Kakashi stood nearby, grunting softly as he swung his short blade left and right. The weapon cut through the air with sharp precision as he trained with full focus.
He was not using the long blade Hayashi had given him.
At his current height, the sword was still too large to handle properly.
Hayashi had also deliberately avoided letting him use it in real combat for now, worried that situations like struggling to draw the weapon mid fight or losing control of its reach would happen at the worst possible moment.
While Kakashi trained on one side, Hayashi was not idle either.
He sat nearby reading a set of transcribed Ninjutsu scrolls he had obtained from the Uchiha clan archives.
Among them were several Fire Release techniques once used by Madara Uchiha.
As a former clan head of the Uchiha, Madara had not bothered to destroy most of the clan's Fire Release records. Techniques like that were far too common in his eyes to bother with.
For example, Great Fire Annihilation was only a B-rank technique. Even Izanagi had not been erased, so there was no reason for him to personally eliminate ordinary Fire Release jutsu.
It simply was not his style.
After obtaining the scroll, Hayashi went to the Naka River to test Great Fire Annihilation.
The technique was powerful, slightly above standard B-rank Fire Release, but not at the level of overwhelming destruction it was often associated with in legends.
It was not the technique that was terrifying.
It was Madara himself.
Even so, in Sage Mode, Hayashi could reproduce a similar scale of output, possibly even larger under the right conditions.
Madara likely enhanced his techniques through other means as well, most likely his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities.
But that was not important right now.
Such techniques were mainly used for clearing large groups of enemies. In actual high level combat, they were not always decisive.
Hayashi suddenly turned his gaze slightly to the side and closed the scroll.
A moment later, an Anbu ninja appeared nearby.
The ninja knelt slightly.
"Lord Hayashi, the Third Hokage requests your presence."
"Is it a mission?" Hayashi asked.
"Yes."
Hayashi nodded once.
If it was not a mission, he would go alone. Since it was, he would bring his team members, Kakashi and Kushina sensei.
The Anbu vanished immediately after delivering the message.
Kakashi stopped his training and walked over.
"Sensei, is it a mission?"
"Yes," Hayashi replied as he stood and brushed dust off his clothes.
"Then we should go quickly," Kakashi said, already putting away his short blade.
Since the Hokage had sent an Anbu directly, it was clearly not a simple D-rank task.
"You should go back and wash up first," Hayashi said after a brief glance at him. "I will go find Kushina sensei. I will give you five minutes."
Before Kakashi could respond, Hayashi placed a hand on his shoulder.
Space shifted slightly, and in the next moment they were inside Kakashi's room.
A special kunai Hayashi had once given him was hanging above the desk.
"Didn't I tell you to keep it in the courtyard?" Hayashi asked.
"I was worried it would get stolen," Kakashi replied immediately.
"Who would steal it?"
"Obito. He has asked for it multiple times already."
Hayashi pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Fine."
A kunai being treated like a treasure was already enough trouble.
Since it was kept indoors, Hayashi decided to leave a marking on the large tree in the courtyard instead, so he would not accidentally appear inside the room again using Flying Thunder God Technique and walk into something inconvenient.
Or worse, show up while Kakashi was changing or doing something private.
That kind of situation would be far too awkward.
"I will give you five minutes. I will come back for you."
With that, Hayashi disappeared.
Kushina's movements were far less predictable than Kakashi's.
She was always moving around the village.
After checking several usual spots, Hayashi finally found her at the Ninja Academy.
Although Kushina was no longer a teacher, she still often visited the academy.
Today, she was handing out snacks to students.
In her words, it was a way to give back to the younger generation after her contributions in battle, especially since the students were all adorable and hardworking.
But anyone with sense could see through it immediately.
She simply liked watching them eat snacks while she collected things in return.
Kushina used to love snacks when she was younger, but she had long stopped indulging too much, mostly to avoid unnecessary weight gain.
However, the Ninja Card collection system tied to packaged food had pulled her back in.
Students like Obito were especially easy targets.
Obito's allowance was tightly controlled by Kyoko, so when Kushina offered free snacks, he would go all out without hesitation.
He usually acted confident in front of others, even taking Rin out for meals or entertainment, but when it came to food he had no budget for, he would immediately switch behavior.
Another standout was Akimichi Dodo.
He would take two bags of instant noodles, squeeze them lightly to crush them, pull out the cards, and then eat the crushed noodles in seconds. The entire process was frighteningly efficient.
Hayashi suddenly appeared in the classroom and immediately used Body Flicker Technique to take Kushina away without warning.
"My cards..." Kushina said sadly once they were outside.
Hayashi sighed.
"If you want cards, just tell me. When we finish the mission, I will give you a complete set."
"A mission?" Kushina's expression changed instantly.
All thoughts of cards disappeared.
"Yes. The old man Hokage is waiting for us," Hayashi replied.
---
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three ninjas in front of him and nodded.
"A few days ago, our ally, the Third Kazekage, sent a letter."
He handed a scroll to Hayashi.
Hayashi opened it and read briefly. His expression shifted slightly.
The document described an independent nation in the Land of Wind desert, Rōran.
Hiruzen continued.
"Historically, Rōran is believed to be older than even the Five Great Nations. It exists within the Land of Wind, but remains completely isolated and does not participate in the conflicts of the major villages."
"A few months ago, the queen of Rōran suddenly died. At first, it was not considered important, but we later received this report from the Third Kazekage."
"Sunagakure is currently engaged in war with Iwagakure and cannot spare manpower to investigate. As allies, they have requested our assistance."
Hayashi nodded slightly.
Rōran was a small country without significant military power. However, it was said to contain something called the Dragon Vein.
This was not just rumor.
It was real.
A power capable of distorting time and space itself.
Hayashi had considered investigating it before, but the ongoing war had prevented him from doing so.
Judging by the timeline, the Dragon Vein incident should be occurring around this period.
Then the question naturally arose.
If someone travels through time this time, would it still be Naruto?
===
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