"A six-year-old girl who possesses two kekkei genkai. Her name is Terumi."
"We need to extract her before Kirigakure's pursuit squads catch up."
"According to intelligence, she's hiding somewhere in this forest region. We're deploying three squads to search."
Kazuki's eyes widened.
"Three squads? You mean… the newest graduating class?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"They haven't done any real missions yet…"
Jiraiya's tone grew serious.
"That's exactly why this counts as their field exam. Their transition from Genin to Chunin starts here."
"You'll be the mission commander."
"Me?"
Jiraiya nodded again.
"Yes. As the last male of the Senju bloodline, you carry symbolic weight. You'll take command."
Kazuki paused.
"What about Minato?"
"Minato and I have separate assignments." Jiraiya placed a hand on Kazuki's shoulder.
"Don't worry. You won't run into enemy jonin."
"We'll draw their attention."
"Your squad's objective is simple: locate Terumi in this forest sector."
Kazuki exhaled slowly.
"Understood."
System Notification
As Jiraiya left, Kazuki was thinking through possible scenarios when—
A familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations. Host strength has reached Kage-level.]
Kazuki froze.
He immediately opened his status panel.
Name: KazukiStrength: KageRank: Special JoninCharacter Card: SSS-Level Senju Hashirama (50% Fusion)Kekkei Genkai: God-Level Wood ReleaseNinjutsu:
Flying Thunder God Lv3
Edo Tensei Lv3
Chidori Lv3
Omori Flower Release Lv3
Yin Seal Lv3
Strength of a Hundred Lv3
Four Symbols Seal Lv3
Reaper Death Seal Lv3
Harem Technique Lv3
Shuriken Shadow Clone Lv3
And—
A Supreme Gift Pack still unopened.
He had been so focused on proposing to Kushina that he completely forgot about it.
[Ding! Opening Supreme Gift Pack…]
[Congratulations. You have obtained: S-Rank Character Card — Uzumaki Ashina.]
Kazuki's eyes widened.
Uzumaki Ashina.
The former leader of Uzushiogakure.
A Kage-level powerhouse.
Master of sealing techniques.
The man whose expertise made entire nations fear the Uzumaki clan.
After his death, Uzushiogakure was destroyed by a coalition of enemies terrified of their sealing arts.
This card couldn't be fused yet.
The Hashirama fusion needed to reach 100% first.
Only then could he merge with Uzumaki Ashina's card and inherit the Uzumaki clan's ultimate sealing techniques.
Kazuki's thoughts raced.
When that happens…
Could I seal the Nine-Tails like it's a pet fox?
The Next Morning – Ninja Academy
Kazuki arrived early.
Two other instructors were already present.
"Kazuki-kun, you're here."
He blinked slightly.
One of the squad leaders was—
Uchiha Mikoto.
Interesting.
The other was a chunin named Haruno Akira.
Kazuki remembered that Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten all eventually became kunoichi who served on missions before marriage.
So it wasn't unusual for Mikoto to be leading a squad now.
Jiraiya had mentioned manpower shortages.
Most jonin were deployed.
That left chunin instructors handling field supervision.
Mikoto looked at Kazuki with quiet curiosity.
How strong was he really?
Even Jiraiya entrusted him with command.
On the other side, the commander paired with Minato.
Kazuki noticed Haruno Akira.
Haruno…
He tilted his head.
"Haruno-sensei, do you have a daughter named Sakura?"
Haruno Akira nearly choked.
"Kazuki-sensei! I'm not even married yet! Please don't start rumors!"
Kazuki laughed.
"Sorry, wrong timeline."
Konoha Forest – Eastern Exit (10 km from the village)
The students were already gathered.
Team Seven stood with Team Three.
Kazuki glanced over the group.
Kakashi. Rin.
From Team Three—Might Guy, Ebisu, and Genma Shiranui.
Eight kids total.
Rin bowed politely.
"Good morning, Kazuki-sensei. Mikoto-sensei. Haruno-sensei."
Mikoto smiled warmly and patted Rin's head.
"Rin, you're in this mission too?"
"Yes. I'm Team Seven."
Kakashi crossed his arms.
"Sensei. That idiot Obito is late again."
Kazuki smiled faintly.
"It's fine. We'll wait."
Soon, Mikoto's squad fully assembled.
Departure time arrived.
Still no Obito.
Kazuki waved casually.
"You two take your squads ahead. I'll wait for my student."
Mikoto hesitated.
"We can wait together."
"Yes, Kazuki-sensei. There's still time."
Kazuki shook his head.
"No. Moving as one large group makes us an easy target."
"Our objective is extraction. Stealth matters."
"Smaller teams are safer."
He handed each of them a talisman.
"My custom seal tags. Keep them on you."
They accepted them, curious.
Ten minutes later—
A figure flew out of the trees and slammed into the dirt.
No need to guess.
Obito.
Kakashi crouched down.
"You're late again."
"I—"
Kazuki cut him off with a light smile.
"No excuses needed."
He turned toward the forest.
"We're heading to the Land of Water."
"To Kirigakure territory."
"It's a long road."
Rin's eyes widened.
Kakashi's expression sharpened.
Obito blinked.
"Land of Water?!"
Kazuki walked forward calmly.
"Move out."
The Third Great Ninja War had officially begun.
And Team Seven was stepping into it.