Inside the Iwa Ninja camp, there was silence. Only the dust flying everywhere seemed to retain the noise and turmoil left by the recent fierce battle.
Kitsuchi's eyes were wide as he stared blankly at the forest not far away, which was being consumed by raging flames.
The fiercely burning flames looked like a ferocious Fire Dragon, spreading aggressively throughout the forest.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky. The terrifying power of the Susanoo from earlier was still vivid in his mind.
However, he knew nothing about how this mysterious and unpredictable power had caused such enormous destruction.
Thinking of this, Kitsuchi couldn't help but shudder, a chill rising up his spine.
He secretly rejoiced that he had acted decisively and obeyed the order to withdraw the Iwa Ninjas in time.
Otherwise, they might have suffered the same miserable fate as those Cloud Ninjas.
Just then, a figure slowly walked out of the flames. Upon closer inspection, it was Feng Ye, holding the remnants of the kubikiribōchō, walking towards them.
His eyes were cold and indifferent, making it impossible to look him directly in the face. Seeing Feng Ye like this, Kitsuchi's heart tightened. He quickly stepped forward and stammered, "Um... we have absolutely nothing to do with that guy Kakuzu! Really!"
However, facing Kitsuchi's anxious explanation, Feng Ye merely frowned slightly and said nothing more.
Afterward, he turned and left without looking back, intending to see if he could find that guy Kakuzu. He left the terrified Kitsuchi standing rooted to the spot, unable to recover for a long time.
Outside the gates of Konoha Village, Jiraiya, with a solemn expression, slowly led a group of wounded back into the Village.
These wounded people were wrapped in bandages; some leaned on crutches, while others were supported by comrades. Their steps were heavy and difficult.
Every person's face showed a sense of daze and exhaustion, as if they had just experienced a terrible nightmare.
Jiraiya looked at the scene before him and sighed deeply. He helplessly waved his hand, signaling everyone to follow him into Konoha Village.
When the Konoha villagers saw the returning team, their expectant looks instantly turned to surprise and joy.
They gathered around, their faces beaming with smiles, thinking that the long and brutal war had finally ended.
Jiraiya did not linger. He quickly settled the wounded and then rushed non-stop toward the Hokage Building.
Although Hokage-sama had personally gone to the front lines to command the battle, fortunately, two Advisors remained stationed there.
As Jiraiya stepped into the office, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere washed over him.
The entire room was suffocatingly quiet. The two Advisors sat silently in their respective seats, neither speaking a word.
Even when they saw Jiraiya enter, they merely glanced up slightly, then maintained their silence.
Seeing this, Jiraiya's heart tightened. He cleared his throat and coughed, trying to break the uneasy silence: "What exactly is going on? I heard the situation on the front lines was urgent, but wasn't one battlefield successfully resolved by Uchiha Kaede? Is there some problem concerning the Uchiha Clan?"
Hearing Jiraiya's question, the two Advisors remained silent for a moment. Finally, Homura Mitokado slowly spoke: "Jiraiya... the situation is terrible. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is gone..."
"Huh? Huh!? What!?" Hearing this news, Jiraiya was first stunned, as if he couldn't believe what he had heard. Then his eyes widened, an expression of disbelief on his face, and he froze completely.
After a long while, he finally snapped back to reality and exclaimed haltingly, "The Nine-Tailed... Jinchuriki? Naruto?! What in the world happened?"
"What do you mean 'gone'!" At this moment, Jiraiya was absolutely furious. His eyes were fixed on the two Advisors in front of him, veins bulging on his forehead, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"He's just gone. He might have been taken away," Utatane Koharu replied helplessly, her tone sounding heavy.
For a moment, the entire scene plunged back into a deathly silence.
However, this silence did not last long. Jiraiya suddenly opened his mouth and roared hoarsely, "Who was it!? Who took Naruto!? Why didn't you tell me sooner!? Do you have any idea what this means?"
"We don't know. We only just discovered Naruto's disappearance, and we don't even know exactly when he was taken. The two ANBU Members responsible for guarding him appear to have been placed under Genjutsu and have completely lost consciousness."
Utatane Koharu paused briefly, then took a deep breath and continued to explain, "The reason we didn't inform you immediately was out of concern that it might affect your operational plans on the front line. We wanted you to focus on dealing with the crisis at hand. Furthermore, we have already urgently written to the Third Hokage, but we have not yet received his reply."
"Damn it!" Jiraiya tightly clenched his fists.
At this moment, his heart was filled with rage and self-reproach. If he couldn't even protect his disciple's son, how could he face Minato Namikaze in the afterlife?!
"Then, when exactly did this happen?" Jiraiya suppressed his inner grief and anger, forcing himself to calm down as he pressed Utatane Koharu for an answer.
"We don't know. Because the people monitoring him were controlled, no one reported anything. We assumed he was acting as usual, and only recently discovered he was missing." The two Advisors exchanged glances and shook their heads.
Jiraiya suddenly stood up, his expression serious, and strode toward the door without hesitation.
"Wait, Jiraiya! Where are you going!?" Homura Mitokado was startled by this and quickly reached out to block his path.
"I'm going to find Naruto!" Jiraiya said with burning eyes and a determined tone.
"No! Absolutely not! The war on the front lines hasn't ended yet, and the situation is extremely critical! You must rush to provide support immediately!" Homura Mitokado cried urgently.
"What did you say!!" Hearing this, fierce anger instantly flared in Jiraiya's eyes, and he demanded furiously, "That is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! How can you neglect the safety of such an important person?!"
"We have no choice! Everyone who could be sent to search has already been dispatched. The most urgent task right now is to resist the fierce invasion from the outside Villages and protect the safety of the Village!" Homura Mitokado explained with a look of helplessness.
"Bastards!!" Hearing this, Jiraiya trembled with rage. He violently swung his arm, slamming the door in front of him. With a loud crash, the entire door rattled violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Meanwhile, in a courtyard far away in Yan Yin Village, Naruto suddenly sneezed loudly without warning.
"Achoo!"
The sudden sneeze caused Naruto, who was trying hard to climb the tree, to sway, and his already unstable feet immediately lost balance.
"Ouch!!" With a yelp, Naruto fell straight down from the tree.
On another tree not far away, Sasuke's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a subtle, smug smile. Clearly, he had the upper hand in this tree-climbing training.
He was quite happy when he learned that Naruto had also joined them. Although he was taken in as a disciple by Feng Ye, there weren't many people his age to train with. Now that Naruto was here, training wasn't so boring anymore.
But what surprised him was that Naruto, who had only spent less than a year at the Ninja Academy, was no slower than him when learning Ninjutsu. Moreover, this guy seemed to have inexhaustible Chakra; he kept practicing the same Ninjutsu without needing a rest.
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