Minato looked self-assured.
"Uncle Hayata…" If Minato hadn't mentioned it, Yuki Seisui might have completely forgotten that Konoha even had someone like Hayata—a semi-god-class craftsman with incredible skills.
"So why did we replace the walls with steel?" Seisui still didn't understand. The fastest thing to break in the Hokage's office shouldn't have been the door—so why change the walls too?
Hearing this, Minato glanced around furtively and leaned toward him, whispering, "Uncle Hayata said that Elder Danzo kicked it in."
"Huh?!" Seisui froze. Danzo—why would that old man destroy the wall just like that?
Cough cough.
While Seisui and Minato whispered, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally lost patience. Is this really the time to be gossiping?
"The reason I called you here is about the upcoming war."
Hearing this, both Seisui and Minato straightened, their expressions serious.
"You've probably heard—other great ninja villages are making moves against Konoha."
"I wanted to inform you ahead of time."
"There's no need to send a vanguard unit, but the three of you will participate once the war officially begins."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"If war breaks out, you'll be sent to the Sunagakure battlefield."
He looked at Seisui. "Try not to use the tailed beast unless absolutely necessary. But if danger arises, use it. Your safety comes first."
"Use it only if you have to, right?" Seisui asked.
Hiruzen nodded slowly, though a hint of hesitation lingered.
"If things get rough, the Sand ninja may summon the One-Tail. Your mission is to intercept it if that happens."
He gave Seisui a worried look. "Tsunade said your eyesight hasn't fully recovered, so don't use the Mangekyo Sharingan. You'll just sit back with Tsunade and Jiraiya, holding the rear lines."
Seisui, Haru, and Minato exchanged a look—no words were needed.
"That's all for now. Once the war officially starts, you'll move out. And remember: prioritize your own safety."
Seisui nodded. Despite the circumstances—regardless of whether it was to protect the Nine-Tails—Hiruzen's words touched him. Such a good old man.
"Don't worry, Third Hokage!" Seisui's confidence surged. "If they dare use the One-Tail, I'll take it down! I'll make Sunagakure fall out of the Five Great Nations!"
Hiruzen: "…"
"No need to get so extreme… just protect yourself," he muttered.
Ideally, Hiruzen didn't want Seisui on the front lines, but manpower was insufficient. Last time, he sent Seisui out because the boy's power was undeniable. And it was true: Seisui alone could suppress an entire village, even having defeated the Third Kazekage.
Out of a hundred ninjas deployed last time, the worst casualty was just one missing an arm. Everyone else survived, praising Seisui's strength. He was already a hero in Konoha, and even kids playing ninja games fought to be "Ghost of the Konoha."
If it were anyone else, Hiruzen wouldn't have let them go, but Seisui was the perfect inheritor of the Will of Fire. With great power comes great responsibility—he saw Seisui as the next Hokage.
Exiting the Hokage's office, Seisui stretched and glanced at the sun.
"Not bad… I'm getting used to wearing these glasses," he said, adjusting them.
His eyesight and ocular power had mostly recovered—full recovery would take another week or so—but daily life was no longer affected. Still, he didn't remove the glasses. Let everyone continue to think his Mangekyo had severe side effects—he had other plans.
"Seisui, look over there!" Minato tugged at him, leading him while Haru's eyes glinted with killing intent.
Looking at the wall being rebuilt, Seisui's mouth twitched. Wow… real steel walls.
Even adding a layer of steel now was a clever move.
"This kind of thinking… truly remarkable," Seisui murmured, then headed back. He couldn't help but wonder if Elder Danzo would want to skin the craftsman alive once he found out.
Clearly, such ingenuity was not from Hiruzen's old-fashioned mindset. Seisui smirked at the thought as he left with Minato and Haru.
Hidden ANBU agents began sweating silently—Seisui's comment had been heard loud and clear. If Danzo knew that it was their idea, they'd probably be skinned alive.
One teammate noticed his unease. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine… just a bit dizzy."
"Oh~" The teammate gave a knowing smile. "Young man, take care of yourself~"
Hiruzen's summons didn't speed up the war—it only prepared Konoha for a well-planned battle.
Ten days passed.
"Finally… it's that day again!"
Seisui stood on the balcony, watching Uzumaki Kushina teaching, tossing kunai one after another.
It was time for the ten-consecutive summons!
Seisui's eyes sparkled with excitement as he hurled another kunai. Fifty meters away, a flying bird was pierced and fell onto Nawaki's head.
Nawaki, practicing his snake clone technique, looked at Seisui angrily, tossing the bird aside.
"Damn you, Seisui!"
"Train harder!" Seisui called. "War is about to start. Sweat now, bleed less later."
Seisui's house was next to Tsunade's, near the shared training grounds. He could watch Nawaki practicing from the balcony.
Nawaki gritted his teeth but knew Seisui was right.
Kushina, teaching Nagato and Konan nearby, couldn't help laughing.
"You're miserable, Nawaki!"
"Damn!" Nawaki ran home holding his head, shouting for revenge.
Seisui crossed his arms, towering over him. "You dare oppose me, Ghost of the Konoha, Nawaki? Then dance for me!"
Nawaki fumed while Kushina laughed louder, and even gentle Konan smiled.
Ignoring them, Seisui turned to the summon interface, muttering, "Alright… using Nawaki as fodder, ten pulls must give me an S!"
"Ten consecutive summons!"
[Uchiha Sasuke (Eternal Mangekyo) Fragment ×1, Uchiha Obito (Ninja World War) Fragment ×1, Uchiha Madara (Edo Tensei · Release) Fragment ×1, Uchiha Madara ×1, ×1, ×5, White, Prismatic Stones ×3]
[Uchiha Sasuke (Eternal Mangekyo) 61/100]
[Prismatic Stones: 11]
Eight fragments of Edo Tensei Madara appeared in one pull—Seisui was shocked but ecstatic.
The summon interface updated:
[Advanced Recruitment Updated]
[New Ninja Added: Uchiha Madara (Edo Tensei · Release)]
[Selectable Main S-Rank Ninja Added]
"Awesome! I really am lucky!" Seisui cheered. Eight out of ten fragments were Madara!
"I can even choose which S-Rank fragment to guarantee. This update is amazing," he thought, grinning at his 61 fragments of Uchiha Sasuke.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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