Kakashi would never have kept serving him so loyally.
But when the rumors and the scorn had come for the White Fang, Hiruzen hadn't lifted a finger to defend him either.
Back then, the Third Hokage hadn't even turned fifty. Still in his prime. Still enjoying every perk of the seat.
Why would he want a subordinate whose achievements were beginning to eclipse his own? Give it a few more years, and the man would've been untouchable.
Now, looking at Makoto, Hiruzen saw the same shadow.
A young genius. No clan backing, no bloodline. One major achievement away from outshining the Hokage himself.
The silence told Makoto everything he needed to know.
There you are, Hiruzen-sensei. The real you.
He kept his expression perfectly serious. "If war breaks out, I intend to lead from the front. To bring glory to Konoha and to your name, sensei, I need to be stronger."
Something shifted behind Hiruzen's eyes.
He'd realized the problem. If war actually came, there was no way he could sit in the rear and let others fight for him. Not like the last war.
The reason was simple: Minato, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, all the elite soldiers who'd once carried Konoha on their backs were dead, or gone, or defected.
Nobody was left to fight in his place.
And the young man standing before him was the best candidate he had.
So the question became: empower Makoto further, giving him the chance to become a second White Fang? Or take the gamble, and cultivate a new champion willing to bleed on the front lines so he wouldn't have to?
Hiruzen deliberated briefly, then slapped his palm on the desk.
"Fine. Head to the archives when you're ready."
He was closing in on seventy. Going back to the battlefield at his age? No thank you.
Better to leave that to the young.
Besides, he reassured himself, even if Makoto racked up merit, the Feudal Lord would never appoint a twelve-year-old as Hokage.
By the time the boy turned eighteen, Hiruzen would be past seventy-five. Stepping down then wouldn't be so bad.
Makoto followed the old man to the highest-security archive, sealed behind layers of barrier jutsu.
Watching Hiruzen's back as the Hokage wove hand signs to undo the protections, Makoto couldn't suppress a quiet sigh.
All these years on the throne, and it's still not enough for you, is it, sensei?
...
Day five of the Chunin Exams' second phase.
A message from Iruka summoned Makoto to the central tower in the Forest of Death. As a jonin instructor, his presence was required.
According to Iruka, too many candidates had passed the second exam. An additional preliminary round would be held inside the tower to cut the numbers in half before the third phase.
When Makoto arrived and reunited with his three-woman squad, Utaha Kasumigaoka greeted him with barely concealed pride.
"Sensei-kun, we were the second team to arrive."
"Oh? Impressive, impressive." He reached over and ruffled her hair.
Her cheeks tinged pink as she swatted his hand away. "Don't treat me like a child."
Ran Mouri and Megumi Kato approached. "Aren't you curious who came in first, sensei?"
Makoto gave a casual smile. "Second place is already excellent. I'd expect nothing less from my students."
Two lifetimes had taught him that asking "who beat you?" was a guaranteed way to crush a kid's confidence.
Even if, technically, he was the same age as these girls in this life.
All three of them lit up. Utaha and Megumi found their thoughts drifting to Tomoya Aki from their old club.
They'd always assumed Makoto only outclassed that boy in combat ability, but his emotional intelligence was on another level entirely.
Makoto's arrival drew attention from around the tower.
Just like in the original story, Sasuke, fresh from Orochimaru's bite, glared at Makoto with naked frustration and hunger for battle.
For the first two years at the Academy, Sasuke had dominated the class rankings, keeping Makoto firmly beneath him.
Then third year hit, and Makoto took off like a rocket, the gap widening until it became a chasm. Now the guy was a jonin, and Sasuke was still a genin taking the Chunin Exams.
Pain flared at the back of his neck. Sasuke gritted his teeth and pressed his hand over the Curse Mark.
Damn it... at this rate, how long before I have the power to kill that man?
Makoto's gaze, meanwhile, swept across the players.
To his mild surprise, nearly all of them had made it here in one piece.
Well. Not quite one piece.
Kakeru Tobe was missing an arm.
Even so, the survival rate far exceeded his expectations.
"Shame. I was hoping we'd lose a few," he said with a smile.
Several players flinched. The second exam had dragged them through hell, and hearing him dismiss it so casually made their skin crawl.
His next words made it worse.
"Don't worry. There'll be plenty more chances."
The gentlest voice. The most terrifying promise.
Once the Konoha Crush began, Makoto was certain the body count wouldn't stay at zero.