Afterward, Kyuushin began to stroll through the festival with Chie's family. Compared to him, Chie was much more familiar with Konoha, knowing exactly which snack shops had the best food and which stalls offered the most novel toys. Despite his repeated refusals, she insisted on filling his hands with various snacks.
Finally, they arrived at a mask stall.
"Kyuushin-kun, what kind of mask do you like?" Sachiko asked, her eyes scanning the vibrant display.
The stall was filled with mostly animal masks. Hearing Sachiko's question, he looked around and pointed. "That cat mask looks nice." It was a white cat mask, very delicately made.
"You like cats too?" Sachiko asked, a happy glint in her eyes.
Kyuushin then remembered that the Uchiha Clan had a connection with the ninja cat clans. Its members generally liked cats and were supposedly very good at raising them.
"Yes, I used to have a cat. This mask looks a bit like it," he said, a flicker of memory from his previous life passing through his mind. "Choose any masks you like. It's my treat," he offered.
Chie didn't stop him, so the two sisters also chose cat masks; one looked like a tabby, and the other had spots.
After buying the masks, Kyuushin decided to take his leave. It was getting late, and the crowds on the streets were beginning to thin.
"I'll be going to school tomorrow. See you then."
"Okay, see you at school tomorrow!" they bid him farewell.
In the following days, Kyuushin returned to his routine of school and training. Initially, his classmates showed him and Kushina rather strange looks, but after a few days, things basically returned to normal.
Besides school, he did not neglect his Monstrous Strength Fist training. However, in his normal state, he still couldn't use it. He could only practice for about ten minutes each day by activating his Gene Lock. The good news was that he was becoming more accustomed to the first stage. He believed that soon, the side effects would decrease to an acceptable level, and the duration would also become longer. Each time he activated the Gene Lock, he experienced that state of precise chakra control, and a trace of that feeling would always remain, leading to a significant improvement in his control even in his normal state. Although he still couldn't use the Monstrous Strength Fist without the Gene Lock, he felt he was already approaching the threshold Tsunade had mentioned. Once he crossed it, he would be able to use the most basic version of the technique, truly marking his entry into mastering it.
Additionally, there was the Body Flicker Technique that Orochimaru had given him. There are many types of Body Flicker. The most common version is one that most Chunin and above can master. Another type is based on Nature Transformation, such as Water or Lightning Body Flicker, which is much more difficult to learn but highly deceptive. The last type is the most mysterious: Space-Time Ninjutsu, which can be called instantaneous movement. The most famous is undoubtedly the Flying Thunder God Technique created by the Second Hokage.
The scroll Kyuushin possessed was for the most ordinary Body Flicker Technique. Its principle was simple: gather a certain amount of chakra at the soles of the feet and use the burst to achieve momentary high-speed movement. He had easily learned it in his Gene Lock state and could now use it normally, though it still needed more practice to accurately control the distance and apply it in actual combat.
As for the village, news had been constantly coming in during this period, mostly about Konoha destroying enemy strongholds. Initially, the Hidden Cloud Village reacted quite strongly, and other countries also showed signs of stirring, but after two or three days, the Land of Lightning also quieted down. Following their lead, the other major nations began to retract, dismantling their more overt outposts to avoid unnecessary casualties. It was clear that while the militant factions were rising, they were also rational. Without a clear leader, none wanted to be the first to provoke the Land of Fire.
The entire ninja world entered a strange period of calm, until another shocking piece of news arrived.
The Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning had been attacked. Half of the entire village was destroyed, and countless people were killed or injured. The Land of Lightning swiftly went into lockdown, recalling even the ninja guarding its borders.
Just as the entire ninja world was speculating about which force was responsible, the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village publicly issued a letter of condemnation, accusing Konoha of being responsible for everything. Konoha, for its part, showed no indulgence, directly sending back the Cloud's previous letter of denial, exactly as it was.
Hidden Cloud Village, nestled among towering, cloud-piercing mountains, was shrouded in mist, with the deafening roar of thunder echoing year-round. Originally, the First Raikage had chosen this location for its easily defensible and difficult-to-attack terrain. However, at this moment, the village was filled with lamentation. The right half had simply disappeared, leaving only a massive crater from an explosion. The other half had also suffered varying degrees of damage.
In the Raikage's office, the Third Raikage, his hair standing on end and arcs of electricity flickering around his body, furiously crushed the reply letter sent by Konoha. Still unsatisfied, he slammed his fist on the desk, instantly splitting it in two. A young man next to him seemed accustomed to this and skillfully instructed an Anbu to replace the desk.
Only after the Raikage's anger had subsided slightly did the man step forward. "We didn't catch Konoha with any concrete evidence in this incident, so their reply is not surprising."
"Dodai, are you saying we should just let this go?" The Raikage's anger reignited.
"What else can we do? Konoha possesses terrifying combat power. Even if we were to truly start a war, we probably wouldn't fare well. Moreover, our top priority now is to appease the morale of our own people. If another country were to take advantage of our misfortune at this time, we might be too preoccupied to deal with it," Dodai said calmly.
After a long silence, the Third Raikage spoke again. "Have you found any specific intelligence on the person who did this?"
Dodai shook his head. "There are no clues whatsoever, but I believe you also have your suspicions, Lord Raikage. In this world, to be able to wield the power of a Tailed Beast so wantonly, I believe there is no one else besides that person."
"The First Hokage's wife... It's laughable. We thought she had passed away long ago, which is why we approved the Land of Whirlpools plan. Unfortunately, not only did the plan fail, but we suffered such a major retaliation," the Third Raikage sighed.
"It wasn't entirely without gain. We were fortunate to capture a fragment of the Uzumaki Clan's Four Symbols Seal. I believe that after our people study it, our ability to utilize the Tailed Beasts' power can advance further."
The Third Raikage nodded. "If we can also master the power of the Tailed Beasts, then we will have no need to fear them. That will be our time to counterattack. For now, we will follow your suggestion and lie low."