Chapter 645: The Influence of the Second God of Shinobi
"We were originally fighting the Iwa Ninja Force led by Kitsuchi, but then a mysterious person in a black robe with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan suddenly appeared..." Mugetsu selectively recounted what they had encountered that day.
Mugetsu did not go into detail about the battle. He only said that this Ninja, suspected to be Uchiha Madara, was extremely skilled in Fire Release, then briefly described the size of Susanoo.
"Uchiha Madara. Could it really be that guy?" Although Mugetsu was the one reporting it, Jiraiya's first reaction was still doubt.
Because this news was simply too illogical.
The one who brought back news of Uchiha Madara's death back then was the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Senju Hashirama himself had said that he killed Uchiha Madara.
Would Senju Hashirama lie?
As a Konoha Ninja, Jiraiya felt that Senju Hashirama had no reason to lie.
Senju Hashirama did not need lies to enhance his fame or achievements. He had already stood at the very pinnacle.
So, had Senju Hashirama deliberately let Uchiha Madara go, then claimed to have killed him because he did not want Konoha to hunt Uchiha Madara down?
That was also unlikely.
Uchiha Madara had once threatened to destroy Konoha. To Senju Hashirama, as Hokage, that was an unforgivable crime.
Take Jiraiya himself as an example. Even if Tsunade said she wanted to destroy Konoha and stood against the village, once the mission fell to him, he would reluctantly kill Tsunade.
That was not because Tsunade was unimportant to him, but because Konoha was more important to him than himself or anything else.
Jiraiya did not believe that Senju Hashirama, who had founded Konoha, would love Konoha any less than he did.
However, when Jiraiya thought about it carefully, if this Uchiha was not Uchiha Madara, there seemed to be no one else it could be.
Even though Mugetsu did not describe the battle in detail, Jiraiya could tell from Mugetsu's somewhat disheveled appearance that the opponent was far from simple.
There were absolutely no such powerful individuals in the current Uchiha Clan of Konoha.
"Mugetsu, let me see the body," Jiraiya said after thinking for a moment.
He had never seen Uchiha Madara in person, but he had seen a portrait.
Mugetsu nodded, took out a scroll, and released Uchiha Madara's body.
Tobi's body had already been separated from it beforehand.
Looking at the wrinkled face and loose skin, Jiraiya froze.
This body was too old. He could not see how this was the same Uchiha Madara who had once contended with the God of Shinobi.
However, Jiraiya did not immediately deny the body's identity.
The fact that this person was so old yet still able to leave Mugetsu in such a disheveled state further proved his strength.
"I'll report this to the higher-ups. Mugetsu, don't lead any more missions for now," Jiraiya said, shifting his gaze from the body back to Mugetsu.
Regardless of who this body belonged to, one thing was now certain.
There was still a force hidden in the shadows targeting Konoha.
Mugetsu nodded.
Both he and his disciples had gained a lot this time. It would be better to rest, consolidate their gains, and adjust their condition.
...
Ten minutes after Mugetsu and his team withdrew, several Iwagakure Ninja quietly arrived at the severely damaged battlefield.
They were a reconnaissance squad left behind by Kitsuchi to investigate the situation. After watching the blue giant disappear from a distance, they felt the battle might have ended, so they came to investigate.
When the Iwagakure Ninja saw the state of the battlefield, they all sucked in a cold breath.
The ground was covered with craters of different depths and sizes. Some were more than a hundred meters wide, like footprints left behind by a giant beast.
The Iwagakure Ninja walked across the shocking battlefield. Rocks and soil were mixed together, forming rugged obstacles. Shattered vegetation was scattered everywhere, and dead branches and leaves were covered with a thick layer of ash, recording the merciless devastation of fire.
Next, they saw long, charred ravines and blue flames still burning on the ground.
"Is this the kind of destruction humans can cause? Those two were simply too exaggerated." One Iwagakure Ninja could not help exclaiming when he saw the marks left across the battlefield.
Although they had not witnessed the battle between Mugetsu and Uchiha Madara firsthand, just looking at the battle scars was enough for them to understand that "strong" was no longer sufficient to describe those two.
They were simply monsters.
"We can't tell who won based on these alone," an Iwagakure Jonin said, frowning slightly.
Mugetsu and Uchiha Madara were both too strong.
It was unclear whether Uchiha Madara was friend or foe, but Mugetsu, as a Konoha Ninja, was definitely Iwagakure's enemy.
If Mugetsu had won, then Iwagakure would either have to retreat and wait for reinforcements, or return directly to the Land of Earth.
With their current numbers in the Land of Grass, they could not possibly deal with the Konoha Ninja Force. Mugetsu alone could surround a thousand-man Ninja force, and Jiraiya was also difficult to handle.
If Uchiha Madara had won, then this might become an excellent opportunity for Iwagakure to act.
"Captain, there don't seem to be any Konoha Ninja corpses here, but there are Iwagakure corpses," an Iwagakure Ninja reported after searching the area.
The Iwagakure Jonin's frown deepened.
This was not good news.
It could basically be confirmed that Konoha had won.
Because if Uchiha Madara had won, there was no reason for him to only deal with the Konoha Ninja corpses while ignoring the Iwagakure ones.
"Continue searching," the Iwagakure Jonin ordered.
Konoha winning did not necessarily mean Mugetsu had won. It could also have been mutual destruction, or both sides being severely injured before retreating together.
Afterward, they discovered traces of the Konoha team's withdrawal, proving that many Konoha Ninja had survived.
Half an hour later, after failing to find any more clues, the Iwagakure Jonin led his team back to the Iwa Ninja Force's camp to report the situation to Kitsuchi and Retsuishi.
"Did Mugetsu win? Or was it that mysterious black-robed person?" Kitsuchi quickly asked.
"The existing intelligence cannot confirm which side won, but there is a high chance that Mugetsu won."
The Iwagakure Jonin recounted everything he had seen on the battlefield.
Kitsuchi and Retsuishi each asked the Iwagakure Jonin several questions. After answering, the Iwagakure Jonin tactfully left the tent.
"Senior Retsuishi, I think it's necessary for us to retreat to the western border," Kitsuchi said, expressing his thoughts.
The Susanoo over eighty meters tall had left an incredibly deep impression on him.
Mugetsu could defeat such a terrifying enemy and also master large-scale Wood Release Ninjutsu. Kitsuchi could not imagine how much influence the current Mugetsu could have in a large-scale war.
"Indeed," Retsuishi nodded.
Previously, Retsuishi had been single-mindedly focused on earning merits and advancing further to become a high-ranking official in Iwagakure. But ever since he had been severely injured and nearly died in the last battle with Jiraiya, his ambition had greatly diminished.
Now, Retsuishi felt that staying alive was more important.
After all, even if he did not become a high-ranking official, he could already be considered someone who had achieved success and fame.
After confirming the retreat, Retsuishi contacted Iwagakure to request instructions from the Tsuchikage.
Retreating to the western border of the Land of Grass was something they could decide on their own, but withdrawing from the Land of Grass entirely or continuing to push toward the border of the Land of Fire was something only the Tsuchikage and Iwagakure's higher-ups could decide.
In the Land of Earth, Ōnoki quickly began examining the contents after receiving the frontline intelligence.
Halfway through reading, Ōnoki put down the intelligence, checked it repeatedly, and only then confirmed that it was indeed an urgent and important report from the front line, not some draft of a Ninja novel.
"Mugetsu possesses Wood Release, capable of instantly creating a forest. A mysterious black-robed person infiltrated the battlefield to attack the Konoha force and can also release a giant over eighty meters tall..."
Ōnoki clasped his hands together, rested his elbows on the desk, and revealed expressions of surprise, doubt, and worry.
Due to a special experience, he was not unfamiliar with Susanoo. He knew it was an ability of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
Susanoo attacking Konoha's force?
Wouldn't that mean an Uchiha Ninja had attacked Konoha?
Did the Uchiha Clan stage another coup?
Even if it was a coup, they should have attacked the higher-ups inside the village, not forces outside.
Ōnoki analyzed it for a long time, but still could not understand what was happening in Konoha.
"But what exactly is going on with Mugetsu? He actually gained Wood Release, and his strength has advanced by leaps and bounds."
Ōnoki did not dwell too long on why the black-robed Uchiha had attacked Mugetsu.
Right now, he wanted to know what was going on with Mugetsu himself.
The previous Mugetsu had also been exceptionally outstanding, but still within reason. Ōnoki could regard him as another Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This time was different.
Mugetsu's strength had not only grown even stronger, he had also displayed incredibly powerful Wood Release.
Even the mysterious black-robed person whom Kitsuchi believed could easily annihilate a thousand-man Ninja force might have been defeated by Mugetsu.
"Is Konoha about to produce another Senju Hashirama?" Ōnoki's expression became extremely grim.
He would rather Konoha produce two more Hiruzen Sarutobi than another Senju Hashirama.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed powerful, but Ōnoki felt that with a team of elites, he could definitely kill him.
If the opponent were Senju Hashirama, then Ōnoki could only say that someone would die, but it definitely would not be Senju Hashirama.
Ōnoki had never directly fought Senju Hashirama, but he had fought Uchiha Madara, who had been defeated by Senju Hashirama.
At that time, Ōnoki was still very young. He had gone to Konoha with his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage, to discuss alliance matters, only to be severely beaten by Uchiha Madara.
Ōnoki still remembered that battle vividly.
He and his teacher had been no match for Uchiha Madara, who maintained a contemptuous expression the entire time and barely even looked at them directly.
Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were so strong that they represented a qualitative leap. In front of powerhouses like them, numbers lost their meaning.
Annihilating a Ninja force of a thousand people was merely a matter of using a few full-power Ninjutsu.
"Reply to Retsuishi. Tell them to temporarily station themselves at the western border," Ōnoki ordered after thinking for a while, calling in an Iwagakure Anbu.
"Also, have him send out a small team for reconnaissance. Determine Mugetsu's status, whether he is alive or dead, in good condition or severely injured."
If Mugetsu was severely injured, then Ōnoki would be willing to trade the Iwa Ninja Force in the Land of Grass for Mugetsu's life.
If Konoha produced another Senju Hashirama, the harm to Iwagakure would be incomparable to losing a two-thousand-man Ninja force.
The long period of peace and lack of war in the Ninja World during Senju Hashirama's tenure as Hokage existed because Senju Hashirama desired peace.
Given the choice, Ōnoki did not want to gamble on Mugetsu's personality.
Ninja like Senju Hashirama were simply too rare.
"Also, activate the spies in the Land of Fire. I need the latest Konoha battle reports and the situation inside Konoha Village," Ōnoki continued.
He still wanted to know whether there were any problems with the Uchiha Clan.
If Konoha fell into internal strife at this time, he might be able to use Mugetsu's intelligence to seize an opportunity to unite with the other villages and besiege Konoha.
Attacks carried out individually and true joint attacks were completely different.
At present, they were also attacking Konoha, but that did not mean they were allies. On the contrary, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also in a state of war.
If there was an opportunity, Ōnoki would not hesitate to deliver a heavy blow to Kumogakure.
Signing an alliance and launching a joint attack was different. They would not have to worry about being ambushed due to exposing a weakness during the offensive.
Ōnoki felt that the other Great Villages likely did not want Konoha to have a second Senju Hashirama either.
Without Senju Hashirama, they could be considered forces of the same level.
With Senju Hashirama, Konoha's actual strength would become that of a Super Great Village, not merely a Great Village.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
Hokage's Office.
"Lord Third, this is intelligence we just received from the Land of Grass battlefield," an Anbu reported.
Hearing that it was from the Land of Grass battlefield, Hiruzen smiled faintly.
He felt it was most likely good news, because Mugetsu had recently gone to the Land of Grass battlefield to assist Jiraiya.
But after seeing the specific contents of the intelligence, Hiruzen's expression shifted from shock to seriousness.
Strictly speaking, it was indeed good news, but not the kind of good news he had imagined.
Thump, thump.
"Uchiha Madara..." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, rhythmically tapping the wooden desk with his fingers.
Danzo's dying words and the clues left behind had made him suspect that Uchiha Madara might have left behind a successor.
However, the intelligence from the Land of Grass indicated that the Uchiha Ninja Mugetsu killed was not a successor, but someone suspected to be Uchiha Madara himself.
So, was the "Uchiha Madara" who caused trouble during Danzo's death incident the same person as the Uchiha Madara killed by Mugetsu?
Hiruzen felt that they were most likely the same person.
Since Uchiha Madara had targeted Danzo, it was only natural for him to target Mugetsu as well.
The current Mugetsu could truly be called Konoha's future. If Mugetsu were to sacrifice himself, it would be an immense loss for the entire village.
As for whether the Ninja Mugetsu killed was the real Uchiha Madara, Hiruzen had no way of judging.
Unlike Jiraiya, who had only heard of him, Hiruzen had personally witnessed the tragic state of the Valley of the End not long after that battle ended.
Logically speaking, Uchiha Madara should not be alive.
But reality was what it was. Coupled with Uchiha Madara's past strength, Hiruzen increasingly felt that Senju Hashirama might have made a mistake back then and had not truly killed Uchiha Madara.
"If only I had been at the battle scene."
Hiruzen recognized Uchiha Madara's Chakra. If he had been there, he would have been able to identify the person.
"Tell Jiraiya not to act rashly for now, and send out reconnaissance teams to observe the Iwa Ninja Force's reaction," Hiruzen ordered, calling in an Anbu.
He truly wanted to see Uchiha Madara's corpse with his own eyes, but now was not a good time.
Having other Ninja transport the corpse back to Konoha was not secure enough, and Jiraiya and Mugetsu were temporarily unable to leave their posts.
If Jiraiya was transferred, Hiruzen worried something might happen to Mugetsu.
If Mugetsu was transferred, the border defense line might be in trouble.
Due to Uchiha Madara's sudden attack, Iwagakure had most likely already learned of Mugetsu's strength.
Hiruzen wanted to know what choice Iwagakure would make.
If Iwagakure retreated, he would recall Mugetsu.
If Iwagakure reinforced and continued the war, Hiruzen would personally lead troops to support Mugetsu, aiming to subdue Iwagakure in one move.
They now held a large number of Hidden Mist prisoners, and Hidden Mist Village would most likely agree to sign a peace treaty.
If they only had to face Iwagakure and Kumogakure at the same time, the current Konoha was not particularly intimidated.
Days passed, and the atmosphere in the Ninja World suddenly became somewhat strange.
The Hidden Mist on the southeastern battlefield of the Land of Fire had been defeated and captured, and the Iwa Ninja Force on the Land of Grass battlefield had retreated to the border near the Land of Earth.
Konoha, which had been engulfed in war, suddenly became idle, with only Kumogakure in the Land of Hot Water still locked in fierce battle with the Ninja force led by Orochimaru.
This left Sunagakure, which had been eagerly waiting for gossip, somewhat bewildered.
Why had the fighting suddenly stopped?
The southeastern battlefield had been resolved too quickly by Mugetsu. Not only did the other villages not know, even Hidden Mist Village only learned that Yagura had been utterly defeated and captured when Konoha approached them for peace talks.
The Third Mizukage was extremely speechless.
He had originally intended to use the Land of Waves as a hub to prepare a thousand-man reinforcement force for Yagura, but before the reinforcements were fully in place, Yagura had vanished without a sound.
The Third Mizukage did not even know why Yagura had been defeated, especially after Yagura had previously defeated a Ninja force led by Konoha's higher-ups.
Even though the Third Mizukage regarded Yagura as his successor, he was greatly dissatisfied with Yagura this time.
Although Yagura had also been defeated last time, the losses had not been particularly severe, aside from a few Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and a Jinchuriki who could not control his Tailed Beast very well.
This time, nearly half of the Ninja force, including Yagura himself, had been captured. It was no exaggeration to say they had been completely wiped out.
"What do you all think about Konoha's peace proposal?" the Third Mizukage asked the Hidden Mist higher-ups.
The Hidden Mist higher-ups exchanged glances. For a moment, no one dared to speak, and even Genji looked thoughtful.
There was no helping it.
This peace treaty was truly a hot potato.
If they agreed, Hidden Mist would not only be unable to seek revenge, but would also have to pay Konoha compensation. That would be a great loss of face.
If they refused, Konoha held more than a thousand Hidden Mist prisoners.
Those thousand Ninja basically covered the entire network of connections in Hidden Mist Village. If they refused peace talks and caused Konoha to go berserk and kill all the prisoners, Hidden Mist would fall into chaos for some time even if a major internal conflict did not erupt.
Even putting everything else aside, those thousand Ninja themselves were a formidable force.
The Third Mizukage was somewhat displeased, and just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the conference room door.
"Enter," the Third Mizukage said calmly.
A Hidden Mist Anbu walked into the conference room, quickly approached the Third Mizukage, and whispered, "Lord Third, the Iwagakure Ninja dispatched by Ōnoki have arrived at our village."
"Iwagakure?" The Third Mizukage found it somewhat strange.
Although Hidden Mist and Iwagakure were not currently at war, the relationship between their two villages was not good.
.....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]