Listening to Minato's inquiry, the Anbu was slightly taken aback by the directness of the question. Steadying himself, he quickly responded with a respectful bow.
"Report," Minato instructed, his tone calm but authoritative.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the Anbu replied. "They have not attacked the tailed beasts recently, nor have they contacted the Kages, Nobles, or the Daimyo of other great powers. For the time being, they're focused on the underground gold exchange. For instance, they're taking on bounty tasks and other missions to gather funds."
Minato listened attentively to Anbu's analysis, his sharp mind processing the information quickly. He nodded thoughtfully. "It seems they haven't officially launched their operations yet. Whatever their target, they currently need a significant amount of ryō," he mused aloud, his brow furrowing in contemplation.
The Anbu, sensing Minato's train of thought, added, "Yes, Hokage-sama. They are prioritizing these bounty missions to build their resources."
"I see," Minato said, his expression firming with resolve. "Continue monitoring them closely and ensure you aren't discovered. We need to know their every move before they can act."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the Anbu affirmed with a determined nod. His mission clear, he dissolved into a cloud of smoke, disappearing from the spot as swiftly as he had appeared.
Road to Ninja: Tsunade's World
"Tsugi no mai: Hakuren!" Tsunade chanted, her voice resonating with authority and strength.
Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, heralding an impending cold. The warm summer air was swiftly replaced by a biting chill, transforming the battlefield into a realm of ice and snow. The sudden drop in temperature enveloped the area in a frosty embrace.
Her opponent, the Two-Tailed Beast, was now immobilized, encased in a massive ice sculpture. This majestic and formidable creature, once revered and feared, was rendered motionless. The prolonged battle had drained its chakra significantly. Seizing this opportunity, Tsunade unleashed her ice powers, freezing the beast completely.
"Just as expected of Lady Tsunade! That's incredible!" exclaimed Shizune accompanying her. Her voice echoed with awe and admiration, astonished by the sheer display of strength. Tsunade's power far surpassed her wildest expectations. Confronting this tailed beast alone, she exhibited neither pressure nor injury, a testament to her unparalleled abilities.
"Is this the power of the Konoha's Hokage?" murmured Kiri ninja, their eyes wide with reverence as they gazed upon Tsunade.
Tsunade, maintaining her calm and composed demeanor, surveyed the frozen-tailed beast. "It can't run now," she stated matter-of-factly, as she sheathed her Zanpakutō. "Alright, let's take it back to Konoha. Summon the sealing team and ensure they exercise utmost caution."
As she spoke, she felt the surge of power coursing through her veins, a reminder of her strength and endurance. The series of recent battles had not diminished her formidable nature but had instead honed her skills further.
With her orders given, the other ninjas sprang into action, their respect for Tsunade evident in their swift compliance. They knew they were in the presence of a true leader, a Hokage whose strength was unmatched and whose resolve was unwavering.
Tsunade found that her use of the Zanpakutō became increasingly fluid and intuitive. It felt as if this blade had been bound to her soul from the very beginning. This sensation was both strange and deep.
Watching the sealing team busily working to seal the tailed beast, Tsunade knew she could not afford to be lost in thought. She focused her mind and addressed her team.
"We need to speed up our efforts to capture the other-tailed beasts," she declared. "We don't know when someone else will start to capture the tail beasts too. We cannot allow them to take advantage of us!"
Uchiha Madara's World
Last time, Uchiha Madara easily captured the One-Tail. After being ruthlessly beaten by him, the One-Tail was left in severe pain and dared not speak nonsense again, becoming as docile as a kitten.
Now, Madara was preparing to move on. There were still many tailed beasts that needed to be captured. His recent visit to Naruto's world had stirred something within him, an inexplicable sense of urgency.
"Ōtsutsuki," Madara mused to himself. "I wonder what the strength of those aliens in my world will be like?"
One thing he knew for certain was that while many Hokage worlds were similar, each was unique in its own way. This uniqueness meant that the Ōtsutsuki clan in his world could potentially be more powerful than those in other worlds.
With this thought, Madara felt his anxiety intensify. He had to act quickly.
"Hurry up!" he commanded himself, driven by the urgency of the looming threat and the need to secure the remaining tailed beasts.
Sixth Hokage Kakashi's World
In this world, the level of science and technology has been developing rapidly. As it is the timeline closest to Naruto's seventh Hokage world, its technological advancements are naturally much higher than in many other Hokage worlds. After the last meteorite event, Kakashi has been at the forefront of advancing technology.
Returning from the Naruto world, Kakashi observed the technological progress in his world and was slightly surprised. "Naruto's world... on the surface, it doesn't seem much different from the level of technological development in my world," he mused. "But in reality, there are quite a few differences. I need to continue to pay close attention."
Kakashi knew that, among the many Kage, his strength was often considered among the weakest. He had joined the chat group relatively late, and in various rankings, he was rarely in the top few. More often, he found himself either at the bottom or in the middle, never earning significant rewards. This was a source of frustration for him.
As a result, Kakashi now found himself without any special rewards, a situation that pained him deeply. Determined to improve, he resolved to focus on the technological advancements and strategic developments necessary to elevate his standing and better protect his world.
There are only a few items that are uniformly rewarded, such as Ultra Divine Water and Senzu beans. Another crucial aspect is the points obtained by participating in the world missions in other worlds. These points provided Kakashi with some consolation.
Except for the top three Hokages, the rest received almost the same amount of points. After completing two missions, he had accumulated about 300,000 points. These points should be sufficient for him to exchange for a decent ability and raise his strength.
Kakashi decided that he needed to find an ability that suited him and redeem it in the store. Ryan and the others were already strong enough, able to accumulate points and exchange them for more powerful items. However, Kakashi couldn't do that just yet. He needed to improve his strength first to become more formidable in the future.
The World of Ryan
At the periphery of Konoha, three very distinctive figures appeared: Kinshiki, Momoshiki, and Urashiki. As soon as they arrived, they immediately looked toward the Konoha's Hokage's office from a distance.
"The guy over there... seems quite powerful," Momoshiki remarked after sensing the area for a moment.
Hearing this, the other two were taken aback. What? This is supposed to be a place for inferior lifeforms, yet their master acknowledged someone's strength. This was unprecedented. After all, they are members of the Ōtsutsuki clan, claiming to be gods. To them, humans are insignificant. For Momoshiki to make such a statement indicated that this human was indeed noteworthy.
"Forget it. Let's not enter this territory for now. Let's catch the tailed beast first," Momoshiki decided. He could sense the presence of tailed beasts within Konoha. However, for some reason, he instinctively didn't want to head directly to the city in front of him.
"Let's start somewhere else," he suggested.
After hearing Momoshiki's decision, the other two had no objections. The three figures then disappeared together.
After they left, a ninjutsu resembling an eyeball appeared on the spot, only to break and vanish shortly after. What the three Ōtsutsuki members didn't realize was that Konoha's defense had become significantly tighter with technological advancements. They had been spotted as soon as they appeared.