Chapter 21 22 23 24 Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto (Patreon)

Tatsuya surprised everyone present by standing up to support Sarutobi Shinnosuke's proposal to continue the war.

'It was you who retreated first on the battlefield, and now you're the one proposing to continue the fighting,' Nara Shikaku questioned in his heart, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Shikaku exchanged glances with his two partners, Ino-Shika-Ch, before finally standing up to speak. "Master Tatsuya, is this appropriate? The current situation doesn't seem to warrant continuing the war," he said.

After all, war meant death, and they didn't want to see more innocent lives lost, especially among their families and children.

"But Hokage-sama's clansmen and daughter-in-law died in battle. How can we not seek vengeance for them?" Tatsuya asked, turning towards Sarutobi's new ally.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, consumed by anger, didn't think about how Tatsuya, whom he had been at odds with before, was now speaking in his favor. Overwhelmed with emotion, he immediately shouted, "That's right! Rie was my childhood sweetheart, and my father had arranged for her to be on the same team for me to marry her! If we don't avenge her, this war can't be stopped!"

Upon hearing these words, the faces of many Ninja clan chiefs present darkened, and they felt a growing dissatisfaction with Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the powerful backers behind him.

"Why should we sacrifice more lives for your personal vendetta? The members of the Sarutobi family are already dead; we shouldn't drag our people further into death," some murmured in disagreement.

"When did Konoha become the dictatorship of your Sarutobi clan?" others questioned.

Despite the discontent, the Third Hokage still held significant authority, allowing him to keep this group of people under control.

Orochimaru, who had been silently observing from the corner, couldn't help but think, "What an idiot. He's completely trapped in his emotions."

Tatsuya found the situation amusing. "The next plan is like this," he said, walking to the front of the map and pointing at the trail through the Rain Country on the map.

"Does everyone remember the Second Kazekage assassination plan?" he asked, drawing their attention to Sakumo and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

The plan was supposed to succeed, but due to the hesitation of one of these two people, the other gave up the task, leading to its failure.

"If that plan had succeeded, why would we still be fighting this war?" Tatsuya pondered aloud.

As a military adviser, Shikaku vaguely guessed Tatsuya's intentions and tentatively asked, "Master Tatsuya, do you intend to..."

"Restart this task," Tatsuya interrupted, sliding his index finger from the coordinates of the camp to the Rain Country on the map, and then from the Rain Country to Sunagakure.

"We'll take a longer route, passing through the Rain Country, and then infiltrate the Wind Country to assassinate the Second Kazekage Sandgate."

Hyuga Hizashi, who was in awe, hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Yes, but this mission has already failed once. Compared to the Second Kazekage, who has built an iron wall around him, I'm afraid... the difficulty is even higher this time."

"Don't worry, Master Shinnosuke and I will take the lead this time," Tatsuya confidently said, "I am better than my brother."

Sakumo smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Too shameless, isn't he? Claiming to be better than Konoha's White Fang!"

Everyone's perception of Tatsuya has refreshed once again. Though Tatsuya's performance on the battlefield today was undeniably Kage-level, claiming to have surpassed the White Fang seemed like a bold statement.

However, White Fang himself didn't refute it, so it must be true!

"Do I need to go as well?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked hesitantly.

"Of course, young master Shinnosuke, you are familiar with the environment from the previous mission. This time, I'll replace my incompetent brother, and together we'll surely succeed," Tatsuya said kindly.

"Then, can he go instead of me?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke pointed to Sakumo, feeling a bit nervous for some reason.

"Other people will continue to attack the Sand Shinobi on the front lines to divert their attention. My brother's presence can easily draw the hatred of thousands of enemies, buying us valuable time. After we succeed, we can claim victory from both flanks," Tatsuya explained flawlessly.

No matter how much Sarutobi Shinnosuke thought about it, he couldn't refuse. Tatsuya's reasoning left no room for objections.

"Well, if there are no further objections, then it's decided. Everyone can go back and rest. We'll leave tomorrow," Tatsuya declared, waving to end the meeting.

Despite Orochimaru being the front-line commander, everyone silently obeyed Tatsuya's order and left the tent.

Strength truly is the determining factor in this world, as Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, still Genin in the finale, have proven.

...

...

As dusk approached and evening drew near, a shadow stealthily entered Tsunade's personal tent.

However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that the shadow "slipped" in. Everyone around could clearly see what was happening.

Tatsuya walked in with his head held high and his chest puffed out.

Everyone looked at Kato Dan, who witnessed the scene, couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Over the past few years on the front line, it was no secret that Kato Dan had a deep crush on Tsunade, yet he remained unnoticed.

The result, unfortunately, remained unchanged.

Tatsuya kept his hands on Tsunade's slim waist and muttered, "It seems to be thinner. No fat at all!"

Snapped-- After a few seconds, a crisp clap sounded. Tsunade slapped Tatsuya's hand away from her waist. She had been carelessly touched by this bastard last night, and now he was even more serious, walking in straightforwardly. She knew exactly what he wanted to do.

Seeing Tatsuya pretend to have a painful expression, though she knew he was faking it, Tsunade struggled for two seconds. She grabbed his hand and healed it with Healing Jutsu. "Too serious~ If I leave it alone, I'm afraid it will be fine in a few seconds."

"You really want to do it?" Tsunade asked abruptly.

"Now? In the barracks... not suitable, right?" Tatsuya said, feigning discomfort, but his other hand was honestly ready to untie the belt on his waist.

"Screw you!" Tsunade kicked him directly. "When are you going to stop with these lewd jokes!?"

Twitching the hair scattered in front of her eyebrows, Tsunade didn't feel good. "Seriously, you didn't ever grow up in all these years."

"Huh? I don't understand what you're talking about," Tatsuya looked puzzled.

"I don't bother to care about you; just do whatever you want!" Tsunade pointed towards the door of the tent with an expression of "get lost".

Even if it cost her life, she wouldn't allow that kind of thing to happen with this bastard in the barracks. Alas, life is always unsatisfactory. There won't be time for any happy moments before she leaves.

"Really going to do it?"

Just as Tatsuya walked out of the camp with a look of loss, Orochimaru's voice abruptly reached his ears.

"You won't be eavesdropping here all the time?"

Tatsuya turned to face Orochimaru.

Well, in fact, Orochimaru came over when he saw him with Tsunade. After all, Tatsuya didn't deliberately eavesdrop on others. His interactions with Tsunade allowed him to perceive his surroundings in advance.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Orochimaru."

Tatsuya used the same response he had given Tsunade to deflect Orochimaru's question.

"Human life is too fragile."

After leaving a philosophical remark, Orochimaru, the philosopher, stopped saying much, turned his head, and left.

...

...

"Tatsuya, Shinnosuke-kun, after the failure of the last mission, the Second Kazekage will definitely strengthen the guards around you. It's better not to have a direct conflict with him. Sneak into the enemy camp and wait quietly for the chance to assassinate him."

On the second day, at the entrance of Konoha camp, Sakumo reminded Tatsuya and Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who were ready to set off. Tatsuya couldn't help rubbing the temple on the side of his head, secretly saying that my brother is really a political idiot.

Tsunade could guess what he wanted to do. Even Orochimaru could guess what he wanted to do, but he had no doubt at all. Does he really think he brought Sarutobi Shinnosuke to assassinate the Second Kazekage?

"We are going," Tatsuya felt that if he continued to listen, he would lose his mind. After responding with a couple of sentences, he hurried to the country of rain with Sarutobi Shinnosuke and then detoured into the country of wind. This time they chose a longer route, and the journey that could be reached in two days and two nights would now take at least one more week.

"I hope they are okay," Sakumo said with worry on his face.

"One of them is certainly up to something," Tsunade interjected abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Sakumo asked, puzzled, turning his head.

Tsunade remained silent but responded with a weird smile.

...

...

The country of rain was embroiled in the second Ninja War, fighting against the country of fire, the country of wind, and the country of the earth. Despite the ongoing conflict, the country had not yet been completely destroyed, indicating that its military strength was not much weaker than that of the five major countries.

Wow! The rainstorm seemed to never stop, pouring down over the land of the rain today. Tatsuya and Sarutobi Shinnosuke witnessed countless corpses exposed in the wilderness due to the war as they progressed, never stopping along the way.

"Rain Shinobi Village, under the leadership of Hanzo the Salamander, has managed to fight against the three major countries of Fire, Wind, and Earth successively without falling behind. Its military strength is not inferior to that of the five major countries," Sarutobi Shinnosuke commented as he adjusted the forehead protector on his forehead and spoke proactively.

"Now that Hanzo has signed a truce with our country of fire and the country of wind, there should be no danger ahead before we enter the country of wind," he continued.

The reason why Sarutobi Shinnosuke chose to speak proactively was not just because he couldn't stay idle, similar to Naruto. It was primarily because, since they entered the country of rain, Tatsuya hadn't uttered a word to him. A strange sense of fear engulfed Sarutobi Shinnosuke's heart like poison. Intense anxiety compelled him to take the initiative and address Tatsuya, saying, "Right Hatake-San?"

He had shifted from calling Tatsuya "Ten Thousand Years Genin" back to his real name. As the eldest son of Hokage, he was born with privilege, and it was inappropriate for him to call someone like Tatsuya by a nickname used by others like Shikaku.

"Huh, are you talking to me?" Finally, within two days of entering the country of rain, Tatsuya finally spoke. He turned around, slowly put down the hat on top of his head, and let the heavy rain pour on him. Tatsuya smiled lightly. "Sorry, I just don't think there is any need to talk to someone who is going to die."

"Sorry, I just don't think there's any need to talk to someone who is going to die," Tatsuya said.

Boom!

As Tatsuya uttered those words, it seemed like the sky responded. A thunderous boom echoed, and a bolt of lightning cut through the dark clouds and heavy rain. The silver flash of lightning illuminated Tatsuya's face, revealing a smile mixed with murderous intent. Even more menacingly, the sword gleamed with a black light in his hand.

The killing intent emanating from a Kage-level shinobi struck Sarutobi Shinnosuke with intense fear, reminiscent of Sasuke encountering Orochimaru for the first time during the Chunin Exams in the future.

"You... you..." Sarutobi Shinnosuke collapsed on the muddy ground, surrounded by puddles, gazing at Tatsuya, who was slowly drawing his saber, unable to believe what was happening.

That killing intent was genuine!

"Why... why—why did you do this?!"

In an extreme panic, Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't help but ask the question.

"Only worthy people deserve to talk to me. Since when does a Leek have the right to question?" Tatsuya laughed as he replied, his tone cold.

"What's more, since the last time you attempted the assassination of the Kazekage you failed, you deserved to die at that time. But my brother abandoned the mission and saved you but later on, didn't you also label my foolish brother as trash for saving you? Well, I'm just returning the favor."

Whether it was borne out of venting his family's frustration or the personal grievances between them, at this moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was certain—Tatsuya truly intended to kill him!

Was this the reason he was so eager to be assigned a mission with him?

Sarutobi Shinnosuke inwardly cursed himself for being too naive. Consumed by grief over the death of his fiancée, he didn't even consider why Tatsuya had spoken for him at that time.

Now, upon reflecting on the events that occurred on the battlefield that day, everything seemed peculiar.

The battle between Tatsuya and Banpaku had originally been distant from the Sarutobi clan. Yet, somehow, it drew closer and closer.

Ultimately, Sarutobi Rie and several members of the Sarutobi family died because of the wide area of sand ninjutsu.

"You wanted to kill me on the battlefield back then," Sarutobi Shinnosuke cried out suddenly.

He had a sudden realization.

Tatsuya intentionally redirected the battlefield between himself and Banpaku toward the Sarutobi clan, using Banpaku's large-scale attack ninjutsu to kill him and the others.

Tatsuya glanced at him for a second, not expecting Sarutobi Shinnosuke to have this insight in his final moments, and he burst into laughter.

"It seems you're not as foolish as I thought, but it doesn't matter. In the end, you'll die at the hands of the Second Kazekage from Sand. I'll make sure to tell your father when I return."

"You're delusional!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke roared and quickly bit his finger.

Faced with Tatsuya, Sarutobi Shinnosuke had no chance of winning. Even the probability of escape was extremely low. In such a dire situation, there was only one trick that could potentially save him from certain death—the Summoning Jutsu. It was his father's trump card, known to have saved his life and his allies in previous wars.

"Ninja·Summoning——"

"It's too slow."

Ram-Boar-Monkey-Bird-Dog the Five seals needed to summon his contracted Ape demon; Sarutobi Shinnosuke managed to produce only two seals.

In the next moment, he felt Tatsuya had completely drawn his sword, and the shining sword slash from the blade entirely obscured his vision.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked down, and to his horror, the area between his hands above the wrist was severed. There was nothing but blood splattered wildly.

Looking at the ground again, he saw his two palms, stained with blood, falling weakly into the mud.

"Uhhh!!!"

He didn't know how long it had been. The excruciating pain from his broken wrist overwhelmed Sarutobi Shinnosuke. He collapsed to his knees, convulsing in agony. The violent roar mixed with muffled thunder echoed through the country that had never stopped crying.

"With this strength, You could have become Hiruzen's right-hand man in the future. Huh, but that old man's own strength isn't great, so it's no wonder," Tatsuya thought with amusement, recalling the original description of Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

Although he strongly suspected that Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his wife used connections to secure high-ranking positions in Anbu, Tatsuya couldn't help but find it funny.

"Don't think you can really escape justice!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head defiantly. His face was streaked with water, whether from the rain or his tears. His tightly clenched teeth had already bitten his lips, causing them to bleed, but he spoke with great pain:

"Dad had long suspected your family! Do you think you can frame my death on Second Kazekage?"

"I know he would doubt me, but he absolutely wouldn't dare to act. Your father is highly politically minded that's the only thing I recognize about him," Tatsuya retorted.

As he spoke, Tatsuya slowly raised his knife, displaying a look of disdain.

"But he still has a weakness, a cowardly weakness. Not to mention that he has no evidence; even if there were evidence, he wouldn't dare to do anything."

With a swift motion, the sword light fell, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke's head followed.

Huh! Huh! Huh!

Tatsuya didn't simply execute him with one clean cut. Instead, he chopped the body into dozens of pieces, resembling slicing potatoes. He then swept the pieces like one would sweep the floor, throwing them into the pile of corpses nearby. In the Kingdom of Rain, where the ground was littered with bodies, one more wouldn't be noticed.

This was one of the main reasons why Tatsuya chose to carry out his plan in the Land of Rain.

"Second Kazekage died in the last few years of the second Ninja war? It's not long, but just in case, I'll go there."

Tatsuya never looked at the pile of "potato chunks" in the corpses nearby again and began to contemplate his next course of action.

The original story took place approximately six years later during the Third Ninja War, and it was triggered by the disappearance of the Third Kazekage. Based on this inference, Shamon Second Kazekage must have died within six years. If he goes back to that time, there is a risk of creating flaws in the timeline.

Let's proceed.

Tatsuya is still very interested in facing Puppet Technique and the second user of the Magnet Style, the Kazekage. It's an opportunity to challenge himself and possibly elevate his abilities to a higher level.

"Um?"

Tatsuya turned his eyes to the left.

There were four individuals approaching.

Similar to the criminals in Conan's world.

Tatsuya, also a killer, didn't immediately leave because of the arrival of outsiders. Instead, he decided to wait in place. It wasn't because he had the same thought process as the criminals in Conan, but rather because he intended to eliminate any potential threats completely.

...

...

However, upon seeing the specific individuals approaching, Tatsuya put his right hand on the knife's handle.

There was no need to deal with potential threats now.

Because the person who approached was someone Tatsuya knew—Toad Sage Jiraiya, one of the Sannin.

"Is it you Tatsuya?"

Jiraiya and Tatsuya stared at each other in surprise. Jiraiya recognized Tatsuya due to his iconic white hair, and after a moment of scrutiny, he called out Tatsuya's name.

"I didn't expect to meet you here, Jiraiya."

Tatsuya, the transmigrator, hadn't anticipated encountering Jiraiya in the Land of Rain.

He recalled that Tsunade had mentioned it before. Jiraiya had followed the battle between the Rain Country and Hanzo, rather than rushing to the next battlefield with Tsunade and Orochimaru. Instead, he stayed in the Land of Rain to take care of the three orphans—Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.

"Really? Plans can't always keep up with the changes," Tatsuya said with a shake of his head. Then, his gaze shifted toward Nagato in his childhood, especially focusing on the iconic red-haired bangs of the Uzumaki clan. It symbolized the immense power of the Rinnegan, making Nagato one of the top combatants in the world.

Is it worth trying to extract it?

Tatsuya couldn't help but have some evil thoughts. However, he had no desire to covet Rinnegan's abilities, nor did he want to force mismatched eyes into his body, sucking his vitality every time he uses them.

Rinnegan was already on par with the capabilities given by the system, and its potential growth was unknown. Tatsuya just wished he didn't have to deal with the troubles caused by Rinnegan.

But he quickly pushed these thoughts aside. After all, the current Nagato had nothing to do with it, and there was no reason to gouge out someone's eyes.

"Why have you, who always lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, appeared in the war-torn country of rain? What's going on?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.

"I am going to assassinate Second Kazekage," Tatsuya calmly revealed, causing shock to spread across the faces of the four teachers and apprentices in front of him.

"Assassinate Second Kazekage..." Jiraiya swallowed hard. Though he knew Tatsuya's true strength, the idea of such a terrifying task still sent shivers down his spine.

"I'll explain the specifics later," Tatsuya said, turning his attention back to the young trio.

"So this are the apprentices you adopted in the Land of Rain," Tatsuya said, ruffling Konan's hair affectionately. She was a confidante and had lived a difficult life in this war-torn country.

Konan blinked with a slightly surprised expression, wondering why this person touched someone's head the first time they met. It felt a bit frivolous.

"Well, I'm here today to say goodbye to them. Now that they have the power to protect themselves in this war-torn country, I should return to Konoha," Jiraiya said, and the atmosphere became sad.

All three of them lowered their heads, their voices tinged with sorrow. "Teacher..."

"Then come with me," Tatsuya said to Konan, not saying much about the three children who shared the same tragedy. There was little he could say, for he couldn't tell them not to trust a certain masked man—who, after all, was still just a six-year-old kid.

"Hatred will only lead to more hatred. It's wrong for you to do this!" Konan suddenly raised her head and shouted at Tatsuya.

"What?" Tatsuya looked down at the stubborn young girl and chuckled, then pinched her cheek. "So naive, you'll easily be crushed by the world."

Konan puffed up her cheeks, considering Tatsuya's words as those of a nasty man in her heart.

"Jiraiya, it's alright for you to believe in the words of your predecessor, but don't teach bad habits to kids," Tatsuya said, amused, turning to look at Jiraiya.