“What about Yin and Yang Release?”
Hearing Senzan’s sudden question, Orochimaru’s eyes widened in mild surprise.
He truly hadn’t expected a fourteen-year-old boy to inquire about such profound, abstract concepts.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“While you are perhaps a bit too young to delve into this, since you’ve asked, I will explain it to you,” Orochimaru said, his raspy voice taking on a lecturing tone.
“The concepts of Yin and Yang Release are absolute fundamentals of creation.
Yin Release uses spiritual energy as its source, creating form from nothingness.
Yang Release uses physical energy as its source, breathing life into that form.”
Orochimaru paced slowly around the lab.
“Take the Uchiha, for example.
The Uchiha clan’s Sharingan is the ultimate representation of Yin Release.
Conversely, the First Hokage’s Wood Style, born from the life force of the Senju clan, is the ultimate representation of Yang Release.
One commands the spiritual and mental realm; the other commands the physical and living realm.”
Senzan nodded thoughtfully.
He actually had a decent grasp of Yin and Yang Release from reading the manga in his past life, but Orochimaru’s clinical breakdown was incredibly precise and insightful.
“Alright, that is enough theory for today.
I need to begin my experiments.
If you have nothing else to do, go outside and practice your ninjutsu,” Orochimaru instructed, turning back to his surgical table.
“You can begin practicing the Wind Release scrolls and my personal technique.”
“Once your restless mind has settled down and you’ve learned some patience, I will allow you to assist me in the laboratory.”
In Orochimaru’s eyes, Senzan was a diamond in the rough.
The boy was simply too impulsive and unrefined to be let near delicate, highly sensitive experiments just yet.
He needed to be carved and polished.
Senzan was more than happy to oblige.
He immediately bolted out of the creepy underground lab and into the surrounding forest to train.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this time, Senzan successfully mastered Hidden Shadow Snake Hands as well as the series of Wind Release techniques Orochimaru had provided.
Orochimaru was highly satisfied with his apprentice’s progress and surprisingly granted Senzan a temporary vacation.
The reason?
The Third Hokage had assigned Orochimaru a long-term mission that required him to leave the village for a while.
Since Senzan still had his baby brother, Hayate, to take care of at home, Orochimaru didn’t force the boy to accompany him—even though the Sannin genuinely would have loved to bring him along.
Inside the Hokage’s Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared grimly at the scroll spread across his desk, reading it line by line.
This was a top-secret intelligence report sent back from the frontlines—information bought and paid for with the lives of countless deep-cover spies.
According to the intel, Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, and Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning were all showing highly suspicious military movements.
The massive reallocation of troops and resources all pointed to one undeniable truth.
War was about to begin again.
He sat perfectly still, lost in deep, troubling thoughts.
The Second Great Ninja War had barely just ended.
The ashes hadn’t even fully settled, yet these hidden villages were already gearing up to spill more blood.
Was peace truly so difficult to achieve?
War.
It was a word Hiruzen was far too intimately familiar with.
Ever since he took up the mantle of Hokage, the ninja world had been in an almost constant state of conflict.
First, the brutal war against the Hidden Cloud that claimed the life of his beloved sensei, the Second Hokage.
Then, the successive, exhausting wars against the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Sand.
“Lord Hokage.
You summoned me.”
The door opened, and a tall, imposing figure strode into the office.
It was the White Fang of the Leaf, Sakumo Hatake.
As the current Commander of the Anbu Black Ops, Sakumo remained the absolute sharpest blade in the Hidden Leaf’s arsenal.
“Sakumo.
The Stone, the Sand, and the Cloud are all mobilizing,” Hiruzen said heavily, gesturing to the scroll on his desk.
“I believe the war is about to reignite.”
Sakumo picked up the scroll and scanned its contents.
As he read, the atmosphere around him shifted entirely, radiating a lethal, overwhelming pressure like a sword being drawn from its sheath.
“Hmph.
I knew those bastards wouldn’t stay quiet for long,” Sakumo stated coldly.
“Lord Hokage, I am ready to deploy to the frontlines at a moment’s notice.”
There wasn’t a shred of fear in his voice.
Having carved out the terrifying moniker of ‘The White Fang’ across countless bloody battlefields, Sakumo feared no enemy.
Anyone foolish enough to stand in his way would find themselves intimately acquainted with the reaper’s scythe that was his White Light Chakra Sabre.
“Make the necessary preparations.
Place all Anbu squads on high alert,” Hiruzen ordered.
“Simultaneously, we must strengthen our frontline communication channels.
I need constant, real-time updates on the movements of all three villages.
Especially the Hidden Stone.
Onoki is a highly ambitious man.”
Hiruzen paused, tapping his pipe against the ashtray.
“Sakumo, if we were to send another infiltration squad deep into Iwagakure to secure hard intel…
what are the chances of success?”
Sakumo frowned slightly.
Looking at the bloodstained scroll on the desk, it was glaringly obvious how many lives had been sacrificed just to get this preliminary report.
Sending more operatives deep into the Land of Earth right now would be tantamount to feeding sheep to wolves.
It was highly irrational.
But with a major war looming on the horizon, actionable intelligence was absolutely critical.
A heavy silence stretched between the two veterans.
After a long while, Sakumo finally spoke.
“I advise against infiltrating Iwagakure right now. Find the original chapter at g.com.
If a war breaks out, the Stone will undoubtedly be the primary aggressor, meaning their internal security is likely at its absolute peak.”
“As for the Cloud, the intel Heiichi and Senzan brought back from the Land of Hot Water recently gives us enough of a buffer to establish countermeasures,” Sakumo continued analytically.
“Instead, our primary concern should be Sunagakure.
As it stands, we have almost zero concrete intelligence on their movements.
The reports from the Sand are incredibly vague.
We have to keep our guard up against them.”
During the last war, Sakumo had clashed extensively with Sunagakure forces.
Their Sand Manipulation and Puppet Jutsu were incredibly difficult to deal with.
While high-level shinobi could manage, the sheer lethality of their puppets absolutely decimated average ninja on the battlefield.
He distinctly remembered a few terrifyingly powerful puppet masters from the Sand.
Even he had suffered a few setbacks against them initially.
Though he eventually slaughtered them, the casualties on the Leaf’s side had been staggering.
“Yes…
Chiyo, wasn’t it?” Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples.
“She is indeed a massive headache.
If the war officially kicks off, I fear we will be forced to fend off three separate hidden villages simultaneously.”
Deep worry lines etched themselves into Hiruzen’s face.
Because the Hidden Leaf occupied the richest, most fertile land and was widely recognized as the strongest of the Five Great Nations, they were always the primary target for everyone else’s aggression.
“In that case, allow me to personally lead an Anbu squad into the Land of Wind,” Sakumo volunteered, his voice absolute and unwavering.
“It will strictly be an intelligence-gathering operation.
I won’t let anything go wrong.”
Absolute confidence.
That was the aura Sakumo Hatake naturally exuded.
“Let us hold off on that for now,” Hiruzen decided softly.
“The initial intel has only just arrived, so we still have a little time.
The Ninja Academy graduation is approaching in a few days.
We can make our final strategic decisions after that.”
Setting aside the heavy, suffocating anxiety of the impending war, Hiruzen offered a faint, tired smile.
“Speaking of the Academy…
Sakumo, do you think your boy will apply for early graduation?”
Hearing his son mentioned, Sakumo’s stern expression softened into a proud smile.
“He just might.
Honestly, ever since Senzan’s concealment class started repeatedly frustrating him, Kakashi’s motivation has gone through the roof.
His ninjutsu, his taijutsu, his physical conditioning…
everything has improved at an astonishing rate.” Sakumo chuckled.
“Even I have to admit, Lord Hokage, making Gekko Senzan a teacher was an absolutely brilliant decision.”
Hiruzen let out a genuine, hearty laugh.
“Then I look forward to seeing the boy’s application.”
The current generation at the Ninja Academy was progressing at an incredible pace, largely thanks to the newly implemented curriculum.
Gekko Senzan’s highly unconventional, borderline torturous Concealment Course had actually earned the widespread approval of the other instructors—and despite the daily suffering, the students had grown strangely attached to his class.