Actually, Madara Uchiha Being Alive Wasn't Entirely a Lie

"You all did very well in this Joint Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Not only did it enhance Konoha's reputation, but it also made the major powers take Konoha's current strength seriously."

"Hereinafter, in the name of the Third, I hereby declare you to be Chunin!"

In the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the group of people in front of him and spoke.

Inside the office, Naruto and the others smiled upon hearing this.

After all this hard work, wasn't it all for the sake of becoming Chunin? Although there were some setbacks along the way, I've finally achieved my goal.

"Hiruzen Hokage, just you wait and see, I'm going to become Hokage!"

Because of Gaara's provocation, Naruto looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a serious expression.

The Jonin turned their heads, but said nothing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and nodded, "Alright, I believe in Naruto, you can do it!"

"However, before that, you need to become Jonin. Look up to your master."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was right. The Hokage lineage has always been passed down from master to disciple. At the very least, it's like Minato. Jiraiya never became Hokage, but he jumped straight to the top.

"Yes!"

Naruto and the others responded in unison upon hearing this.

"Alright, you should now be aware of the latest assignments for your squads."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, then addressed the group.

Meanwhile, the Jonin had been waiting nearby stepped forward and took Shikamaru and the others away.

Finally, Kakashi walked forward with a lazy expression and waved his hand. "Well then, for the time being, you're under my command."

Even though they knew beforehand, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but exchange a glance at each other.

"Let's go, at least let's get to know each other before forming teams."

Kakashi ignored whether Naruto and the others were willing or not, finished speaking, greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hagoromo, and then went out first.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, you should all follow Kakashi closely from now on. As his senior, he became Jonin at the age of twelve."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled Naruto outside.

"Hagoromo, are you really not going to take the throne now?"

After everyone left, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Hagoromo beside him.

"Yes, Master, although the Akatsuki has been largely wiped out..."

"However, according to Itachi's intelligence, the two most mysterious figures are still missing."

Hagoromo turned to look out the window. During this attack, all Akatsuki members in Konoha were contained to a minimum, thus avoiding destruction.

"Phew—I thought that if you were to succeed to the throne now, you could directly participate in the formal Five Kage Summit."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples, surprised that he was able to attend this meeting immediately after becoming Hokage.

For Hagoromo, her prestige would definitely be even higher.

After all, there's no need to worry about strength anymore, Konoha doesn't need much preparation internally; what they lack now is the ability to fight externally.

"Even if they hadn't participated in this meeting, the other Four Great Nations still had no objections, didn't they?"

Hagoromo, on the other hand, didn't care about such empty fame at all. If anyone dared to provoke him, then he would let them know whether they had the physique to withstand it.

You little brat!

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed in anger, but did not refute it.

In the Shinobi World, strength is everything.

Otherwise, why would the mere name of Madara Uchiha be enough to instill fear in the Five Great Nations?

It truly reflects the influence of a person's reputation.

"You mean, it really is Madara Uchiha?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and came to Hagoromo's side, asking.

"Perhaps," Hagoromo chuckled softly.

If it really Madara Uchiha, then we need to be careful, but if it's just Obito, then it's not that bad.

"As expected, Jiraiya said you should know something."

Following on from these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi then mentioned something else.

"The Rinnegan?"

Hagoromo turned his head to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi; this was the only thing Jiraiya could bring up.

"Yeah, Jiraiya's been wanting to come and ask you why you said Nagato's Rinnegan didn't belong to him."

"But Tsunade won't allow it."

After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke. He no longer needed to ask Hagoromo too many questions.

However, this time he was just curious; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken up.

Hagoromo nodded; he naturally understood what Hiruzen Sarutobi meant.

"Actually, the Madara Uchiha is alive isn't entirely a lie."

"Hmm... hmm? You mean?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then understood, looking at Hagoromo with a shocked expression.

"The Rinnegan is an advancement from the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."

"The Rinnegan is an advancement from the Mangekyo Sharingan..." Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, the shock of this news no less than when Hagoromo said that Madara Uchiha was really alive.

"That's right. After Itachi returned, he went to the Uchiha clan's burial grounds to verify the inscription. I was with him at the time."

Hagoromo nodded and told her about Itachi.

Perhaps Itachi had already developed suspicions about Obito while they were still in the Akatsuki, which is why he called him along when he returned.

Moreover, Shisui went along with it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly. Shisui had already reported this matter after returning, only saying that Hagoromo had some suspicions.

"What happened? Tell me in detail."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi Hagoromo to come to the sofa, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked a question.

"Based on the information I gathered about Itachi and other matters, I went to Amegakure to investigate before the Chunin Ninja Exams."

As Hagoromo spoke, he began to recount the story to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had indeed gone there at the time.

Just because you know it yourself doesn't mean others will accept this kind of information based on mere speculation.

Going there and giving feedback is nothing special.

However, at that time, almost all members of the Akatsuki went into hiding because of Itachi's escape, and he didn't have time to investigate further.

Or rather, Amegakure itself was already in a state of chaos.

He returned after learning some information about when Nagato would defeat Hanzō.

As Hagoromo spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi barely even touched the pipe in his hand.

"I've also been to the area near Kannabi Bridge, the place where Kakashi and the others met their demise."

"Although it's now a ruin, I still found some things."

As she spoke, Hagoromo pulled out a scroll she carried with her. "There are a few spores in here. There were a few figures hiding there at the time, but I dealt with them all immediately."

"Is that the inhuman monster Itachi mentioned?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled the information and asked.

"Yeah, that guy's been hiding, and I still haven't been able to find him."

Hagoromo nodded.

"If what you say is true, then the timing does match... but..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent at this point.