---
The Hokage's Tower loomed over the village, its shadow stretching across tiled rooftops and busy streets below. To the ordinary eye, it was simply the seat of Konoha's power. But to those summoned inside, it was something else entirely—a crucible where shinobi were weighed, measured, and often found wanting.
Ryuzen Kurokami stood in the hall outside the council chamber, his posture deceptively relaxed. Beneath his calm exterior, the Sharingan pulsed faintly behind his dark eyes, catching flickers of chakra as shinobi moved in the building around him.
He felt it everywhere—eyes lingering on him too long, whispers hushed too late. His return from the last mission had not gone unnoticed.
I should have expected this, he thought. The more perfectly one executes, the more the world begins to question whether perfection is natural… or dangerous.
The sliding doors creaked open. An ANBU with a hawk mask gestured silently.
"Enter."
---
The Council
The council chamber was thick with pipe smoke and tension. At the center sat Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. His expression was unreadable, calm but weighed by the burdens of leadership. Flanking him were Konoha's aging advisers: Homura, stern and cautious; Koharu, sharp-tongued and suspicious; and Danzo Shimura, cane tapping rhythmically, his bandaged face shadowed in the dim light.
Ryuzen bowed low. "Hokage-sama. Elders."
He waited. Always let them speak first.
Hiruzen exhaled, smoke curling upward.
"Ryuzen Kurokami. Your last mission was… exemplary. The intelligence you gathered has confirmed what we feared: our enemies move toward open conflict. War is no longer a possibility—it is inevitable."
The words settled heavy in the chamber.
Koharu's voice cut in, sharp as a kunai.
"Exemplary, perhaps. But also troubling. You faced an Iwa operative of jōnin caliber, yet you return unscathed. Such a feat, performed by a child, strains belief. Explain yourself."
Ryuzen lifted his gaze, meeting her eyes with calm composure.
"Preparation. Precision. And perhaps a measure of luck."
The answer was clean. Too clean. It offered nothing to grab onto, no crack in his armor.
Homura frowned. "Luck is a poor answer when lives depend on consistency."
Danzo's cane tapped once, steady and deliberate. "Or it is proof the boy is no ordinary shinobi. Power such as his should not be wasted on trivial missions. He should be trained… properly."
The silence that followed was thick with hidden meaning. Everyone in the room knew what Danzo meant. ROOT.
Hiruzen's eyes flickered briefly toward his old comrade, then back to the boy standing before him.
---
Measured Words
Ryuzen kept his breathing steady. He understood the game being played. Every question, every silence, every glance—it was a test. Not of strength, but of alignment. Of loyalty.
They want to see what I reveal under pressure. But I will not reveal anything I do not choose.
At last, Hiruzen spoke again. His tone was softer, but carried the weight of finality.
"Enough. Whatever doubts exist, his results speak for themselves. The intelligence he has delivered is invaluable."
Danzo's single eye narrowed, but he said nothing.
Hiruzen slid a scroll across the table.
"Ryuzen. Your next task will not be simple. A border outpost near the Grass Country has gone silent. We suspect Iwagakure. You will lead a team to investigate. Your findings will determine how we prepare for the war to come."
---
The Acceptance
Ryuzen stepped forward, accepting the scroll with both hands. His expression betrayed no emotion.
"As you command, Hokage-sama."
Inside, however, he was already calculating.
Another mission. Another stage. But this one is not merely about enemy movements. This is about me. The council seeks proof—not of what I can do, but of what I will do. How far I bend before I break.
He bowed once more, then turned to leave. As he did, he felt the weight of eyes burning into his back.
Danzo's gaze: cold, possessive, already imagining chains.
Hiruzen's gaze: heavy with doubt, but also curiosity—like a man who holds fire in his hands and cannot decide whether to warm himself or extinguish it.
Ryuzen did not look back.
---
The Village's Eyes
Outside the chamber, the sunlight of Konoha seemed almost too bright. The chatter of merchants, the laughter of children, the clatter of weapons in the training grounds—it all rang hollow to him.
Whispers followed him still. Shinobi who passed gave sidelong glances. Some with admiration. Others with suspicion.
"That's him. The prodigy who completed the mission alone."
"I heard he never even drew his blade."
"They say he has the eyes of the Uchiha, but colder."
Ryuzen ignored them. To acknowledge rumors was to feed them.
Yet inwardly he recognized the truth: admiration and fear were twin flames, and both burned away trust.
---
The Quiet Walk Home
He walked the streets toward his modest apartment on the village's edge. The sun cast long shadows, and in those shadows, he felt them—watchers. Not openly hostile, not yet. But ROOT had its eyes everywhere, and Danzo wasted no time.
Ryuzen's lips curved faintly. So the game begins in earnest.
He slid open his door, letting the silence of his home envelop him. He placed the mission scroll on the low table, unrolled it, and studied the details. Sparse information. Too sparse. Another deliberate move.
They are not only sending me against Iwa. They are sending me against uncertainty. If I fail, I am unworthy. If I succeed too well… I am dangerous. Either way, I remain under their eye.
He closed the scroll, fingers brushing its edge. His Sharingan flared briefly, red tomoe spinning in the dim light.
Very well. If they wish to weigh me, let them. But they should remember—those who weigh fire too long often find their scales reduced to ash.
---
The Silent Resolve
Night fell over Konoha. In the Hokage's Tower, Hiruzen sat alone, smoke rising from his pipe. His thoughts lingered on the boy.
"He reminds me too much of Itachi," he murmured to the empty room. "Calm. Controlled. Already burdened with more than his years allow."
He exhaled, the smoke curling like ghosts.
"Such power… may save this village. Or destroy it."
In the shadows behind him, unseen but not unfelt, Danzo smiled faintly.
---
✍️ Author's Note
Perfection is never trusted. The higher one rises, the sharper the blades waiting in silence. Ryuzen has stepped into a different battlefield now—one where jutsu cannot defend him.
The next mission is not merely reconnaissance. It is a crucible, forged by politics as much as war. And when the fire of the Third Shinobi War finally erupts, Konoha will already have decided whether Ryuzen Kurokami is a weapon to wield… or a threat to bury.
How was this chapter, everyone? 👀
I've been weaving the tension slowly, brick by brick, so when the battlefield finally opens… you'll feel every step Ryuzen takes. This is just the beginning of Konoha's hidden storm.
If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to drop a comment (I read them all, and they help me shape the future direction). Also, if you think Ryuzen deserves to rise higher in the rankings, then your Power Stone today is his strength tomorrow. ⚡
And for those of you who haven't yet — make sure to add this novel to your library. That way, you won't miss the moment the Third War truly begins.
Let's build this world together. 🌌
---