Cloud Village.
"What? Wood Release?" A slammed his hand on the table and stood up, looking at Dodai in disbelief. "You're telling me it's the Wood Release of the First Hokage?"
"Exactly," Dodai replied, his expression troubled. "Moreover, it's said that after demonstrating Wood Release, Seiki Shimaseki grabbed the Nine-Tails with one hand and beat it up."
Hearing this, all the jonin present were skeptical.
"Can Wood Release really be that powerful?"
"Maybe the Nine-Tails isn't as strong as we think?"
At this moment, B shook his head. "Yo, my beast says even combining all the Tails from One to Seven might still not be a match for the Nine!"
Dodai added appropriately, "Their Third Hokage only lasted a few minutes against the Nine-Tails before being defeated!"
The room suddenly fell silent, the only sound the sound of nervous gulps.
"That's too incredible!"
"Has Konoha produced another God of Ninja?"
Everyone felt a wave of despair—the sheer power exceeded their imagination.
"Truly worthy of him!" Raikage A wasn't fazed. After the shock, his eyes shone with fiery excitement. "With an opponent like this, I definitely can't afford to relax even for a moment!"
Inspired by the Raikage's determination, the others also rallied.
"That's right—no need to be afraid!"
"Exactly. Lord Shuishi isn't someone who disrupts peace!"
Dodai's eyelid twitched—since when did they start calling him "Lord Shuishi"?
So, when you say there's nothing to fear, you don't mean surrendering, do you?
Just as Dodai was worrying about Cloud's future, a chunin rushed in with shock on his face.
"Raikage-sama, there's huge news from Konoha!"
"What kind of big news?" A suddenly got nosy. "Did that guy Seiki turn out to be of the Senju clan? Oh~~ Could he possibly be Tsunade's love child?"
Dodai's eyebrow twitched violently—Raikage-sama, you're slandering someone like that—do you want someone to come to Cloud and beat you up?
The messenger ninja's voice trembled as he announced, "The Fourth Hokage has stepped down due to blame, and the new Jonin Hokage rumored to take over is Danzo Shimura!"
"What?" A's eyes widened. "What about Seiki Shimaseki?"
"It's said he and Minato Namikaze are to be dispatched on a classified mission!"
A scratched his head in confusion, "What exactly is Konoha doing? Do they think they're too strong and want to weaken themselves on purpose?"
...
Iwagakure (Rock Village).
"Wood Release! That guy Seiki Shimaseki..." Onoki looked dazed, unexpectedly recalling his past defeat before Madara Uchiha—Wood Release was the very ability that defeated Madara!
Everyone around him also wore expressions of shock.
"The Nine-Tails who defeated the Third Hokage was easily subdued by that guy—has he really become this powerful?"
"Seiki Shimaseki, is that guy even human?"
"Could that man possibly be an incarnation of a deity?"
Amidst these shocked voices, Hikka asked in confusion, "What exactly is Konoha thinking? Actually planning to let someone like Danzo become Hokage!"
"Could it be because of that warning they sent?" Onoki mused.
"Father, what warning?" Kitsuchi asked beside him.
"In the Nine-Tails disaster, someone secretly attacked the Hokage, attempting to control Konoha through manipulation!" Onoki said grimly. "Therefore, the Third Hokage sent a warning, urging us to be cautious of the shadows lurking in the dark."
"The Fourth Hokage mastered the [Flying Thunder God Technique]. Targeting him would definitely be unwise," Hikka scoffed. "If you ask me, this is nothing more than a cover-up to hide the truth!"
"Whatever the case, at least we can breathe easier now!"
"Yeah! Just imagining standing opposite Seiki Shimaseki gives one chills of despair!"
...
Sunagakure.
"Truly shocking!" Rasa murmured while looking at the intelligence reports before him.
"Yes, indeed shocking!" A jonin beside him agreed, then sighed, "I just never expected Lord Shimaseki would lose to someone like that!"
"Loss?" Rasa shook his head slightly. "Where exactly do you see him as losing?"
"Isn't the result obvious enough?" The jonin asked puzzledly. "Lord Shimaseki was forced into exile while Danzo Shimura successfully seized power."
"According to my informant embedded in Konoha..."
"Huh!" Several jonin looked surprised. "Wind Shadow, aren't you on brotherly terms with Lord Shimaseki? How come you've placed an informant in Konoha now?"
Rasa stiffened, replying in a sharp tone, "Don't dwell on the details! Anyway, judging from the tone of that informant's report, his admiration for Shimaseki and disdain for Danzo have become blatantly obvious. He mentioned several times how Konoha serves as the beacon of human civilization and that only a hero like Shimaseki should lead it!"
"Furthermore, he even proactively suggested that I sever ties and declare war on Konoha to force them to recall Shimaseki... Honestly, I suspect he's already spiritually become one of them!"
"Cough, cough!" Everyone started coughing furiously. Their Suna informant being this emotionally biased?
As an informant, this is absolutely unacceptable!
"If even our informant has been captivated by his charisma, can you even imagine how many people in Konoha now worship him fanatically?" Rasa sighed with emotion.
"This?" Everyone looked at each other in shock. Indeed, they hadn't imagined that one person's charisma could be this overwhelming!
"If Danzo can lead Konoha to prosperity, things might still be fine. But the moment even a small issue arises..." Rasa's voice dropped low and heavy, "it'll be blown completely out of proportion, and public outrage will tear him down for good!"
...
Kirigakure.
"Hmph! So even someone like Seiki Shimaseki has finally met his downfall!"
"Hehe! I bet he never expected to be exiled by the village he cherished!"
Amid these sarcastic remarks, Yagura coldly said, "Enough!"
Everyone fell silent at once. After becoming Mizukage, Yagura had become even stronger, though his personality seemed to have changed slightly.
After several particularly ruthless incidents, even though Yagura was relatively new as the Mizukage, no one dared to oppose him anymore.
"I know you despise him, but you should still show basic respect for someone stronger. Otherwise, talking behind his back like this only exposes your own weakness!"
Everyone fell silent, each reflecting on themselves. Their mockery was just a front for their fear.
The Mist ninjas, who hated him the most, were genuinely terrified—afraid that man might storm into the village and slaughter everyone.
He's the kind of man who actually has that kind of power!
Especially Fuguki Suikazan, the sole remaining member of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist—his fear of Seiki Shimaseki had long been carved deep into his bones.
Therefore, he anxiously asked, "Mizukage-sama, if Seiki Shimaseki believes this is another one of our retaliations... We'd better issue a statement right away declaring our complete innocence in this incident!"
A muscle twitched at Yagura's lips. Was this moron trying to make him look weak?
"Never mind Konoha anymore. From today onward, Mist will enter a complete lockdown!"
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