After a thrilling battle, the incident finally came to an end, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they led the prisoners back to Konoha Village.
On the way back, unlike the others who were basking in the joy of victory, Hatake Kaede fell into deep thought.He began to carefully review everything he had experienced in the battle, especially the intense moments of combat.
In the previous battles, Hatake Kaede had fought with all his might, and even at the last moment, he had to use his life-saving skill—"Elementalization"—to barely defeat his enemy.However, this came at a great cost to him, leaving him almost completely exhausted.
The subsequent battle, although it didn't last long because of the timely arrival of reinforcements led by Nawaki, was still a tough fight for Hatake Kaede.
The dark-skinned, muscular man's ninjutsu skills far surpassed those of the previous "spy," Nagamiya Rokuno.His moves were incredibly ruthless, each strike aimed directly at vital points, making them impossible to defend against.
Although the exchange was brief, Hatake Kaede suffered severe injuries in that short time.His body was covered in wounds, blood seeping out continuously, and he was in excruciating pain.Fortunately, reinforcements arrived just in time, allowing him to escape unscathed.
Hatake Kaede thought to himself, "It seems that physical training should indeed be included in the schedule.After all, the application of physical techniques is crucial in actual combat.Hmm, perhaps I can glean some useful information from Hatake Sakumo."
When he returned to Konoha, he found that the Third Hokage's ANBU were already waiting there, obviously waiting to receive the prisoners from Kumogakure.
Upon seeing Hatake Kaede and Minato, the leader of the ANBU immediately stepped forward and said, "Hatake Kaede, Namikaze Minato, the Third Hokage has ordered that you two go to the Hokage's office tomorrow.The Third Hokage needs to ask you for a detailed account of the incident!"
"Received!" x2.
Just as Hatake Kaede was about to turn and leave, Nawaki suddenly stepped forward, patted Kaede on the shoulder with a smile, and warmly invited, "Kaede, my grandma would like to invite you to our house.When are you free to come over?I'll be able to prepare in advance."
Hatake Kaede replied with a serious expression, "I am deeply honored by Lady Mito 's invitation.Well then, after I go to Lord Sandai for questioning tomorrow, I will immediately pay a formal visit to Lady Mito ."
"That's great!" Nawaki exclaimed happily.
After handing over the prisoners of Kumogakure to the Third Hokage's ANBU, everyone dispersed and went home.
...
In the Hokage's office, the light was dim and the air was thick with smoke.The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his large desk, wisps of smoke rising from his pipe.His brow was furrowed, and he looked worried, as if something important was troubling him.
The leader of the ANBU had just reported to him that tomorrow, Hatake Kaede would be formally visiting Uzumaki Mito.Upon hearing this news, the Third Hokage's brows furrowed even more deeply.
Mito Uzumaki, the current Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, is of vital importance to Konoha Village.Hatake Kaede, on the other hand, is the daughter of Hatake Sakumo, a samurai who transitioned into a ninja.
The Third Hokage knew that Hatake Sakumo had his own bottom line and principles, and there was a certain distance between him and the Hokage faction.
Nevertheless, the Third Hokage did not want anyone outside the Hokage faction to have too much contact with Mito Uzumaki.After all, the safety of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was related to the safety of the entire village.However, Hatake Kaede's identity and background made him particularly worried about this visit.
Although Hatake Sakumo was extremely loyal to the village, his loyalty was to the entire Hidden Leaf Village, not just the Hokage.The Third Hokage worried that Hatake Kaede might be influenced by his father and develop prejudices against the Hokage faction.
However, the Third Hokage also understood that Mito Uzumaki's identity and strength were very special.As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, she possessed immense power and influence.Moreover, given Mito's personality and wisdom, her decisions were often made after careful consideration.
Therefore, although the Third Hokage harbored doubts about Hatake Kaede's visit, he dared not easily interfere with Uzumaki Mito's decision.He sighed helplessly and muttered to himself, "Ah!It seems it's time for Danzo's 'Root' organization to be established!"
After saying that, the Third Hokage took another deep drag on his pipe and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Smoke filled the air, blurring his vision and masking his inner unease.He gazed silently at the night view outside the window, pondering how to cope.
...
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, there is a seemingly ordinary tent.
"Bang!" Suddenly, a loud noise shattered the tranquility inside the tent.The noise came from Shimura Danzo, who had been demoted to the border to gather intelligence on the Land of Rain.
He slammed his fist on the table in front of him in anger, as if to vent all his dissatisfaction and anxiety.
Danzo clutched the intelligence in his hand tightly; it had been passed on by the highest-ranking "spy" he had planted in the Third Hokage's ANBU.
This "spy" was like his eyes and ears, allowing him to keep track of everything happening in the village even though he was on the remote border.
This intelligence report detailed Kushina's kidnapping and Hatake Kaede's upcoming visit to Mito Uzumaki.Danzo's brow furrowed deeply; his heart was filled with worry and unease.
He stood up and paced back and forth in the tent like a mouse trapped in a cage, anxiously turning around.
He glared angrily towards Konoha, cursing loudly in the direction of the village: "That damned old woman, she's a complete idiot!How dare she meet outsiders?Doesn't she know that Jinchuriki must avoid contact with the outside world?She's practically playing with fire!""The safety of the entire village is no joke!She should just die and hand over the Nine-Tails so I can control it.I'm doing all this for the safety of the village!"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his voice growing louder and louder: "And that useless monkey!How could he be so weak and incompetent!He doesn't deserve to be Hokage at all!Not only did he fail to control the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but he also sent that little girl to school.Isn't he just asking for trouble?He should hand that little girl over to me immediately.Only I can train her into a truly qualified Tailed Beast weapon.Everything I've done is for the village, to protect everyone!"
His emotions were reaching their peak as he continued to roar towards the village, "And you, you damned monkey!How dare you stop me from establishing the 'Root' organization!Without the 'Root' organization, how can I control the Nine-Tails?How can I coerce the Uchiha clan?How can I seize the power of the Sharingan?Everything I've done is for the future of the village!"
"Damn it!Uchiha clan, why are you guys so lucky?You actually possess such a powerful bloodline limit as the Sharingan!This power should have belonged to me!Only I am the one who can lead the village to glory!Everything I do is for the prosperity of the village!"
"And that damned Hatake Sakumo, you ungrateful bastard!How dare you disloyal me and refuse to hand over your child to me!You are utterly wicked!A ninja like you should be loyal to me, because everything I do is for the benefit of the village!"
After a torrent of curses, Shimura Danzo's emotions finally calmed down somewhat.But the anger in his heart remained like a burning flame, refusing to be extinguished for a long time.
He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, and then found a comfortable spot in the room to sit down and rest for a while.
After a while, Shimura Danzo felt that he had regained some energy, so he stood up and walked to his desk.
Danzo Shimura picked up a pen and quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of paper.After finishing, he carefully checked it to make sure he hadn't missed any important information.Then, he called in one of his subordinates.
The subordinates entered Shimura Danzo's tent and, under Shimura Danzo's orders, used the ninjutsu "Super Beast Imitation Drawing!"
Soon, the writing on the note transformed into a small, jet-black bird.The bird then flapped its wings and soared into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Danzo watched the bird fly away, thinking to himself, "Hmph~ You brat from the Hatake family, you better behave yourself!If you dare disobey, don't blame me for being impolite." [Note 1]
PS: Ink Bird is a ninjutsu used by Sai in the original work, called Super Beast Imitation Painting.
Super Beast Imitation Paintings can be used for attacking, assisting, scouting, sealing, and transmitting intelligence.
Attack: Can transform into a Qilin, snake, etc.to attack enemies, but has poor defense.
Assist: Transform into a large bird to carry people.
Seal: Ninja Art: Tiger's Gaze!Draw a tiger on a giant scroll.The tiger will come out, bite the person being sealed, and drag them back to the scroll.The person being sealed will then appear on the scroll, held down by a tiger's paw.
Scouting: Can transform into a mouse to scout around and then return to the scroll to report the information.
Transmitting intelligence: It can transform into a bird and fly to the recipient, then turn into words and attach them to paper.If intercepted by the enemy, it will turn into ink to prevent the information from being lost.
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