Chapter 34: The 35th Year of Konoha (should be noted that in the original, it's clear about the 'year' concept, and this translation keeps the consistency)

"If you hadn't stepped in, my elder brother and I would've died on that battlefield. No matter what your purpose was, you saved my life. I..."

Rin suddenly stopped mid - sentence. He looked at Madara in horror and said, "Why did I just tell you all this? I..."

"As I said, don't be nervous, kid," Madara said as he released the sickle in his hand and gently patted Rin's shoulder.

"The shackles that once bound you have completely vanished. Now is the time for you to live as your true self."

"Live as my true self?" Rin stared blankly into space and whispered the words.

"Yes, kid. Would you like to inherit my legacy?"

Madara looked straight into Rin's eyes. "From now on, you can go anywhere in the world, and no one can stop you from doing what you want."

"Would you like to?"

"Ah, I..." Madara's proposal was so sudden that Rin looked hesitant. "I need to think about it."

"Take your time. There's no rush," Madara said, patting Rin's shoulder and smiling kindly.

"You're my junior. I'll never do you any harm."

After Madara left, the fear on Rin's face disappeared, and his eyes grew deeper.

When he witnessed his elder brother being killed, he almost awakened the three - tomoe [Sharingan], but his body couldn't handle it at that time.

After obtaining Hashirama's cells, he successfully awakened the three - tomoe [Sharingan], and his spiritual power also increased slightly.

Even while constantly on guard against Madara, the [Genjutsu] he had just used on him didn't work.

He wasn't hypnotized by Madara from beginning to end!

Rin knew that he had aroused Madara's suspicion, so he pretended to be affected by him and spoke his "true thoughts."

"Inherit... Madara's legacy... Heh... Hehehe..." Rin muttered to himself, with a strange smile on his face.

[In the early 35th year of Konoha, Konoha redirected its troops to fight against Sunagakure with all its might.

Not willing to be outdone, Sunagakure also dispatched its forces, and a drawn - out and grueling war began between Konoha and Sunagakure.]

In the autumn of the 35th year of Konoha.

In a safe house of Root in the Land of Rain.

"When will this war end?" Nonou sighed as she wiped her tantō.

Being kind - hearted, she couldn't bear to see the Land of Rain filled with corpses and in ruins.

"It shouldn't be long," Yukino said softly as she used a handkerchief to wipe the blood off Kaze's face.

The four of them had just completed a mission, and each of them had added more casualties to their swords.

"Yes," Yuto said with a ferocious smile.

"If nothing goes wrong, Tanzō summoned all the squads back this time to take action against Sunagakure."

Kaze didn't join the conversation. He was looking at his attribute panel.

[Killing power: 14 points

Speed: 27

Defense: 16

Chakra: 16]

After more than half a year of intense fighting, his killing power, defense, and chakra had all improved. However, his speed remained the same.

Kaze had a hunch.

"I'm this fast only because of the system. I guess it'll be hard for me to improve on my own."

He closed the system interface and noticed that Sister Yukino had bloodstains on her face. So he said,

"Sister Yukino, your face is dirty. Let me wipe it for you."

Yukino was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled softly and said, "Sure, okay."

She handed her handkerchief to Kaze and crouched down a bit to make it easier for him.

Kaze was only 11 years old, barely 1.5 meters tall. He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach Yukino's face.

"I can't bear to watch," Yuto, a lifelong single man, complained jealously.

He put his mask back on and turned to the side. Then he kept an eye out for any potential danger outside the safe house.

After wiping Yukino's face, Kaze ran over to Nonou and said with a big smile,

"Sister Nonou, I see your legs are quite dirty. Let me help you wipe them too."

Yukino's smile disappeared. As if by some unspoken rule, it appeared on Yuto's face.

"As expected of the young master. Despite his young age, he is truly an example for us all!"

Nonou blushed and quickly waved her hand to decline. "No need, young master. I can do it myself."

"It's okay. Don't be so polite to me."

After some commotion, the four of them got dressed and left the safe house, returning to Konoha's main base in the Land of Rain.

In an open area in the middle of the camp,

Figures wearing masks arrived one after another, nodding slightly to their colleagues from time to time.

Apart from the Root members, twenty squads had gathered here. Half of the ninjas were wearing Jonin vests.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's get started."

From the dimly lit corner, a figure emerged. It was Kaze's father, Tanzō.

"I'm sure you all know why I've gathered you here. The war has been going on for so long. It's high time we ended this war."

After a brief pause, Tanzō scanned the crowd slowly and then continued calmly.

"You're all the elites I've carefully picked out. Konoha's victory depends on you."

"Tomorrow, I will lead the troops to launch a full - scale attack on Sunagakure. Meanwhile, you will sneak across the Land of Wind and launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure Village!"

This "you" included not only the twenty elite squads but also the five Root squads present.

When Kaze realized this, his face turned pale.

"Shit, Dad! You're screwing me over again! For such a dangerous mission, why don't you exclude our squad first?"

"System, why don't you give me a choice?" Kaze asked in his mind.

System: [Because the host has no choice.

]

Kaze: ... Being stuck with Tanzō as my dad, I'm really fed up!

"Hey, Dad. You're the only incorrigible old bastard among the Hokages. You're not that goddamn impartial Judge Bao (a symbol of justice in Chinese culture).

Why did you send me to the battlefield?!

Anyone with half a brain can tell that this mission to raid the enemy's base camp is super dangerous. Can you just use your brain for once!"

Kaze was extremely annoyed. With his current strength, he'd be just a bigger ant on the battlefield.

"This raid will be fully under the command of Sakumo Hatake." Tanzō looked at a silver - haired young man and said, "Sakumo, you'll take over the command from now on."

"Yes, Tanzō - sama." Sakumo replied and calmly stepped out of the crowd.

Sakumo was dressed in the typical Jonin attire. His silver hair was casually tied into a ponytail, and he carried a tantō on his back. He looked energetic and efficient.

"Hey, it's Sakumo, this kid!" Yuto let out a friendly laugh.

Kaze nudged him with his elbow and asked, "Uncle Yuto, do you know him?"

Yuto nodded and whispered, "We're fellow ninja from the same period. This kid is quite interesting. I'll introduce you to him later."

Sakumo took over from Tanzō and began to arrange the raid plan.

Tanzō turned around and left, disappearing back into the shadows, quietly watching this side.

Orochimaru, wearing black, silently appeared beside Tanzō and said with a half - smile.

"Tanzō - sama is really generous, sending his own son to the Land of Wind to carry out this near - suicidal mission."

Tanzō closed his eyes slightly and said indifferently, "A young eagle can only learn to soar when it leaves the protection of its parents."

"What if the young eagle dies before it can even learn to fly?"

"...Then it's his fate."

<><><><><><><><>

~ 80+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

p-atreon.com/Tansnovel

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

~ Every 50 Powerstones = 4 Bonus Chapters on the weekend!