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"Thud."
Almost the instant he heard the intelligence from outside the door, Ōnoki, who had been floating in mid-air, suddenly dropped into his chair with a thud, his lower back aching.
However, with his eyes wide, he completely disregarded his physical discomfort, propping his hands on the table and demanding in disbelief:
"Who did you say?!"
"What intelligence was that?!"
The Rock Ninja who had entered from outside was startled by his Third Hokage's reaction and stammered out instinctively:
"Three days ago, Uchiha Madara attacked Konoha Village, and was killed on the spot by Sawara Kiri, a Konoha Ninja who arrived in time."
"This is a summary of the intelligence our spies collected nearby, as well as a series of photos taken in front of Konoha Village's gate."
His voice had barely faded when Ōnoki flew to him, tiptoeing on his short stature, and snatched all the intelligence and photos from his hand.
He first skimmed through them, reading ten lines at a glance, and then, with a heavy expression, carefully read through every single word.
He seemed to be frozen in place.
If one were to ask who among the currently living Ninja understood Uchiha Madara best, Ōnoki would certainly be among the top three.
As one ages, one experiences more things.
Unlike the arrogant youngsters of today, Ōnoki, who had lived through the era of Senju Hashirama, was one of the people who most clearly understood how outrageous those monsters of yesteryear truly were.
Once, when he and his teacher Mu went to Konoha for the Five Kage Summit, they were ambushed by Uchiha Madara.
In just a few short minutes, his teacher, who already had a considerable reputation throughout the Ninja World, was defeated by that man, a defeat he deeply resented, even using that humiliation as motivation to develop Dust Release, a Kekkei Genkai never before seen in the Ninja World.
Although Ōnoki, as a disciple, couldn't help much at the time, he had personally witnessed the power of Susanoo.
Even now, almost forty years later, a deep shadow still lingered in his heart.
But now, someone was telling him that even Uchiha Madara had been defeated?
The overly rapid influx of information almost made him forget the fact that the name Uchiha Madara had disappeared from the Ninja World for decades.
It was only in the next moment that he suddenly reacted, frowning tightly and muttering to himself:
"How is that possible?"
"This old man has been to the Valley of the End. After that battle, wasn't that fellow personally killed by the First Hokage?"
Hearing this, the Rock Ninja intelligence officer quickly added:
"According to the intelligence from Konoha, Uchiha Madara at that time should have been in an extremely old state, and only managed to temporarily regain his fighting strength through some special Ninjutsu."
"However…"
"However what?"
Looking at the stammering, unpromising young man opposite him, the already short-tempered Ōnoki frowned and stared at him.
The Rock Ninja struggled to pull at the corner of his mouth, gesturing to the bottommost image in the photos.
Ōnoki immediately flipped to the photos underneath, and his pupils instantly constricted.
It was a photo clearly taken from the Konoha Village perspective, but due to the angle, it formed a bottom-up overhead view. The sky was overcast, and dust spread everywhere.
However, at the center of that dust, a thousand-meter wooden giant statue, which gave off an extremely profound sense of oppression just by looking at the photo, suddenly entered Ōnoki's vision.
The moment he saw this Buddha statue, Ōnoki's breathing immediately became rapid.
Wood Release?!
Or was it the rumored ultimate secret of the First Hokage?
"What's going on?" He suddenly raised his head.
The Rock Ninja then whispered, adding: "According to intelligence from Konoha, Uchiha Madara should have mastered a part of the First Hokage's Ninjutsu through unknown means in his old age, and used this technique against Sawara Kiri."
"Then, he lost."
"…"
The moment he heard this result, Ōnoki's fingers couldn't help but tremble, and the intelligence and photos in his hand almost fell to the ground.
Uchiha Madara, also mastered Senju Hashirama's Wood Release ultimate secret?
What kind of terrifying monster must that be?
Even more outrageous, such a fellow was actually defeated by Sawara Kiri again??
Just coming to this conclusion, Ōnoki felt a dizzy spell in his mind, and his high blood pressure even made his body sway slightly.
"Gulp."
Finally, he swallowed with difficulty, his voice hoarse:
"What about Sawara Kiri?"
"Unknown."
The Rock Ninja intelligence officer said helplessly in a low voice: "After the battle ended, Sawara Kiri was escorted by the Konoha Three into the Konoha Hospital. Multiple Anbu squads were stationed there, and the defenses are very strict. Our personnel cannot infiltrate for now, so we temporarily cannot collect relevant intelligence."
"Not only us, but even the Konoha Ninja clans cannot collect relevant intelligence."
"Phew…"
Hearing this, Ōnoki finally let out a difficult breath.
He knew it.
If the combination of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama couldn't do anything to this young man, wouldn't the future Ninja World be completely controlled by him?
Now, after this battle, Konoha's top combatant is probably severely injured and will be unable to move for a long time, right?
However, Ōnoki's nerves immediately tensed up a bit more.
Now was not the time to be careless.
Or rather, there was no room for carelessness at all.
Regardless, the combat power displayed by Sawara Kiri had far exceeded his imagination.
If Ōnoki didn't have a clear concept of this young man's strength before, he now had a pretty good idea.
Contraction!
In recent years, Iwagakure's power must be fully contracted!
At the same time, he also needed to contact Konoha's Ninja clans more and establish connections with them—since the Konoha Three were wary of the Ninja clan system, it meant that their internal disagreements must be quite intense.
In addition, he had to gather the Jinchuriki and not let Roshi continue to do as he pleased.
In this brief moment, many of Ōnoki's pre-planned strategies were completely shattered, and at the same time, he firmly decided to strengthen cooperation with the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind.
Now, he could finally somewhat understand the heavy pressure those two young men were facing.
"Pass on my order."
Ōnoki took a deep breath, his expression solemn: "From now on, if you encounter Sawara Kiri during a mission, immediately abandon the mission. No pursuit will be made."
"If there is no hope of escape, you may surrender."
"Ah?"
The Rock Ninja intelligence officer was startled to hear this, but soon, after meeting Ōnoki's resolute gaze, he immediately lowered his head and responded:
"Yes!"
"Oh, right."
Mid-sentence, Ōnoki seemed to remember something and frowned: "Has the spatial Ninjutsu project team, which was prepared before, started yet?"
"This…"
The Rock Ninja was startled, and Kitsuchi next to him interjected: "Third Hokage, you haven't allocated the project funds yet, so it has only just begun, and the research personnel are not yet in place."
"Immediately allocate the funds!"
Ōnoki, who was usually stingy, suddenly became incredibly generous today.
After the Rock Ninja left, he stood with his hands behind his back, floating in the air, looking out at the Village nestled among the undulating mountains outside the window, his expression incredibly solemn.
If the Ninja World forty years ago belonged to the era of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
Then the next few decades should belong to the era of Sawara Kiri, right?
How infuriating!
Why do all these monstrous Ninja appear in Konoha?
At the same time, other Villages besides Konoha were also experiencing similar headaches.
Before this, everyone had no clear impression of Sawara Kiri's strength, so many people were devising various methods to deal with him.
But after this battle, even though it was not the other Villages that fought him, the heavy pressure truly weighed on the heart of every Ninja Village leader.
Sawara Kiri had become the true strongest in the Ninja World.
However, strong as he was.
The undercurrents beneath each Village, precisely because his reputation was established, became even more intense.
Various unseen cooperations and conflicts constantly arose underground.
"Is this, the battle scars of 'That Person'?"
Looking at the lake that was gradually accumulating from the rainwater, Kakashi, with his small face covered, held his father's hand and spoke in a daze.
Looking out, the Konoha gate, once surrounded by countless forests, was now completely empty.
The surrounding area, several kilometers, even tens of kilometers wide, had been flattened in the previous battle, turning into a scorched, solid ground, sinking unknown meters overall.
At this time, many Earth Release Ninja were busy building roads around both sides of this lake according to the construction plan, with people bustling everywhere.
Naturally, many Konoha villagers, like them, heard the news and came to the gate to watch.
"Yes, isn't it amazing?"
Sakumo reached out, stroked his son's silver hair, and said with a smile.
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to various places nearby: "That large lake was created by Wood Release, those other craters are the marks of Sawara and Madara's fight, and this scorched ground…"
Kakashi listened quietly, his mind constantly reconstructing the battle process between the two as his father spoke.
However, no matter how much he stretched his imagination, he found it difficult to understand how those huge craters, even deeper than Ninjutsu marks, were created with just fists and feet.
At this moment, Kakashi felt as if the Ninja worldview his father had built for him over the years was about to be distorted.
Is this still a Ninja?
"Father."
He raised his head, looking at his father, who still had some injuries, and asked softly, "Is that Sawara-kun not your disciple? Can you also achieve that level?"
"I can't do that."
Sakumo smiled gently, his large hand slowly stroking his head: "However, Kakashi is an amazing genius."
"If you keep working hard, you should be able to touch the edge of the realm that 'That Person' is in, right?"
"I will work hard."
Although he was a precocious child, after seeing such a scene, Kakashi still felt that his former horizons were too narrow.
So, the pinnacle of the Ninja World looks like this?
Kakashi's gaze towards the vast lake seemed to hold a silvery light, sparkling like stars.
Since Father said so, he can definitely reach that level too!
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard an excited shout from a distance:
"Kakashi!"
The moment he heard that voice, Kakashi, whose eyes had been sparkling just a moment ago, immediately dimmed, returning to his usual dead-fish eyes, and he turned his head to the side with a rather helpless expression.
Sure enough.
That idiot, Uchiha Obito, was rushing towards him like a little wild boar.
Before he even got close, he paused, and then suddenly showed a mocking expression, making a face: "Kakashi is still a child, needing to hold an adult's hand when going out!"
"Obito, you idiot!"
A vein immediately bulged on Kakashi's forehead.
Uchiha Obito, however, acted as if he had encountered something worth showing off, pointing at the large lake beside them and saying triumphantly: "You saw it, didn't you! This is the power of our Uchiha Clan!"
"We can make a lake on the ground in an instant!"
"Tsk."
Kakashi immediately curled his lips: "But 'That Person' was defeated by Sawara Kiri!"
"Sawara Kiri is Sawara Kiri, there's no comparison!"
"The one who made this lake used Wood Release, that's not the power of your Uchiha Clan!"
"Who said that? Uchiha Madara used it, didn't he!"
The two little ones bickered and chattered beside the lake.
Sakumo watched the two little ones with a gentle smile.
Only when he was with his peers would Kakashi show such a childlike expression.
Indeed.
He should let him stay in the Ninja Academy for a while longer and interact more with his friends.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed gazes sweeping over from around him, and subconsciously looked in the direction from which the gazes came.
Then, he saw a few children, about Kakashi's age, looking at him from not far away.
Quite sharp gazes.
Sakumo thought to himself and said to the two: "Kakashi, are those three over there also your classmates?"
"Ah! They're in our class!"
Before Kakashi could speak, Obito had already answered very enthusiastically: "I think they're called Zabuza, Suigetsu Hozuki, and Mei Terumī, right?"
"They're the kind of guys who like to be alone."
"Is that so."
Upon hearing this, Sakumo felt a little relieved and gently said to him: "Kakashi, please take good care of him at school, Obito."
"Of course!" Obito immediately wiped his nose triumphantly.
Kakashi muttered in a low voice: "I don't need this idiot to take care of me!"
"Huh? Who's the idiot!"
"I'm talking about you, dead last!"
"Damn it—!"
Sakumo's smile remained gentle: "If you have free time, make friends with those children too."
"Speaking of which, if you are excellent enough, when your class graduates, Sawara-kun might even become your squad leader."
"Eh?!"
"Really!!"
Upon hearing this, both Kakashi and Obito's eyes widened.
After the previous battle, Sawara Kiri had completely become the greatest hero in the hearts of everyone in Konoha.
Naturally, he was also one of the most admired people among the children.
"Then it's up to your efforts."
At the same time.
The great hero, celebrated throughout Konoha, was still lying in the hospital room, having just woken up not long ago.
In the hospital room, the empty space around the edges was filled with flowers and various gifts and snacks, half the room was piled full.
Yuki was sitting by the bedside, holding a bowl of meat porridge she had cooked at home, holding the bowl with one hand and a small spoon with the other, gently blowing on it:
"Ah."
"Ah~"
Sawara Kiri obediently opened his mouth, the porridge was just the right temperature.
At this time, many parts of his body were still wrapped in bandages, and the injury to his right hand was particularly severe; an entire piece of skin and a small portion of muscle had been removed, and after a major surgery, it was wrapped up like a zongzi, completely unable to move.
Looking at her elder brother in this state, Yuki was both heartbroken and displeased, muttering softly: "Next time something like this happens, Kiri can't take it on alone."
"Konoha isn't without other Ninja."
"It's too dangerous."
"That was Uchiha Madara, there's nothing shameful about fighting together with everyone."
"Yes, yes~"
Sawara Kiri obediently responded, slowly eating his porridge.
Although they were all Ninja, it was clear that Yuki had a very distinct internal and external distinction in her heart.
When she heard at the medical station that Kiri was seriously injured, she felt as if her whole world had collapsed, but fortunately, after a careful examination, it was confirmed that there was no life-threatening danger.
Otherwise, she really wouldn't know what to do.
Just thinking about it now gives her psychological trauma.
Sawara Kiri understood that this was Yuki's angry talk and naturally didn't take it to heart.
Both siblings were Ninja, so they naturally knew what kind of life Ninja lived—not to mention himself, Yuki had also experienced many life-and-death situations on the battlefield.
Seeing him like this, Yuki knew that her idiotic elder brother hadn't listened at all, and she could only sigh helplessly.
After all, being a Ninja is just such a profession.
"Thump."
However, just as she sighed, she got a punch on the head.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Yuki turned her head angrily, only to see Tsunade had entered the hospital room at some point, "Go, lunch break is over, I'm going to check on the patient's condition."
"Eh—?!"
"It's only been twenty minutes!"
"I'm in charge here at the hospital!"
In a short while, Yuki was driven out, full of frustration.
Sawara Kiri watched her retreating figure and smiled helplessly.
The work of a Medical Chunin is also very hard.
Tsunade casually sat down beside him, saw the porridge bowl on the counter, naturally picked it up, and fed him a spoonful: "How's your recovery now?"
"Actually, it's almost done. In another two days, after my Chakra recovers completely, I should be fully healed with my own Reversal Technique."
"Ah-mmmph."
As he was speaking, he was fed another bite.
Then he suddenly reacted, his gaze somewhat surprised as he looked at the gentle Tsunade.
Did the sun rise from the west today?
Seemingly annoyed by his gaze, Tsunade's eye twitched: "What kind of expression is that? I also started as a grassroots doctor!"
Although that was almost twenty years ago.
"That's not it." Sawara Kiri retorted seriously, "It's just that Lady Tsunade's shampoo smells very nice today, and her earrings are very pretty."
Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then let out a light snort, a faint smile unconsciously appearing on her face, and she scooped another spoonful to his mouth:
"You brat."
"Things outside are in a mess because of you, and you still have time to notice that."
"Yesterday even the Daimyo sent people to visit, but I personally turned them away."
"Eh?"
Sawara Kiri was a little confused: "What else could happen to me?"
Tsunade chuckled: "Do you know how much your bounty is on the underground bounty exchange after the previous battle?"
"Five hundred million ryo."
"Someone actually dares to put a bounty on me?" Sawara Kiri was both annoyed and amused.
"There are too many ignorant people in this world."
Tsunade said, gently putting the spoon into his mouth: "According to the Anbu's investigation, it seems to be a small organization called Kara that issued the bounty."
"They haven't been traced yet."
"Jiraiya has already started sending people to investigate."
Upon hearing this, Sawara Kiri was stunned.
Kara?
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