At the entrance to Konoha, the early morning still wore a misty veil, but one ninja was already training, doing handstands with impressive power. The two guard-nin stared on, helplessly watching the man who called himself the "Beast of Konoha." He had a mission today, but his teammates were half an hour late. For a jōnin, that's almost disrespectful—yet he remained calm.
Finally, as dawn broke, two others appeared: Kakashi Hatake—renowned even since the Third Shinobi War—and beside him, a small child, stoic and silent. The guards straightened. They recognized this kid immediately: a nine-year-old shinobi from the Root division of Anbu, part of Konoha's secret intelligence. And he was Tō—known unofficially as the third prodigy of the Uzumaki clan, despite sharing the Uchiha Bloodline through his Sharingan.
Maito Gai vaulted into view: "Yo! Kakashi! Running late again! And you—acting all cool, huh?" Gai's kick launched at Tō, fast as lightning. But Tō calmly turned, evading with a single shunshin, stopping Gai's kick midair.
Both Tō and Gai froze, startled—Tō impressed that Gai broke free of Sharingan genjutsu in an instant, despite Tō only having a two-tomoe Sharingan. Gai, realizing Tō's skill, suspected that if those were enemy skills, Gai might have died from them.
Feeling challenged, Gai charged boldly. Kakashi stood back, arms crossed, as Gai executed a spinning kick, the "Leaf Hurricane." But Tō, applying wind-nature chakra to his movement, evaded effortlessly, even before fully learning how. In midair, Gai spun to block Tō's side kick, landing and rolling into a stance. His expression sober, he nodded once, respecting Tō's speed.
Kakashi watched closely with his Sharingan. Even he had barely caught Tō's shunshin. He realized Tō's taijutsu had sharpened remarkably since their last mission, with swordsmanship and now stealthy movement to match.
Meanwhile, Pikachu—perched on Tō's shoulder—grew agitated at Gai's barrage. Seeing Tō caress the creature, Gai leapt, but Pikachu unleashed a small static shock that staggered Gai momentarily—enough time for Tō to deliver a swift kick to Gai's waist, knocking him down.
"Pika pika…" Pikachu grumbled, hopping back onto Tō's shoulder.
The two sentries watched, sweat on their brows—these three were formidable opponents indeed. Kakashi helped Gai up, apologizing: "Oops. Forgot to warn you. That little creature looks harmless, but it's powerful—Tō's hidden strength."
Gai, half-annoyed, glared at Kakashi like a betrayed friend. Tō laughed softly. "Ready?" he asked. Gai, still feeling the kick, nodded. Today, a nine-year-old had bested him—the Leaf Beast himself!
Behind them, Kakashi grinned, but thinking: Could he have dodged those moves? Yes, perhaps—but Tō's Sharingan mastery was next-level, even for him. It stung, yet excited him.
They vanished in shunshin whirlwinds down the road, leaving the gate guards awed: such prowess—and all from one jōnin and two incredible young shinobi.
Meanwhile…
In the Hokage's office, a crystal orb showed the fight. Tsunade frowned. It wasn't the summon or the strike—she caught something else: Tō's shunshin jutsu, faster than many space-time techniques she'd seen. Nearly on par with Minato's, and matching Shisui's speed! But Tsunade reminded herself: he's only nine years old.
"…Kakashi," she whispered, "I still don't trust him. Is he truly a spy?"
Tsunade gazed at the rising sun.
At Root headquarters, Danzo grinned as he addressed his elite. A masked jinchūriki nodded. "Mission: kill Kakashi, Tō, and Maito Gai." The voice was cold, devoid of feeling.
Danzo gave a satisfied nod, pausing. "…And bring back their Sharingan." Then, turning, he left. A group of shinobi vanished in instant shadows—on their way to an assassination most taboo.