"Good grief, this kind of terrifying destructive power—and the key point is, I can't even tell what kind of technique this is."
"Tsunade, what about you? How do you see a technique that goes beyond the scope of ninjutsu?"
From the start of their battle until now, this display of power was the most direct one yet.
Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade both stood up and looked toward the waterfall.
The pierced waterfall—its central hole was still gradually expanding.
Sage Art, Infinite Interval?
Sage Art?
Hatake Sakumo was full of emotion, thinking to himself: Has this kid Gekko Chizan really found a path that belongs to him?
"Hard to say. I know about Sage Art, and I've even tried to train in it."
"But Sage Art is extremely difficult to cultivate—at least for me."
"Even my grandfather, Senju Hashirama, said something similar back then. If he didn't rely on the Three Great Sacred Lands, and Gekko Chizan really forged his own path…"
"Then I can only say, in the entire ninja world, he will stand at the very peak."
"He might even become the second God of Shinobi."
Tsunade was even more shocked than Hatake Sakumo.
As the inheritor of Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands, it wasn't that she never had the chance to access Sage Art—it was that she simply didn't meet the requirements.
"You're saying he's already comparable to the First Hokage?"
"That evaluation is a bit too much, isn't it?"
Hatake Sakumo didn't expect Tsunade to give Gekko Chizan such a high evaluation, and for a moment, he was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth.
But Tsunade nodded solemnly.
"Not exaggerated at all. His combat power alone already surpasses you and me. Even the current Hokage, Namikaze Minato, is probably no match for him."
"Two Kekkei Genkai—and both are extremely overpowered ones—on top of Sage Art."
"I conclude that he has already surpassed Kage-level strength."
This evaluation was extremely advanced, and this was still Tsunade's conservative estimate. She had a feeling that Gekko Chizan still had secrets—this kid was far too good at hiding his true strength.
Gekko Chizan: Oh? You actually noticed?
As a seasoned schemer, Gekko Chizan had never revealed all of his trump cards.
Of course, in the previous battle against the Akatsuki, he had indeed exposed most of his strength—but he still held something back.
Not to mention the current Gekko Chizan.
"What kind of technique is this of yours…"
"I can feel that all my gold sand has lost control—no, it's being directly destroyed?"
Rasa watched as more and more of his gold sand was destroyed. He immediately canceled his technique and recalled all of it.
As a Magnet Release user, what he controlled was his very foundation, yet now even he, the controller, couldn't understand how the gold sand had disappeared.
Under such circumstances, he clearly knew this battle couldn't continue.
"Don't worry about what technique I used."
"Just tell me—can you hand your son over to me?"
"Ah, that came out wrong. I mean, let him take me as his master."
"And as for you—announce that Sunagakure will form an alliance with Konoha. Don't worry, it'll only benefit you. How about it?"
Rasa fell silent.
His tightly furrowed brows showed how complicated his thoughts were. But right now, as the Fourth Kazekage, he was being forcibly restrained by someone—this feeling made him recall the first time he met Gekko Chizan.
"Take your time thinking about it. No rush, no rush."
"Want a popsicle? I've got some here."
Gekko Chizan smiled, suddenly pulling out a popsicle from his clothes.
This sudden popsicle left Rasa stunned. He looked up at the sky, then at the ground.
Blazing sun. Desert. He wasn't dreaming. And yet, in this scorching desert, this guy pulled out a popsicle???
How was that even possible?
The next second, something flew toward him. Without thinking, Rasa caught it with his gold sand. Taking a closer look—damn, it really was a popsicle??
Not far away, Gekko Chizan had already put his into his mouth.
"Hm? What's wrong? Not eating it?"
"Or do people from Sunagakure not eat cold things?"
"I specially stored these using a certain method… ah, ah, ah, it's over, really over, Rasa, you—"
"Oh, you ate it? Then it's fine."
Yes, Rasa unwrapped the popsicle and ate it.
Feeling the icy chill in his mouth—this really was a popsicle. But how the hell did this bastard manage it?
He had clearly seen Gekko Chizan take it out from his clothes.
A snack like this wouldn't last three minutes in the desert before turning into water—how could it still remain a popsicle?
"How did you do it?"
"Hm?"
"What method did you use to keep the popsicle from melting?"
"Oh, that? Very simple. Just use your own strength to protect it from heat, and control the temperature with chakra. What, you can't do it?"
Rasa: …I really want to beat him! Beat him to death!
"As for the alliance, I'll consider it. As for whether Gaara will take you as his master—that's not for me to decide."
"You can come back to the village with me and meet him in person. But let me tell you—if I find out you have any ill intentions toward Gaara…"
"I will mobilize the entire village to eliminate you."
"Even someone as strong as the Third Raikage died. You won't be an exception."
Rasa stared at Gekko Chizan with a serious expression. But the fact that he said this meant he had already taken a step back.
And that was exactly what Gekko Chizan wanted.
"Come on now, don't jump straight to killing all the time."
"This ninja world needs peace. Let's go—I'll head to Sunagakure with you."
"Don't worry, I believe you'll ensure my safety. Oh right, wait a moment—I need to inform the two elders behind me."
"Otherwise, it might cause unnecessary trouble later."
Gekko Chizan instantly disappeared from in front of Rasa and appeared before the two people on the sand dune behind.
"Old man, Tsunade."
"I'm going to Sunagakure. I think Minato is bringing people over—help me inform him."
"Konoha forming an alliance with Sunagakure will only benefit us."
Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade both nodded after hearing the news.
Now that the war had subsided, if Sunagakure could truly form an alliance with Konoha, it would indeed be a good thing for Konoha.
Although the Land of Wind didn't have many resources, having one less enemy meant less pressure.
Konoha had faced the situation of being surrounded by four villages for far too many years.
"Alright. Be careful. Did you set your markers?"
"Don't end up getting tricked by Sunagakure. Don't forget—the elder Chiyo of Sunagakure has a deep grudge against me."
Hatake Sakumo still gave a few reminders. After all, Chiyo's status in Sunagakure was still very important.