And at this moment, looking at the varying degrees of injury on the two before him, and after hearing their description of the battlefield just now,
Hiruzen immediately furrowed his brow tightly, his expression extremely grim.
"Tsk... I never imagined the situation would be this troublesome!"
"Las Noches, huh..."
"A powerful Shinobi who could easily defeat the Fourth Raikage..."
"An organization with such terrifying power, and we... have never even heard of it?!"
Hiruzen murmured in disbelief, his gaze extremely complex.
The loss of the Sharingan made him feel completely at a loss regarding the current situation.
He was even somewhat anxious.
And just then,
Shikaku beside him frowned slightly and analyzed carefully:
"This organization,"
"Appearing suddenly at a time like this, highly likely... has some special purpose."
"Furthermore, according to my speculation-"
"The location of the so-called 'Las Noches' is also highly likely hidden within some moderately powerful Shinobi Village, a force they have secretly nurtured!"
"For example... the mysterious Kirigakure, the low-key Sunagakure, or the ever-watchful Iwagakure."
"Since we didn't see their figures this time, any of them is possible."
"-?!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
He couldn't help but nod.
And Shikaku's gaze darkened as he continued:
"In short, Hokage-sama."
"Regardless of the current situation, we cannot sit idly by."
"We must, as that Kitsune Ogre said, prepare to devote Konoha's strength to begin searching for the location of Las Noches!"
"Only by finding it will we have a chance to reclaim the Sharingan!"
"Only then will Konoha not fall into a passive position."
Shikaku spoke solemnly, his tone very firm.
"..."
As his words faded, the atmosphere instantly froze.
And Hiruzen, with a complex expression, took a puff from his pipe, and then, as he slowly exhaled,
He murmured quietly:
"It seems,"
"The Shinobi World is truly about to undergo a major upheaval..."
The beginning of a new era,
Often requires some people to pay certain prices.
Be it blood.
Or life.
Just like the three Shinobi World Wars in their time.
Each war often brought completely new changes to this Shinobi World.
And the price,
Was either the blood of countless Shinobi, or the death of a Kage.
But this time, it was completely different.
A new era was unknowingly beginning after that small-scale battle.
…
Las Noches.
This term, which had never appeared before, rapidly spread throughout the entire Shinobi World within just a few short days.
Countless bounty hunters in Kikyo Castle, like a swarm of migrating locusts, quickly dispersed to various places across the Shinobi World.
Some thought that since a member of Las Noches appeared in the Land of Fire, its real location must be within the Land of Fire, so they rushed into various forests and canyons.
Others thought that a place like Las Noches, never heard of before, must be in an extremely remote location, so they decided to risk danger and venture into the distant Land of Water.
Still others thought that since the Kitsune Ogre wore pure white and fought with a katana, it must be related to his identity, so they chose to go to the samurai country covered in snow, the Land of Iron...
In summary.
Countless bounty hunters, while acting, quickly and inadvertently leaked information about Las Noches.
Even many ordinary Shinobi used it as a topic of conversation.
However,
What they didn't know,
Was that even the major Shinobi Villages, the giants of the Shinobi World, had also begun to take action.
First was the Land of Lightning.
After successfully returning to Kumogakure, Raikage, following discussions with his secretary Mabui and others, immediately sought out the Land of Lightning's Daimyo.
Subsequently, after close discussions,
They jointly decided to mobilize the full power of the Land of Lightning to begin searching the entire Shinobi World for the whereabouts of Las Noches and the Kitsune Ogre.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning had always trusted Kumogakure implicitly, so naturally, he left the matter entirely in the Raikage's hands.
And those below naturally couldn't have any objections either.
...
Next was the Land of Earth and Iwagakure.
After returning to the village, Akatsuchi and Monga immediately reported everything they had seen and heard to the Tsuchikage, Onoki.
However, after hearing it, even this usually composed old man couldn't help but feel anxious.
There truly exists someone capable of defeating the Fourth Raikage so easily?
Isn't that a bit exaggerated?
Even he, possessing the Kekkei Tota, Dust Release, which transcends Kekkei Genkai, wouldn't dare guarantee he could completely defeat the Raikage...
Were those ancient secret technique scrolls really that powerful?
Or perhaps...
This Las Noches truly masters some unknown power?
Adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry", Onoki ultimately decided to take action as well.
After all, leaving aside the secret technique scrolls, just that many Sharingan,
If he could get his hands on them, it would be like adding an entire Uchiha Clan to the village out of thin air.
With that kind of power, if used well, dominating the Shinobi World in the future wouldn't be a problem!
Therefore, not long after,
Onoki personally issued orders, changing the primary mission of the village's intelligence Shinobi directly to investigating Las Noches.
And as for the remaining Konoha, naturally, there's no need to elaborate.
Following the suggestion of strategist, Shikaku, Hiruzen also decided to take action.
However, unlike the other two great Shinobi Villages, besides searching for Las Noches, they also had to find ways to be wary of the other villages.
After all, the truth about the Uchiha Clan's extermination might soon begin to be confirmed...
When that time comes,
What will happen is hard to say.
And so,
Konoha, which had been leisurely for a while, began to get busy once more.
...
And at this moment,
Kyo had returned to Amegakure.
Looking at the constantly rising notoriety of Las Noches on the system interface, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a satisfied smile.
This plan could be considered a perfect conclusion.
Apart from the isolationist Kirigakure in the Land of Water and the weakened Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, it could be said that the entire Shinobi World was inevitably drawn into it.
Both fame and influence were increasing day by day, without any stagnation.
And next,
Kyo only needed to be a slacker, idling away his days in Amegakure.
Finally, he no longer had to act under the guise of the Kitsune Ogre.
Kyo chuckled lightly,
Gently pushed open the door of his room, picked up an umbrella, and walked outside.
A fine misty rain shrouded Amegakure.
Kyo's leisurely figure,
Step by step into the distance, finally disappearing into the rain.