Just as Natsuhiko had anticipated, everything that transpired in Konoha over the following days spread rapidly beyond the village. Spies from other hidden villages, embedded within Konoha, relayed the news through every means at their disposal.
Every major village maintained its share of foreign agents. This was hardly unusual. Even after Natsuhiko's overwhelming display had cemented Konoha's unrivaled position in the shinobi world, foreign eyes and ears still lingered inside the village.
These spies might not necessarily cause destruction. After all, they were not stupid. After staying in Konoha for so long, they naturally knew what Natsuhiko's temper was like.
Especially since this Hokage had displayed such powerful combat strength, and yesterday, they could be considered to have personally witnessed everything from the legends.
So even if they were given the courage to cause destruction, they probably would not dare do anything. If they were discovered, especially at this time.
Then it was hard to say whether this Hokage-sama would personally descend upon their country and village. After that, perhaps a certain village would be erased from the shinobi world.
Judging from his previous battle performance, they truly did not doubt that this Hokage-sama could do all of this easily.
To be honest, they truly could not understand why the shinobi world would produce such an existence who surpassed their understanding. He was simply no longer on the same level as them.
But even if they did not understand, there was nothing they could do. After all, this Hokage was standing in Konoha.
Not offending this Hokage naturally became the way these spies survived, while passing on this Hokage's policies in Konoha was also their most important task.
In truth, to them, what they hoped to pass on even more was this Hokage-sama's attitude toward other villages, especially toward their own village.
Because this kind of attitude could show Konoha's diplomatic stance, or rather, this Hokage-sama's diplomatic stance toward their own village or other villages.
Unfortunately, there was relatively little information about these matters. Especially since this Hokage seemed more interested in small villages, and had even spent a great price to help them.
They truly could not understand this kind of thing, but they knew that what they needed to do was simply send this information back.
And this time was the same as before. Moreover, in their eyes, this time was even more important.
Because this time, they had personally witnessed this Hokage-sama taking action.
Once this information was sent back, it would definitely influence their village's external policy toward Konoha.
Even though Konoha's alert level was currently very high, they still used all kinds of methods to send the intelligence back, because this time was far too important.
...
In Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, Ōnoki looked at the report in his hand, and his expression seemed strangely difficult to describe.
He had naturally felt the intense tremors that came from the direction of the Land of Fire a few days ago. At that time, he had been extremely confused about what had happened.
He had even considered sending troops to investigate. If something had happened to that terrifying Fifth Hokage—the man who struck fear into people's hearts—it would undoubtedly be good news.
In his eyes, Natsuhiko's downfall would be a blessing for the entire shinobi world.
The reason was simple: Senju Natsuhiko's military might and the threat he posed were simply too great.
Having personally witnessed Natsuhiko annihilate the entire Kumogakure main force single-handedly, he understood better than anyone just how terrifying that power was.
A long time ago, he had already determined that this kid Natsuhiko might be the person who made Konoha "return" forty or fifty years into the past.
And in reality, that was exactly the case. Natsuhiko's current development had told everyone that he not only possessed Senju Tobirama's methods, but also Senju Hashirama's strength.
Whether it was Senju Hashirama or Senju Tobirama, both were people who filled others with fear. Especially Senju Hashirama, who had defeated Uchiha Madara many times in the past.
Ōnoki had lived under the shadow created by Uchiha Madara since he was young. He would never forget Madara's proud and lonely figure, or that terrifying strength taken to the extreme.
Even now, old as he was, and despite knowing that Uchiha Madara was long dead, that shadow had followed him throughout his entire life.
Uchiha Madara had already been terrifying enough. Just how powerful, then, must Senju Hashirama—the man who defeated him—have been?
Ōnoki had to admit that decades ago, when he was still young, the Senju Hashirama he met gave people a feeling like being bathed in a spring breeze.
But after that, after Senju Hashirama died, Senju Tobirama gave him the feeling of an extremely dark schemer.
Yet he had to admit that this schemer, Senju Tobirama, had brought great changes to Konoha. The series of policies he promoted laid the foundation for Konoha's development.
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods were still decent, to put it bluntly, his rise was only the completion of what Senju Tobirama had left behind.
Senju Natsuhiko was completely different. In the past, he had only displayed Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God.
This was also why Ōnoki felt that Natsuhiko was a combination of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
But after demonstrating Hashirama-level might and ascending as Fifth Hokage, Natsuhiko revealed his true Tobirama side: razor-sharp political instinct and ruthless maneuvering.
He had refused to become Hiruzen's puppet. Instead, he had purged everyone around and behind the Third Hokage, then bound Hiruzen to his side. That level of political skill was Tobirama's most dangerous talent—and Natsuhiko had inherited it completely.
A man who possessed both Hashirama's strength and Tobirama's cunning was a catastrophe for the shinobi world. With his existence, no one else could ever raise their head again.
Therefore, when such a serious event happened in Konoha, he truly hoped that something had happened to this terrifying person.
But reality was not like that, and he himself also knew that the chances of such a thing happening were far too low. Still, the report in front of him had indeed given him a great shock.
"The entire Konoha Village was affected by the battle and became like an isolated island. Everything around it has been completely destroyed.
"And an unknown person who could rival Senju Natsuhiko appeared in the shinobi world, but Senju Natsuhiko was still superior and defeated his opponent?"
Ōnoki's gaze shifted slightly. This news was truly somewhat terrifying to him, and in his view, this was far more than Senju Natsuhiko simply being superior.
The enemy's strength was very powerful and terrifying. At least judging from the destruction caused, he was definitely an existence capable of destroying a country by himself.
But when such an enemy appeared in Konoha and fought Senju Natsuhiko, Senju Natsuhiko could actually protect Konoha's safety while also dealing with his opponent.
This level of strength had completely exceeded Ōnoki's imagination. In his view, this was no longer simply being superior. This was a situation of complete suppression.
If Senju Natsuhiko had no concerns behind him, and the place they fought was somewhere else, could Senju Natsuhiko have shown an even greater advantage?
"This Senju Natsuhiko has now completely reached a level ordinary people cannot imagine."
Ōnoki let out a faint sigh. He truly had not expected that the kid who had first shown his talent in Sunagakure back then had now completely grown to an unreachable level.
If he had known these things back then, perhaps he really would have risked his life to do something. After all, the existence of a giant of the shinobi world was far too terrifying.
Shaking his head slightly, Ōnoki stopped thinking about these things. He thought for a moment, then let out another faint sigh before slowly speaking.
"Someone, pass my orders. Instruct the logistics department to prepare a large shipment of supplies—everything except weapons—and send it to Konoha immediately. Also prepare one hundred 'craftsman'-type shinobi to accompany the supplies and assist with reconstruction."
"I truly never imagined Konoha would face such a crisis… or that someone like that could exist in the shinobi world."
...
Inside Kumogakure, Killer B looked at the report in his hand, his expression somewhat hard to describe.
Ever since a few years ago, under his elder brother's plan, Kumogakure launched a large-scale invasion of Konoha, their situation could be described as complete decline.
More than eight thousand ninja had been buried in the Land of Hot Water just like that. Especially since those eight thousand ninja had been Kumogakure's elites.
And those people had been killed by Senju Natsuhiko, the man who later became Konoha's Fifth Hokage, with his strength alone.
Even his elder brother, the Fourth Raikage, still had not been found.
According to past judgment, his elder brother could already be considered dead by now. But Killer B was unwilling to give up just like that. He was still trying to find his elder brother.
However, a village could not be without a leader for even a day. Especially when the war had failed to such a degree, they needed a new Raikage to lead them in facing everything.
Without a doubt, as the Fourth Raikage's younger brother and also the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, Killer B was pushed to the front.
Even though he was unwilling, in the end, he still became Kumogakure's Fifth Raikage.
Facing the pressure of the whole village, Killer B also thought that he might be able to use the position of Raikage to find his elder brother, so he chose to sit in this seat.
However, over the next few years, he sadly discovered that he had been used.
His rise to the position of Raikage was purely to make him a shield.
Whether it was pressure from Iwagakure or Konoha's aggressive stance, he had to come forward and deal with everything.
Even the anger of Kumogakure's residents had to be carried by him alone, because he was the Raikage, and he had to bear all of this.
These years had been very tiring for Killer B. It was also the first time he felt the pressure his elder brother had to bear while sitting in this position.
This was a terrifying thing, and because of what those elders had done, he truly no longer dared to trust anyone.
The current him no longer had the innocent and carefree personality he had a few years ago. He began to become steady and ruthless, and before doing anything, he had to repeatedly think about its gains and losses.
He gave up his beloved rapping, and he also gave up his originally somewhat lazy personality.
His changes made even the Eight-Tails silently shake his head. After all, as the existence always hidden inside his body, the Eight-Tails understood Killer B's current state best.
Fortunately, Killer B endured in the end. Although he had already become unfamiliar in the eyes of outsiders, his relationship with the Eight-Tails had taken another step closer.
Because to him, the only one worth trusting was the Eight-Tails inside his body, and the only place where he could find comfort was also something only the Eight-Tails could give him.
This mutual trust allowed his strength to grow even further, even though he always felt that this improvement carried a certain sadness.
But reality was like this. He had no room to choose, and Senju Natsuhiko's battle had also caused him to lose everyone he could trust.
To be honest, he hated Natsuhiko a little, because what Natsuhiko had done had turned him into someone truly alone, with only the Eight-Tails left.
But he also knew that he should not blame Natsuhiko, because the one who had taken the initiative to start the war against Konoha was his elder brother.
If his elder brother had not started such a war, then so many people would not have died, and naturally, no one would have ended up like this.
"In conflicts of interest, there has never been any right or wrong. There are only winners and losers."
Killer B had also learned this truth after serving as Raikage for several years, and now he was slowly beginning to grasp the initiative.
Schemes and tricks were always only tools to help achieve a goal. Strength was the most important thing.
But without enough vision to see through everything, then no matter how strong one was, they might still end up becoming someone else's pawn.
Killer B stood in a high position, desperately working hard to learn and absorb all of this. Now, he had also gained a certain level of vision, and he already possessed enough strength to begin with.
Therefore, under his sharp counterattacks, those restless people in Kumogakure finally understood how terrifying this Fifth Raikage was.
And after he took control of Kumogakure, his attitude toward Konoha never changed. When it was time to lower his head, he absolutely would not raise it for even one more look.
He had not forgotten that the one he trusted most had constantly warned him never to seek out Senju Natsuhiko, and never to hold thoughts of revenge.
Because Senju Natsuhiko's strength was definitely not weaker than Senju Hashirama's in the past.
Killer B had already become Raikage, so naturally, he could read many, many things, including records about the First Hokage.
From those records, Killer B finally understood why this ninja, who had created the system of one country and one village, was called the God of Shinobi.
According to the Eight-Tails, the current Natsuhiko was completely no weaker than him.
Then it was easy to imagine that if he still held such thoughts and successfully angered this current God of Shinobi.
This guy absolutely had the means and ability to send the entire Land of Lightning into hell in one move.
He truly could not forget the terrifying giant Buddha that covered the sky on the battlefield of the Land of Hot Water, nor could he forget how destructive the attack launched by that giant Buddha had been.
Therefore, he did not care what others thought. When it was time to lower his head, he had to lower it. After all, they were the true losers.
And this time, he received unexpected news. There really was someone unafraid of death who dared to go and trouble the Fifth Hokage.
Although according to the intelligence report, the strength of the person who caused trouble was also terrifying beyond imagination.
As an outstanding ninja, Killer B immediately saw what was unusual in this report.
"Senju Natsuhiko was forced to fight near Konoha. He had to divide his attention to protect his village from destruction.
"And he really did it. Even though the terrain and landscape around Konoha had been completely changed, even turning Konoha into an isolated land island.
"The casualties inside Konoha Village under this kind of attack and destruction can almost be ignored.
"Most importantly, that attacker was killed by the Fifth Hokage while he was in such a disadvantageous position.
"One can imagine just what level this Fifth Hokage has already grown to."
Killer B sighed inwardly. How could he not hope that Konoha would truly be destroyed in this battle? How could he not hope that Senju Natsuhiko would die just like that?
Although he did not blame Senju Natsuhiko, this Fifth Hokage's hands were still stained with the blood of Kumogakure ninja.
More importantly, this Fifth Hokage had completely broken Kumogakure's backbone, making it so Kumogakure could no longer stand upright again.
If he died, Kumogakure could definitely change, instead of remaining like it was now.
However, this battle report made him realize that as long as this Fifth Hokage was still alive, his thoughts were destined to never succeed.
Looking at the documents in his hand and those attached pictures, Killer B fell into deep thought. It could be seen that he felt somewhat helpless and sorrowful.
After all, when someone encountered an enemy like this, one who would remain above their head for their entire life, anyone would feel this way.
Helplessly shaking his head, Killer B put down the report in his hand. Then his gaze turned toward the ANBU ninja standing at the side.
"Pass down the order. Konoha encountered such great trouble, yet we could not provide help. That is our incompetence.
"And now that Konoha has already overcome the crisis, as a firm friend, I will provide assistance to Konoha free of charge.
"Select all kinds of supplies and send them over. Also choose one hundred craftsman-type ninja to accompany them. Let them obey Konoha's orders and help Konoha complete its reconstruction."
"Raikage-sama, this…"
The ANBU standing beside Killer B had a somewhat strange expression. He truly had not expected their Fifth Raikage to give such an order.
"Don't speak. Carry out the order."
Killer B did not give this ANBU the chance to say anything more. He looked at the ANBU indifferently before speaking firmly.
"What I want are ninja who obey orders, not ninja who refute my decisions. Can you do it?"
Hearing Killer B's words, the ANBU's expression changed slightly. Then he immediately bowed and answered.
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
...
"I truly did not expect Konoha to encounter this kind of trouble. I also truly did not expect that Senju Natsuhiko would actually…"
Inside Sunagakure, Rasa looked at the document in his hand and muttered with a somewhat numb scalp.
It was not only him who felt his scalp go numb. Even Chiyo, who was sitting in the office with him, also felt her scalp tingling.
If one were to speak of villages deeply involved with Senju Natsuhiko, and with relatively deep hatred toward him, then after Kumogakure, the village that had directly attacked Konoha, it would probably be Sunagakure.
Back then, after this kid came to Sunagakure, the things they had done and the things this kid had done were still vivid in their minds even now.
They could not forget the hundreds of ninja killed by this kid, could not forget the ANBU unit he had wiped out, and could not forget the sealing team they had spent countless resources training.
What Chiyo found even harder to forget was that this kid had taken one of her techniques and destroyed countless of her puppets.
Admittedly, judging from the circumstances at the time, it had been a fair exchange. Natsuhiko had provided accurate intelligence, and she had paid for it with a technique.
But before that, Natsuhiko had already killed countless Suna shinobi. No matter how fair the exchange had been, Chiyo could never forget that hatred.
What followed, however, was completely unexpected. Not only did Natsuhiko become the ANBU Commander, but during his years in the ANBU, he also built a formidable reputation.
Yet that was not the most despairing part. What truly drove them to despair was what this young man had accomplished a few years ago.
During the war between Kumogakure and Konoha, he had single-handedly brought Kumogakure—the village that had emerged from the Third Great Ninja War with the fewest losses and the greatest remaining military strength—to its knees.
Not only that, after returning to the village, he completely suppressed Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And through his own methods and abilities, he gained Namikaze Minato's recognition, ultimately becoming the Fifth Hokage in a single step.
This series of developments left them utterly stunned—and sent a chill down their spines.
As Konoha's neighboring village, and given their many conflicting interests, they were well aware of just how powerful Senju Hashirama had been in his time, and how terrifying Senju Tobirama had been as well.
It was precisely because of this that their minds instinctively drew a comparison.
By some coincidence, this young man seemed to possess—through his own strength alone—the defining traits and advantages of both Hokage.
Anyone who faced someone like that would inevitably feel uneasy.
Especially when that person was their neighbor—a village they had once provoked, and one that very likely harbored hostility toward them.
"Everyone, speak. What should we do now?"
Rasa sighed weakly. He rubbed his brow and spoke in a somewhat powerless voice.
The position of Kazekage seemed glorious, but it was also extremely tiring and difficult. Not to mention, his son was not someone who gave him any peace either.
Whether because of talent or personality, after his youngest son became a jinchūriki, that boy's personality had already changed greatly.
Although he could rely on some special advantages to suppress the tailed beast and prevent it from breaking out, in his eyes, that boy was simply a failure.
And this failure was also the one who had taken his wife's life. The fact that he had not killed the boy himself was already because of their bond as father and son.
The disharmony inside his family, combined with the rise of Konoha next door, made him feel even more exhausted. Although Konoha seemed to have encountered trouble this time, in reality, it had slapped the entire shinobi world in the face.
This slap made the entire shinobi world understand just how absurdly powerful the current Konoha had become.
"There is actually not much to say about this matter."
Chiyo sighed softly. She shook her head lightly and finally gave her answer with a somewhat humiliated expression.
"Konoha did not suffer great losses this time, but its surroundings were completely destroyed, and the terrain and landscape were seriously changed.
"So I think we should send ninja over to help them rebuild their transportation network, and provide some material assistance. Free assistance."
Speaking to this point, Chiyo paused slightly before continuing in a weary voice.
"Even if Konoha doesn't care about this, at least it shows we've made an effort.
"We can only hope that this will leave some impression on Konoha… and on that Fifth Hokage, Senju Natsuhiko.
"I have heard the rumors. He may appear gentle, but he is said to be even more vengeful than the Second Hokage."
...
"Is this… the power of a Hokage?"
On the road back to Konoha from the Land of Rain, Nagato and Yahiko were still reeling from the news they had received.
Since Natsuhiko had decided to invest in and reform the Land of Rain, Nagato and the others naturally had to make some preparations in advance.
In addition, after being away for so long, they also had to return to the Land of Rain to understand the current situation, and to see whether that man who called himself Uchiha Madara had come.
Therefore, after sending out several Shadow Clones toward Konoha, they returned from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Rain.
However, what they had not expected was that not long after their return, the Shadow Clones they had left behind in Konoha were dispelled.
After all, having been trained by Jiraiya, they were proficient in the use of Shadow Clone Techniques.
It was precisely through the feedback from this technique that they came to understand just how terrifying Natsuhiko's power had become.
Nagato, however, was relatively better off. After all, he had already been taught a lesson by Natsuhiko before, so he was not too surprised by what he had witnessed.
Moreover, he was also aware of the existence of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama. He speculated that Senju Hashirama had been protecting Konoha, while Natsuhiko had handled the opposing forces.
But even so, he had to admit that the power Natsuhiko displayed in this battle had truly far surpassed him, the user of the Rinnegan.
If he were the one facing that enemy, he felt that he probably truly would not be able to hold on.
As for Yahiko, he had truly never seen such a terrifying battle. He had heard Nagato talk about how strong Natsuhiko was, but he had no idea just how strong that actually meant.
However, this time, he finally knew. But after knowing, he discovered that Natsuhiko could no longer be considered human.
Because that was simply a god, a god walking in the mortal world.
He could not imagine such mighty power, and he still could not forget such destruction.
Now, he somewhat understood why Natsuhiko could kill eight thousand Kumo ninja by himself, and he also understood why Nagato had still suffered a crushing defeat even with the Rinnegan.
"Hokage-sama's power is truly unimaginable."
After a long while, Yahiko finally sighed.
"However, someone who could force Hokage-sama to use such power is definitely not an ordinary person either."
"Indeed. Although I could not see who it was, that person was truly dangerous to the extreme."
Nagato nodded from the side, but very soon, he laughed.
"But now, I actually feel that Hokage-sama is more like this world's protector."
"Indeed…"
Hearing this, Yahiko could not help nodding seriously. Then he slowly said.
"Hokage-sama truly seems like the world's protector. If not for him, I simply cannot imagine what Konoha would have become.
"But Konoha's current situation is not optimistic either. We should hurry over faster.
"Although there are only two of us, I believe we can definitely make some contribution within our ability."
...
Inside Kirigakure, Black Zetsu looked into the distance with a somewhat frightened expression.
This state had already continued for some time. He had never dreamed that a few days ago, he would actually feel that familiar power, one that filled him with fear and unease.
It was the power of the Ōtsutsuki, consistent with his mother's source of power yet clearly different, a power he could never forget.
Even though Black Zetsu had long guessed that in this damned shinobi world, there were definitely still other Ōtsutsuki figures.
For example, that person who controlled the tailed beasts. There was absolutely the shadow of an Ōtsutsuki behind him.
But the power that erupted this time was clearly not that person from last time, and more than one person possessed such power.
What did this mean? It meant that more than one Ōtsutsuki had come to the shinobi world. It meant that these Ōtsutsuki had definitely discovered something, and that was why they had come here.
This discovery was truly not good news, and it also filled Black Zetsu's heart with terror.
Having inherited part of his mother's memories, it was impossible for him not to know how powerful these people were, and impossible for him not to know how absurd they were.
Although it was two other Ōtsutsuki fighting wildly, it was precisely because of their battle, and because of the unknown reason behind their battle, that Black Zetsu became even more panicked.
For a moment, he truly felt angry that Obito had sealed off the Land of Water.
Because this blockade made it impossible for him to know everything happening outside, and it also prevented outside intelligence from coming in.
Damn it. What exactly is going on? Why do these people insist on coming to the place where Mother is?
Black Zetsu cursed inwardly—and that was all he could do. He knew that, in the entire shinobi world, there was no one capable of standing against these Ōtsutsuki.
Whether it was Nagato with the Rinnegan, or Senju Natsuhiko with some form of Jōgan, none of them could possibly match these gods.
Now I can only hope that the victor turns his attention to Konoha… to Senju Natsuhiko.
Black Zetsu silently muttered to himself. He turned his gaze toward Obito, but quickly withdrew it in disappointment.
Although Obito's abilities were strange, they were completely ineffective against those Ōtsutsuki.
As for Nagato, even with his recent strengthening, placing hope in him was no different from placing hope in Senju Natsuhiko.
After all, Natsuhiko's power was truly terrifying.
And more importantly—he was their enemy.
If that was the case, wouldn't it be better to let him draw the attention of those Ōtsutsuki instead?
--------
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