It just so happened that Lexon and the others had only been traveling for half a day when they encountered Zabuza, so they weren't far from Konoha. Furthermore, on the return journey, they weren't weighed down by an ordinary person like Tazuna, so their pace was much faster.
But even at high speed, it would still take some time...
Perhaps by the time they got back to Konoha and then rushed to the Hidden Rain Village, the trail would have gone cold.
Considering this, Lexon directly split off a refined Wood Clone to head toward the Hidden Rain Village first.
The strength of this Wood Clone was a portion of Lexon's original body, roughly possessing mid-level Six Paths power. The only drawback was that it couldn't be boosted by things like Demon Transformation or the Eight Inner Gates.
However, it was perfect for going ahead to test the strength of those hostile Reincarnators. If the clone could handle it, then the main body wouldn't even bother going; he would just wait for the clone to capture them and bring them back for him to sign in.
After the "friendly" duel with Zabuza—which was actually just Zabuza being beaten as a training partner—the trio didn't feel much fatigue. On the contrary, their strength had improved to varying degrees.
Sasuke had improved the most, even awakening the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
Next was Naruto, who was now able to slightly draw out a bit of Tailed Beast Chakra from that shut-in fox in the sealing space, the one who spent all day playing games and watching anime.
'As expected... it has to be said, the world of Naruto is one that relies on bloodlines.'
Sasuke, an Uchiha, sees his strength soar just by awakening his eyes. Naruto, an Uzumaki and a Jinchuriki, not only has massive natural chakra but can also increase his power just by communicating and understanding his Tailed Beast.
Things like Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Mora are all passed down through blood...
Even looking at the overarching plot of the entire Naruto world, broadly speaking, it was just the love-hate drama of a single family.
Though there were some who struggled through hard work...
For instance, a certain bowl-cut named Might Guy, and the honest man Kisame, who spent the whole series diligently weaving hand signs...
Team 7 took three hours to return to Konoha.
However, the Konoha ninjas who usually guarded the gates were nowhere to be found.
"What's going on? Why are the sentry ninjas missing?" Sasuke was the first to notice something was wrong and asked in confusion.
"It's not just the sentries; the people of the entire village are gone." Lexon's voice came from behind his mask.
Under his perception, the entire Konoha Village had become a dead village, without a single trace of life.
"Teacher? Are you joking?" Sakura Haruno was the first to panic.
Compared to Sasuke and Naruto, who were orphans, she had family in the village. Thus, she urgently sought the truth of Lexon's words.
"I'm not joking," Lexon said flatly.
He had already guessed that this was likely the masterpiece of the hostile Reincarnators. Because the Chunin Exams were set to take place in Konoha in a few months, and their mission was likely to sabotage them, they had simply erased everyone in Konoha. By doing this, their mission would naturally be a success.
However, the Hidden Rain Village had Reincarnators capable of confronting the alliance of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, while this side had Reincarnators who could erase all the villagers of Konoha without causing major destruction...
This "at least" five years of idle time was truly terrifying...
Could the strength of these two groups of Reincarnators even be compared?
The scrubs on his own side might not necessarily reach this level even if given another few decades or a century...
'Ah... of course, excluding myself.' Lexon thought to himself.
'Could it be that the Main God used my strength increase from the last world as a standard for this idle time and created such powerful opponents specifically to match me?' he suddenly suspected.
There was indeed a possibility...
"It can't be true... this can't be true..." Sakura was still young and found it impossible to accept such news for a moment.
"Maybe everyone just went outside for something?" Naruto spoke with forced optimism.
There was actually a hint of trying to comfort Sakura in his words.
"There is no such possibility," the rational Sasuke directly shattered that theory. He analyzed calmly, "It hasn't even been a day since we left. It's impossible for the entire village to receive a notice and leave so quickly."
"Sasuke is right," Lexon added another blow. "Furthermore, there isn't a single sign of human life within a hundred miles of the village..."
Although the trio had come to trust their teacher implicitly over the past few months of living together, they wouldn't believe such a fact without seeing it with their own eyes.
And so, the four of them walked into Konoha.
Then, Naruto and Sakura immediately ran toward the places where the people they cared about lived.
"Aren't you going to take a look?" Lexon asked Sasuke.
"I no longer have anyone left to care about," Sasuke replied.
'Ah, well...' Lexon had nothing to say to that.
Ten minutes later, Naruto and Sakura returned to Lexon. Both had their heads bowed, appearing completely despondent.
"Dad, Mom..." Sakura pulled a family photo from her robe, her eyes moistening as she looked at the three people in the picture.
As a ninja, she had long prepared herself for parting with her family, but she never expected that it wouldn't be her who disappeared, but her family instead.
"Old Man Third... Lexon..." Naruto's expression was also full of loss.
Even Sasuke became somewhat somber, seemingly reminded of that night...
"They're just missing... why act like they're dead?" Lexon suddenly said.
"Huh? Teacher, do you have a way?" Naruto looked up at Lexon.
Sakura also looked up and said, "Teacher, if you have a way, please!"
Even Sasuke looked at Lexon with a hint of hope. He now considered himself a member of the village and naturally didn't want Konoha to become a dead village forever.
"I don't have a way," Lexon didn't make any grand promises, speaking directly.
Instantly, Naruto and Sakura slumped their shoulders again in dejection. Sasuke's gaze also dimmed.
"However..." Lexon spoke again, "if there's no way, we'll just have to find one..."
"How do we find it, Teacher?" Naruto asked.
"I'm going to look for it now. Do you guys want to come along?" Lexon asked.
He was going to the Hidden Rain Village. He planned to treat the other Reincarnators as livestock and, while he was at it, ask about the disappearance of the Konoha villagers...
"Yes," the trio answered.
Immediately, the chakra on Lexon's body surged, wrapping around Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
"Then let's go."
Lexon transformed into Six Paths mode, leading the three spheres as he flew toward the Hidden Rain Village.
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