"Sandaime-sama."
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was lost in thought, Akimichi Dōtō—who had recovered most of his strength—spoke in a hoarse voice. "Is war... on its way?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts were interrupted. Hearing Dōtō's question, he let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes," he answered. "At least, that's how things stand right now."
"We... cough! Cough!"
Akimichi Dōtō suddenly felt a crushing weight in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak but was seized by a violent coughing fit, speckling the white bedsheets with droplets of blood.
"Senior Dōtō, don't talk!"
Hyūga Kumokawa quickly rose and stepped forward. He pulled out a handkerchief to gently wipe the saliva and blood from the corners of the older man's mouth, then supported his arm and helped him lie back down.
Turning to the now-silent Hiruzen Sarutobi, anger flashed across Kumokawa's face. "Sandaime-sama, Kumogakure and Iwagakure keep pushing further and further. We can't afford to hesitate any longer!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, then lowered his head with a bitter smile. "You're still young. You don't fully understand what war truly means..."
"I do understand."
Before Hiruzen could finish, he was cut off. He looked up instinctively and met a pair of pure eyes burning with unwavering resolve and determination.
"No one wants to face the brutality of war. My father and mother both died on the battlefield."
Their gazes locked. Hyūga Kumokawa continued in a deep, steady voice, "But we've already retreated again and again. There's nowhere left to fall back!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered slightly. "Why..."
"Because behind us stands Konoha—our families and our friends!" Kumokawa declared, each word heavy with conviction. "Sandaime-sama, please give the order. Even if I'm the only one, I'll stand on the front lines."
"They want war? Then we'll give them war!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire hospital room fell into a heavy silence. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Akimichi Dōtō all stared at Hyūga Kumokawa, their expressions momentarily stunned. A spark of something profound stirred in their previously hesitant hearts.
They could scarcely believe such words had come from the lips of a fifteen-year-old boy.
It seemed the adults and elders in the room had been outdone by a child.
"...Kumokawa."
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared to reach a decision. His eyes, now faintly gleaming, met Kumokawa's directly. "Do you have the courage to repeat those words in front of everyone else?"
"I do." Hyūga Kumokawa nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Utatane Koharu, standing nearby, seemed to realize what was coming. She couldn't help but interject, "Hiruzen, you're not thinking of..."
"Exactly." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "I intend to bring this boy with me to the jōnin meeting."
"Sandaime-sama, that's impossible!"
Akimichi Dōtō's expression shifted, the protest slipping out before he could stop it.
As a member of one of the major shinobi clans himself, he understood his counterparts in the other clans all too well.
Even within the Akimichi Clan—staunch supporters of the Hokage—there were many who cared only about their own families' interests and refused to risk everything for Konoha as a whole.
To put it plainly, this was the self-serving nature of the clans. Their power came not only from wealth and military strength, but more crucially from their monopoly over ninjutsu, secret techniques, knowledge, and traditions.
These arts were priceless and nearly impossible for civilian-born shinobi to obtain. Only the clans could control such resources through internal inheritance and education.
On top of that, the deep bonds of trust and mutual support within each clan created vast social networks. Those networks helped them secure greater political influence and reinforced their societal standing, maintaining a delicate balance with the Hokage.
But that was as far as it went.
"Senior Dōtō," Hyūga Kumokawa said calmly, "I want to go."
Seeing the young man's composed, resolute expression, both Akimichi Dōtō and Utatane Koharu felt a surge of emotion.
"Who would have thought the notoriously rigid Hyūga Clan could produce someone willing to rise above clan loyalties?"
Akimichi Dōtō had once fought alongside the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and under his influence his loyalty to Konoha had long surpassed his ties to his clan. Utatane Koharu felt it even more deeply, shaped as she was by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
That was precisely why they understood the full weight of Kumokawa's choice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi understood it too, and his gaze toward the boy softened with quiet warmth.
"Then let's go." He patted Kumokawa firmly on the shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry—you won't be alone."
After all, he was still the Third Hokage. He hadn't grown completely complacent yet.
Kumokawa was right. Since avoidance was no longer possible, hesitation had to end.
He needed to act before Kumogakure could react—framing them as the aggressors, stoking the anger of Konoha's shinobi and the daimyō of the Land of Fire, then pulling shinobi from the clans to form an advance force and strike first.
But prying manpower from those clans was never easy. Even as Hokage, he couldn't force them to send their members to die on the battlefield without risking their loyalty and turning them into nominal allies at best.
If a young clan-born shinobi like Hyūga Kumokawa stepped forward of his own will...
The entire situation would change.
Of course, it also meant Kumokawa would become the lightning rod, effectively turning against the Hyūga Clan and the broader faction of major clans.
It meant a complete break from the Hyūga—perhaps even abandoning his clan name and all the resources and advantages it provided.
After all, before his death Hyūga Hizashi had entrusted Kumokawa to Hyūga Hiashi. The support and opportunities available to him within the clan far exceeded anything an ordinary shinobi could ever hope for.
This was no light or impulsive decision. It was exactly why the three elders were so stunned and moved.
But was Hyūga Kumokawa truly that selfless and noble?
————————
Creak.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed open the door to the conference room. The lights cast his shadow across the wall, along with the silhouette of the figure following close behind him.
Under the bright glow of the meeting room, it wasn't just their two shadows that appeared. Along both walls stretched rows of flickering outlines—some elderly, some youthful, some plain and unassuming, others sharp with ambition.
The instant Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped inside, everyone present rose to their feet in unison.
"Sandaime-sama."
A chorus of voices rang out, laced with anxiety, solemnity, or confusion.
While a few still didn't know the exact reason for the meeting, those with good intelligence networks had already guessed.
That unified address of "Sandaime-sama" carried an unmistakable weight—a collective pressure bearing down on Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage.
***
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[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.