Konoha Village

Chapter 15: Konohagakure [Seeking Recommendation Tickets]

Toneri felt his eyelids were extremely heavy, and a swollen soreness spread through every part of his body.

Especially the scratched areas on his body, it felt like hundreds of ants were crawling on them, trying to burrow under his skin.

He desperately tried to open his eyes, only to find he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

Most importantly!

That tingling sensation he just felt...

Was now extending towards the area below Toneri's abdomen, converging towards the place where little Toneri resided quietly...

That feeling.

Toneri desperately tried to stop it, but still couldn't.

In the end, the feeling came as quickly as it went.

Everything became somewhat anticlimactic.

Because he could finally open his eyes again.

However, what he saw was not a colorful world, but that familiar, dark sealing space!

When his consciousness reached its limit, he was dragged into the sealing space.

This way, he no longer felt the extreme discomfort in his body.

"Thank you, Big Beauty, I owe you one."

Toneri didn't blame the Two-Tails.

He didn't blame it for only infusing him with chakra at the last critical moment.

He was a little unsure before, but now he knew that even an incomplete Tailed Beast Cloak was something he couldn't withstand at his current state.

Since the duration he could endure was not long, determining the best timing became extremely important.

As for the Two-Tails' initial chakra output being too large, almost swallowing Toneri's consciousness.

This couldn't be blamed on the Two-Tails either. After all, the chakra it released might have been only a very small portion of its own, and Toneri's body simply couldn't handle it.

"Hmph--"

Hearing Toneri's sincere thanks, the Two-Tails turned its head and let out a soft hmph, appearing quite disdainful.

But its slightly twitching lips did not escape Toneri's eyes.

So tsundere.

"Your body is too weak, you can't withstand my power at all. If you hadn't stopped me in time, you probably would have exploded.

But... how did you know... how to release the Tailed Beast Ball?

You actually released a Tailed Beast Ball with such a small amount of chakra.

Although it's an embarrassment to the Tailed Beast Ball, the formation method is absolutely correct!"

The Two-Tails brought its head close to the bars, looking at Toneri from the closest possible distance.

Or rather, scrutinizing him!

Toneri was already used to this.

Because when he first told the Two-Tails stories, every time he reached a crucial point, the Two-Tails would stand up and look at him with that extremely "friendly" gaze.

So, Toneri was used to it.

He said without blinking, "I don't know, I really don't know. I just suddenly felt that doing it this way might unleash the most powerful attack. You know what my body's condition was like then; continuing would have caused permanent damage to my body!"

The Two-Tails was half-believing.

Toneri just shrugged, saying no more.

He didn't know how to use it in the first place. It was just that the method for using the Tailed Beast Ball suddenly popped into his mind from the depths of his memory. That's why, when he was lying on the ground, he naturally used a weakened version of the Tailed Beast Ball.

However, judging by the effect it had at the time, it was still quite considerable.

The only downside was that he himself had lost consciousness due to exhaustion.

Before he closed his eyes for the last time, all he saw was...

Thinking of this, Toneri immediately asked.

"Right! Big Beauty, what's the situation outside now? Before I lost consciousness, I vaguely saw a green vest!

It looked a bit like... a ninja's vest."

Upon hearing this, the Two-Tails' expression changed, becoming somewhat solemn.

If what appeared in the end was indeed a ninja, then both Toneri and itself would be in trouble.

And it would be quite a bit of trouble!

The most important thing was the uncertainty of which side the ninja belonged to. If it was a Cloud Ninja...

The Two-Tails slowly shook its head and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sealed inside you. What you can see is what I can see. Now that you're unconscious, I naturally don't know what the situation is outside."

All I know is that your physical condition isn't a major issue. With my chakra, the damage you've sustained will heal quickly.

However... where your body is now, and where it's headed, is unknown."

Toneri nodded heavily.

Although he had some guesses about the ninja wearing the green vest, he still felt uneasy.

He had originally made some plans, but they were ruined by this suddenly appearing Cloud ninja from the Anbu.

In the largest and most fertile land in the entire Shinobi World, there was a hidden village renowned throughout the Shinobi World!

The Leaf Village!

This was also Toneri's previous target location.

It represented the military strength of the Land of Fire and was one of the strongest hidden villages in the world!

At the center of power in the Leaf Village.

Backed by the stone carvings engraved with the faces of past Hokage, the tallest domed building bore a giant "Fire" character in its center.

In the Hokage's office, quite a few people had gathered.

And sitting behind the enormous desk, with a burning pipe in his mouth, was the current strongest individual in the Leaf Village, its de facto administrator, the Hokage!

The white Hokage robe clearly displayed "Third Hokage" on the back!

This was a middle-aged man showing signs of age. Various documents were neatly arranged on his desk.

In the center of the desk sat a hat emblazoned with a fiery red "Fire" character, symbolizing the Hokage's supreme honor!

And this man was none other than the Third Hokage of the Leaf, Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the Shinobi World Professor!

He currently looked serious, examining a document placed before him that detailed a person's profile. In the portrait section was a picture of Toneri with his eyes closed.

At the same time, several other people sat silently in the office.

Of course, one couldn't overlook the four individuals standing before the desk – one adult and three children!

They were the ones who had placed this document on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.

The atmosphere in the entire office felt rather somber, with only the tobacco in Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe burning, emitting wisps of white smoke that diffused throughout the room.

Eventually, the entire room was filled with the bitter smell of smoke.

The children standing before his desk instinctively covered their noses.

Noticing their actions, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally reacted.

He looked at the leader of the four, the only ninja wearing a green vest, the captain of the three and their temporary mentor.

"Shikashin, the traces at the border, were they all cleaned up?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and rubbed his temples with his right hand.

He had only recently returned from the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

At such a critical juncture near the end of the Second Shinobi World War, an event of such significance had occurred that even he found it incredibly troublesome.

Shikashin nodded, his face filled with helplessness. Being caught up in this matter was truly unavoidable.

He had merely received intel that foreign intelligence personnel might be entering the Land of Fire. He happened to be taking three prematurely graduated youngsters to investigate the situation and gain some experience.

Who would have thought they'd bring back such a "thing."

Still, he replied honestly, "Yes, Third Hokage!"

It truly was a troublesome matter, but for some reason, he felt a little excited?

Among the world's ten greatest unsolved mysteries, who is darker: Danzo, who openly schemes, or the Third Hokage, who secretly plots?

Yesterday, someone asked to see Kurenai in a bathtub, and today, it's here! Don't ask about the price, just recommend a ticket!