"We were originally engaged in battle with the Hidden Rock Squad led by Kitsuchi, but suddenly, a mysterious person clad in a black robe with Three Tomoe Sharingan appeared..."
Mokgetsu focused on recounting the key points of their encounter today.
He didn't elaborate on the battle's details, merely mentioning that the ninja suspected to be Uchiha Madara was adept at Fire Release, and he briefly described Susanoo's size.
"Uchiha Madara, could it really be him?" Despite the report being from Mokgetsu, Jiraiya's first reaction was still doubt.
Since this information truly defies logic.
The one who originally brought the news of Uchiha Madara's death was none other than the God of Ninjas, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who personally claimed he had killed Uchiha Madara.
Could Senju Hashirama have been lying? As a Konoha Ninja, Jiraiya felt Senju Hashirama had no reason to lie.
Senju Hashirama didn't need to use lies to enhance his reputation and accomplishments; he was already at the pinnacle.
So, did Senju Hashirama deliberately let Uchiha Madara go, falsely claiming to have killed him so Konoha wouldn't pursue him?
That's unlikely, as Uchiha Madara once made harsh threats to destroy Konoha, which is an unforgivable crime to the Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
Just considering Jiraiya himself, even if Tsunade were to threaten to destroy Konoha and oppose it, if the mission fell to him, he would still painfully kill Tsunade.
It's not because Tsunade doesn't matter to him, but because Konoha is more important to him than himself, than anything else.
Jiraiya didn't believe that Senju Hashirama, who created Konoha, would love it any less than he did.
Still, when Jiraiya thought deeply about it, if this Uchiha wasn't Uchiha Madara, then who else could it be?
Even if Mokgetsu didn't describe the battle process, Jiraiya could deduce the opponent's complexity from Mokgetsu's somewhat embarrassed appearance.
Currently, the Uchiha Clan in Konoha definitely doesn't have such a strong individual.
"Mokgetsu, let me have a look at the body." Jiraiya pondered and said.
He had never seen Uchiha Madara himself but had seen portraits.
Mokgetsu nodded, took out a Scroll, and released Uchiha Madara's body, with Tobi's body already removed beforehand.
Looking at the face full of wrinkles and loose skin, Jiraiya was momentarily stunned.
This was too old; he couldn't see this being the Uchiha Madara who could rival the God of Ninjas.
However, Jiraiya didn't immediately deny the identity of the body; so aged yet capable of making Mokgetsu so disheveled further proves his strength.
"I'll report to the higher-ups; Mokgetsu, you shouldn't take your team out for actions for now." Jiraiya turned his gaze from the body to Mokgetsu and said.
No matter who this body belongs to, one thing is certain now – there are forces watching Konoha from the shadows.
Mokgetsu nodded.
This time, both he and his disciples had gained considerably; taking time to rest, organize their gains, and adjust their state would be better.
...
Ten minutes after Mokgetsu and his team withdrew, several Hidden Rock ninjas quietly arrived at the battlefield, which had been devastated beyond recognition.
They were the squad left behind by Kitsuchi to scout the situation; watching from afar as the blue giant disappeared, they thought the battle might be over and came to investigate.
Upon seeing the battlefield, the Hidden Rock ninjas collectively gasped.
The surface was filled with pits of varying sizes and depths, some spanning over a hundred meters wide, resembling footprints left by giant beasts.
The Hidden Rock ninjas walked on this horrifying battlefield, where stones and soil mixed, forming jagged obstacles everywhere; shredded vegetation was scattered, with dead branches and leaves covered by a thick layer of ash, recording the ruthless devastation of flames.
Soon, they also saw charred trenches and blue flames still burning on the ground, not extinguished.
"Can humans cause such destruction? Aren't those two guys too exaggerated?" The Hidden Rock ninjas couldn't help but marvel at the battle marks on the battlefield.
Although they didn't witness Mokgetsu and Uchiha Madara's battle, just the sight of these scars was enough to understand that calling them strong was insufficient; they were monsters.
"Simply cannot determine which side won based on these alone," the Hidden Rock Jonin murmured with a frown.
Mokgetsu and Uchiha Madara were immensely strong; it was unclear whether Uchiha Madara was an enemy or ally, but Mokgetsu from Konoha was certainly an enemy to the Hidden Rock.
If Mokgetsu won, then the Hidden Rock should either retreat and await support or directly return to the Land of Earth.
With the current number in the Land of Grass, they couldn't deal with the Konoha Ninja Squad, even Mokgetsu alone could encircle a thousand-level ninja squad, and Jiraiya wasn't easy to handle either.
If Uchiha Madara won, then this might be the perfect time for the Hidden Rock to strike.
"Captain, it seems there are no Konoha ninja bodies here; instead, there are some Hidden Rock ninja bodies." A Hidden Rock ninja reported his findings to the Hidden Rock Jonin after searching.
The Hidden Rock Jonin's frown deepened, which wasn't good news, basically confirming Konoha's victory.
Because if Uchiha Madara had won, he wouldn't have a reason to only deal with Konoha ninja bodies and ignore the Hidden Rock.
"Continue searching." The Hidden Rock Jonin ordered.
Konoha's victory doesn't necessarily mean Mokgetsu won outright; there could be mutual destruction or both sides withdrew injured.
Soon, they discovered traces of the Konoha team's withdrawal, proving that many Konoha ninjas survived indeed.