By the time Guy and Kurenai arrived at the Ninja Academy, the sky had already begun growing dark.
However, unlike the usual calm atmosphere after school hours, the entrance of the Academy was now packed with people. A massive crowd had gathered outside the gates, and the atmosphere felt heavy enough to make breathing uncomfortable. Parents stood together in small groups while whispering anxiously among themselves, and many children remained gathered nearby with nervous or confused expressions.
Some students still looked dazed and unaware of what was happening.
Others had already become uneasy from the oppressive atmosphere alone.
Guy swept his gaze across the area immediately.
Soon, he spotted Obito standing near the entrance while constantly standing on tiptoe to look around anxiously.
"Over here!" Obito shouted while waving both hands.
Guy and Kurenai squeezed through the crowd before finally reaching him.
"What's going on?" Guy asked directly.
Obito immediately shook his head before lowering his voice instinctively.
"I don't know. It was already like this when I got here. Even the gate was blocked off. Rin still hasn't arrived yet..."
Almost immediately after he finished speaking, Rin squeezed through the crowd while panting heavily.
"I'm here! I'm here!"
She stopped beside them before taking several quick breaths.
"Obito, do you know what happened?"
Obito spread his hands helplessly.
"How would I know? Maybe Asuma knows something."
As he spoke, he quickly turned his head toward another corner nearby.
"That guy's the Third Hokage's son. He definitely knows more than us."
The group immediately followed his gaze.
Asuma stood beneath a nearby tree with his back leaning silently against the trunk. A matchstick rested in his mouth, but unlike his usual arrogant and lazy expression, his face looked unusually serious today.
Obito walked over first.
"Hey, Asuma. Do you know what's going on?"
Asuma glanced toward him briefly.
But he did not answer.
Obito froze slightly.
"I'm talking to you."
Asuma still remained silent.
Slowly, he removed the matchstick from his mouth before tightly clenching it inside his palm.
Very tightly.
Guy immediately noticed the movement, and his expression subtly changed.
Asuma definitely knew something.
And whatever it was...
It was bad.
At that moment, the noisy crowd outside the Academy suddenly quieted down.
Someone in the distance shouted loudly.
"Teacher Iruka is here!"
The crowd immediately parted automatically, opening a path through the middle.
Iruka walked in from outside the Academy grounds.
However, the moment everyone saw his face, the atmosphere instantly became even heavier.
His expression looked grim.
There was none of his usual gentle smile present.
Instead, he looked like someone forcefully suppressing enormous pressure inside himself.
Iruka walked directly toward the Academy gate before stopping there.
His eyes swept slowly across the gathered students.
"Is everyone here?"
No one answered.
Iruka simply counted them himself before finally nodding.
"Good. Follow me inside."
After speaking, he immediately turned around and walked into the Academy.
The students hurriedly followed behind him.
Meanwhile, several parents instinctively attempted to enter as well, only to be stopped by the Chunin guarding the gate.
"Parents must remain outside."
The Academy gate slowly closed behind them.
Inside the classroom, more than twenty students sat scattered across their seats.
Nobody spoke.
Even Obito, who was usually the loudest person in class, remained unusually quiet while staring toward the podium.
Iruka stood silently at the front of the classroom.
His gaze slowly swept across the students seated before him.
Six years old.
Seven years old.
Some of them were still children who could barely hold proper kunai.
Iruka remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking.
"I called all of you here today because there is something important you need to know."
The classroom immediately became even quieter.
At this point, even the sound of wind rustling through the leaves outside the windows could be heard clearly.
Iruka slowly inhaled before continuing.
"Three days ago..."
He paused briefly.
"The Third Kazekage disappeared."
The entire classroom fell silent.
Then the silence exploded instantly into noisy whispers.
"The Kazekage? Isn't that the leader of Sunagakure?"
"The Hidden Sand Village?"
"The place surrounded by desert?"
"What does his disappearance have to do with us?"
"Could it be another village attacked them?"
Whispers rapidly spread throughout the room before gradually quieting again.
Guy sat beside the window in the last row.
The moment he heard those words, his heart sank heavily.
As expected.
It really was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
The strongest military force of Sunagakure had vanished completely without warning, and this exact incident was the fuse that would eventually ignite the Third Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure would mobilize its entire military searching desperately for the Kazekage.
Then Kumogakure would take advantage of the chaos to launch attacks.
Afterward, conflicts between the Five Great Nations would spiral completely out of control.
And then...
The war would begin.
Guy slowly clenched his fists beneath the desk.
Things were progressing slightly faster than he expected.
But not by much.
Subconsciously, Guy glanced sideways.
Obito looked completely confused while whispering quietly toward Rin.
"What does the Kazekage disappearing have to do with us?"
Rin shook her head uncertainly, though her brows remained tightly furrowed.
Meanwhile, Asuma sat silently in the front while lowering his head toward the desk.
His shoulders were visibly tense.
Clearly, as the son of the Third Hokage, his political instincts were far sharper than ordinary children.
"The disappearance of the Kazekage is not a small matter."
Iruka slowly scanned the classroom again.
"Sunagakure has already entered full martial lockdown. Every Ninja in the village is currently searching for him. However..."
He paused again.
"If the Kazekage is not found..."
Iruka's gaze became heavier.
"What do you think will happen?"
Nobody answered.
Iruka continued speaking slowly.
"If something truly happened to the Kazekage, who do you think Sunagakure will suspect first?"
The classroom became even quieter than before.
"The relationship between the Five Great Nations was never peaceful to begin with."
Iruka's voice remained calm, but every word carried enormous pressure.
"Iwagakure has already begun increasing troop deployments near its borders. Kumogakure has also become increasingly active recently. If Sunagakure falls into chaos as well..."
He stopped speaking there.
But everyone already understood the meaning behind those unfinished words.
War.
That single word echoed silently inside everyone's minds.
Some students immediately turned pale.
Some swallowed nervously.
Others still looked dazed and unable to fully understand the situation.
Iruka observed every single reaction quietly before finally softening his tone slightly.
"Of course, this is only a precautionary notice for now. Konoha is still investigating the matter and attempting negotiations with the other villages. It may not necessarily develop into war."
He paused briefly before suddenly raising his voice.
"However!"
"You are students of the Ninja Academy."
"In the future, all of you will eventually become Ninja who stand on the battlefield."
"So begin preparing yourselves now."
After finishing those words, Iruka turned around toward the blackboard before slowly writing several large words across it.
[Effective immediately, all training intensity will double, and all holidays are canceled.]
After writing those words, Iruka lowered the chalk slowly.
"Class dismissed."
...
Yet nobody moved.
Iruka quietly walked out of the classroom, and his footsteps gradually disappeared down the hallway.
Only after several more seconds passed did someone finally speak.
"What does this mean? Double training intensity? Isn't that going to kill us?"
"Didn't you hear? A war might happen!"
"War against who?"
"Sunagakure probably thinks Konoha kidnapped the Kazekage!"
"That's nonsense! Why would Konoha do something like that?"
"Who knows..."
The classroom gradually became noisy again.
However, unlike their usual energetic arguments, everyone's voices remained unusually low.
Almost as though they feared someone might overhear them.
At that moment, Guy slowly stood up from his seat.
Kurenai immediately walked over toward him nervously.
"Guy..."
She hesitated briefly before asking softly.
"Do you think... a war will really happen?"
Guy looked directly into her worried eyes.
Although he wanted to comfort her, he still nodded honestly.
"It will."
Kurenai froze slightly.
Clearly, she did not expect Guy to answer so firmly.
Before she could continue speaking, Guy suddenly raised his hand before gently rubbing the top of her head.
Then he flashed a bright grin filled with confidence.
"But don't worry."
"I'll protect you."
Kurenai's face instantly turned bright red.
Her entire body stiffened from nervousness, and she suddenly did not know where to place her hands anymore.
This was the first time Guy had ever patted her head like that.
Meanwhile, nearby, Obito stared at Guy with an expression full of envy.
After coughing awkwardly, he immediately raised his own hand and attempted to imitate Guy by reaching toward Rin's head.
However, Rin instantly dodged backward.
"Obito, what are you doing?!"
She looked at him warily.
Obito immediately laughed awkwardly.
"Haha... I just wanted to say I'll protect you too, Rin!"
Rin rolled her eyes directly at him before ignoring him completely.
However, the moment she thought about Kakashi already performing missions outside the village, worry unconsciously appeared on her face again.
Guy noticed immediately before walking toward her.
"Kakashi will be fine."
Rin looked up.
Guy continued calmly.
"Besides, worrying here won't change anything."
Rin nodded slowly.
"I know... it's just..."
Guy waved his hand casually before interrupting her.
"Instead of worrying endlessly, it's better to make ourselves stronger."
He looked directly toward everyone nearby.
"Only by becoming stronger can we protect each other when we meet again in the future."
Rin froze slightly.
Then, while looking at Guy's serious expression, she suddenly smiled.
"Guy..."
"It's really great being in the same class as you."
Beside her, Kurenai immediately nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Guy burst into laughter before turning around and walking directly toward the classroom exit.
"I'm heading for extra training."
"If anyone wants to come, follow me."
The moment he finished speaking, Obito immediately jumped up from his seat.
"I'm coming!"
Kurenai hurriedly followed after him.
Rin quickly stood as well before chasing after the others.
Even Ebisu, who had secretly been eavesdropping nearby the entire time, hesitated briefly before quietly following behind them too.
Soon, only Asuma remained seated inside the classroom.
After everyone left, he slowly turned his head toward the doorway.
Although his expression still carried traces of his usual arrogance, the look inside his eyes had already changed slightly.
"Rely on each other, huh..."
After remaining silent for a long while, Asuma curled his lips slightly.
Although he felt extremely dissatisfied watching Guy place his hand on Kurenai's head earlier...
He still had to admit something.
He actually agreed with Guy's words.
Finally, Asuma slowly lowered his head before muttering softly to himself.
"I just hope the war starts a little later…"