Iwagakure was ultimately unable to catch up with a Kage-Level powerhouse that no longer had any burdens and was intent on leaving. A group of Iwa-nin, including Kitsuchi, all chose to return the same way they had come, with sad faces and emotions of loss or unwillingness.
It wasn't that they didn't want to continue chasing, if they could, they would be willing to chase until they were exhausted before stopping. It was really because Chiyo was so fast that she was able to run, and in just half an hour, she had to run to the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds. If they continued to chase, they would enter the territory of Sand Hidden Leaf.
By then, it would not be Chiyo, a Sunagakure ninja, who would be caught in an encirclement, but them, the Iwagakure ninja.
To be on the safe side, even though Kitsuchi was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to order a retreat before reaching the border with the Land of Wind.
"Damn it, this old woman is really too strong. Just me and my compatriots here are not enough to stop her. If only my father or the other two Jinchuuriki were here, with the help of one of them, I'm sure I could have stopped her."
Kitsuchi watched the rapidly disappearing figure of Chiyo, thinking with a face full of unwillingness.
However, he knew that this was impossible. His father, Onoki, as the Tsuchikage, usually had to sit in the headquarters, because Kumogakure in the northeast had always coveted Iwa-nin's rich mineral resources and had been stationing troops along the border. They might attack one day on their own initiative. And once they found out that his father had left the Land of Earth, the black barbarians, who liked to take advantage of a situation to loot, would definitely attack immediately in a major way.
The two Jinchuuriki were Iwagakure's strategic weapons, and it was unlikely that they could leave Iwagakure so easily.
In the final analysis, it is because they have too few Kage-Level powerhouses in Iwagakure, and there are basically no Kage-Level powerhouses that they can mobilize at ordinary times.
"I'm afraid I'll get another lecture when I go back this time. If only I could break through to the Kage-Level..."
At the thought of the six Jōnin and a considerable number of Chūnin that were lost this time, and that he would definitely be lectured when he went back, the Kitsuchi's face grew more and more unpleasant.
The Kage-Level has always been his goal, but he has been stuck at the elite Jōnin rank for a long time and has never been able to make further progress.
It's not that he hasn't worked hard enough, it's just that apart from Earth Release jutsu, his talent for training in other jutsu is mediocre. Coupled with the fact that Iwa-nin also lacks the inheritance of other jutsu besides Earth Release, it's just too difficult for him to make further progress.
In fact, he hasn't failed to find a way to make further progress, it's just that it's just too difficult.
He has coveted the power of Bloodline Limits for a long time, but unfortunately he has never been able to successfully fuse Earth Release Chakra with Chakra of other attributes.
If he could master the power of the Bloodline Limit, he would definitely be able to cross the chasm from Jōnin to the Shadow level.
"After I go back this time, I will work hard to practice Fire Release. If that doesn't work, I will go and ask the grumpy old Roshi for advice, and ask him how he cultivated his Melt Release."
Kitsuchi quietly made up his mind.
His father's back was getting more and more bent. Although he didn't have any talent in management and wasn't cut out to be the Tsuchikage, at least he had to give his father and Iwagakure enough support in terms of strength.
He, Kitsuchi, is the son of the Tsuchikage and enjoys the generous treatment of Iwagakure. He has grown up smoothly all the way to this point and must work hard to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Iwagakure.
Not long after Kitsuchi made his resolution, Kuroiwa, the Perception-type ninja by his side, suddenly said, "Lord Kitsuchi, someone is approaching us quickly. The direction is over there."
As he spoke, he pointed his finger towards the east.
Kitsuchi and the other Iwa-nin all became alert, and their gazes all looked in the direction Kuroiwa was pointing.
Soon, a familiar figure that did not make a good impression on them appeared before their eyes.
It was that cunning Ame-Nin Hattori Masanari.
This detestable fellow had taken one of their spoils not long ago, and now he had the nerve to show his face in front of them.
Some of the Iwa-nin, who were in a bad mood and had short tempers, immediately became agitated and wanted to take out their anger on this detestable Ame-Nin.
They were not afraid of this Ame-Nin now, because this was no longer the Land of Rain.
Even though Hattori Masanari had just now demonstrated a decent level of wind release ninjutsu, so what? He was still no match for them and could only be bullied.
"What are you doing? This guy is annoying, but he's not our enemy. Don't go making enemies for the village willy-nilly."
Kitsuchi sensed that his subordinates wanted to take action against the Kirito character playing Hattori Masanari, and immediately scolded them.
Kitsuchi had been keeping a close eye on the village's plan to use Hattori Masanari to divide Amegakure and open up the market in the Land of Rain.
That was why he had not confronted Kirito when he had snatched the red sand.
"But this guy is definitely trying to take advantage of us Iwagakure again. Lord Kitsuchi, we can't let this Ame-Nin get away with it."
"That's right, this guy previously slipped away during the trade, leaving us to fight the people of the Sunagakure alone, and then he jumped in the middle to grab our spoils. It's really annoying."
"Kitsuchi-sama, just give the order and let me take back the spoils from this annoying Ame-Nin."
...
Kitsuchi's failure to chase after the Sunagakure this time had obviously damaged his prestige in the team, and some Iwagakure refused to listen to him, shouting angrily.
"Shut up! Working with Hattori Masanari is the village's decision. Are you all going to disobey the Tsuchikage's orders?"
Kitsuchi could see that things were about to get out of hand, so he decisively brought up his father to suppress these troublemakers.
Onoki, the Sandaime Tsuchikage who single-handedly ushered in the era of prosperity of Iwagakure, was still very prestigious in the hearts of the Iwa-nin.
Kitsuchi, the son of the Tsuchikage, moved his father, the Tsuchikage, and the discordant voices in the group immediately disappeared.
Kitsuchi's face, the other Iwa-nin can not give, but the Tsuchikage's face, they must give.
Since it is the Tsuchikage's idea, they will temporarily endure it.
"These guys are starting to disobey, what a nuisance."
Kitsuchi saw the discordant voices in the group disappear, and cursed in his heart, quietly remembering the few guys who disagreed with him.
It's true that he is honest and simple-minded, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. He just doesn't think fast enough, but he will figure it out.
Similarly, he also holds a grudge.
He had just suffered a defeat, and these guys immediately jumped out, which was even more detestable than Hattori Masanari.
Without any interference from the others, Kitsuchi had someone bring Kirito over.
"Mr. Kitsuchi, now that the troublemakers have gone, can our transaction begin again?"
Kirito smiled fearlessly in the face of the cold stares of the Iwa-nin, and then said to the leader, Kitsuchi.
"Hasn't our transaction already ended, Mr. Hattori?"
Kitsuchi sneered.
For the sake of the village, although he had no intention of turning his back on the guy in front of him, he could not let Kirito continue to take advantage. He had to take the initiative in this transaction and get more.
"Not really. To be precise, our transaction was only half-way through when it was interrupted by the people from Sunagakure. To be honest, I really didn't think that the people from Sunagakure would know where our transaction was taking place, and I never expected that Chiyo, the famous Kage-Level powerhouse, would come in person. Fortunately, I was cautious and only sent out a shadow clone to conduct the transaction, otherwise I would not be able to see you, Mr. Kitsuchi, and the esteemed Iwa-nin ninjas right now."
Kirito stated the facts with a face of helplessness.
After he finished speaking, he still had a look of fear on his face, touching his heart with his hand.
Kirito's words, and the slightly exaggerated expressions and actions, were extremely heartbreaking to Kitsuchi and the rest of the Iwa-nin.
How could Kitsuchi and the others not hear the innuendo in Kirito's words?
Kirito was clearly accusing them of Iwagakure's poor secrecy, which allowed Sunagakure to disrupt the transaction.
The responsibility for the failure of this transaction rested entirely with them, Iwagakure.
Although Kitsuchi and the others felt very, very unhappy when they heard this, the facts were right in front of them, and any rebuttal would be futile.
In this matter, their Iwagakure did have to bear the brunt of the blame.
However, Hattori Masanari had only sent a shadow clone to trade with their Iwagakure, which clearly showed that he did not trust or respect them.
And after the trade had gone sour, he had simply slipped away, not helping immediately, and then jumped in to reap the rewards.
If this Ame-Nin was willing to step forward and help when they were in the Land of Rain, there would have been far fewer casualties among their countrymen.
All of this is the fault of this despicable Ame-Nin.
"Those bastards from Sunagakure came out to cause trouble, so of course we had to fight them off together. You, on the other hand, were content to just stand by and watch as we fought with Sunagakure, even after your shadow clone was destroyed. And now you have the nerve to accuse us, Iwagakure, of something?"
"Hattori Masanari, if you don't give us Iwagakure a satisfactory explanation, don't even think that we Iwagakure will let you Amegakure off the hook."
"You despicable guy, you'd better straighten your attitude, you're not qualified to trade fairly with us Iwagakure right now."
...
Before Kitsuchi could launch an accusation at Kirito, many Iwa-nin couldn't help but jump out and start cursing at Kirito.
"Kitsuchi-san, is this the attitude of your Iwagakure? To be honest, I don't know why your Iwagakure is angry. I'm all alone, and your Iwagakure and Sunagakure have a lot of people. If an Ame-Nin joins in alone, no one will even bat an eyelid if they die. And as for the matter of retrieving the trophy of red sand, I was just returning it to its owner. Your Iwagakure didn't catch him, so you think he's yours? Are you Iwagakure too domineering? To be honest, you should be thanking me for creating the opportunity for you to destroy the Chiyo puppet. If I hadn't successfully defeated those two Sunagakure puppet masters again, Chiyo might have returned safely to the Land of Wind with her son and daughter-in-law."
Kirito's expression immediately turned from bright to dark upon hearing these insults from the former Iwa-nin, and he sneered as he seriously tried to reason with them.
Unfortunately, he was serious about reasoning, and the Iwa-nin, who were already in a bad mood, were unwilling to reason with him.
After he finished saying these somewhat heartrending words, some of the Iwa-nin could no longer hold back their emotions and suddenly attacked Kirito.
They all used the collective Earth Release ninjutsu technique, Earth Release: Rock Gun technique, on Kirito at the same time.
More than ten huge rock projectiles shot towards Kirito.
Kirito was about to defend himself when a thick wall of earth appeared in front of him, blocking all the incoming rock projectiles.
"Who told you to attack? Without my order, anyone who dares to attack again will be treated as a traitor to the village,"
Kitsuchi promptly used Earth Release: Earth Style Wall to block his fellow villagers' attacks on Kirito, and scolded them angrily with a red face.
These guys are really jerks, attacking without his orders. If this really causes conflict between Iwagakure and Amegakure, it'll be a major disaster for the village.
Hattori Masanari is not the kind of ninja that Iwagakure can easily manipulate. Once they attack, it's possible that the little relationship that was so carefully built up will immediately break down, and then the cooperation with Iwagakure will be cancelled.
Sunagakure is a warning, and Hattori Masanari has the guts to do it, as evidenced by the fact that he is now offending Sunagakure to death.
Iwagakure cannot follow the same path as Sunagakure.
Moreover, these guys are really getting more and more unruly. His team leader is still alive, but they already don't take him, the son of Tsuchikage, seriously.
The Iwa-nin who made the move were loudly rebuked by Kitsuchi, and the expressions on their faces all became a bit unnatural. Some of them were even a bit unconvinced.
However, Kitsuchi, the team leader, had now come forward to help Kirito out of the situation, and obviously would not support their actions or the warning they had just received. They had no choice but to give up on continuing their attack on Kirito.
"The ninja in your village really do have short tempers. This time I'll let it go, but next time it won't be as good. I might not be able to see it, but I will fight back when in danger."
Kirito saw this and said coldly, staring at the Iwa-nin who had just attacked him with murderous intent.
Kirito's murderous intent was certainly not comparable to that of Hanzo, a Kage-Level powerhouse who had killed countless enemies. However, the White Zetsu clone was now considered a Kage-Level powerhouse after all, and he had even defeated Kakuzu, so his murderous intent was not ordinary at all.
These people felt as if they had returned to their childhood when they were stared at by a terrifying beast. They felt cold all over and could not help but take a few steps back in fear as they were stared at by Kirito's White Zetsu clone with murderous intent.
"Enough, Hattori-san, I think you want to maintain friendly relations with Iwagakure. Please don't do anything to hurt our friendship. From what you just said, it's true that our transaction is not yet complete, so let's complete this transaction as soon as possible."
Seeing this, Kitsuchi took the initiative to walk forward, block Kirito's line of sight, and said with a serious expression.
Kirito heard this and glanced at Kitsuchi, his cold expression melting away instantly, the murderous intent in his eyes disappearing as he smiled and said, "Of course, I, Hattori Masanari, would love to maintain a good friendship with Iwagakure. Then Mr. Kitsuchi, you come with me, a lonely man, and I will definitely not let you down."
"No, Lord Kitsuchi, it's too dangerous for you to go with him alone,"
Kuroiwa shouted out the next moment.
The other Iwa-nin also agreed, not wanting Kitsuchi to go with Kirito alone.
"Kitsuchi-san, now is the time to show your friendship with Iwagakure and me. You don't think I would harm the son of the Tsuchikage, do you?"
Kirito said with a smile to Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi heard what Kirito said and after a moment of silence, he turned to the other Iwa-nin and said, "Wait here for my return. No one is allowed to follow."
They were not afraid of Hattori Masanari playing any tricks, nor were they afraid of Amegakure behind him.
Although he is the son of a wealthy family, he is not a coward. Last time, due to the feelings of his subordinates, he let them follow, and Hattori Masanari also yielded under the awe of their Iwagakure.
But this time, because of some idiots, the Ame-Nin in front of him obviously does not intend to tolerate it again.
In order to allow the village to successfully complete the cooperation with Hattori Masanari, what does it matter if he, Kitsuchi, takes a risk?
The other Iwa-nin saw that Kitsuchi had really agreed to Kirito's request to go to the trade alone, and they wanted to continue persuading him, but when they saw Kitsuchi's serious expression and gaze, they had to swallow their words and watch as Kitsuchi and Kirito left.
After a while, Kitsuchi and Kirito arrived at a cave, where they saw Akashige, who had had his limbs severed and whose condition was unknown.
Kirito pointed at Chisa and said, "Don't worry, the person is still alive. I myself know a little medical ninjutsu, and his condition is not bad at the moment. You will be able to bring him back alive without a problem."
Kitsuchi would not believe Kirito's words alone. He decisively went up to check Chisa's condition, and was convinced only after confirming that his life was not in danger and that his breathing was normal.
"Take it, this is the remaining part of the transaction. I hope you can understand that our friendship with Iwagakure is very precious,"
Kitsuchi looked at Akashige on the ground, thought about it for a moment, then took out a scroll from his body and handed it to Kirito, before managing to force a smile.
In this transaction, their Iwagakure has suffered quite a loss. Not to mention that Sara, the elite Sunagakure puppet master obtained in the transaction, was taken back by Sunagakure, and many people were lost in the process of the pursuit.
Now they are trading the scroll with an S-rank jutsu.
Kitsuchi felt very frustrated.
Although it had been agreed from the start that this scroll with the S-rank jutsu would be the bargaining chip, they had previously had the opportunity to obtain it for free from Iwagakure, only for the abominable Ame-Nin in front of them to take it back.
However, no matter what, the old man had successfully completed the task he had been given.
"Don't worry, I, Hattori Masanari, have seen the sincerity and friendship of Iwagakure for myself, and I will be more than happy to cooperate with Iwagakure in the future if the opportunity arises."
Kirito naturally knew what Iwagakure wanted. He took the scroll, opened it to check that the contents were genuine, and then decisively drew a big fat picture of himself happily cooperating with Iwagakure for Kitsuchi to eat.
Kitsuchi was quite satisfied with what he saw. He finally broke into a genuine smile at Kirito's compliance, nodded, and said, "Then I hope we have a pleasant cooperation in the future."
After saying this, he took the initiative to extend a hand to Kirito.
Kirito immediately reached out and shook hands with him, beaming and saying, "Of course, of course."
Kitsuchi was a man of swift action. After he got what he wanted from Kirito, he immediately left with his captive, Akashige.
Kirito stayed where he was, watching Kitsuchi leave, and once he was completely out of sight, he suddenly said, "He's gone far away."
The next moment, Hanzo of the Salamander immediately poked his head out of a nearby puddle.
"Why didn't you attack Chiyo just now, Hanzo? With your skills, you were capable of leaving that damned old woman behind if you had acted earlier,"
Kirito said with a stern face as soon as he saw Hanzo of the Salamander.
He was very unhappy about missing the opportunity to kill Chiyo, and even though he understood Hanzo's difficulties, he still wanted to scold him a little.
"Masashi, I know you have a deep grudge against Chiyo, but you also have to consider the current capabilities of the Amegakure. It is not advisable for us to have a serious conflict with the Sunagakure for the time being. Sunagakure is currently at war with Konoha and is temporarily unable to take action against us. However, once the war ends, that is not certain. If you think about it calmly, you will definitely understand my difficulties."
Hanzo heard this and smiled bitterly.
Of course he wanted to strike and kill this formidable enemy, but the weak Amegakure behind him really made him afraid to easily kill Chiyo.
Chiyo was the wife of the first Kazekage, an important Kage-Level powerhouse of the Sunagakure, and the leader of the martial arts faction of the Sunagakure.
If he killed Chiyo, then the Amegakure would definitely go to war with the Sunagakure.
In the past, he would have done it without a second thought, but now he couldn't. He had learned from Hattori Masanari about the hidden dangers of Amegakure and the Land of Rain and the current situation. He really didn't dare to easily drag Amegakure and the Land of Rain into war again.
"Alas, it's a pity. I don't think I'll be able to find such a good opportunity to kill that old woman again in the future. After all, she doesn't have any other sons."
Kirito sighed, his face showing a look of regret.
In order to maintain Hattori Masanari's persona, he had to generously let bygones be bygones and let Hanzo off lightly for his lack of support.
"That's not the way to put it. This old woman has now lost five Puppets of Chikamatsu's 10 Puppets, and her combat effectiveness has dropped by at least 30%. And these Puppets are not easy to replace. With the capabilities of the Sunagakure, it would take would require a major overhaul, and with the capabilities of the Sunagakure, it would be impossible to replenish them in a short period of time. In the future, if she encounters me again without the help of these puppets, my chances of defeating her will increase by at least 20%. If she doesn't watch her step and come looking for trouble in the Land of Rain in the future, then she won't make it back alive."
Hanzo said confidently, making a promise to Kirito and showing his strong confidence in his own strength.
"That's great. We shouldn't stay here for long. Let's go back to Amegakure. Our relationship with Iwagakure has been initially restored. It's time for us to work together to make Amegakure and the Land of Rain better."
Kirito heard Hanzo say this and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face, before he smiled.
It was about time for his infiltration plan for Amegakure to begin.
"Yes, let's work together to make Amegakure and the Land of Rain strong again,"
Hanzo said excitedly.
What he was thinking about now was hoping that Hattori Masanari would come back to assist him.
He didn't have the mind of Hattori Masanari, and he was at a loss as to how to build Amegakure. Now that a large number of spies in high positions have been found, the internal administrative system of Amegakure is now almost paralyzed, and now he is waiting for Hattori Masanari, who has gained a lot of knowledge after studying abroad for a few years, to help him restore the administrative system of Amegakure.
After all, many of the feasible construction plans he had heard from Hattori Masanari before required Hattori Masanari to get started.
There was also the intelligence network, which also required Hattori Masanari's attention.
There was no choice; Amegakure really had too few available talents, and those who could do more would have to do more.
Kirito smiled in response, and he tightly shook the hand Hanzo extended to him, thinking to himself, "If I can turn the fate of the Land of Rain around, will I be able to get more Enhancement Points?"
Building Amegakure and the Land of Rain was a lie he told Hanzo to get out of trouble, but now he really wanted to do it.
He used the White Zetsu clone to travel around the Land of Rain many times, and all he saw was the devastation left behind by the war. Many people were struggling to get enough to eat.
Although these people had nothing to do with him, he always felt that he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
If he could quietly contribute to making the world a better place, that would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it?
He didn't think of himself as some kind of messiah, but he simply wanted to make this world, which seemed like hell on earth, a better place.
"It's best if things like war don't happen,"
Kirito thought to himself, and then quickly headed towards the Land of Rain with Hanzo.
Before leaving, he glanced casually at a green-skinned toad standing on a rock not far away.
Before long, Kirito and Hanzo were gone.
At that moment, the green-skinned toad suddenly opened its mouth, and a hand reached out of it.
Then, Jiraiya squeezed through.
"Did that guy notice me in that last glance?"
Jiraiya looked in the direction Kirito and Hanzo left, and thought with a grave face.
While he was personally in the Land of Rain, naturally Konoha could not let him, an elite jōnin, just focus on teaching three war orphans. Instead, he was secretly put in charge of Konoha's intelligence system in the Land of Rain.
And he himself naturally had excellent intelligence gathering capabilities.
Therefore, regarding this deal between Hattori Masanari and Iwagakure, after obtaining accurate information about the location of the deal, he secretly infiltrated the area and gathered intelligence.
In the end, this trip was really worthwhile. Not only did he discover the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse, he also learned the outcome of the deal between Iwagakure and Hattori Masanari.
It was a great harvest. However, Hattori Masanari's last glance gave him a feeling of trepidation, as if he had been exposed.
"Never mind, I'll leave this kind of troublesome business to the teacher. Right now, I'll just focus on gathering intelligence and paving the way for peace between Amegakure and Konoha."
Jiraiya sighed as he ran his hand through his hair in annoyance.
Then, using his summoning technique, he conjured a messenger toad and handed it a scroll of information that he had prepared. He smiled and said, "Please take care of this. Make sure you deliver it to the Hokage himself."
"I know, I'll take care of it. Oh, by the way, Jiraiya, Lord Fukasaku told you to go back to Mount Mobyoku when you have time."
The messenger toad stuck out its tongue, wrapped the scroll around it, and swallowed it. Then it said to Jiraiya,
"Oh, it's rare for Boss Fukasaku to ask me to go back on my own initiative. Do you know what it's about?"
Jiraiya was surprised to hear this and said,
"I'm not sure, but if you have time, go back. Don't keep Boss Fukasaku waiting."
The messenger toad shook its head and said,
"I understand. I will definitely find some time to go back as soon as possible,"
Jiraiya nodded, his face showing a serious expression.
Boss Fukasaku is so anxious for him to go back, and it is very likely that it is something very important, which may be related to the Child of Destiny that the Big Toad Immortal predicted.
The moment he thought of the Child of Destiny, Jiraiya couldn't help but think of Nagato's figure.
To be precise, it was Nagato's special eyes.
Could the child Nagato be the Child of Destiny?
...
At sunset, in Konoha, in the Hokage Building, Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the latest intelligence delivered by his son Sarutobi Takashi on a messenger toad in his hands, and his face showed a serious expression.
This intelligence was exactly the intelligence that Jiraiya had sent back. It detailed the process and outcome of the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse defeating Kakuzu and Hattori Masanari's deal with Iwagakure, and it also said at the end that Hattori Masanari was suspected of having powerful counter-reconnaissance capabilities.
"Who is this mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse who was able to defeat the immortal Kakuzu? And he even masters the five basic chakra natures. The waters of the ninja world are as deep as ever. This person is most likely from one of the smaller ninja villages. The other four major ninja villages simply do not have a powerful ninja that matches him. Judging from the various powerful sword techniques he used, this person is most likely a powerful individual from the country of iron."
Sandaime placed the intelligence in his hands on the table, then leaned back against the back of his chair, his face tired as he thought.
A Kage-Level powerhouse is a problem that must be taken seriously no matter where it is. Konoha must obtain information on this mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse as soon as possible, otherwise if this person becomes an enemy of Konoha in the future and Konoha has to fight them again, Konoha will definitely suffer.
As for the conflict between Iwagakure and Sunagakure that occurred during Hattori Masanari's deal with Iwagakure this time, and the final result, compared to the origin of the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse, they are both secondary at the moment.
This is not him being paranoid. Ever since the passing of the great Senju Hashirama, Konoha, which occupies the rich Land of Fire, has been the envy and hostility of other ninja villages.
Conflicts and even wars break out from time to time. Just like Amegakure, because of the emergence of a Hanzo, they then dared to challenge Konoha.
If this mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse were the strong man of a small ninja village, then perhaps one day that small ninja village would also become as arrogant as Amegakure after obtaining a powerful Kage-Level powerhouse, and then challenge Konoha.
"What a troubled time it is,"
Sandaime said with concern as he looked outside and saw that the leaves on the trees had already begun to turn yellow.
After a short break, he continued to work while his tired body continued to drag on.
Soon, he came across an application form from the Ninja School for early graduation.
If it were any other day, Sandaime would have approved the application as soon as he saw the applicant's ninja abilities and found that he had already learned the Sanjin Jutsu.
But this application form in front of him made him a bit difficult, because the applicant was actually Nawaki.
"Has this kid already obtained the consent of Lord Mito? If he applied secretly without telling anyone, and if I approve it, that would be trouble,"
Sandaime thought for a moment, then crossed out the application.
He knew Nawaki's strength well, and knew that he could have graduated long ago. He was only a Special Jōnin, and would be of little use in battle. At least an elite Jōnin like Kirito would be able to make a difference in battle, and would have a better chance of surviving.
Nawaki was still lacking in that regard, and going to the battlefield would be much more dangerous for him than for Kirito.
"I don't know what arrangements Lord Mito has made, so let's wait a little longer. Kirito is improving very quickly, so there might be new surprises in the future. I'm looking forward to the day when he goes to war and causes trouble for Sunagakure. It's going to be very exciting."
Sandaime couldn't help but smile when he thought about Kirito, and his worries had eased considerably.
They, Konoha, had a truly monstrous genius ninja on their side.
So time was on their side.
Suddenly, the smile on Sandaime's face disappeared in an instant, replaced by an icy expression.
The next moment, a Root ninja with a dog mask who exuded a cold aura suddenly appeared in front of him.