Ryun waved his hand. The Anbu members, receiving the signal, quickly moved into action, secretly escorting the five youngsters home.
Namikaze Minato followed closely behind Ryun, not leaving even a single step. He kept his head lowered, lost in thought.
Just then, Ryun suddenly stopped walking. Minato's head bumped into Ryun's solid back.
"Hiss." Minato rubbed his head. He couldn't help but marvel at how his teacher's back was as hard as a wall.
Hearing Minato's sound, Ryun was momentarily stunned. This silly child, wasn't he watching where he was going?
Ryun rubbed his own forehead, feeling somewhat helpless. Then he crouched down and looked at Minato. "Minato, tell me, what kind of ninjutsu do you want?"
Ryun's voice was gentle as he stroked Minato's hair. Minato began recalling the ninjutsu he had seen Ryun perform, his eyes finally becoming determined.
"Teacher, I want to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique." Minato said.
Ryun was taken aback. This was a forbidden S-class technique. He originally wanted to refuse, but looking at Minato's expression, he couldn't bear to.
So, in the end, he said, "Okay. I will teach you the Flying Thunder God. But you must promise me, without my permission, you cannot teach it to anyone."
Minato's eyes lit up. He nodded hurriedly. "I will, Teacher."
Ryun took out a copy of the Flying Thunder God. It was the one he had handwritten when he was learning the technique himself, and it contained his own insights and experiences regarding the Flying Thunder God Technique and its second stage.
Minato held the Flying Thunder God scroll in both hands as if it were a priceless treasure. He took a deep breath and bowed. "Thank you, Teacher."
Ryun nodded. "Act according to your capability. Do not pursue it so single-mindedly that you forget the basic skills of a shinobi."
"I will." Minato said with a smile.
Ryun smiled too. He said, "Let's go, I will take you back to Konoha. It's a good chance for you to experience the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Minato agreed. Ryun grabbed his clothes and performed the Flying Thunder God Technique. In just a moment, they were back at the entrance of the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Minato's eyes widened. This feeling, it was amazing. His face was flushed, his eyes filled with excitement.
Ryun couldn't help but acknowledge it. Normally, people experiencing Flying Thunder God teleportation for the first time would feel nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. After all, it was a space-time ninjutsu, and spatial travel inevitably caused some physical discomfort.
But Minato was different. He didn't feel any discomfort at all. Instead, he seemed to have gained some insight.
"Teacher, I suddenly feel I've had a bit of an insight. I'm going home to train." Minato said, unable to wait any longer.
Ryun nodded. "Go home slowly. No need to rush your practice. I am your backing, you will never come to harm."
Minato nodded heavily, then headed towards his home.
A smile appeared on Ryun's face as he also walked towards his own home.
———————————
Time passed, fleeting like an arrow.
In a flash, eight years had passed.
Year 47 of Konoha.
The six youngsters from back then were now sixteen years old. In the world of shinobi, they were considered adults.
Ryun got up. He called out, "System, are you there? Check points."
"Ding. Detected host point balance: four million, nine hundred and ninety thousand."
These past eight years had been calm and peaceful. Ryun took the eight youngsters to learn taijutsu and ninjutsu, occasionally doing missions. The points he saved up didn't accumulate as quickly as before.
He only had four million, nine hundred and ninety thousand now. But happily, his six disciples now all had at least quasi-Kage level strength. Namikaze Minato, with his self-created A-rank ninjutsu, the Rasengan, and the Flying Thunder God Technique, had officially become a Kage level powerhouse.
"Hmm. Not bad. System, I think you could give me ten thousand points so I can exchange for a Rinnegan to play with." Ryun said laughingly.
"Heh. In your dreams. You haggled for every one of these four million, nine hundred and ninety thousand points. Because of you, I got scolded by the main system. From now on, your points must be strictly obtained according to standard rules. Don't think about exploiting bugs." the system said coldly.
Ryun curled his lip. Ah, what a heartless system. Just then, Anbu member Hatake Sakumo came to report. "Lord Hokage, the Sand Village has declared war on our Konoha."
Ryun frowned. He picked his ear, unable to believe what he had heard. The Sand Village? Declaring war? On whom? Us?
"Assemble the village for a meeting. Immediately, right now. Anyone not here within thirty minutes will bear the consequences." After relaying this message to Tsunade.
Tsunade, touching her slightly swollen belly, said with a worried expression, "Ryun, you must be careful."
Ryun nodded. Seeing Tsunade, his eyes and brows carried a smile as he spoke to her as if coaxing a child. "Don't worry, wife. My strength, you know it well, right? Rest well, don't risk the baby."
That's right. Tsunade was pregnant. Just one month ago, after Ryun received the news, he had basically delegated his authority to Nara Luming, staying at home to take care of Tsunade.
General matters were handled entirely by Nara Luming. Unless it was a major issue he couldn't handle, Ryun would not go to the office. But such an event had occurred so quickly.
Tsunade nodded. "Go quickly. The peace and prosperity Konoha enjoys now did not come easily. You must protect our home."
Ryun nodded. Then he put on his Hokage haori, his face serious as he walked towards the door. In an instant, his figure appeared in the meeting room.
Nara Luming showed no particular reaction upon seeing Ryun's sudden appearance and said calmly, "The Sand Village has declared war on Konoha. The Sand forces have already set out."
"What happened?" Ryun frowned. He couldn't believe that the Sand Village, which had always been on good terms with them, had suddenly launched an attack.
"According to reliable information, Rasa of the Sand Village gave a speech in a beer hall, stating that all the Sand Village's misfortunes originated from Konoha, from you. Because our prosperity is built upon the suffering of their Sand Village."
"This statement quickly spread throughout the entire Sand Village. Acting Kazekage Chiyo was pushed into the spotlight. Due to the gathering public opinion and the shinobi's outcry, Chiyo and the other elders were forced out of power. Rasa ascended to the position of Fourth Kazekage."
"The first thing he did was launch lightning attacks on nearby small nations, seizing large amounts of territory and resources. This made his supporters even more fanatical."
"Their territory has now expanded by half. All of this happened within just three days. Our spies paid with their lives to get this information to us."
"And as his plan was exposed, Rasa directly announced a declaration of war against Konoha." Nara Luming simplified all the information and relayed it to Ryun.
Ryun narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected this Rasa to be so formidable. He wondered what Chiyo and the others were doing. Useless.
——————
The Second Great Ninja War is over, the daily life has been covered enough, the Third Great Ninja War begins. Let's see how long the Will of Sand can stay arrogant.
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