After the meal, Nawaki, being tactful, went off to play with his friends.
Hajime and Tsunade stepped outside, walking through the snow.
"How are things on the frontlines?" Hajime asked.
He had been completely focused on training lately and hadn't paid much attention to the situation in the Land of Rain.
Tsunade furrowed her brows. "The scale of the battle with Iwagakure hasn't escalated. Since that last clash, both sides have been maintaining a certain level of restraint."
"But the skirmishes between small squads have become more intense."
"At times like this, it really comes down to the strength of the elites."
"Meanwhile, in the Land of Rivers, Amegakure has moved quickly. And surprisingly, Sunagakure hasn't been too aggressive. They've now taken over about ninety percent of the territory."
Hajime nodded. "Looks like after the New Year, Sunagakure will make its move into the Land of Rain."
Tsunade, being sharp, instantly caught on. "You're saying… Sunagakure will directly attack Amegakure?"
Hajime nodded. "If Sunagakure puts its full force into the Land of Rivers, they'll essentially be clashing with Amegakure's main forces. Then they can send a secondary force to attack Amegakure directly. We and Iwagakure won't just sit by and watch. At that point, Hanzō won't possibly abandon the Land of Rain—he'll definitely have to pull some troops back from the Land of Rivers."
Tsunade nodded. "In that case, a major battle is inevitable after the New Year."
"Hanzō against three villages?"
"Is there a chance he'll abandon the Land of Rain and retreat into the Land of Rivers?"
Hajime chuckled. "It's possible. But remember—he's the 'Demi-God of the Shinobi.'"
"And his roots in the Land of Rain run deep. He can't just walk away from all that."
"Even if he did abandon it, the war wouldn't stop."
Would everything be fine if Hanzō simply relocated to the Land of Rivers?
Impossible.
Sunagakure wouldn't allow it, and neither would Konoha.
As things stand, a weak, chaotic, and non-threatening Land of Rain and Amegakure is the most favorable situation for Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure alike.
If Hanzō tried to move Amegakure into the Land of Rivers, the same logic would apply.
The Land of Rain would inevitably become a contested zone.
It wouldn't be about fully conquering it, but about gaining a foothold—because without that, the next great war could break out directly on home soil, with catastrophic consequences.
Just look at what's already happened to the Land of Rain.
In such a short time, the damage has been massive—villages destroyed, civilians displaced.
"Looks like this war isn't ending anytime soon."
"But all of that is for the bigwigs to worry about."
Changing the subject, Tsunade asked, "So, how's your Sage Mode training coming along?"
Hajime paused in his tracks, lowering his gaze.
Tsunade took a few more steps and then turned around, surprised. Could it be… he's already mastered it?
Two seconds later, Hajime opened his eyes—his face now marked with a sage mask, and his skin visibly transformed.
"You really did master it!"
"This mask… it's just like Grandfather's, except…"
After the initial surprise, Tsunade frowned. "Your skin…"
"Your skin looks different."
Hajime smiled. "That's because my control over Sage Mode isn't perfect yet, so I'm still being heavily affected by the natural energy."
Tsunade realized, "Ah… so it's similar to the toad transformation that happens in Mount Myōboku."
Hajime nodded. "Exactly. The different transformation effects likely depend on the method of training."
"Jiraiya probably used something from Mount Myōboku to assist with his Sage Mode training."
Of course, that was just his guess.
Tsunade said, "That guy Jiraiya still hasn't fully mastered Sage Mode."
"From what I've heard, he can't maintain it for long without the help of the elder sages from Mount Myōboku."
"You should master the fundamentals of sealing techniques as soon as possible. Once the war ends, I'll teach you the Yin Seal."
"If you can learn it, it should significantly extend your Sage Mode duration."
Hajime smiled. "Then I won't be shy about it."
Tsunade shook her head. "We agreed to this before, remember?"
Two hours later, Hajime walked Tsunade home.
Even on New Year's Day, training couldn't stop.
He returned home to continue studying sealing techniques, while his clones were sent out to follow the training plan.
In the blink of an eye, it was January 3rd, Konoha Year 37.
Tsunade left the village again to return to the battlefield.
After seeing her off, Hajime went back to his house and resumed studying sealing techniques.
Unnoticed, night had already fallen—time for a new status update.
Hajime, abruptly awakened, looked toward the status screen.
> Current Status: Like a Wolf, Like a Tiger
> Note: "At thirty, a wolf; at forty, a tiger"—at this age, your hunger knows no bounds.
> Refresh Countdown: 167:59:58
Hajime's face darkened.
Damn it, I'm only seventeen!
And I'm a man's man, for god's sake!
Out of sight, out of mind.
Hajime shifted his gaze to his solidified statuses.
[Swordmanship Master], [Immune to All Poisons], [Total Concentration], [Calling a Stag a Horse] — just four in total. The road ahead was still long.
"Seven days is too short. If the duration were longer, the probability of solidifying them would increase."
Sighing inwardly, Hajime averted his gaze and was just about to rest when his ears twitched slightly.
He stood and looked toward the window—sure enough, a shadow was moving outside.
Opening the window, Aburame Ryōma urgently said, "Captain, emergency mission. Lord Danzō orders you to report immediately to the Rain Country front."
Hajime raised an eyebrow. "Did he say what the mission is?"
Ryōma shook his head. "You'll know once you get to the front."
Hajime nodded. "Report to Lord Danzō that I'm heading out immediately."
"Understood!"
With a nod, Ryōma vanished.
Hajime turned back to quickly pack his things.
In under five minutes, he leapt from his home and disappeared into the night.
At dawn, Hajime crossed into the Land of Rain.
Without stopping for rest, he made a beeline for Konoha's main base of operations in the region and met with the commander, Mitokado Homura.
Homura, upon seeing him, asked at once, "Do you need rest?"
Hajime replied, "I don't yet know what the mission is, so I can't say."
Homura's expression grew grim. "Iwagakure's Four-Tails Jinchūriki has appeared on the battlefield. He's a handful—Jiraiya and the others haven't been able to fully suppress him, and we've suffered some losses."
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki…
Behind his mask, Hajime's brow twitched. At this time, Rōshi should only be in his twenties, right?
However—
A bold thought surfaced in Hajime's mind. He immediately said, "Give me two hours."
Homura nodded. "Alright. Go get some rest."
Leaving the tent, Hajime created a wooden cabin at the edge of the camp and laid down to recover his stamina.
He had traveled all night without pause, and facing a foe like the Four-Tails Jinchūriki demanded that he be in top shape.
The current Rōshi definitely didn't have the decades of experience he'd one day gain in controlling his Tailed Beast's power.
He probably hadn't even developed Lava Release yet—he was likely just borrowing raw power from the Four-Tails.
And precisely because of that, the power would be all the more violent—more berserk, less rational.
Of course, that wasn't the main issue.
The real question was—
What should I do about him?
Can I take down the Four-Tails Jinchūriki and extract the Tailed Beast from Rōshi?
And once extracted… could I seal it into myself as a living chakra battery?
Hajime knew well that, with his current sealing technique skills, he wouldn't be able to unseal a Tailed Beast—but that wasn't the issue.
He could use the Dreamwalker Technique to manipulate Rōshi first.
The challenge was the actual sealing into his body.
Could Tsunade or Jiraiya help?
If so…
If I capture the Four-Tails, would Konoha be able to withstand Iwagakure's retaliation?
Hajime wasn't worried about Danzō—his concern was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At this time, Sarutobi was still in his prime—a shinobi powerhouse—but Hajime couldn't guarantee how he'd respond.
"Worst case… I defect."
A flash of madness crossed Hajime's eyes.
He had already mastered Sage Mode, already obtained Wood Release.
If he defected now, the entire world lay open before him.
That was the worst-case scenario.
With the decision made, Hajime cleared his mind and swiftly fell asleep.
——
Exactly two hours later, Hajime awoke on schedule.
After washing his face, he returned to meet with Homura.
There was now someone else in the tent as well.
Mimura.
Homura spoke directly: "Alpha, this is Mimura. He'll take you to the battlefield."
Hajime nodded. "Let's move."
Swish swish!
Both of them vanished from the tent.
Homura lowered his head to examine the map, his brows gradually relaxing.
"With Wood Release, even if I can't fully subdue the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, I can at least hold him down long enough for Jiraiya and the others to make their move…"
(End of Chapter)
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +40 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for the support! 🙌