Naruto: My version is ahead of the ninja world

Konoha, Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage held a pipe in one hand, but the tobacco inside was not lit, while in the other hand he held a piece of intelligence gathered from the front lines.

This intelligence was clearly quite important; the Third Hokage not only forgot to smoke, but he even frowned as he read it.

However, this was not bad news; quite the opposite... the research results on scientific ninja tools were eventually communicated to the Third Hokage.

There was no way around it; the Third Hokage was, after all, the head of Konoha, and all power in the village, including personnel, administration, finance, and military, was in his hands.

He has the power to make decisions on all kinds of matters, big and small.

Danzo was also under the Hokage's control, so he had to respect his superiors.

After reviewing the intelligence, the Third Hokage naturally understood the purpose of these ninja tools and what problems the major ninja villages would face during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

The speed of training ninjas cannot keep up with the speed of war consumption. If everything is as the intelligence says, then this kind of ninja tool can quickly increase the speed of training qualified combat forces.

The Third Hokage dropped off the intelligence and then lit his tobacco.

Without further ado, he planned to summon the "inventor" back to Konoha to see the ninja tool and meet the person.

Danzo Shimura's distress stemmed from this: whether it was Hagen contacting the Hokage or the Hokage contacting the Daimyo, he couldn't get involved in any of these matters... Nothing was more important than commanding the battle on the front lines; this was his most crucial responsibility, so Danzo couldn't leave the front lines.

After smoking a pipe, the Third Hokage began writing a reply. He praised Danzo's performance and gave additional instructions on the issue of technical secrecy.

…………

By the time Yugen received the order to return to Konoha, it was already August. Counting the time, he had been in the ninja world for almost a year.

"The timing is perfect. We'll be returning to Konoha with a group of ninjas on leave." Yugen showed the order to Kohinata Shingen.

"Taking a vacation? That's a very reasonable excuse. The village really values ​​the new ninja tools." Kohinata Shingen immediately understood the secrecy requirement from the higher-ups.

However, compared to the physically and mentally exhausted ninjas who had truly returned from the battlefield, they had actually been out of combat for some time. Not going to the battlefield was a form of rest, and what they needed to do now was continue to rest.

"Yes, Lord Danzo specifically reminded me of this when I received the order. Bring all the samples back with you; there will definitely be a display session when we return to Konoha."

Yugen kept a close eye on the research progress because he couldn't be sure if his research position would still be available after the project was completed, but he also couldn't delay indefinitely, and he had to consider Danzo's patience.

There is a conflict between seeking a comfortable environment and proving one's abilities.

Will I see the Hokage?

"I think so, is there a problem?"

"……No."

The two packed up the items they needed to bring back to Konoha. Two days later, a new batch of Konoha ninja arrived at the front-line camp, which meant that some veterans could take a break.

As per the command's instructions, the ninjas would form small teams of twenty people and return to Konoha in batches.

The stated reason is to minimize the chances of enemies detecting large-scale personnel changes, but what's the real reason? Yu Xian thinks there's also the purpose of misleading their own people.

Ninjas on the battlefield naturally yearn to return to their village to rest. If the illusion is created that a large number of ninjas will return when the deadline arrives, it would be a mere empty promise. However, Yugen believes that the actual number of ninjas returning to Konoha is probably not that many.

The battlefield is a ninja's destiny. It's enough to give everyone the feeling that there's a chance to return. Do they really have to go back? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

When Yugen and his companion met up with the other ninjas who were returning to Konoha, he discovered that there were familiar faces among them... Jiraiya and his trio were also among them.

Did these top-tier combatants also return together? Yu Xian began to wonder if the pressure on Konoha's main battlefield was not so great.

How could this be? Something seems off.

Noticing Yu Xian's gaze, the three of them turned around at the same time. However, since they were only acquaintances and not very familiar with each other, they simply nodded to one another.

"Shouldn't we go over and say hello?" Shinonomi Kohinata whispered to Yuzuru.

"Let's forget about it for now; we're not the same kind of people."

Those three were the main force of ninjas on the battlefield; in comparison, Yu Xian seemed like a deserter.

After the team regrouped, they embarked on their journey back to Konoha. Although Yugen didn't have any particular feelings and only rationally judged that the farther away from the battlefield the safer, the other ninjas seemed quite excited.

The word "wood leaf" indeed has different meanings for different people.

Ninjas who have come from the battlefield are certainly well-organized, so everyone behaved properly both during the withdrawal and on the way.

There were no major incidents, and the ambush that Yu Xian was worried about on the way did not occur.

Thus, in August of the 38th year of Konoha, Yugen saw the real Konoha Village for the first time.

Looking towards the main gate of Konoha, you can see the Shadow Rock on the cliff inside the village in the distance. At this time, there are only three heads on the Shadow Rock... Building wonders is still useful. Apart from commemoration, remembrance, and showing off, it can at least be used as a landmark.

When entering the village, the procedures were handled by Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, so the process was naturally quite quick.

After that, everyone could go their separate ways. However, since Yu Xian and Zhen Yan were going to meet the Hokage, they would be traveling with the trio.

When they arrived at the Hokage's office building, the difference in their relationships became apparent once again. Yu Xuan and his group had to register their reasons for meeting the Hokage and then wait, while the trio didn't have to worry about anything and went straight upstairs to the Hokage's office.

…………

At the same time, on the Sunagakure side...

Chiyo was discussing something with her younger brother, Ebizo.

"How are the preparations for the ninjas infiltrating the Land of Fire going?"

"We have enough people, and we can start operations at any time. If necessary, they can even forcefully summon them."

It's obvious that Sunagakure is just about to resort to underhanded tactics again.

Some things are easy to conclude correctly. For example, look at the length of the borders of various countries and compare the number of ninjas in each village. You will find that infiltration is basically unsolvable.

Sunagakure is quite powerful now, but why don't they seek victory on the front lines and instead indulge in all sorts of underhanded tactics? In the end, it all comes down to the strength of the Land of Wind.

Limited by the strength of the Land of Wind, Sunagakure has been seeking a quick victory, and although it is difficult to achieve, they will continue to try.

"Then proceed according to plan."

"I understand, sister."