Just as Hikaru expected, everything that had happened in Konoha was transmitted out over the next few days by spies from other villages hidden inside the village.
Every village had spies from other countries to some degree. That was not strange at all.
Even though Konoha's unique position in the shinobi world had already been established through Senju Hikaru's performance, there were still spies inside Konoha.
These spies did not necessarily carry out sabotage.
After all, they were not stupid.
They had stayed in Konoha for so long, so they naturally knew what kind of temper Hikaru had.
Especially after this Hokage had displayed such terrifying combat power.
And the day before, they had personally witnessed what could only be called a legend.
Even if someone gave them the courage, they would not dare sabotage anything.
If they were discovered, especially at a time like this, it was hard to say whether the Hokage would personally descend upon their country and village.
Then, perhaps, an entire village would be erased from the shinobi world.
Judging from the battle they had just witnessed, they did not doubt for a second that the Hokage could do it easily.
To be honest, they truly could not understand why such an existence had appeared in the shinobi world.
He was no longer on the same level as them at all.
But whether they understood it or not did not matter.
That Hokage was standing in Konoha.
Not offending him had naturally become the survival principle of these spies.
And sending back information about this Hokage's policies in Konoha had become their most important task.
In truth, what they most wanted to send back was this Hokage's attitude toward other villages, especially their own.
That attitude would show Konoha's diplomatic position, or more precisely, the Hokage's position toward their village and the other villages.
Unfortunately, such information rarely came out.
This Hokage seemed more interested in small villages. He had even spent enormous resources helping them.
They really could not understand that.
But they knew their job was simply to send the information back.
This time was the same.
In fact, this time, the information was even more important.
Because this time, they had personally witnessed the Hokage entering battle.
Once this information returned, it would definitely affect their own village's foreign policy toward Konoha.
Even though Konoha's security was extremely tight right now, they still used every method they had to send the intelligence back.
After all, this matter was too important.
In Iwagakure, within the Land of Earth, Ōnoki looked at the report in his hands. His expression was strangely unreadable.
A few days ago, he had felt the violent tremor coming from the direction of the Land of Fire.
At the time, he had been extremely puzzled about what had happened.
He had even considered sending troops over to investigate.
If that terrifying Fifth Hokage had suffered an accident, then it would absolutely be good news.
Yes.
In his view, if something happened to Hikaru, it would be a blessing for the entire shinobi world.
Because Senju Hikaru's power and threat level were simply too high.
So high that they chilled the heart.
As someone who had personally witnessed Hikaru destroy Kumogakure's entire main force by himself, Ōnoki understood better than most just how exaggerated that man's power was.
Long ago, he had judged that Hikaru might be someone who could make Konoha "regress" four or five decades.
And reality had proven him right.
Hikaru had not only inherited Senju Tobirama's political methods, but also Senju Hashirama's strength.
Whether it was Hashirama or Tobirama, both were terrifying men.
Hashirama especially had defeated Uchiha Madara many times.
Ōnoki had lived under the shadow of Uchiha Madara since he was young.
He would never forget Madara's proud figure, nor that terrifying power pushed to the extreme.
Even now, when he had already grown old, and even though he knew Uchiha Madara was dead, that shadow still followed him for life.
Madara had already been that terrifying.
Then how terrifying was Senju Hashirama, the man who defeated him?
Ōnoki had to admit that when he was young, the Hashirama he met had felt like a warm spring breeze.
But after Hashirama's death, Tobirama had given him the impression of an extremely dark schemer.
Even so, Ōnoki had to admit that Tobirama had brought enormous change to Konoha.
The policies he implemented had laid the foundation for Konoha's development.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, his methods had been decent, but his rise was essentially just completing what Tobirama had left behind.
Senju Hikaru was completely different.
At first, he had only displayed Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God.
That was why Ōnoki had considered him a fusion of Hashirama and Tobirama.
But after Hikaru displayed Hashirama-like might and successfully became the Fifth Hokage, he began showing the true side he had inherited from Tobirama.
His political awareness and political methods.
Not only did this boy avoid becoming the Third Hokage's puppet, he even cleaned up everyone around and behind the Third Hokage before finally tying the old man to his own side.
That kind of method and ability was Tobirama's most terrifying and impressive trait.
Without a doubt, Senju Hikaru had inherited it.
He truly possessed Hashirama's strength and Tobirama's methods.
For the entire shinobi world, such a person was a massive disaster.
As long as he existed, no one in the shinobi world could raise their head again.
So when such a serious incident happened in Konoha, Ōnoki genuinely hoped that something had happened to that terrifying man.
But reality was not like that.
And in truth, Ōnoki knew the probability of that happening was far too low.
Still, the report before him had given him an enormous shock.
"Konoha was affected by the battle and turned into something like an isolated island. Everything around it was completely destroyed.
"And an unknown person capable of matching Senju Hikaru appeared in the shinobi world. But Senju Hikaru was stronger and defeated him?"
Ōnoki's gaze shifted slightly.
This news was truly frightening.
And in his eyes, this was far more than simply being "stronger."
The enemy was powerful and terrifying.
At least judging from the destruction caused, he was definitely someone who could destroy a country alone.
But such an enemy had confronted and fought Senju Hikaru while Konoha stood behind him.
And yet, Senju Hikaru had still protected Konoha while defeating the opponent.
That kind of strength had completely exceeded Ōnoki's imagination.
In his eyes, this was no longer a matter of being slightly stronger.
This was crushing dominance.
If Senju Hikaru had no concerns behind him, and if the battle had taken place elsewhere, wouldn't he have shown an even greater advantage?
"Senju Hikaru has truly reached a level ordinary people can no longer imagine."
Ōnoki sighed faintly.
He really had not expected that the boy who first revealed his brilliance in Sunagakure had already grown to such an unreachable height.
If he had known all this back then, perhaps he really would have risked his life to do something.
After all, the existence of a shinobi giant was far too terrifying.
He shook his head slightly and stopped thinking about it.
After a moment of thought, he sighed again and slowly spoke.
"Someone, pass down my order. Have the logistics department prepare a batch of supplies as soon as possible. Aside from weapons, all types of materials are to be sent to Konoha.
"At the same time, prepare one hundred craftsman-type shinobi. Have them follow the supplies and go support Konoha."
…
"I never thought Konoha would encounter something like this. I also never thought someone like that existed in the shinobi world."
In Kumogakure, Killer B looked at the report in his hand with an unreadable expression.
Ever since his brother's plan several years ago, when Kumogakure launched a large-scale invasion of Konoha, their situation had fallen into complete decline.
More than eight thousand shinobi had been buried in the Land of Hot Water.
And those eight thousand shinobi had been Kumogakure's elites.
Worse still, they had all been killed by Senju Hikaru, the man who later became Konoha's Fifth Hokage.
Even his brother, the Fourth Raikage, had never been found.
By ordinary standards, his brother could already be considered dead.
But Killer B was unwilling to give up. He was still trying to find him.
However, a village could not go a single day without a leader.
Especially after such a devastating defeat, they needed a new Raikage to lead them through everything.
Without question, as the Fourth Raikage's younger brother and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B was pushed onto the stage.
Even if he did not want to, he eventually became Kumogakure's Fifth Raikage.
Facing the pressure of the entire village, Killer B also held onto the hope that he might use the Raikage's position to find his brother, so he accepted the seat.
But over the next few years, he sadly discovered that he had been calculated against.
His rise as Raikage had purely turned him into a shield.
Whether it was pressure from Iwagakure or Konoha's aggressive demands, he had to step forward and face everything.
Even the anger of Kumogakure's own villagers had to be borne by him alone.
Because he was the Raikage.
He had to carry it all.
These years had been exhausting for Killer B.
For the first time, he understood the pressure his brother had endured while sitting in this position.
It was terrifying.
And because of the elders' actions, he truly found it hard to trust anyone anymore.
The current Killer B no longer had the carefree innocence of several years ago.
He became steady.
Ruthless.
Every decision had to be examined again and again for its gains and losses.
He gave up the rapping he loved most.
He also gave up his previously lazy personality.
Even Gyūki could only silently shake his head at his changes.
As the one who had always stayed inside him, Gyūki understood Killer B's current state better than anyone.
Fortunately, Killer B endured it in the end.
Although he had become unfamiliar in the eyes of others, his relationship with Gyūki became even closer.
Because to him, the only one worth trusting was the Eight-Tails within him.
And the only place where he could find comfort was also the Eight-Tails.
This mutual trust allowed his strength to grow further.
Even though he had always felt that such growth was somewhat tragic.
But reality was like this.
He had no choice.
And Senju Hikaru's battle had taken away everyone he could trust.
To be honest, he hated Hikaru a little.
Because Hikaru's actions had made him a true loner, someone who had only the Eight-Tails left.
But he also knew he should not blame Hikaru.
Because the one who launched the war against Konoha was his brother.
If his brother had not started that war, so many people would not have died.
And no one would have fallen into their current situation.
"The entanglement of interests has never been about right or wrong. There are only winners and losers."
After serving as Raikage for several years, Killer B had come to understand this truth.
And now, he had gradually begun to seize the initiative.
Plots and schemes were only tools to achieve goals.
Strength was the key.
But without enough vision to see through everything, even great strength could eventually turn someone into another person's pawn.
Standing in a high position, Killer B desperately studied and absorbed everything.
Now, he had gained a certain level of vision.
And he had always possessed enough strength.
So under his sharp counterattack, those restless people in Kumogakure finally understood how terrifying the Fifth Raikage could be.
After taking control of Kumogakure, his attitude toward Konoha never changed.
When it was time to lower his head, he would never raise it for even one extra glance.
He had not forgotten how his most trusted partner kept warning him not to seek out Senju Hikaru, and absolutely not to think of revenge.
Because Senju Hikaru's strength was definitely no weaker than the Senju Hashirama of old.
Since Killer B had become Raikage, he naturally had access to many records.
Among them were records about the First Hokage.
Through those records, Killer B finally understood why the shinobi who created the one-country, one-village system had been called the God of Shinobi.
According to Gyūki, the current Hikaru was not weaker than him at all.
One could imagine what would happen if Killer B still held those thoughts and successfully angered the current God of Shinobi.
That man absolutely had the means and ability to send the entire Land of Lightning into hell.
He could never forget the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water.
He could never forget that terrifying giant Buddha that blotted out the sky.
And he could never forget how destructive that Buddha's attacks had been.
So he did not care what others thought.
When it was time to bow, he bowed.
After all, they were the defeated.
And this time, he received unexpected news.
Someone truly unafraid of death had dared to cause trouble for the Fifth Hokage.
According to the report, the troublemaker's strength was also terrifying beyond imagination.
But as an outstanding shinobi, Killer B immediately noticed something unusual in the report.
"Senju Hikaru fought with Konoha behind him. He had to split his attention to protect his village from destruction.
"And he really did it. Even though the terrain around Konoha was completely changed, even turning Konoha into an isolated island on land, the casualties inside the village were almost negligible under such an attack.
"Most importantly, the attacker was killed by the Fifth Hokage despite that disadvantage.
"One can imagine just how far the Fifth Hokage has grown."
Killer B sighed silently.
How could he not hope Konoha had been destroyed in this battle?
How could he not hope Senju Hikaru had died?
Although he did not blame Senju Hikaru, the Fifth Hokage's hands were still stained with the blood of Kumogakure shinobi.
More importantly, the Fifth Hokage had completely broken Kumogakure's spine.
He had made it so Kumogakure could never straighten its back again.
If he died, Kumogakure could definitely change instead of remaining like this.
But this battle report made Killer B realize that as long as the Fifth Hokage was alive, his hopes were destined to fail.
Looking at the document in his hand and the attached photographs, Killer B fell into thought.
But helplessness and grief could be seen in him.
After all, anyone would feel this way if they met such an enemy who would stand above them for life.
He shook his head helplessly and put down the report.
Then he looked at the ANBU standing nearby.
"Pass down my order. Konoha has encountered such a great disaster, and our inability to provide immediate help is our failure.
"Now that Konoha has survived the crisis, as its firm friend, I will provide aid to Konoha free of charge.
"Prepare all types of supplies and send them over. Select one hundred craftsman-type shinobi to accompany them. Let them obey Konoha's orders and help Konoha complete its reconstruction."
"Raikage-sama, this…"
The ANBU standing beside Killer B looked strange.
He really had not expected their Fifth Raikage to give such an order.
"Do not speak. Carry out the order."
Killer B did not give the ANBU a chance to argue.
He looked at him indifferently, then spoke firmly.
"What I need are obedient shinobi, not shinobi who refute my decisions. Can you do that?"
The ANBU's expression changed slightly. Then he immediately bowed.
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
…
"I never thought Konoha would encounter such trouble. And I never thought that Senju Hikaru would…"
In Sunagakure, Rasa looked at the document in his hand and muttered with a numb scalp.
He was not the only one feeling that way.
Even Chiyo, who was sitting in the office with him, felt her scalp tingling.
If one asked which village had the deepest entanglement and resentment with Senju Hikaru after Kumogakure, the village that had directly attacked Konoha, it would probably be Sunagakure.
Years ago, when that boy came to Sunagakure, the things they did and the things he did were still fresh in their minds.
They could not forget the hundreds of shinobi he killed.
They could not forget the ANBU unit he wiped out.
They could not forget the barrier team that had consumed enormous effort to cultivate.
And what Chiyo could not forget most was that this boy had taken a technique from her and destroyed countless puppets.
Although it had technically been a fair trade at the time, Hikaru had given her accurate information, and she had paid with a technique.
But before that, Hikaru had killed who knew how many of their people.
No matter how fair the trade was, Chiyo could never forget that hatred.
However, the later developments truly exceeded their expectations.
Not only did Hikaru become ANBU Commander, he also built a terrifying reputation during his years in the ANBU.
But that was not the most despairing part.
The most despairing part was that a few years ago, the young man who had first shown his brilliance in Sunagakure single-handedly forced Kumogakure to its knees in the war between Kumo and Konoha.
Kumogakure had been the village that preserved the most strength after the Third Shinobi World War.
Yet Hikaru crushed them alone.
Not only that, after returning to the village, he completely suppressed Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Then, through his methods and ability, he gained Minato Namikaze's recognition and became the Fifth Hokage in one stroke.
This series of changes left them stunned.
It also chilled their hearts.
As Konoha's neighbor, a neighbor with many tangled interests, Sunagakure naturally knew how strong Hashirama had been and how terrifying Tobirama had been.
By coincidence, this boy had gathered the traits and strengths of both Hokage into himself.
No matter who faced such a terrifying person, they would feel uneasy.
Especially when this person was their neighbor.
A neighbor they had once provoked.
A neighbor who might still harbor hostility toward them.
"Everyone, tell me. What should we do now?"
Rasa sighed weakly and rubbed his brow.
The position of Kazekage looked glorious, but it was also exhausting and painful.
Moreover, his son was not someone who gave him peace of mind.
He did not know whether it was talent or personality, but after his youngest son became a jinchūriki, the child's nature had changed completely.
Although the boy could suppress the tailed beast through certain special advantages, in Rasa's eyes, he was still a failed product.
And this failed product had taken his wife's life.
The fact that Rasa had not killed him already counted as fatherly mercy.
A fractured family.
The rise of neighboring Konoha.
And now, although Konoha seemed to have encountered trouble, in reality, it had slapped the entire shinobi world across the face.
This slap told the whole shinobi world how absurdly powerful Konoha had become.
"There is actually nothing much to discuss."
Chiyo sighed lightly and shook her head. In the end, she gave an answer filled with humiliation.
"Konoha's losses this time are not great, but the area around it has been destroyed. The terrain has also been severely changed.
"So I think we should send shinobi to help rebuild their transportation network, and provide material aid. Free aid."
At this point, Chiyo paused slightly before continuing with exhaustion.
"Perhaps Konoha will not care about these things, but at least we will have shown our sincerity.
"We only hope this contribution will be remembered by Konoha, and by the Fifth Hokage, Senju Hikaru.
"I have heard rumors. Though he looks gentle, he is apparently even worse than the Second Hokage when it comes to holding grudges…"
…
"So this is the power of a Hokage?"
On the road from the Land of Rain to Konoha, Nagato and Yahiko kept replaying the news they had received not long ago.
Both of them felt as if they had fallen into a dream.
Since Hikaru had decided to invest in and reform the Land of Rain, Nagato and the others naturally had to make preparations in advance.
In addition, they had been away for so long that they needed to return to the Land of Rain to understand the current situation.
They also needed to see whether the man claiming to be Uchiha Madara had appeared.
So after sending some shadow clones to Konoha, they returned from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Rain.
But what they never expected was that not long after they returned to the Land of Rain, the shadow clones they had left in Konoha exploded.
They had learned under Jiraiya, so the clones they used were Shadow Clones.
And because of that technique, they learned just how terrifying Hikaru's power had become.
Nagato was relatively better.
After all, he had once been taught a lesson by Hikaru, so he was not that surprised by the power Hikaru displayed.
And he knew about Hashirama and Tobirama's existence.
He guessed that Hashirama had been protecting Konoha while Hikaru dealt with the enemy.
But even so, he had to admit that the power Hikaru displayed in this battle far surpassed him, a Rinnegan user.
If he had been the one to face that enemy, he felt he likely would not have been able to withstand it.
As for Yahiko, he had truly never seen such a terrifying battle.
He had heard Nagato speak of Hikaru's strength, but he had no clear concept of how powerful he was.
Now, he finally knew.
But after knowing it, he realized Hikaru could no longer be considered human.
That was a god.
A god walking among men.
That kind of might was beyond his imagination.
That kind of destruction was unforgettable.
Now, he understood why Hikaru could kill eight thousand Kumo shinobi by himself.
He also understood why Nagato, even with the Rinnegan, had been defeated so miserably.
"Hokage-sama's power is truly unimaginable."
After a long silence, Yahiko sighed.
"But someone who could force Hokage-sama to use that kind of power must also be extraordinary."
"True. Although I couldn't see who it was, that person was dangerous to the extreme."
Nagato nodded from the side, but soon smiled.
"Still, I now feel that Hokage-sama is more like this world's guardian deity."
"Indeed…"
Yahiko nodded seriously, then slowly said,
"Hokage-sama really does seem like the guardian of the world. Without him, I simply can't imagine what Konoha would have become.
"But Konoha's current situation is not optimistic either. We should hurry there.
"Although there are only two of us, I believe we can still contribute what we can."
…
In Kirigakure, Black Zetsu looked into the distance with fear in his expression.
He had maintained this state for some time now.
He had never dreamed that a few days earlier, he would sense that familiar yet terrifying power.
A power that shared the same source as his mother's, yet was clearly different.
A power he could never forget.
The power of the Ōtsutsuki.
Black Zetsu had long guessed that there must be other traces of the Ōtsutsuki hidden in this cursed shinobi world.
For example, the person who controlled the tailed beasts.
That person definitely had the shadow of an Ōtsutsuki behind him.
But the power that erupted this time was clearly not from that person.
And that kind of power was not possessed by only one person.
What did that mean?
It meant more than one Ōtsutsuki had come to the shinobi world.
It meant these Ōtsutsuki must have discovered something, which was why they came here.
This was not good news.
This discovery filled Black Zetsu's heart with fear.
Having inherited part of his mother's memories, he knew very well how powerful these people were.
He also knew how exaggerated their abilities could be.
Although it was two other Ōtsutsuki fighting wildly, that was exactly why Black Zetsu felt even more panicked.
Their battle, and the unknown reason behind it, frightened him even more.
For one moment, he truly hated Obito for sealing off the Land of Water.
Because that blockade made it impossible for him to learn everything happening outside.
And because of that blockade, outside intelligence could not easily enter.
"Damn it. What exactly is going on? Why do these people have to come to the place where Mother is?"
Black Zetsu cursed inwardly.
And he could only curse inwardly.
Because he knew that no one in the entire shinobi world could be a match for those Ōtsutsuki.
Whether it was Nagato with the Rinnegan or Senju Hikaru with that so-called Jōgan, none of them could possibly be opponents for those gods.
"Now I can only hope the victor focuses on Konoha and on Senju Hikaru."
Black Zetsu muttered silently.
He turned to look at Obito, but soon withdrew his gaze in disappointment.
Obito's power was strange, but it would be utterly useless against those Ōtsutsuki.
As for Nagato, although he had been strengthened, expecting him to do anything was worse than expecting Senju Hikaru.
After all, Senju Hikaru's power was indeed terrifying.
Especially since that boy was their enemy.
Wouldn't it be better to let him attract the attention of those Ōtsutsuki?
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