Asuma's wish was ultimately destined to fail.
Only three days passed after the previous emergency assembly.
On the evening of the third day, while Guy was still forging iron inside Uchiha Taoye's forge, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard.
Kurenai rushed through the entrance while panting heavily.
Compared to the previous time, she looked even more anxious now.
"Guy! The Academy is calling another emergency assembly!"
Guy immediately stopped hammering iron before turning toward her.
"Another assembly?"
Kurenai nodded quickly, her face pale.
"Something serious happened."
Guy's expression gradually became serious as well.
...
Inside the classroom, attendance was even more complete than before.
Almost nobody was absent.
The atmosphere felt so heavy that even breathing sounds were intentionally suppressed.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody whispered.
Everyone simply sat quietly in their seats while staring toward the podium.
Iruka stood silently at the front of the classroom.
Compared to the previous assembly, his expression looked even worse this time.
His face carried obvious exhaustion and heaviness.
He slowly swept his gaze across the children seated below him.
Six years old.
Seven years old.
The oldest students were only eight.
Yet in less than a year, many of them would already become official Ninja.
Iruka remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Early this morning..."
He paused briefly.
"Kumogakure launched a surprise attack on Konoha's border garrison stationed near the Land of Rice Fields."
The classroom instantly became deathly silent.
Iruka continued speaking slowly.
"The three stationed squads..."
"Twelve people in total..."
"...were all killed in action."
Someone immediately sucked in a cold breath.
Someone covered their mouth tightly.
Several children's faces turned completely pale.
Yet Iruka's words still continued.
"At nearly the same time, Konoha's border forces near the Land of Earth were ambushed as well."
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"Sixteen people."
"No survivors."
Iruka's hands slowly pressed against the podium.
He pressed so hard that his knuckles gradually turned white.
"When people start dying..."
"There is no longer room left for negotiation."
He slowly raised his head again.
"Kumogakure has officially declared war against the Land of Fire."
"Iwagakure has also declared war against the Land of Fire."
"As for Sunagakure..."
Iruka paused briefly.
"They still haven't formally moved yet. However, over three thousand Shinobi have already gathered near the border."
His voice gradually became heavier.
"The war..."
"...has officially begun."
The classroom became so silent that heartbeats almost seemed audible.
Obito slowly opened his mouth as though wanting to say something.
But no words came out.
Rin lowered her head quietly while her shoulders trembled slightly.
Beside Guy, Kurenai instinctively grabbed tightly onto his sleeve.
No one spoke.
After several seconds of silence, Iruka slowly inhaled once more before turning toward the blackboard.
Then he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote several large words across it.
[Graduation Time Advanced]
A nervous voice quietly sounded from somewhere in the classroom.
"Advanced... to when?"
Iruka slowly turned around again.
He looked toward everyone present.
"Originally, due to the wartime situation, your six-year curriculum had already been compressed into three years."
He paused briefly.
"But now..."
"...that schedule will be shortened by half again."
Obito instantly raised his head.
"Half?! Then doesn't that mean—"
"One and a half years," Iruka answered directly.
"You have already studied for more than half a year."
"That means..."
His voice gradually lowered.
"There is now less than one year remaining before graduation."
The classroom instantly exploded into chaos.
"One year?!"
"We're only seven years old!"
"Graduating in less than a year means we're going to the battlefield!"
"This is insane!"
Fear immediately spread across nearly every student's face.
However, Iruka simply stood quietly at the podium while watching them.
Only after the classroom gradually became quiet again did he continue speaking.
"Yes."
"In less than one year, all of you will officially graduate."
"After graduation, you will immediately enter wartime combat assignments."
"The fortunate ones may remain behind in Konoha for defensive duties."
He paused briefly.
"As for the unfortunate ones..."
Iruka did not finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Everyone already understood the meaning.
The front lines.
The battlefield.
The place where people died.
Obito's face instantly turned pale.
Kurenai's fingers tightened around Guy's sleeve until even her knuckles became white.
Rin lowered her head further while tears quietly gathered inside her eyes.
Ebisu's sunglasses slipped completely off his face and dropped onto the floor with a light sound, yet he did not even notice.
Guy sat silently near the back window.
He neither spoke nor moved.
However, both of his hands had already clenched tightly into fists.
One year.
Less than one year.
These children beside him...
Obito.
Kurenai.
Rin.
Ebisu.
Asuma.
All of them would eventually be pushed toward the battlefield.
And even if some of them survived...
Guy's gaze slowly swept toward several other classmates nearby.
Classmates whose names he could barely remember.
Children who never appeared again in the original story.
Some of them would die.
Somewhere.
Quietly.
Without anyone remembering them afterward.
Konoha's so-called "Golden Generation" had never consisted of only fourteen people.
Those fourteen were simply the ones who survived long enough to be remembered.
No.
Even fewer than that survived in the end.
Guy slowly inhaled deeply before opening the System panel silently.
[Muscle-Tendon Change Classic: 832 (Mastery Realm)]
[Great Vajra Leg: 1000 (Perfection Realm)]
[Great Vajra Finger: 1000 (Perfection Realm)]
[Precept-Breaking Blade: 316 (Proficient Realm)]
[Golden Bell Shield: 3 (Initial Mastery Realm)]
Still not enough.
Far from enough.
He needed to become stronger.
Strong enough to protect everyone around him.
...
After the assembly ended and everyone gradually left the classroom, Guy quietly headed toward the back mountain alone.
However, halfway there, a figure suddenly appeared silently before him.
An Anbu.
"Might Guy?"
Guy stopped walking immediately.
"Yes."
The Anbu extended a letter toward him.
"This is from Kakashi Hatake."
Guy accepted the letter silently.
The Anbu disappeared instantly afterward.
Guy lowered his head before opening the letter beneath the moonlight.
The contents were extremely brief.
[Guy:
I've already been promoted to Chunin.
Because of the wartime situation and my battlefield performance, an exception was made.
The Third Hokage said Konoha has never before had a seven-year-old Chunin.
But honestly...
There's nothing worth being proud of.
On the battlefield, there isn't much difference between a Chunin and a Genin.
Both can die at any time.
A few days ago, the squad stationed beside mine was completely wiped out.
Some of the people there were Ninja I personally knew.
Now they're gone.
I don't want you to end up like that too.
So become stronger.
I'll wait for you on the battlefield.
Kakashi]
Guy quietly stared at the final sentence for a long time.
"I'll wait for you on the battlefield."
Slowly, he folded the letter neatly before tucking it carefully into his clothes.
Then he raised his head.
The moon tonight was extremely bright.
Its pale light shone directly across his face.
At that moment, Guy suddenly remembered the Kakashi from the original timeline.
The genius who became a Chunin at seven years old.
The genius who later lost Obito at Kannabi Bridge.
The genius who completely closed off his heart after Rin's death.
This time...
Those things would not happen again.
Guy slowly turned around before continuing toward the back mountain.
However, after only taking two steps
"GUY!!!"
A familiar loud voice suddenly exploded from behind him.
Guy immediately turned around.
Under the moonlight stood a familiar green figure.
Thick eyebrows.
Large eyes.
A faded green jumpsuit.
Might Duy.
Duy quickly ran over before stopping directly in front of Guy.
His eyes shone with terrifying intensity.
"Guy!"
Duy took a deep breath.
"There is something your father has been thinking about for a very long time..."
"And tonight, I've finally decided."
Guy's heart immediately skipped a beat.
At a moment like this...
Could it really be…Duy suddenly raised a bright thumbs-up.
His white teeth flashed brilliantly beneath the moonlight.
"Son!"
"Dad has decided to teach you a forbidden technique!"