The gates of Konoha.
Kushina Uzumaki looked at Haruki somewhat hesitantly.
He looked extremely ordinary at the moment.
He wasn't ugly, but he was utterly unremarkable.
If thrown into a crowd, he'd hardly cause a ripple.
He had an average face.
"Teacher, why are you using this face?"
"Too many acquaintances."
Haruki shrugged. It's because he was too active in the past few years.
Last time when he took Minato Namikaze out, they were targeted soon after.
Although his strength made him fearless, it was not conducive to the growth of Minato and the other two.
"Did you bring kunai and shuriken?"
"Yes, we did." The three replied in unison.
"Apply this bottle of poison to your ninja tools."
Haruki took out three glass test tubes. "Be careful, don't be like Orochimaru and like to lick your weapons. It'll kill you."
He wasn't a person who played fair.
Moreover, ninjas were originally a profession in the shadows.
They spare no means at their disposal.
If using highly poisonous substances could increase their chances of winning, why not use them?
Minato Namikaze and the others weren't being fussy either.
They carefully applied the poison on the blades.
"Since it's a battlefield, the poison is fatal once it touches blood. You must be extremely careful."
Haruki reminded them again.
He didn't want to see anyone kill themselves.
"Got it, I'm not that stupid."
Kushina Uzumaki raised her little fist.
Minato Namikaze and Mikoto Uchiha just nodded silently.
After finishing, the four immediately headed to the western front of the Land of Fire.
...
The yellowish - hued sunlight shone on the Konoha Village camp on the hillside.
The atmosphere was very solemn at this time.
Haruki glanced around, frowning tightly. The previous defeat was even more disastrous than he had imagined.
After showing his credentials, he was allowed to see Sakumo Hatake lying on the hospital bed.
His face was pale, and his bare body was covered with white bandages. Haruki could faintly sense the violent lightning - attribute Chakra.
"You can leave now."
Haruki waved his hand.
The four medical ninjas beside Sakumo Hatake glanced at each other.
"May I ask who you are?"
Haruki suddenly remembered that he was in disguise.
But he couldn't reveal his true face for the time being.
"I'm a student of Lord Haruki. He sent me here with a secret medicine. When combined with a special Medical Ninjutsu, it's sufficient to cure Lord Hatake."
"I see."
The four didn't suspect him. Since he could get in front of Sakumo Hatake, his identity must be okay.
After they left, Haruki gave Minato Namikaze a wink.
He immediately used chakra to form a simple visual blocking barrier.
Haruki stood in front of the unconscious Sakumo Hatake and began to form Hand Seals.
Suddenly, several light - green Chakra streams spread out in all directions centered around him.
After a moment, a complex jutsu formation took shape.
"Is this the Regenerative Healing Jutsu?"
Minato Namikaze recognized the jutsu formation, and a look of shock appeared on his face.
To be honest, although he had been with Haruki for nearly two months, he had never seen him use large - scale Medical Ninjutsu.
And this jutsu usually required a Medical Team, at least six or seven ninjas working together, and a considerable amount of time to perform.
But this was just the beginning.
After that, Haruki continuously performed several A-Rank [Medical Ninjutsu].
Minato and the other two were completely dumbfounded.
This terrifying amount of [Chakra].
It far exceeded that of an ordinary [Jonin].
Haruki didn't even breathe hard and put his hands down.
"Sakumo, I never expected to meet you again in such a situation."
"Are you... Haruki?"
Sakumo Hatake sat up, his white hair sticking up messily, but what he cared more about was that his injuries were completely healed.
Apart from Tsunade, only Haruki could achieve this.
"Yeah."
Haruki nodded. "Tell me the current situation."
Sakumo Hatake sighed, looking apologetic. "It was my mistake that caused this mess."
"This isn't the time to admit mistakes."
Haruki knew that Sakumo Hatake had a so - called samurai's spirit; otherwise, he wouldn't have committed suicide because of a failed mission.
After a slight shock, Sakumo Hatake began to tell the battle situation.
Although Haruki had some understanding through the [Anbu]'s reports before, he only knew the general situation and was unclear about the details.
"Anyway, we in [Konoha] are currently hiding by relying on the terrain and changing our camps every two days. We're barely holding back the attacks of [Sunagakure]. But the most troublesome thing now is the [Cloud Hidden Village] ninjas hiding in the dark. As long as we don't know their whereabouts, it's very difficult for us to organize a counter - attack."
"These two guys are too mobile. It's no wonder you."
After listening, Haruki pondered and said, "The most urgent thing is to transfer the [Hyuga clan] from the eastern front, which is on guard against the [Cloud Hidden Village], here."
"But if we transfer them, will the [Cloud Hidden Village] take this opportunity to launch a large - scale attack?" Sakumo Hatake asked worriedly.
For dealing with highly mobile [Ninja], the [Byakugan] is naturally the most suitable.
It's equivalent to a perspective device plus a telescope.
It can detect traces from a long distance.
That's why they were sent to the western front to keep an eye on the movements of the [Cloud Hidden Village].
In the previous war a few years ago, the [Cloud Hidden Village] didn't participate.
But it doesn't mean they'll just sit back and watch.
In the [original story], Kushina Uzumaki was abducted by the [Cloud Hidden Village] around this time.
It shows that they were involved on a small scale in the later stage of the Second [Ninja World War].
"No way."
Haruki thought for a while and said, "Since they only sent two people, it proves that they just want to take advantage of the chaos."
But this is just the preamble.
In a few more years, The Third Great Ninja World War will break out completely.
"I'll suggest to the [Hokage] to transfer the [Uchiha] clan to the western front." Haruki added.
Now, [Konoha] can hardly get any more support troops, unless all the kids in the [Ninja Academy] are graduated ahead of schedule.
But it hasn't reached that level yet.
Sakumo Hatake had no other choice but to agree.
"Now that we've finished talking about the matter, let me introduce you to my three apprentices."
Haruki waved his hand and said with a smile, "Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha."
Sakumo Hatake was slightly startled.
What an interesting combination of these three.
It's really typical of Haruki.
After the three politely greeted each other, Haruki said goodbye to Sakumo Hatake and led his apprentices to take on [B - Rank Mission].
"A [B - Rank Mission]: Find out the material storage location of [Sunagakure]."
Providing supplies for over a thousand ninjas is no small matter, so there must be one or more hidden warehouses for storage."
Haruki unfurled the map and drew a line.
"According to the intelligence, the Sand Ninjas are active in this general area. If we want to gather information, we have to infiltrate. But we'll definitely encounter many battles, so you guys need to be careful."
"Teacher, is our first mission a B-rank one?"
Minato Namikaze scratched his head. If he remembered correctly, the three of them had just graduated, right?
"Or do you want to come with me on D-rank and C-rank duties, like taking care of the wounded or doing logistics?" Haruki said.
"Forget it, forget it." Minato Namikaze quickly shook his head.
"Teacher, aren't you going with us?" Mikoto Uchiha caught the implied meaning in Haruki's words.
"If I'm there, you'll rely on me out of habit."
Haruki tossed the duty Scroll to Minato Namikaze. "Minato, you're the team leader now. Go, and don't disappoint me."
He watched as the three of them left.
When no one noticed, three tiny white Katsuyu slithered into their clothes.
Haruki recalled the information given by Orochimaru and came to a tent.
"Shimon Hiruko."
"Who?"
Shimon Hiruko stared gloomily at Haruki as he walked in.
"Lord Tanzo sent me to assist you."
Haruki spoke expressionlessly, imitating the tone of Root.
In this lifetime, due to his intervention, Tanzo Shimura didn't cooperate with Orochimaru, but with Shimon Hiruko.
He is another scientific ninja and a friend of Orochimaru.
Due to his limited talent, he turned to human experiments.
The Chimera Technique he researched was quite interesting, capable of fusing Kekkei Genkai.
But judging from his relatively healthy appearance at the moment, he probably hadn't fused any Kekkei Genkai yet.
"Help me?" Shimon Hiruko didn't suspect much. Almost no one knew about his cooperation with Tanzo Shimura.
"Yeah. You need Kekkei Genkai, and I have a way to get you the Byakugan."