Naruto: In Konoha Village, I awakened Wood Release at the start.

Leaf.

In the blink of an eye.

Several days have passed since the graduation assessment.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Chiba leaned back in his chair, flipping through Konoha's quarterly financial report.

have to say.

The three families of Ino, Shika, and Cho are truly impeccable in their handling of affairs.

Every single payment has a clear destination.

The village's fiscal revenue has been increasing every year.

This has made Konoha richer than ever before.

knock knock knock.

Just then.

A crisp knock sounded on the door.

"Enter."

The door is pushed open.

Kakashi Hatake walked in.

Even though he had become the head of the secret service.

He was still wearing a mask, only revealing one lazy, dead-fish eye.

"Lord Hokage."

Kakashi lowered his head slightly.

Chiba picked up the teacup on the table and blew away the floating tea leaves on the surface of the water.

How has Naruto been doing these past few days?

The class assignments for the nine students have already been finalized.

As Chiba instructed.

Naruto was still in the same class as Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno.

The only difference is that the teacher in charge of the class has changed.

Kakashi is currently in a high-ranking position and simply doesn't have time to mentor three recent graduates.

His successor was Tenzo, who possessed the Wood Release technique.

wrong.

He should be called Yamato now.

"Yamato led them fairly smoothly."

"You know Naruto's temper."

"On the first day, he kept saying he wanted to be a big shot, but Yamato used Wood Release to tie him to a tree and hang him there for half an hour."

"He's much more obedient now."

Kakashi spoke in a relaxed tone, even with a hint of a smile.

Chiba chuckled softly.

Yamato's Wood Release technique, though only half-baked.

However, it is indeed the best choice to use it to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Naruto, that brat, just needs to be taught a lesson.

Having been raised by Chiba since childhood, this kid's personality is even more unconventional than in the original work.

If no one stops them, they'll eventually rise to the sky.

"Where are Sasuke and Sakura?"

Chiba put down her teacup.

Kakashi pondered for a moment.

"That kid from the Uchiha clan is indeed quite talented."

"But they often suffer defeats against Naruto's unreasonable amount of chakra."

"The two of them bicker all the time, and Yamato is caught in the middle, which is quite a headache."

"As for that girl named Haruno Sakura..."

Kakashi paused.

"Her theoretical knowledge is solid, but her practical skills are too weak."

"Yamato plans to give her special physical training first."

Chiba nodded slightly.

Sakura Haruno's potential lies in her medical ninjutsu and superhuman strength.

Right now, she really is just a burden.

However, Yamato is leading the team.

The growth trajectory of Class 7 should not deviate too much.

"Alright."

"Let Yamato worry about these kids' affairs."

"You didn't make this special trip just to report on these daily routines of the nanny, did you?"

A moment later.

Chiba raised his head and his gaze fell on Kakashi.

Kakashi put away his lazy expression.

He straightened up, took out an encrypted scroll from his pocket, and handed it to Chiba with both hands.

"A message from the Seventh Squad of the Dark Division."

"Orochimaru has been found."

Kakashi's voice was very low.

Where is Orochimaru?

Chiba's eyes lit up.

He didn't reach for the reel; instead, he leaned back in his chair.

"The Land of Fields".

"In a secluded underground facility near the border."

"The secret service team dared not get too close, and only set up a surveillance point ten kilometers away."

Chiba tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

Tap, tap, tap.

Rhythmic sounds echoed in the quiet office.

His eyes gleamed with undisguised interest.

We finally found it.

Over the past six years, Konoha's development has indeed been booming.

The number of ninjas tripled, and fiscal revenue surpassed that of the five great nations.

But Chiba always felt that Konoha was missing something.

Innovative spirit.

Whether it's those ancient families or the commoner ninjas who rose to prominence later.

Everyone is living off their past achievements.

No one is researching new ninjutsu systems.

No one has explored the nature of chakra.

Science and technology are the primary productive forces.

This statement also applies to the Naruto world.

Orochimaru is the world's top scientist.

none of them.

This guy not only mastered core technologies, but also knew how to translate theory into actual combat power.

If we can bring Orochimaru back to Konoha.

Konoha's overall combat strength can at least double again.

"Lord Hokage."

Orochimaru is an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha.

"The human experiments he conducted crossed the line for the village."

Chiba remained silent.

Kakashi couldn't help but speak up to remind him.

His tone carried an undisguised hostility.

Kakashi was present when Orochimaru defected.

He had seen those severed limbs and broken arms in petri dishes with his own eyes.

That chilling, venomous aura still disgusts Kakashi to this day.

"A rogue ninja?"

Chiba stopped tapping his fingers on the table.

He raised his head and looked at Kakashi quietly.

That gaze was calm, yet it made Kakashi feel a little breathless.

"Kakashi."

"You've been in this position for six years now."

"How can your perspective on this issue be so superficial?"

Chiba's words were blunt.

Kakashi's jaw is clenched.

He didn't refute, he just stood there quietly.

Chiba stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window lies the bustling village of Konoha.

One after another, brand-new buildings rose from the ground.

The streets were bustling with traffic, a scene of prosperity and development.

"What have you seen in these six years?"

Chiba asked, his back to Kakashi.

Kakashi turned his head and looked out the window.

"Prosperity."

"Absolute prosperity and power."

"Konoha is stronger now than it has been at any time in history."

Kakashi's voice was filled with genuine pride.

This is the village he personally helped build.

"Yes, prosperity."

Chiba gave a cold laugh.

"But on what is this prosperity built?"

"Is it based on a system left by the older generation?"

"No!"

"All of this is based on the premise that I use force to intimidate other ninja villages."

Speaking of it.

Chiba turned around and looked directly at Kakashi.

"What if I'm gone one day?"

Upon hearing this...

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

He had never thought about this question.

In everyone's eyes, Chiba was an invincible god.

As long as Chiba is there, Konoha will be the sky of the ninja world.

"Why...why aren't you here?"

Kakashi's voice sounded a little hoarse.

"I am a human being, not a god."

Chiba walked up to Kakashi and patted him on the shoulder.

Orochimaru's crimes are indeed unforgivable.

"But his intellect is of great use to Konoha."

"The power of science can break down barriers of lineage."

"It can give commoner ninjas power comparable to that of clan ninjas."

"This is the future that Konoha truly needs."

Chiba's words struck Kakashi's heart like a heavy hammer.

Breaking down the barriers of bloodline?

In the ninja world, this is simply a fantasy.

But if it were the man in front of me who said it...

Kakashi clenched his fist tightly.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and regained his rationality as the head of the secret service.

"So you mean...?"

"Should we let him make amends?"

Kakashi asked tentatively.

Chiba smiled noncommittally.

He didn't answer directly, but changed the subject.

"Kakashi."

Do you understand what my goal is?

Chiba then raised this question.

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.

Kakashi's muscles were taut.

Chiba's goal?

Who among the highest-ranking officials of Konoha hadn't secretly speculated about this?

On his first day back in the village, this man swiftly and decisively annihilated Danzo.

He forced the Third Hokage to abdicate and forcefully ascended to the position of Hokage.

He then single-handedly took on the five thousand-strong army of the Hidden Clouds.

They managed to extract a staggering six billion yen from Raikage's mouth.

Such a gesture.

Such courage.

How could he possibly be content to remain confined to a corner of the world and serve as a bodyguard for a daimyo of the Land of Fire?

The chieftains of the Pig-Deer-Butterfly clans discussed this in private.

Fugaku Uchiha also mentioned it cryptically.

They all agreed.

Chiba's vision has never been limited to Konoha.

His ambition is astonishing.

But no one ever dared to ask it to his face.

Because that answer could unleash a bloodbath throughout the entire ninja world.