Was He About to Say "But"?
A week has passed since Kushina's kidnapping.
A week ago, taking advantage of the Katsuki moon, Uchiha No wiped out a wave of reinforcements sent by the Cloud Ninja, successfully reaping a kill, and then leisurely returned to the village.
There's no need to think too much about what happens next.
Kushina was immediately protected and underwent a thorough examination to ensure she was unharmed.
At the same time, Konoha launched its first-ever high-level, large-scale, and extremely intense crackdown, with the Third Hokage personally overseeing it. A large number of Jonin the streets and alleys, while the Anbu, like mad dogs with their tails on fire, ran rampant through the village, revealing their sharp claws.
Based on intelligence gleaned from a pile of dead people's skulls, coupled with the Anbu's own investigation, a devastating blow was dealt to the Cloud Ninja's spies. Centered on Konoha, the strikes were expanded to cover the entire Land of Fire.
The existence of spies is not limited to Konoha. To be precise, most of the spies remaining in Konoha are ordinary people. In conjunction with a few spies who have taken root and infiltrated the Konoha Ninja system, most spies operate outside Konoha, providing support when necessary.
Not to mention the effort and money required to train a qualified spy, the time alone would be measured in 'years'.
However, this time, the Cloud Ninja's spies in the Land of Fire were almost completely wiped out, and the Cloud Ninja's spies suffered unprecedented heavy losses.
The Jonin were simply too well-informed, especially Kurokawa, who was the head of the Cloud Ninja's spies against the Land of Fire. The current head of the Yamanaka Clan personally took action and thoroughly investigated Kurokawa, even digging up details about him drawing maps on his bed when he was three years old.
In addition, a thousand-strong army from Konoha marched into the Land of Hot Springs and confronted the Cloud Ninja from the Land of Frost. The atmosphere was extremely tense, and no one knew whether they would start fighting at any moment.
A tense atmosphere permeated every corner of the Land of Fire, from the borders to the interior, including Konoha.
Katsuki walked down the street, she greeted the Uchiha Clan with their Red Eye. They managed a stiff smile, which looked rather unpleasant. She wondered if these guys, with their Tenten faces, had forgotten how to smile.
"Phew... It's so hot." Katsuki tugged at her collar, stuck out her tongue unceremoniously, and breathed out like an old dog.
Going out in the sweltering heat is torture, but what's worse is that there are no scantily clad girls along the way, only menacing Konoha Military Police Force on high alert, their menacing eyes scrutinizing passersby—they could all be placed in a temple as Buddha statues.
The Cloud Ninja Village spies have been wiped out, but there are still spies from other ninja villages! Especially since the front lines are currently engaged in battle with the Sand Village, the Sand Village spies in the rear are also quite active, so this is a good opportunity to eliminate them.
This made Katsuki extremely depressed.
"Katsuki, you did a great job this time."
At the entrance of the Hokage Building, Dan Katō looked at Katsuki walking over and patted him on the shoulder.
Because of Kushina's incident, their original plan to head to the front lines was forced to change, and they are still stuck in the village. Because of the Secret Technique he possesses, Dan Katō himself has been running around for several days, arresting a large number of people, interrogating them, and executing them. Today, he can finally catch his breath.
"Good!"
Katsuki accepted Dan Katō's praise with a smile. Genin, taking down a Jonin was a feat she could be proud of, and she felt no shame whatsoever.
"Come with me!"
Dan Katō turned around and led the way, with Katsuki following closely behind. She looked around at the scenery. The place was as solemn and heavy as ever. The office staff passing by kept their eyes straight ahead, their expressions serious, and they ran through the rooms carrying documents.
"As expected of the Hokage Building, the defenses are truly tight."
Katsuki muttered to himself, he had already sensed sixteen incredibly powerful auras hidden in the corners along the way. Putting aside these hidden defense forces, there were dozens of experts guarding the area on the surface.
"Don't look around, and even if you sense something, don't say it."
Dan Katō grabbed Katsuki and pulled her to his side, scolding her in a low voice.
"There are many powerful individuals in the Hokage Building. If you continue to rely on your senses like this, you might get beaten up when you leave. Even if they don't physically harm you, you'll certainly get a lesson."
"Really? I didn't do anything, why are you being so petty?" Katsuki grinned, somewhat disbelieving.
"Don't you believe me, kid? Security missions are the hardest. It's okay in other places, but the Hokage Building is practically impossible for enemies to break in, so these guys hiding there don't get a chance to use their skills all year round. I don't need to tell you how painful that is."
······
Katsuki blinked silently; it turned out they were just a bunch of guys with nowhere to vent their frustrations.
Ninjas are a group of energetic and fierce fighters. Accustomed to the battlefield of iron and blood, they inevitably experience similar symptoms when they are away from the battlefield for a long time. Their excessive energy has nowhere to be released, so besides training, they seek out fights.
However, generally speaking, such situations are rare in times of war like today, but even their rarity indicates that similar situations exist.
The powerful figures guarding the Hokage Building were in this unfortunate situation.
It's best not to provoke these guys.
Obediently withdrawing her gaze, Katsuki stopped randomly sensing the situation in the Hokage Building and quickly arrived at the Hokage's office door with Dan Katō.
Knock on the door, then enter.
The Third Hokage sat behind the table, still in his old manner, with a neatly groomed mustache, holding his beloved black pipe with a red tip, puffing out clouds of smoke, filling the room with a hazy, blue mist.
Through the thin wisp of smoke, the Third Hokage's sharp gaze fell upon Katsuki.
He was very curious, and when he heard the news that Katsuki had killed a Jonin, his curiosity exploded uncontrollably. However, he remembered his duties as Hokage, and considering that Katsuki might need some time to recuperate, he refrained from meeting Katsuki immediately.
We finally met again today.
"Lord Hokage"
Dan Katō and Katsuki greeted each other together, standing upright in front of the table like pine trees.
"Uzumaki Katsuki, your performance this time was outstanding. You killed a Jonin and several Chunin. I must say, the results were quite impressive." The Third Hokage gently exhaled white smoke rings, which slowly drifted towards the ceiling, dissipated in mid-air, and merged into the murky smoke.
This time, Katsuki wasn't delighted by the Third Hokage's praise. After all, even the most foolish person could tell that before the words were even spoken, the word "but" was probably about to follow.