With One Blade, Overturning Konoha!

"Lady Tsunade, what brings you here?"

Konoha, Mitari residence.

Early in the morning, the dedicated maid Yugito watched Tsunade emerge from her room with a puzzled expression.

It was the first time she had ever seen Lady Tsunade wake up so early.

The Konoha Medical Department was now running smoothly. As its Head, Tsunade didn’t need to personally treat the injured unless it was a particularly difficult case—something beyond the skills of the regular Medical-nin. That was when Tsunade would step in.

This was the true value of Tsunade’s role in Konoha.

She was the ultimate lifeline!

Therefore, she usually slept until noon, then checked in at the Medical Department. After confirming that there were no urgent cases requiring her attention, she would head straight to the casino for some fun.

The reforms in the Medical Department had been implemented, and while Tsunade didn’t feel much change herself, the benefits for the Medical-nin had increased severalfold!

Hakken placed great importance on the welfare of Medical-nin, which Tsunade was very pleased about.

Her previous meager salary had barely covered anything, but now, as the head of the department, the quarterly pay she received was substantial.

Hakken even agreed to let her withdraw her salary in advance.

The reason was simple: she would undoubtedly waste it all at the casino.

And the true owners behind those casinos were none other than Hakken himself.

So, this arrangement made perfect sense.

Tsunade took the salary Hakken gave her, spent it at the casino, and then Hakken would give it to her again. Naturally, Hakken benefited from this.

It was a virtuous cycle, and Tsunade felt immense satisfaction from it.

A win-win situation.

However, Tsunade, whose gambling luck had been poor, had already spent her salary for the next ten years.

It was only natural for the usually lazy old woman to be confused when she suddenly woke up early.

“I need a different room.”

Tsunade, her face heavy with dark circles and exhaustion, glanced tiredly at her own room before looking toward the one next door.

That brat is still human?

If she hadn’t misheard, last night he even used her precious Yin Seal!

What the hell are you two doing?

Even creating new life doesn’t require this much dedication!

Damn it!

Tsunade, furious and lacking rest for days, had even struggled to sleep during the day!

If this continued, she might really turn into an old woman in every sense of the word.

For the sake of her health, this well-ventilated room would have to be put on hold for now.

“Is that so?” Yugito blinked, not asking further.

As a maid, she had the sense to understand. Besides, she could probably guess why Tsunade was changing rooms.

Yeah, the master’s combat abilities are terrifying!

This was something the second-generation maid, Konan, knew all too well.

“Yo, good morning.”

Just as they were talking, the door swung open, and Hakken lazily walked out.

“Good morning, my ass!”

Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, wanting to punch this jerk right then and there.

He was doing this on purpose!

Especially after knowing her room was right next door—how despicable.

“Calm down, old lady. Getting angry just gives you more wrinkles.”

Hakken yawned, playfully slapping her cheek and then winking at her.

Old lady!

Old lady again!

Tsunade’s fury boiled over. She was about to give that brat a proper beating when he darted away.

Sigh.

The old woman really had incredible self-control.

In the end, that hand never made contact.

Shaking his head, Hakken headed toward Konoha's training grounds.

A few days ago, Minato had given him a heads-up.

The invitations for the Chūnin Exams had already been sent out to all the major ninja villages. In just a few days, the Kage from each village and the participating Genin would begin arriving in Konoha.

The First Shinobi Village. It must embody the dignity and stature befitting the First Shinobi Village! Even genin must showcase their formidable strength.

To improve the combat abilities of the genin, Minato hoped that Hakken could offer some guidance to Konoha’s genin. For Hakken, this wasn't particularly taxing—rather, it was a great chance to observe the Twelve Strong.

The Chūnin Exams were always tough. In the original story, 87 participants from Konoha took part, with only Shikamaru advancing to Chūnin, while all others were eliminated. Now, with Konohagakure’s rapid growth, the number of participants will only increase, not decrease. Add to that the vast number of invited villages, and the pressure on the candidates will surely rise.

The focus remained on Konoha's Twelve Strong, but it wasn’t that Hakken was biased. Their survival through the Fourth Shinobi World War alone was enough proof of their strength. As for Neji... well, that was just a plot device to push Naruto to rise again. A protagonist who always speaks his mind and follows through needs someone to sacrifice themselves at a crucial moment, right?

“Hakken, uh, and Hinata?” Minato asked, waving at Hakken as he glanced at his apprentice and Hinata standing beside him. The news that this guy had been carrying Hinata home had already spread. The question was whether his disciple could summon the courage to follow through. She’s only twelve!

“Up this early?” Hakken raised an eyebrow, leaning against a tree beside Minato. Hinata stood beside him, waiting patiently.

Truth be told, the Hokage didn’t need to be this busy. Especially after his return to the village, Minato had set up a new task force. Unless there was a major issue, the Hokage didn’t need to handle everything personally. This was part of the plan to lighten Minato’s load as the Fifth Hokage. That way, even when he eventually took on the Hokage role, he could focus on other important matters.

“Can't help it. I’ve been doing this for so many years,” Minato said, scratching his head and handing Hakken the documents he had been holding.

Hakken glanced at the list of villages sending participants to the exams. Some villages had not yet confirmed, but the major ones were already listed. The Five Great Shinobi Villages were naturally included. Konoha, at this point, wasn’t something those villages could oppose. Besides the Five Greats, a few smaller villages caught Hakken’s attention. Villages like Genin Village, Star Village, Snow Village, and others. Finally, his eyes stopped on a lesser-known village.

“Otogakure? So they’re here after all.”

“You mean this one?” Minato leaned in to look. “It’s under the jurisdiction of the Land of Rice Fields. Our people went there and agreed to the terms without any resistance or hesitation. It all went suspiciously smoothly.”

“You know about it?” Hakken asked.

“Know about it? I know it well.” Hakken closed the file, his lips curling into a sinister smile. “A village built by Orochimaru. How could I not know about it?”

Orochimaru! Konoha’s S-rank Missing-nin!

Minato froze for a moment, then his expression became serious. “Are you certain? Should we send forces to Otogakure to confront him?”

“Unnecessary. He’ll come to Konoha to meet his end.” Hakken replied coolly. This time, Orochimaru had the opportunity to enter Konoha openly. Who knew if he’d choose to disguise himself as Rasa?

Hakken shook his head. “Minato-sensei, don’t tell too many people about this. I’m curious to see why he dares come—what gives him the confidence. Is it that Hakken Yoru can no longer wield his sword, or has Orochimaru grown arrogant? I want to ask him that face to face.” Of course, with Hakken Yoru here, there was nothing to fear.

Minato nodded. His disciple’s words had already proven true. As long as I stand here, Konohagakure remains the foremost shinobi village! What a commanding statement! But now, it was an undeniable reality. Konoha was unquestionably the greatest shinobi village! No schemes could take root here. That was Minato’s unwavering belief as Hokage.

Beyond Otogakure, there were still a few others worth paying attention to. Take Karin from Kusagakure, for example. If she were kept around to keep Kushina company, that would be quite fitting.

“Keep an eye on Orochimaru. Once they arrive, have the ANBU personally monitor him.” After handing the documents back to Minato, Hakken yawned.

“Also, Minato-sensei.”

“The Chūnin Exams finals are coming up soon. There’s only so much I can teach them, and I won’t say any more about that.”

“All I can cultivate is their will!”

Not everyone in this world has Naruto’s cheat-like training ability—after all, they’re not the main characters. Building powerful combat strength in a short time is simply impossible without a strong family background. This was made painfully clear during Hakken's training with the ANBU.

He had originally thought that with the right methods, the ANBU would show results within a month, but it took nearly half a year before they could show anything worthwhile. That’s the gap. Without a prestigious surname, it’s simply impossible to improve combat strength quickly.

Take Sakura, for instance. What impact did she have during the Fourth Shinobi World War? This isn’t to mock her for not working hard—it’s just the reality of a world where connections matter. The problem is that Sakura constantly has the illusion that she’s catching up to Naruto and Sasuke. She’s probably already been caught by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

So what Hakken can teach them is only that unyielding will—the Will of Fire passed down through Konoha! With that willpower, even if they fail the exams, they won’t end up as complete failures later on.

“You handle it however you see fit, but there are two people I’m not sure how to deal with.” Scratching his head awkwardly, Minato looked a little embarrassed. “Do you remember Deidara, the one you brought back from outside, and Kisame Hoshigaki?”

“They both applied for the Chūnin Exams. Should we let them take part?”

That was indeed a problem. Since arriving in Konoha, Deidara had become the Nine-Tails' lackey, often lost in his artistic pursuits. Meanwhile, Hoshigaki had been working within the ANBU, contributing quite a lot to Konoha's security. But both were undeniably Genin-level shinobi.

“Just approve it. What do you think, are you worried they’ll cause trouble?” Hakken said nonchalantly.

“Well, after approving them, another problem comes up.” Minato swallowed nervously and pointed at the Konoha ninja forehead protector wrapped around Hakken’s arm. “My dear apprentice, it seems you’ve forgotten something.”

“Since you graduated, you’ve never participated in the Chūnin Exams.”

“So…”

“You’re still a Genin, too.” Follow current novᴇls on novel[f]ire.net

“Huh? Really?”

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed true. Hakken’s graduation had been achieved through various battles—conquering this village, then that village. Afterward, he’d enjoyed life for a while, only to later journey to the moon to absorb the Tenseigan and traverse different realms in the Amenominaka. Technically speaking, he was still a Genin. No wonder.

As a fan of anime, Hakken had always believed in one truth: Jōnin fight with pots and pans, while Genin fight as though the world is collapsing. Clearly, Genin are the ones who steal the spotlight!

The issue was clear now. Minato had left the decision to him. It was basically asking if Hakken had any shame. If he cared about his reputation, he could just become Hokage directly. But if he didn’t care, it was easier—just fill out the application and become a candidate.

“Sign me up. I’ll go have some fun.” After thinking it over for a moment, Hakken finally smiled warmly. Bullying people, huh.

After all, it wasn’t unheard of for Six Paths-level shinobi to participate in the Chūnin Exams in the original story. Didn’t Naruto himself participate, shamelessly?

This was an answer I, as his master, hadn’t expected. Minato sighed helplessly and checked off Hakken’s application.

Hakken-sama is also taking the Chūnin Exams?

Meanwhile, Hinata, who had been standing silently the entire time, was completely stunned.

…

This...

Who could possibly beat him?

“Why isn't Sensei here yet?”

Inside the training grounds, Naruto sat bored on the ground, sighing heavily.

“Chill out. Sensei's spending time with family. It's normal for him to be late.”

Sasuke leaned against his subordinate, stroking a brand-new blade. As Sensei had said, this sword had no name. If he had to give it one, it was Ashiuchi. But Sasuke found the name rather unappealing. He kept thinking of a more distinctive name but couldn't quite pin it down.

Of course, don’t let its plain appearance fool you—this blade held profound significance to him. It was a gift from his master after graduation! The moment he first held it, he sensed its uniqueness, finding it even more comfortable than the small dagger he’d used before. Especially that sense of connection—it made him reluctant to put it down.

“Ugh, getting all cocky. It’s just a sword your big bro gave you. What’s there to brag about?”

Naruto shot a dismissive glare at Sasuke, though the envy in his eyes was plain for everyone to see. Too bad he couldn’t wield a sword himself. But his forehead protector? That was personally tied on by his big brother. He smugly stroked his ninja forehead protector, letting out a silly chuckle. And he’d heard Big Brother was still preparing a gift for him. It wouldn’t be any worse than what Sasuke got, that was for sure.

Just then, two figures approached from the distance. As they came into view, whispers rippled through the crowd. No wonder—Hakken was holding Hinata’s hand as he walked over. It was only natural this caused a stir.

Casually releasing Hinata’s hand, Hakken leaped onto the high platform.

“I won’t waste words. Everyone has their strengths, but these next few days, I’ll do everything I can to help you improve.”

“However, I won’t teach worthless trash. Konoha doesn’t need such people as ninja.”

“So, show me your courage.”

Arms crossed, he surveyed the crowd below. The gaze of over a hundred Konoha genin felt rather satisfying. A wave of his hand! Ah. Blades flashed as hundreds of peculiar knives plummeted from the sky.

In that instant, the weak-willed turned and fled, terrified of being struck. Seconds later, the knives landed in perfect unison before them. The man on the platform extended a finger toward the fleeing ninjas.

“The moment they turned their backs, they forfeited their chance to be ninjas.”

“They lack the courage to face an attack head-on, even exposing their backs to those before them…”

“Such people are unworthy of being ninja.”

At that moment, the entire crowd fell silent! Had the special training from Konoha’s Kenpachi already begun? But why did the man before them seem so different from the refined, scholarly demeanor he’d displayed during the graduation exam?

“Think about it carefully. The graduation exam was meant to motivate the juniors, but today’s special training is for the honor of Konoha.”

“What a pain in the ass.”

Shikamaru sighed, explaining the situation to Ino beside him.

“Is that so?”

Gritting her teeth, Ino’s gaze was unexpectedly firm as she picked up the sword before her.

“Swing 5000 times. Begin.”

And the man’s next words plunged the genin into despair...