HGBW: Ch. 125

"Ninjas are not trained into gods, they are fought into gods." Hearing Tsunade say this, Tanaka had to admit this truth.

He possessed resources from both worlds. Even if he stayed secluded in the Hyūga clan, he was confident he could push his strength to the Kage level, perhaps even the peak of the Kage realm.

But then what?

No matter if it was the One Piece world or the Naruto world, the handful of people standing at the pinnacle were not trained into their positions—they fought their way up.

The Yonko, the God of Shinobi, the Pirate King, and even the Sage of Six Paths—all of them fought to reach their legendary status.

As for Kaguya, she was the rarest exception among exceptions. Across both the Naruto and Pirate worlds, there was only one case like hers. Yet even so, Kaguya lost to the Sage of Six Paths brothers a thousand years ago, and then again to Naruto and Sasuke a thousand years later.

Why? Her combat skills were lacking.

If someone like Hashirama had been given Kaguya's abilities, would he have lost twice?

Forget Naruto and Sasuke—even if the Sage of Six Paths brothers joined forces, all four of them together wouldn't be able to handle a single hand of Hashirama's.

But let's not go that far. Let's talk about Tanaka.

In less than three months, he had gone from a branch house chunin burdened with the Caged Bird to a genius of Konoha who viewed other ninjas as nothing more than insects. He had fought his way up every step of the way.

The battle for the Op-Op Fruit, the plan to overthrow the main house, stealing the Kusanagi Sword, taking down the ANBU captain, recruiting CP9, and even winning over Setsuna's daughter—

If he hadn't gone through these battles, how could he have risen?

Everything was fought for.

"I understand now, Lady Tsunade."

Tanaka had never been particularly resistant to the upcoming Great Ninja War. In fact, he saw it as a stage to test his own potential.

After Tsunade's words, he was even more eager to give it a try.

"Go pack up. In three hours, meet at Training Ground 1."

Tsunade looked at the taller Tanaka in front of her, and her voice suddenly softened.

"Understood." Tanaka nodded and turned to leave.

And not just him.

The entire Konoha felt like a war machine that had been awakened, now shifting into battle mode.

Whether they were noble ninja clans or civilian-born ninjas, upon receiving orders from the village, they rushed to Training Grounds 1, 2, and 3 without hesitation.

At the same time—

Batch after batch of ninja tools and medical supplies were quickly transported to the three gathering points.

Tanaka was no exception.

After returning to his clan, he immediately gathered over a hundred Hyūga clansmen.

Aside from the standard ninja toolset—kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags—he also distributed three unique items exclusive to the Hyūga clan, all personally developed by him.

Military pills, blood-boosting pills, and secret medicine.

Why were they exclusive to the Hyūga clan? Because all three were made using the flesh of Sea Kings. Military pills were crafted from Sea King meat combined with antler-based medicinal ingredients from the Nara clan.

Blood-boosting pills were made from Sea King bones and blood, mixed with various blood-replenishing herbs. Both were several times more effective than the Akimichi clan's products.

As for the secret medicine, it was something Tanaka developed after cheating with shadow clones to master Tsunade's medical ninjutsu and knowledge. Using the Op-Op Fruit, he extracted hormones from Sea Kings and combined them with various drugs.

Its effects?

Besides enhancing the body to a level comparable to the Akimichi clan's yellow curry pill, even a jonin with completely depleted chakra could recover their stamina, mental state, and chakra reserves just by consuming one pill.

The only downside? Afterward, they'd have to lie in Konoha's hospital for at least a month.

If they were older, they'd be bedridden even longer.

"Hyūga clansmen, as you can see, the Great Ninja War is here."

Tanaka swept his gaze across the gathered crowd. With just one sentence, the already serious-looking Hyūga warriors became even more solemn.

"I won't tell you some foolish lie about how I will ensure that all of you return alive. I will only say this: if I fail, I will step down as the Hyūga heir—but I will not fail."

"This battle between Konoha and Suna has only two possible outcomes: either they destroy us, or we destroy them."

"If I fall, wrap my corpse in the Hyūga clan's emblem."

The moment these words were spoken, every Hyūga present felt their hearts tremble violently, their blood boiling with intensity.

The looming fear of war shattered in an instant.

Fueled by this overwhelming emotion, everyone subconsciously activated their Byakugan, their gazes burning with fervor as they looked at Tanaka.

"Hyūga, victory!" Facing the blazing, fiery gazes of the crowd, Tanaka spoke each word firmly and powerfully.

"Hyūga, victory!"

Not only those gathered here who were about to head into battle, but every single Hyūga present were swept up by this overwhelming fervor and roared in unison.

Beneath his sleeves, Hizashi clenched his fists tightly. The emotions surging through his chest felt as vast and unstoppable as a mighty river.

As the clan leader, he too was part of this war.

At first, he was worried about Tanaka, after all, was stepping onto the battlefield for the first time. Would he be nervous? Uneasy? Hesitant? Or even afraid?

Single combat and a full-scale ninja war were two entirely different things.

But to his surprise, not only did Tanaka show no hesitation or fear, but with just a few words, he ignited the entire crowd, dispelling all doubt and igniting their fighting spirit.

"Move out."

With that, Tanaka vanished in a flash.

Behind him, led by Hizashi, a hundred Hyūga clansmen surged forward like a mighty flood, following closely behind. By the time they arrived at the gathering point, Training Ground 1 was already packed with hundreds of Konoha ninjas.

There were Uchiha, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and more.

Of course, the majority were civilian ninjas.

Do not think that Konoha's strength lies only in its noble ninja clans. Thanks to the efforts of the First Hokage, Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama, the number of civilian ninjas had grown massively over the years, and the most outstanding among them were no less capable than those from noble bloodlines.

Especially after the Senju clan was integrated into Konoha, some civilian geniuses who carried traces of Senju blood had even surpassed those born into bloodline-limit clans. Take Minato, for example.

"Tanaka." As the Hyūga warriors arrived, Mikoto stepped out from the crowd.

After spending time together in recent days, their relationship had not advanced drastically, but it had certainly improved.

At the very least, her affection for him had risen to 82 points.

To push it higher would require shared experiences of life and death—moments that tugged at the heartstrings.

"Take this, it might save your life at a crucial moment."

Tanaka placed a small pouch containing the three signature Hyūga medicine items into Mikoto's hands, then leaned in and whispered to her.

"Isn't this exclusive to the Hyūga clan?"

Feeling the deep concern of her fiancé, Mikoto's heart felt as though it had been soaked in a warm spring, melting away all her worries.

"You bear the Hyūga name too."

Tanaka gazed into Mikoto's eyes. His words struck directly at her heart, making her gaze toward him grow even softer.

"Lady Tsunade, all forces are assembled."

Shikaku glanced around and confirmed the troop count.

Suna, Iwa, and Kumo.

Among the three fronts, the greatest pressure was on the Suna battlefield, so he had chosen to join that front.

Even if an unexpected situation arose, he would be able to devise a strategy to counter it immediately.