As soon as those words fell, the entire Hokage Residence plunged into an unprecedented silence.
No one had expected that at such a moment, Uchiha Feng would actually appear in the Hokage Residence.
"Rogue ninja Uchiha Feng—Root, move in! Kill him!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō, it was Danzō who hurriedly barked out the order.
Just as the Root members behind him were about to move, Minato Namikaze slammed the table again with a loud bang, making the desk visibly tremble.
"I'd like to see who dares lay a hand on Uchiha Feng!?"
As he spoke, no one knew when, but Minato's hands were already filled with kunai engraved with space–time markings.
From his posture alone, it was clear: if anyone displeased him, Namikaze Minato—Fourth Hokage—would not hesitate to open a path of blood.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," couldn't help but shudder at that moment, let alone the Anbu ninja present.
Uchiha Fugaku stood quietly to the side. He didn't seem to move at all, yet his Mangekyō Sharingan was already prepared, ready to activate Susanoo at any moment to protect Uchiha Feng.
To Fugaku, if anyone dared make a move against Ning Feng, he would dare to lead the entire Uchiha clan into open rebellion.
"Cough, cough… just a joke, just a joke!"
For some reason, a chill ran straight up Danzō's spine. He hurriedly waved his hand and spoke to everyone.
Only then did the Root members secretly let out a breath of relief and step back behind Danzō.
It was plain to see that at this moment, Danzō's forehead was covered in bead-sized drops of cold sweat.
Once the Hokage Residence finally quieted down, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Ning Feng's lips.
In truth, ever since he became the Third Rain Shadow, he had already guessed that Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzō, and the others in Konoha would seize this matter to put pressure on his teacher, Namikaze Minato.
And Iwagakure would also use this as an excuse to force Konoha to abandon Amegakure.
After all, for Amegakure of the Land of Rain—blessed with tremendous geographic advantages—whether it was the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, or the Land of Fire, all had long been eyeing it covetously.
Whoever controlled Amegakure effectively controlled a dagger pressed against the throats of other nations.
Now that he, Uchiha Feng, had successfully taken control of Amegakure, the five great hidden villages of the five great nations were bound to be shaken and react in various ways.
And since he also held the identity of a Konoha advisor, this was the perfect opportunity—after securing Amegakure—to ask Konoha for a bit of resources.
With Amegakure as a forward base, Konoha would also be able to grow and expand rapidly, ultimately paving the road for him to become Hokage himself.
It was worth mentioning that Ning Feng never cared much for the title of Rain Shadow of that small Amegakure. What he truly coveted was the seat of Hokage of Konoha.
And so, the moment Konoha received the news and various parties began to attack and pressure the village, Ning Feng used the Flying Thunder God Technique to rush back to Konoha overnight.
His purpose was simple: to send his teacher Namikaze Minato a clear message—I, Uchiha Feng, will support you from now on, and you must fully support me in return.
Just as Ning Feng had expected, from start to finish Minato had protected him, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzō, and the others without the slightest opportunity.
Otherwise, if they had managed to brand him as a rogue ninja, that would have been disastrous—completely sealing off Ning Feng's path toward becoming Hokage in the future.
While Ning Feng was still thinking, Minato Namikaze suddenly laughed heartily and said calmly:
"As expected of Konoha's high-ranking member, Uchiha Feng—you've completed your mission and returned. Very good, very good! You truly didn't disappoint your teacher's cultivation!"
"To commend your contributions to Konoha, from this day on you will serve as a Konoha advisor, replacing people like Koharu Utatane. Of course, your position as Rain Shadow of Amegakure will also be retained."
"To help your Amegakure develop rapidly, I'll dispatch an initial group of fifty Konoha jōnin, one thousand Konoha chūnin, and five thousand Konoha genin to assist in building your village!"
As Minato spoke, he gestured for the Anbu at his side to record the matter and arrange for everything to be sent to Ning Feng later.
Hearing this, Ning Feng thought to himself that his teacher truly understood his intentions.
Amegakure had only just completed its transformation and was at its weakest in terms of military strength. This influx of Konoha talent was nothing short of timely help in a snowstorm, making his position as Rain Shadow even more secure.
"Oh, right—talent alone isn't enough. You also need funds. We'll allocate ten billion to you; use it as you see fit," Minato added casually.
The moment these words fell, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō were just about to leap to their feet when Ning Feng calmly spoke first:
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Once the matters of Amegakure are settled, when Rain and Konoha join forces, we'll surely be unstoppable."
"The wishes of our ancestors will certainly be realized—unlike certain old men who are scared half to death every day by Iwagakure and Kumogakure, who only know how to target their own people and tear down their own bridges."
"Especially certain organizations founded by some people—ones that only ever kill their own, never outsiders…"
The first few lines were still normal enough, but the latter ones caused Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō's faces to turn alternately green and purple. The words they wanted to say were completely stuck in their throats.
Seeing this, the Iwagakure envoy at the side—having observed Minato's stance—knew that there was no way to threaten Konoha or exert pressure on Ning Feng any longer.
All he could do was shake his head helplessly and prepare to leave.
At that moment, Ning Feng's voice rang out once more:
"Go back and tell the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage A—
the Konoha that once endured humiliation, swallowed broken teeth in silence, no longer exists."
"You think you can still tear up peace treaties at will and force Konoha to retreat, like in the era of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzō, and Mitokado Homura? That era is over…"
"Now is the era of Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Feng!"
His words fell like iron, resounding with finality.
Countless Konoha ninja couldn't help but burst into applause. Even a few Root members behind Danzō instinctively clapped their hands.
Heaven knew just how weak Konoha's external policies had been since the Third Great Ninja War.
Time and again, Kumogakure had invaded Konoha, abducting its ninja, yet Konoha dared not utter a single word in response.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen had even dressed this up with the lofty name of the "Will of Fire."
Clearly, it was nothing more than being beaten without daring to strike back—yet it was crowned with the grand label of the Will of Fire.
Countless clans, like the Hyūga, had been forced into becoming laughingstocks of other villages precisely because of Konoha's weak leadership.
But today, Uchiha Feng's appearance declared something to the entire ninja world—
The weak and submissive Konoha was gone forever.
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