Konoha Year 33.
The Second Great Ninja War was at its height, and not long ago, terrifying news had spread across the entire shinobi world.
Uzushio Village of the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha's staunchest ally and home to the strongest sealing clan in the ninja world, the Uzumaki clan, had been wiped out.
Konoha was shaken from top to bottom. The war had only just begun, yet one of the allies of the strongest hidden village in the world had already been annihilated, and the worst part was that Konoha had not even managed to send reinforcements in time.
A shadow settled over the hearts of Konoha's shinobi.
Clatter, clatter...
The sound of carriage wheels rolled in from Konoha's main gate.
Unlike the bodies and personal effects of fallen shinobi that were usually brought back, this fairly large convoy was filled with unfamiliar faces. Their appearance, too, stood at odds with Konoha.
Civilians. Craftsmen. Merchants. And a great many samurai.
If they had one thing in common, it was that none of them looked particularly easy to deal with.
"Captain, Lord Hokage has summoned you to the Hokage Tower. He wants a full report on the escort mission as soon as possible."
An ANBU shinobi appeared beside a silver-haired man in a blur. He was Sakumo Hatake, the man who would one day become famous throughout the shinobi world as Konoha's White Fang.
At present, Sakumo was still only an unassuming ANBU captain, with little renown across the wider world.
Hearing the message, Sakumo, who had led the ANBU force escorting this convoy from the Land of Iron to Konoha through feints, diversions, and covert maneuvers the entire way, finally let out a long breath.
The losses among his ANBU unit had not been light.
Still...
Sakumo glanced back at the tightly guarded craftsmen in the convoy and silently comforted himself.
At the very least, the sacrifices had been worth it.
With these master craftsmen from the Land of Iron joining Konoha, the village's strength in the coming war would rise considerably.
At the same time, it might ease some of the damage caused by the destruction of the Uzumaki clan.
But when Sakumo arrived outside the Hokage's office, before he even stepped in, he heard a voice from within.
It sounded somewhat young, but every word struck like iron.
The voice was familiar.
The tone, however, was completely foreign.
"Hokage! I may be young, but do not forget this: my Ryugari family is a great house whose lineage stretches back to the age of the samurai. I may be a child, but the retainers, the samurai under my banner, and even the craftsmen you people so badly need all answer to my command!"
"If anything happens to me here today, not only will you get nothing out of this, I guarantee that within three days, the chakra weapon forging techniques you have been dreaming about will be sitting on the desks of the other Kage!"
"And as for you so-called advisors, you little bastards, what gives you the right to yap at me here? Believe me, if you dare say one more word today, by tomorrow your bounties on the black market will double!"
Sakumo froze at the door, his mind struggling to catch up.
There was no question whose voice it was.
It belonged to the boy he had just escorted back, the new head of the Ryugari family: one of the Land of Iron's foremost forging houses, and a samurai clan with centuries of history behind it.
Ryugari Ryuto.
And yet the voice coming from inside sounded nothing like the adorable little boy he had seen all along the journey.
He had only been standing there a short while, and already he had heard phrases like "little bastard," "I'll have you killed," and "I'll wipe out your whole family."
"Ahem. That should be Sakumo outside. Come in."
A soft cough came from the office. Sakumo hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw a young boy dressed in black samurai garb standing on a chair, along with Koharu and Homura, both wearing dark expressions.
"Lord Hokage."
Sakumo bowed to Hiruzen, and before the Hokage could even ask, he gave his report on the escort mission.
There had been casualties, but thankfully they remained within an acceptable range.
Only then did Hiruzen turn his gaze back to the boy standing before him, Ryuto.
Sakumo could not help looking at him as well. His face was as delicate as a porcelain doll, the very picture of childish cuteness.
And yet at this moment, one foot was planted on the chair, the other on the Hokage's desk, while one hand rested on the hilt of the short samurai sword at his waist.
Such insolence should have been enough for the ANBU at the Hokage's side to cut him down on the spot.
But given Konoha's current predicament, and given Ryuto's status, no one moved.
Hiruzen picked up the contract on his desk, the secret agreement signed between the previous head of the Ryugari family and Konoha.
The entire Ryugari family, along with all of their retainers, businesses, and several subordinate samurai families, would relocate to Konoha and forge ninja tools and weapons for the village.
In return, Konoha would cede a vast tract of land, nearly half of the Forest of Death, to the Ryugari family and the other relocating families as their clan grounds and samurai dōjō.
In addition, members of the Ryugari family were to hold senior positions in Konoha's ninja tools division, with full participation in management and the authority to make decisions.
Hiruzen cast a glance at his old companions. The head of the Ryugari family was dead now, and everyone in the room knew perfectly well what had caused it.
But from the look of things, the heir to this centuries-old samurai house, despite his youth, was not someone who could be easily fooled.
Most importantly, Hiruzen could see it clearly in the boy's eyes: that vicious resolve of someone ready to drag everyone down with him if it came to that.
These samurai families really were something else. Even their children treated their own lives like they meant nothing.
After weighing it in silence for a long moment, Hiruzen finally nodded.
"Though I was not fully informed of all the details as Hokage, there is no problem with this contract."
"Hiruzen!" Koharu started to object, but one glare from him shut her up at once.
At this point in his life, Hiruzen had nothing to do with the title of strongest Hokage, but the authority he carried as Hokage was still very real.
He turned back to Ryuto and offered a faint smile.
"We will honor the agreement. From now on, part of the Forest of Death will be assigned to you as your clan land. Get your people settled as soon as possible. You understand Konoha's circumstances. We need a large supply of ninja tools..."
At those words, the wolfish ferocity on the boy's adorable face faded. He drew back the foot he had placed on the Hokage's desk, and even took the time to wipe the dust off it with his sleeve.
Then he gave the Hokage a formal bow, offering a proper samurai salute.
"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Hokage. I was discourteous just now. As for ninja tool forging, once I have my clan settled, I will immediately have my people report to the ninja tool forging division."