Konoha Main Street.
"I heard the Uchiha Clan was annihilated?"
"Yeah, that's great, I was fed up with them a long time ago."
"But, if such a large clan can be wiped out, aren't we even more unsafe?"
"Maybe they did too many wicked things; this is their retribution."
"No, I need to go to the Capital of the Land of Fire to avoid the limelight. What if Konoha can't protect us? Then wouldn't we be in great danger?"
"That makes sense. I can't believe even Konoha isn't safe anymore. Sigh!"
"What are you talking about? It was just trusting their own people too much that led to this tragedy. Hokage has already dispatched elite teams to pursue them."
"That's a man who can slaughter a clan. Who can kill him?"
"It's Team Leader Satoru of the Analysis Team. He made great contributions in the Third Shinobi World War, and in these years of peace, he's done several crucial things. With him taking action this time, even Uchiha Itachi can only flee."
"Really? Why haven't I heard of him before? Quick, tell me, what has he done?"
"I heard he read especially important intelligence for Konoha; he's an elite of the intelligence department. Moreover, he once developed a barrier that could protect all of Konoha. I heard Hokage-sama said that Team Leader Satoru spent a great deal of effort learning barrier ninjutsu to deal with a disaster like the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. It was completed several years ago to guard against such a situation, and with Team Leader Satoru's improvements over the years, even another Nine-Tailed attack wouldn't cause damage."
"That amazing?"
"Naturally. I heard Copy Ninja Kakashi often loses to him, and even the Third Hokage praised him endlessly!"
"Then can he defeat Uchiha Itachi?"
"Ha, you don't know, do you? Konoha Jonin Hayama guaranteed it. Back then, Uchiha Itachi was tormented by Team Leader Satoru, so even if he grew up, he probably wouldn't dare face Team Leader Satoru, right?"
"So that's how it is!"
Messages circulated among the residents, vividly showcasing Satoru's diligent efforts and his meritorious deeds for Konoha.
The stories were so exaggerated that they were almost divine, as if Uchiha Itachi had already been captured.
His appearance was also spread.
A man whose entire face, except for his mouth, was covered in bandages.
Some residents heard that when he was 11 years old and on the battlefield, he fought against the current Fourth Raikage of Hidden Cloud Village and was electrocuted by Lightning Release due to a slight misstep, which is why his face was covered in bandages.
Other residents heard that during a battle with Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, he used his face to block the opponent's Dust Release, resulting in indelible scars on his face.
Even more absurd stories circulated:
He was so handsome that he was besieged by girls and kissed until his skin peeled, forcing him to cover his face to prevent further harassment.
Crack!
As Satoru walked down the street, listening to those absurd rumours, his fists clenched, making cracking sounds.
"Konoha's propaganda department is too unreliable, how can such news be spread?"
He never thought, he assumed he would have a glorious and upright image, like the Fourth Hokage.
But the stories were more absurd than the last.
If he could block Dust Release with his face at 11 years old, even an Ōtsutsuki would be slapped to death by him.
On the street, someone saw Satoru and their eyes lit up.
An unmarried girl immediately approached, wanting him to be her boyfriend.
Because Satoru's reputation had been severely damaged, he had already removed the bandages from his head, revealing his striking white hair, cerulean misty eyes, and handsome face.
This face, except for the one time he dealt with Pain, had rarely been shown to the outside world.
He only removed the bandages when he was with Ayame and at home.
Wearing them or not wearing them, both were troubles.
Especially these women, they were simply outrageous.
He had already told them he had a wife and children, yet they still pressed on.
He had no choice but to use his Body Flicker Technique to disappear from their sight.
"Eh, where did that handsome guy go?"
"I don't know, he just suddenly disappeared."
"No, I must find him. I can be a concubine."
…
"Let me tell you, my teacher back then was Team Leader Satoru, and I even learned one of his unique techniques, hehe."
In an izakaya, Mibu Shinobi boasted to his colleague while looking at a photo on the wall.
His teacher had achieved great success, and he felt honoured.
"Really?" his colleague asked in surprise.
"Of course, keep it low-key, low-key," Mibu Shinobi said with a grin, waving his hand.
"Then do you think Team Leader Satoru can defeat Uchiha Itachi?"
Team Leader Satoru, a title that had spread from who knows where, had become Satoru's nickname, just like the Sannin and Yellow Flash.
"Definitely."
"You're too confident. You know Uchiha Itachi is a Uchiha with the Sharingan! And he's a genius, becoming an Anbu squad leader at thirteen. Now, add another achievement: he slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan. You know the Uchiha Clan had many Jonin and countless Chunin."
"Hmph, what about the Sharingan? Against my teacher, he's bound to lose. Why did he choose to exterminate the clan when my teacher wasn't in the Village? It's because he was afraid of my teacher."
Mibu Shinobi was very confident in Satoru.
Even learning just a half-finished Pupil Setting Hand from his teacher had saved him a lot of trouble on missions, which showed how capable his teacher was.
"I see," his colleague suddenly realised.
He also recognised Satoru's strength.
…
Analysis Team.
"Seishimon, how dare you?" Dokuro looked at Seishimon, full of surprise.
"You mean that Team Leader Satoru thing? Why wouldn't I dare? I've made a name for Team Leader Satoru, and we've been calling him that privately for so long. As long as the whole Village knows, we can say it openly from now on."
Seishimon chuckled.
It turned out that the title of Team Leader Satoru was spread by him.
He certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
"You'd better pray for yourself. Team Leader Satoru is very petty," Dokuro told him.
That's right, Satoru was very petty about certain things.
All the colleagues in the Analysis Team knew it.
For example, if you called him Team Leader Satoru and he heard you, you never knew when you'd be subjected to his pranks.
For this reason, they didn't know how many times they had eaten Satoru's Fire of Eight Fragrances.
Dokuro was also very proud that Satoru had grown up under him. Now, he was not only the team leader but also a very powerful individual.
This reminded him of Satoru's naive appearance during the Third Shinobi World War, and his talent for learning the Mind Reading Technique in less than half a day.
He never expected him to hide so much and do so many things in Konoha.
Now, he was even going to be a key member in the pursuit of Uchiha Itachi.
If he weren't a member of the intelligence department, Dokuro would even suspect that the Third Hokage was no match for Satoru.
There were some things Seishimon didn't know, but he did.
The guy who was currently doting on his wife every day, even showing off to him that his child was about to be born, Seishimon, his mind was no longer on work.
"No fear, I've already captured his appearance pattern. He definitely won't know it was me who spread it."
Seishimon said confidently.
"Is that so?"
Behind him, Satoru tapped his shoulder and said coldly.