Walking through the dark forest and back toward his camp, Kadoya moved casually now knowing that there weren't any dangerous ninjas lurking by to harm his comrade.
"Kadoya, are you okay?" Frogadier asks, his voice genuinely sounding worried for his summoner.
"What does that suppose to mean? I'm perfectly fine." Kadoya replied with a casual shrug. "They didn't even manage to leave a scratch on me."
"I'm not talking about physically, but mentally." The blue ninja frog said, keeping his voice calm and without his usual sassiness.
Although he knew that his summoner had just killed a few people not too long ago, he didn't expect Kadoya to suddenly adapt to it so fast.
His usual eagerness to fight has turned into something almost unrecognizable.
"Never been better." Kadoya wasn't bothered and just casually replied.
Originally, Kadoya has been trying to keep himself sane, keeping calm, and lying low to grow up into a powerhouse. Every fight he had with Minato was the closest he ever felt to being alive; he got to show off and used some of the power he gained over the years, but was forced to keep hidden for the safety of himself and those he cared about.
This created a feeling of being trapped, like he was a prisoner in his own story.
So when he found out that he had a chance to let loose, all of his bottled-up emotions all burst out, blood rushed to his head, and he was sent right to cloud nine.
Plus, with his new view on life, Kadoya has discarded any feeling of remorse when he kills someone, after all, if they aren't important to him in some way or form. They will be nothing more than simple NPCs for him to abuse.
Since you have no use to me, then why should I care what happens to you?
Frogadier let out a long sigh before looking around trying to spot if Kadoya accidently drop his screws somewhere while swinging through the forest.
It took some time for Kadoya to return to his camp and meet up with Kushina, Nawaki, and Samui.
...
The next day, in the early morning sunrise, the group of four was quickly notified by Katsuyu to return toward Tsunade's camp as soon as possible.
This confused them a little since there was still no news about the small gold mine, but as students, they don't have much say in the matter and just packed up before returning toward the main camp.
"Tsunade-sensei, Orochimaru-sensei, what's wrong?" Kadoya was the first to ask, seeing their worried expression and the coldness in the air.
"I think you want to see this." Orochimaru casually tosses a scroll to Kadoya and lets him open it.
Opening the scroll, Kadoya found that this was a report from the Konohagakure Intelligence Division. According to this report, a group of Sunagakure Ninja was found dead inside the border of the Land of Fire.
Their death was gruesome, one had their brain fried, one had their entire limbs ripped apart, another became a pile of ashes, and the Jonin instructor got his heart ripped out, literally.
According to what the Intelligence Division discovered, this was all caused by one person. A member of the Uzumaki Clan did all of this.
And from what they speculated, this Uzumaki is probably one of the survivors of Uzushiogakure who has suffered from the trauma of seeing his family and home get destroyed, thus falling into madness.
"This is..." Kadoya murmurs, finding this report sounds oddly familiar to something. He wasn't sure; last night he had been too happy gambling with Nawaki and had taken all of his pocket money for safekeeping.
After all, according to Tsunade, 80% of Nawaki's mission reward must be handed over to her. She said that she would save it for him and use it to support him in his old age in the future.
As Tsunade's beloved disciple, Kadoya obviously knew about this, so he is helping her collect it beforehand.
In Tsunade's words, even a mosquito is still meat.
After all, she was already heavily in debt from gambling, even after Kadoya helped clear off her debt, she still managed to rack up more debt when he wasn't around.
So, gambling is really harmful. Unless you're blessed with fortune like him, then it's better not to gamble.
"So what should we do now?" Kadoya decided to ask, seeing how there is now a crazy lunatic somewhere in the Land of Fire, staying around here might not be safe for the academy students.
"We return to Konoha, it's not safe here for academy students such as yourself." Tsunade said, her voice sounding firmer than usual.
Like, she is troubled by some kind of thought. After all, the Senju and Uzumaki are close relatives, with the decline of both Clans, any surviving member is valuable to continue the clan.
So to Tsunade, she felt like this was one of her distant cousins, someone who is suffering through a hard time, so she wanted to do anything in her power to help them.
"Kadoya, keep this a secret from Kushina and Nawaki." Tsunade asked, and Kadoya simply nodded.
Still, he does feel like he is forgetting something here.
...
Following the two Jonin instructors back toward Konoha, Kadoya noticed a large group of shinobi rushing past them, heading toward the last known position of the crazed Uzumaki.
He didn't spare them a second glance.
When they finally reached Konoha's gates, the group exchanged brief goodbyes before dispersing, each person peeling off to return home.
Kadoya made his way toward his own house.
He pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by darkness.
His sister was out on a mission again.
A wave of loneliness washed over him.
After all the chaos, all the blood and adrenaline... he had hoped, maybe just a little, to come home to something warm.
Instead, it was just an empty house.
With a quiet sigh, Kadoya slipped off his Haori of the Vow and tossed it over the back of a chair before heading straight to the bathroom for a cold shower.
Afterward, still dripping with faint exhaustion, he ordered a food set from his system.
The meal appeared instantly, perfectly prepared, packed with nutrients, visually flawless.
He took a few bites.
It was good. Excellent, even.
But it tasted hollow. Lifeless.
Of course it did. It wasn't a home-cooked meal, it was just another convenience, another imitation.
Eventually, Kadoya pushed the tray away and stored it back into his inventory.
He wasn't hungry anymore.
Wordlessly, he changed into a simple kimono layered over his black long-sleeved clothing.
Then, without a destination in mind, he stepped out.
Anything was better than sitting alone inside that empty house.
...
Hanzo of the Salamander, leader of Amegakure, was a name that carried weight across the entire ninja world.
He was powerful, renowned for his devastating Body Flicker Technique, his fearsome salamander summon, and his cautious yet ruthless nature.
Those who had fought him spoke of his strength with awe, believing he stood on equal footing with the Kage of the Five Great Nations.
And now, this July, something had shifted.
A rumor began to spread, no one knew from where, claiming that Hanzo had fought both the Third Hokage and the Third Kazekage on the border... and had not lost.
It spread like wildfire.
As always, rumors gained power the more they traveled, growing wilder with each retelling.
And crucially, none of the Five Great Nations stepped forward to deny it.
Before long, a new title was circulating: Demigod.
Hanzo, the next apex of the ninja world, second only to the First Hokage himself.
With the ongoing war between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass and Konoha's noticeable inaction, whispers grew louder:
Was this the beginning of the Six Great Nations?
The era of Hanzo?
The world trembled in uncertainty.
At this moment, inside a meeting room in Konoha, Koharu Utatane sat silently, lost in heavy thought.
Even she, known for her cold pragmatism, found the situation troubling.
Her gaze wandered to the window, settling on the towering Hokage Rock.
In front of her, on the table, sat a bottle filled with a strange purple liquid.
"What did the Third Kazekage say?" asked Homura Mitokado, seated beside her.
Across from them, Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed into his hand, his complexion pale, his body still recovering from grave injuries.
"What else could he say?" Hiruzen replied hoarsely. "He denied everything. Denied the poison, the missing teams... all of it."
"And Hanzo?" Homura pressed.
"He claims the letter was forged," Hiruzen said, voice heavy with irritation. "He swears he never sent ninjas to mine gold in the Land of Fire."
Danzo Shimura scoffed. "Of course they deny it."
His sharp gaze fixed on Hiruzen. "And what now? Are we going to just sit here while they run rampant in our territory? We're the strongest! Since when did we need proof to act?"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, the weight of leadership pressing down on him.
"Hanzo has agreed to apologize and open negotiations. The Third Kazekage has agreed to pull back his forces from the border."
"Peace," Hiruzen said firmly, "is not something we should throw away lightly, Danzo."
Danzo sneered. "Naive."
He slammed his fist onto the table, making the bottle of purple liquid tremble.
"You think Sunagakure's forces will just retreat quietly? You think their Daimyo will sit idle? Once the gears of war begin turning, not even the Kazekage can stop them!"
He leaned in, voice low and heated.
"And if Hanzo truly seeks peace, why the hell is he letting these rumors spread?"
Hiruzen's jaw tightened. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Danzo glared at him. "Don't you dare imply I had anything to do with it."
Homura cut in, voice measured. "Not many people knew about your battle. If it wasn't one of us, then it had to be the Kazekage... or Hanzo."
He turned to Hiruzen. "What really happened?"
Hiruzen let out a long sigh.
"They denied everything. Both Hanzo and the Kazekage accused me of slander. Tensions rose. The Kazekage, furious at the loss of his Jonin, suspected Hanzo of setting a trap. Accusations flew... and then fighting broke out."
"It was chaotic. Brutal. We all took injuries."
He coughed again, wincing.
Danzo tapped his fingers against the table, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"So you're just going to let it go? Hanzo's wounded. The Kazekage is humiliated. This is the perfect moment to strike."
"I'm considering all options," Hiruzen said through gritted teeth.
Danzo wasn't finished.
"Think, Hiruzen.
The Kazekage is proud. He would never spread a rumor calling someone else stronger than him.
Hanzo did it.
First, he set a trap to pit us against Sunagakure.
Now he's elevating his own reputation, sowing chaos among the Great Nations."
He slammed his hand on the table again.
"Hanzo doesn't just want to lead Amegakure. He wants recognition. He wants to be the Rain Kage. He's challenging the very authority of the Five Great Nations!"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Finally, Danzo spoke.
"In that case... let's put it to a vote."
Danzo, Homura, and Koharu all raised their hands in favor of military action.
Hiruzen's heart sank. Three votes to one.
His opposition was meaningless.
Slowly, grimly, he slammed his palm down on the table.
"Very well. Notify the Jonin Commanders. Convene the Jonin Council."
He looked up, eyes cold.
"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage... hereby declare war on Amegakure."
...
The Second Ninja World War, concerning the lives and deaths of countless people, began just like that with Hiruzen Sarutobi's announcement.
However, these things had nothing to do with the small fry, Kadoya and Minato.
Kadoya was still betting on the current Konoha not becoming so weak that they would send newly fresh Genin out into war.
He wasn't too sure if Minato joined the Second Ninja War or not in the original story, but it would be better for his best friend to grow into a strong, capable ninja first before sending him out to war.
As for Nawaki?
It's probably because the idiot insisted on joining the war to contribute to Konoha and became Hokage.
Yeah, he was an idiot after all. So, him being fooled into doing something like that is understandable.
Kadoya didn't say anything and just rested with his head over his arms, lying in the tall grass field.
"Kadoya! Let's have a youthful spar! I just learn a new technique that you will definitely love!" Minato's cheerful voice rang out across the field.
Kadoya: "!?"
Heh!? Didn't I just return from a week-long mission? How the hell do you know that I am back so fast?
Damn it! I ran all the way here to hide and relax, yet you still somehow managed to find me!?
Kadoya wanted to complain, but then he realized the one who gave Minato this ability was none other than him.