Argument

After thinking for a moment, Yichen said, "How's the bandit suppression mission in Kawakita going? If he's done his job well, why not let him follow the Third Generation as well?"

Tomoko said, "It's almost finished, only some remote areas haven't been cleared out yet. There aren't many wandering ninja left in the Land of Snow now; most have been driven to the Land of Demons, the Land of Bears, and other countries to the south."

Yichen immediately made the decision. "Then let him go with the Third Generation. Also, let Roshi go with the Third Generation too. Hasn't he always felt that staying near the village is like being in prison? Let him go out and clear his head."

Kitsuchi's lips twitched. Roshi and his father had never gotten along. Was it really a good idea to make them spend every other Tenten together?

"Kitsuchi, you arrange this. Quickly contact the third generation and have him meet up with Roshi from Kawakita," Yichen said.

After thinking for a moment, Tomoko said, "Teacher Yichen, Kawakita originally planned to select a few disciples after this graduating class graduates."

"Then let him come back immediately. Anyway, the graduating class doesn't have many days left, so let's take him away in advance." Yichen didn't care about such a small matter.

Saka asked again, "The Anbu just said that it wasn't Chiyo who used the Third Kazekage Puppet, but someone else. That person can unleash Kage-level Combatant the Third Kazekage Puppet, could it be Ebizo?"

Upon hearing this, Yichen's heart stirred. "I have a guess. That person might be the first place winner from our last Joint Chunin Exams: Sunagakure, another genius Puppet Master from the Sand Ryosuke."

Ryosuke? Everyone was surprised. How old was he? He seemed even younger than Tomoko and Kawakita. He could already unleash Kage-level Combatant?

"Puppet Master are different from regular ninjas. A relatively weak Puppet Master can become very powerful if he has a good puppet," Yichen said.

"However, this Ryosuke is definitely a genius, there's no doubt about that. He's at least Elite Jonin, maybe even a Quasi-Kage."

"Rasa's policies have been rather conservative these past two years. I guess he's waiting for Ryosuke to mature."

"This reminds me that not only are we secretly training our juniors, but the Sunagakure hasn't been idle either. What about the Cloud ninja? The Sunagakure has slipped up this time, so Cloud ninja should keep an eye on the Cloud Village as well."

"Saka, keep a close eye on the young geniuses in each village and see if they've shown any unusual behavior lately."

"Yes," Saka replied.

The others also felt a chill run down their spines. Indeed, everyone was likely making progress, and they couldn't judge the future fighting strength of each village based on previous intelligence.

Two days later, the Joint Chunin Exams finally came to an end, with an Iwa ninja from Iwa ninja taking first place.

Although this Iwa ninja's strength was also quite average, he just happened to miss the previous Chunin Selection, and unexpectedly hit the jackpot.

However, the villagers of Iwagakure were unaware of this; all they knew was that Konoha had lost, Sunagakure had lost, and Iwagakure was indeed growing stronger day by Tenten.

Following this, an agreement was reached Land of Wind and Earth to deepen cooperation, and this was made public to the entire Ninja World.

Of course, the latest issue of the Iwagakure bi -Bi-Monthly Report also gave extensive coverage to this event: Iwagakure's influence is about to extend to the southernmost part of the Ninja World, which is a key step in enhancing Iwagakure's soft power.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and the rest of the Konoha delegation finally returned to Konoha.

Because of the annihilation of the Monkey Clan, Tsunade and other high-ranking officials immediately met with Kakashi, Shikaisen Nara, and Sarutobi Akira.

The moment Kakashi entered the Hokage's Office, Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo all noticed the change in Kakashi.

So Hiruzen Sarutobi, who originally wanted to ask about Shikaisen Nara, immediately started questioning Kakashi first.

The extinction of the Monkey Clan is a fact; at most, the responsibility of Shikaisen Nara will be investigated, but that's not very meaningful.

But Kakashi's situation is quite significant. On the bright side, Konoha will soon have another Kage-level experts, which will alleviate their previous predicament.

But if we think about the worst, if Kakashi were brainwashed by the Iwa ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi down his spine.

Think about how you treated White Fang? Then think about the Iwa Village Bi-Monthly Report that came back from Shikaisen Nara. Finally, combine that with the methods of the Fourth Tsuchikage, who was known as the Fox of Stone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Konoha peace he had painstakingly maintained in Konoha was about to be shattered.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still able to maintain his basic composure. He said in a deep voice, "Kakashi, tell me what happened to you first."

Kakashi knelt on one knee and said, "Lord Hokage, Third Lord, I sparred with many Iwa ninja in Iwagakure, and finally challenged Iwa ninja's Advisor Ikura."

"During the process, I witnessed the power of Ikura and and the Fourth Tsuchikage, and felt the gap between myself and them, and then that was it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt slightly relieved; at least the reason was plausible.

However, Danzo didn't see it that way. He directly questioned, "Kakashi, you became a quasi-Kage in front of the Tsuchikage and Ikura? And they just let you come back like that?"

Danzo's reminder made Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart leap into his throat again. Yes, a quasi-Kage, and the Iwa ninja just let him go so easily? This didn't seem like Yichen's style.

Any Kage from any ninja village would make the same decision in this situation: nip the threat in the bud.

At this moment, Tsunade spoke up, "Danzo, that's enough. Kakashi is one of us, not a criminal. Don't talk to your own people like you're interrogating a prisoner."

Danzo his teeth and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Hiruzen, strike him with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and have him join Root."

This is a good method. If Kakashi really has a problem, this method can minimize the harm Kakashi might cause.

However, if this method had been proposed before Orochimaru's defection, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have actually agreed to it.

Back then, Danzo had his eye on Orochimaru's subordinates, which is why he forced Orochimaru to rebel. This matter has always been a source of resentment for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi now seriously suspects Danzo's motives. Is Danzo after Kakashi, and is he deliberately trying to frame Kakashi?

Danzo's recent actions are noticeably different from his past. He's actually started cultivating his own power base outside of Root. "Now that I've stepped down from the Hokage position, are you unwilling to remain a mere shadow?"

If Kakashi is also handed over to Danzo, will Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade still be able to control Danzo a few years later?

Danzo's words actually helped Kakashi. Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, get up. The village doesn't suspect you; they just want to know about your journey to becoming Kage Level."

"Back then, when I was being chased by Ginkaku of the Kinkaku Cloud ninja along with the Second Hokage, I decided to stay behind to cover their retreat, which is how I became a quasi-Kage," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

"That's obviously just something to fool children," Danzo with a disdainful sneer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was already a quasi-Kage before that; he just said that to make himself seem more noble. After all, a Kage who is willing to sacrifice himself for the village deserves more respect and admiration.

Kakashi nodded and said, "Third Lord, rest assured, I understand. I am also willing to make sacrifices for the peace of the village, just like my teacher."

Tsunade didn't want to dwell on this issue. In any case, she didn't sense any malice from Kakashi, and her Kage Level intuition told her that Kakashi was still loyal to her Hokage.

"Shikazumi, tell me the details about Iwagakure," Tsunade said to Shikaisen Nara.

Meanwhile, Shikaku Nara, who had remained silent, looked extremely nervous.

After a long silence, once Shikaisen Nara had finished speaking, Tsunade concluded. "Shikazumi, the problem isn't with you. We didn't expect the Iwa ninja's target to be the Monkey Clan."

Shikaisen Nara asked in a trembling voice, "Lord Hokage, do you know how much loss the Monkey Clan has suffered?"

Sarutobi Akira and Kakashi, who were beside him, also looked at Tsunade. They had lost contact with Konoha since Yichen attacked the Monkey Clan and were still unaware of the specific situation.

Tsunade sighed and said, "The Monkey Clan has been wiped out; only the Enma escaped."

Although it was somewhat expected, Shikaisen Nara still harbored a sliver of hope: what if only a portion of the Monkey Clan had been lost, and the rest had hidden themselves or escaped?

But reality is cruel.

Shattered of all his illusions, Shikaisen Nara coughed up blood and then fainted.

Upon seeing this, Tsunade Medical Ninja, immediately stepped forward and began to examine the patient.

After a while, Tsunade said, "Heart failure. He's not in mortal danger this time, but if he can't overcome the trauma of this incident, he probably won't live much longer."

Shikaku Nara took a deep breath and said, "Thank you Lord Hokage. This was Shikazumi's own choice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Shikaku, you should talk to Shikazumi about it later."

Shikaku Nara responded.

After Kakashi and Sarutobi Akira helped Shikaisen Nara downstairs, the meeting room became somewhat somber.

Mitokado Homura said, "The Fourth Tsuchikage is remarkable. He actually managed to deduce the location of the Monkey Clan from the Summoning Jutsu. It seems that Iwagakure's understanding of Space-Time Ninjutsu is quite advanced. We used to use Space-Time Ninjutsu to attack enemies, but our research on Space-Time Ninjutsu has fallen behind since Minato Namikaze's death."

"Hiruzen, Tsunade, we also need to focus some of our efforts on researching Space-Time Ninjutsu. We can't afford to have the Iwa ninja attack us with Space-Time Ninjutsu and then be unable to defend ourselves or retaliate."

Tsunade thought for a moment and said, "Then let Genma Shiranui and the other two take on fewer missions and spend more time learning the Flying Thunder God Technique. Let them also be in charge of the research on Space-Time Ninjutsu. After all, they are the three ninjas that Minato Namikaze chose because he believed Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had no objections. They had all learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, and their impression after learning it was: it was like reading a foreign language; they couldn't understand it at all. Such professional matters should indeed be left to professionals.