As New Year approached, the Third Hokage remained busy. Even on New Year's Eve, he would stay in his office working late into the night before heading home.
"Tsunade, do you need something?"
"Oh, nothing much—just here to ask you for someone."
"Ask for someone?"
The Third Hokage looked puzzled. What person could Tsunade be asking for?
Sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, Tsunade leaned back lazily.
"Well, Nawaki's about to graduate, so I'm planning to have Jiraiya as his teacher to guide him on missions. Also, since Kushina's friend is visiting, Takashi thinks that little Namikaze Minato kid is pretty good and wants to try his hand at being a teacher."
"I'm here to help him get the kid."
The Third Hokage was speechless.
Seriously? You're just going to whimsically demand a promising kid I've been keeping an eye on?
Although any student eventually trained would technically be part of the Hokage's faction, even within the faction there were now smaller sub-groups.
There was Tsunade's faction, led by her, with Akimichi Torifu as her second in command, supported by other allied clans.
A talented child like Minato was something the Third Hokage was reluctant to give up.
After deliberating, he sighed and said, "Fine. Takashi can take him as a student. But weren't you planning to hand Nawaki over to Orochimaru? Why Jiraiya now?"
"Ahem!"
Tsunade coughed awkwardly. "Orochimaru's busy, you know. That guy locks himself in his lab for months at a time. Nawaki wouldn't last a day with that temperament. Besides, he likes hanging out with Jiraiya, so I figured I'd just ask Jiraiya to take care of him."
Tsunade certainly wasn't going to tell the Third Hokage that Takashi had more confidence in Jiraiya, and after several conversations had managed to convince her to change her mind.
So Nawaki would be entrusted to Jiraiya, while Orochimaru could continue with his research.
The Third Hokage took the smoking pipe from his desk, lit it, and took a few puffs before speaking:
"Nawaki and Jiraiya should get along well."
How could they not? They practically follow in your footsteps!
Tsunade didn't know what to say. Back when the Third Hokage trained Jiraiya, they used to peep on people taking baths. Now it was Jiraiya bringing Nawaki along—was this the real legacy of the Hokage faction?
A bunch of troublemakers!
Tsunade shot the Third Hokage a glare before standing up and leaving.
Feeling awkward under her gaze, the Hokage sighed inwardly.
Sigh, it wasn't easy to become Hokage or secure this position. What's wrong with having a few harmless hobbies? Can't the Hokage relax once in a while?
Speaking of relaxation, it was about that time.
The Third Hokage retrieved his crystal ball, set it on the desk, and stared intently at it, though what he was watching was anyone's guess.
---
When Tsunade got home, she flopped onto the sofa and said to Takashi, "It's done. I got the kid from the old man. Good luck—I'm rooting for you."
Saying this, she scooped Kushina into her arms and playfully ruffled her hair.
Curious, Kushina asked, "Tsunade-nee, what did you get done?"
Are you for real? I was just talking casually, and you actually went and got him?
Takashi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Takashi said he thought Minato had a lot of potential, so I decided to help out and asked for him to be your student."
As she spoke, Tsunade playfully pulled Kushina's cheeks, stretching them to either side. Kushina protested but couldn't escape.
When he found out, Minato Namikaze was completely stunned.
I'm really becoming his student?
It felt like a pie had fallen from the sky and landed directly on his head.
"Sensei."
The first time he called someone that, the blond boy was both nervous and shy.
Takashi smiled and patted his head, "Don't be nervous. Train hard. I believe you'll achieve great things."
"Yes, Sensei!"
"This is my New Year's gift to you. In the future, if you have any questions or run into trouble, don't keep it to yourself. Come talk to me."
Takashi handed Minato a prepared ninja tool pouch.
When training with Nawaki, Minato often glanced enviously at Nawaki's ninja tools pouch. Though he hid it well, Takashi had noticed and prepared a new one for him as a New Year's gift.
The pouch itself wasn't expensive, but the tools inside were.
Don't be fooled by the carefree way main characters in the series throw kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags around like they're free. In reality, only wealthy ninjas could afford such luxury.
Ordinary ninjas wouldn't dare waste supplies, and even on the battlefield, they'd scavenge for reusable tools.
Minato, unfortunately, belonged to the "too broke to throw kunai" category.
"Take it."
Though embarrassed, Minato accepted the pouch as Takashi gently pushed it into his arms.
"What about me? What about me?"
Nawaki jumped up, eager for his own gift.
"Me too!"
Kushina ran over, leaped into the air, and clung to Takashi's back.
"Careful, don't fall," Takashi said with a sigh, pulling out more New Year's gifts.
Kushina's gift was a set of jewelry—not expensive, as the little rich girl didn't need anything extravagant, but it was thoughtful.
"Takashi, you're the best! I love it!"
Ecstatic, Kushina ran off to show Tsunade her new jewelry, her grin so wide it barely fit on her face.
Tsunade, unimpressed, rolled her eyes as Kushina proudly showed off her gift.
"And this is for you, Nawaki," Takashi said, handing over a box.
"Thanks!"
Nawaki tore into the box eagerly. But the moment he opened it, his grin froze, and the color drained from his face.
What was inside?
Curious, Tsunade, Kushina, and even Minato leaned in to take a look.
...A thick stack of test papers.
You're a monster!
Tsunade gave her brother a sympathetic glance.
Kushina's mouth fell open in shock.
Minato scratched his head, trying not to laugh.
Nawaki's hands trembled as he clutched the stack of papers, his fingers whitening from the effort.
"Whyyy!!"
Normally carefree and cheerful, Nawaki completely broke down, his voice echoing through the room.
"Why does Minato get a ninja tools pouch, Kushina gets jewelry, and my New Year's gift is THIS?!"
This was inhuman!
Don't you know I suck at academics?
You're trying to kill me, aren't you?!
"Pfft~~~ Hahaha!" Tsunade bent over with laughter.
Kushina also joined in, laughing along.
Seeing the two laughing, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but join in as well.
"You... you all! Wah! This is bullying!"
Nawaki cried even more bitterly.
He didn't like the gift, and the worst part was that he couldn't just get rid of it. He knew Tsunade would make sure he completed it.
The thought of finishing all those test papers made Nawaki want to just end it all.
"Ahem!" Takashi finally stopped laughing when he saw how distraught Nawaki was. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a brand-new ninja tools pouch. "Alright, stop crying. Your real gift is the same as Minato's. The test papers were just a joke."
Takashi wasn't actually a devil and hadn't meant to torment Nawaki on purpose. The test papers were just meant as a harmless prank—though their devastating impact had been undeniable.
Well, this was enough teasing for now.
Seeing the ninja tool pouch, Nawaki's tear-streaked face lit up with a grin. He quickly tossed aside the papers, grabbed the ninja tool pouch, and hugged it to his chest, not even caring about the tears and snot on his face. He looked up at the blond boy proudly.
I have one too!!
Seriously? Showing off a New Year's gift to someone younger than you?
With an exasperated pat on Nawaki's head, Takashi took out one last box and tossed it to Tsunade:
"I did think about buying you a present, but I figured you might need this more."
"Need what?"
After laughing for so long that her stomach hurt, Tsunade was curious to learn she had a gift too. She opened the box.
She wasn't worried that there'd be exam papers inside—after all, Tsunade Senju didn't need those.
"What the—?!"
The moment she opened it, Tsunade let out a loud exclamation.
Takashi had initially planned to get Tsunade a proper gift, but after realizing she had already gambled away her salary, he decided to give her something more practical—money. A box filled with cash seemed more appropriate than any trinket.
So he put some cash inside a gift box.
As expected, Tsunade got even more excited than Nawaki upon seeing the money.
If it hadn't been for the three kids being present, she might have jumped on Takashi and rewarded him with a couple of kisses.
He truly understood her.
She was in desperate need of cash.
And here it was, money handed over as a gift.
"Alright, everyone has their gifts now, time to eat."
After distributing all the presents, Takashi clapped his hands.
Everyone gathered around the table, ready to start eating.
"Wait a second."
Just as they were about to begin, Nawaki suddenly said, "Sis, you're the oldest one here. Shouldn't you be giving us gifts instead of receiving them?"
Crack!!
Tsunade's expression changed, and the chopsticks in her hand shattered into splinters.
You little brat, why do you always have to say the wrong thing?
Gulp...
Nawaki swallowed nervously, realizing that he had just said something he definitely shouldn't have.
You just can't stay quiet, can you? You got your gift, now zip it. Why provoke your sister? Are you trying to get beaten up?
Your sister's broke—there's nothing in her pocket but some spare coins. What gift could she possibly give? Hand out a coin to each person?
"Oww!! Sis, I'm sorry, stop hitting me, it hurts!"
---
While the nations and villages across the Ninja World were celebrating the New Year with lights and festivities, the Land of Rain was the exception.
Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure had all sent ninja into the Land of Rain, and for the people of the Land of Rain, it was nothing short of a disaster.
At first, everyone was still keeping things somewhat under control, but as time went on, some of the ninja started causing trouble.
"Sir, according to the gathered intelligence, there have been reports of ninja raiding several villages in the west and taking a lot of goods."
"This is already the sixth time this month."
Bang!!
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Hanzo the Salamander slammed his hand on the table in anger.
The intrusion by the three Great Shinobi Villages had thrown the Land of Rain into chaos, and now some of the village ninja had started targeting the people of the Land of Rain.
Based on intelligence, most of the raiders were from Sunagakure, followed by Iwagakure, while Konoha's ninja had mostly kept in line.
"All of you, leave. I will handle this personally!"
Hanzo was furious.
He had swallowed his pride to approach the Third Kazekage, only for the latter to treat him like a lapdog.
Not only had they humiliated him, but they had also let their village's ninja run wild, stealing supplies and food from civilians even before the war had properly begun.
Are the ninja of Sunagakure and Iwagakure really that poor? Why are they even here in the Land of Rain?
They must have assumed that Hanzo wouldn't dare retaliate.
This was beyond insulting.
After dismissing his subordinates, Hanzo paced back and forth in his office, growing more and more agitated.
"If you don't care about the people of the Land of Rain, then let me help you care less!!"
Not only had they humiliated him, but they had pushed him too far, and Hanzo could no longer endure it.
Currently, the ninja from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure were all maintaining a cautious truce. Despite the heavy tension, there was no intention to escalate into a full-blown conflict.
There were constant skirmishes and small clashes, but no large-scale engagements.
Hanzo decided to stoke the flames.
If war was inevitable, then he might as well muddy the waters first. If he was going down, he wasn't going alone.
Hanzo gathered a group of skilled subordinates and quietly left the village.
That night, several Konoha and Sunagakure patrol squads vanished without a trace.
The disappearance of the patrol squads drew immediate attention from both sides. Konoha and Sunagakure sent ninja to investigate the area, and they ended up running into each other.
Neither side was willing to back down, which directly led to an intensified conflict.
After initiating one conflict, Hanzo shifted his focus to Sunagakure's ninja.
Without a strong leader present, the Sunagakure squads were no match for Hanzo's hunting parties.
Gradually, the losses for Sunagakure began to mount. The team leaders in the Land of Rain realized something was wrong and immediately sent word back to their village.
Konoha's teams were also encountering problems, as many Sunagakure ninja began targeting them within the Land of Rain's borders, leading to the unexplained disappearance of several Konoha squads.
In response, Konoha also sent word back to the village.
Reluctantly crawling out from under her blankets, Tsunade grumbled as she left her cozy bed, yawning all the way to the Hokage's office.
It was the same conference room as last time, though the seating arrangements had changed quite a bit.
Akimichi Torifu, the Hokage's advisor, was not seated beside the Third Hokage but next to Tsunade instead.
Ninja from several clans, led by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, were also seated on their side of the table.
The Jonin Commander, who used to be Nara Shikashin, had now been replaced by Sarutobi Matsuda.
Sarutobi Matsuda, a stoic man with a perpetually serious expression, was as unreadable as the young Uchiha clan leader.
Once everyone had arrived, the Third Hokage gestured for Sarutobi Matsuda to distribute the printed reports.
"Everyone, the situation in the Land of Rain has begun to shift. Sunagakure has repeatedly encroached on the territories we control. Several patrol and mission squads have already been lost."
As everyone opened the reports in their hands, they quickly realized that the situation had grown more complicated.
"Aha, so Sunagakure can't hold back any longer?"
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