With the disparity in strength between the two sides being so overwhelming, the Third Hokage, as the head of Konoha, could only steel himself. Forcing a stiff smile, he spoke three words:
"You may speak."
Carl lightly tapped the tabletop with his finger and said calmly,
"I want you to find a monk named Jigen."
The Third Hokage, who had already braced himself for harsh conditions, froze when he heard this and couldn't help asking,
"Just… find a monk?"
For the Third Hokage, finding a person was far too simple. After all, Konoha was the largest ninja village in the entire shinobi world. With their mobility and intelligence-gathering abilities, as long as they were given a target, there was practically no one in the shinobi world they couldn't find.
Carl shook his finger lightly and said indifferently,
"This man isn't as simple as you think. On the surface, he's just an ordinary monk, but in reality, he's the leader of an organization called Kara. As for his own strength… heh. If he's pushed into a corner, the entirety of Konoha put together wouldn't be his match."
As soon as those words fell, both the Third Hokage and Danzo's pupils shrank. They had no reason to doubt Carl's words—someone of Carl's existence had no need to lie to them about such a matter.
Still, the sudden emergence of another unknown figure whose strength defied common sense was hard for two old men who had lived for decades to accept.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the Third Hokage asked tentatively,
"May I ask… is this Jigen your friend, or… an enemy?"
Carl smiled faintly.
"An enemy."
Even though Carl had never once met Isshiki face to face, he was already planning to use him as nourishment. How could that not make him an enemy?
Upon hearing that Carl and Jigen were enemies, both the Third Hokage and Danzo let out a quiet sigh of relief. If that was the case, then Carl was most likely looking for Jigen to fight him. When the time came, one of the two would surely fall. And for beings that were completely unknown and uncontrollable, the fewer there were, the better.
For the Third Hokage and Danzo, the ideal outcome would be Carl and Jigen severely injuring each other, allowing them to perhaps take advantage of the situation…
But the moment that thought arose, the two of them met Carl's calm, unfathomable gaze. The look in his eyes seemed to pierce straight through their hearts.
The Third Hokage instinctively swallowed, and the thought that had just emerged instantly vanished like smoke. He realized something crucial—Carl was the one asking them to search for Jigen. Didn't that mean Jigen was the passive party here? As Carl had said, Jigen possessed power sufficient to dominate the entire shinobi world. So why had his name never spread until now?
The only explanation the Third Hokage could think of was that Jigen was deliberately avoiding Carl's pursuit. Carl's power was absolutely far beyond Jigen's. Capturing Jigen would be no difficult task for Carl, and there was no possibility of Carl ending up gravely injured or near death.
With that realization, the Third Hokage glanced at Danzo—and Danzo was looking back at him as well. With just one look exchanged, the two old men knew they were thinking the same thing again.
In the next second, the Third Hokage suddenly bent deeply at the waist toward Carl and said solemnly,
"Thank you, for informing us. Without this information from you, this mission would certainly have caused immeasurable casualties."
Carl merely waved his hand casually.
"I don't care about your casualties. Just have your people be careful during the search. Once you find the target, don't expose yourselves. Report his location immediately."
Danzo, standing beside the Third Hokage, nodded in agreement.
"We will comply with your command."
Danzo's attitude at this moment could be described as unprecedentedly humble. Carl nodded in satisfaction, but the words he spoke next sent a chill straight through Danzo's body.
"I'll give you one month. If you haven't found Jigen in one month, Konoha will disappear."
Faced with Carl's blatant threat, neither the Third Hokage nor Danzo dared show the slightest dissatisfaction. They could only obediently accept the task. It wasn't until Carl said,
"That's all for you. Go back. Don't come looking for me until there's news about Jigen," that the two finally walked out of the room that had pressed down on them so heavily they could barely lift their heads.
...
Stepping out of the residence, the faces of the Third Hokage and Danzo were dark with gloom. Each of them issued orders to ANBU and Root respectively, commanding them to assemble immediately at the Hokage Building. They intended to personally assign the missions.
Before long, every ninja in Konoha with even a modicum of strength received orders. Regardless of whether they were in the middle of an ongoing mission, all tasks were to be halted immediately. Everyone was to search for a monk named Jigen.
The description of Jigen labeled him as extremely dangerous. Upon discovering him, no one was to act on their own. They were to immediately relay the information back to Konoha.
That very afternoon, large numbers of ninjas poured out of Konoha and began scouring the entire shinobi world in search of Jigen.
Fortunately, Carl had described Jigen's appearance from memory to the Third Hokage and Danzo, which helped avoid the problem of capturing a pile of "Jigens" by mistake.
During this period, Carl and Lily stayed in the Fourth Hokage's residence. During the day, the two of them would occasionally stroll through Konoha's streets. However, whether it was their appearance or their height, they were far too conspicuous. Lily also disliked being stared at by a crowd of "monkeys."
To avoid Konoha being wiped out by Lily ahead of schedule, Carl eventually decided to just stay at home with her and not go out anymore.
...
On this day, Carl was in the courtyard watching Naruto drag along a balloon. Naruto stared intently at a water-filled balloon in his hand. The surface of the balloon trembled continuously. Just at that moment, a knock sounded at the gate outside, and the balloon in Naruto's hand burst with a pop.
Looking at his now-empty palm, with bits of balloon stuck to his face, Naruto's expression immediately collapsed.
"Sigh… failed again…"
Carl raised a hand toward the gate, and a force of suction pulled it open. At the same time, he smiled at Naruto and said,
"You've already made great progress. No need to be discouraged."
The Third Hokage walked over at this moment, his face full of joy. Carl glanced at him and asked calmly,
"News about Jigen?"
The Third Hokage nodded and quickly replied,
"Yes. We captured a member of Kara. His name is Boro."
"Boro?"
Carl wasn't very familiar with the characters from Boruto. He thought for a while before recalling him—some sort of cult leader, if he remembered correctly.
The Third Hokage continued,
"This Boro should hold a fairly high position within Kara. His abilities are also extremely strange—his body can regenerate endlessly. Fortunately, Kakashi discovered his weakness using the Sharingan, and only then were we able to capture him."
Carl nodded when he heard this, thinking to himself that Kakashi—known as 'Copy Ninja Kakashi'—really was reliable when it mattered.
"Well done. Lead the way. I'll go meet this Boro."