Reaction × Interrogation

But the Third Mizukage's words immediately interrupted his thoughts.

"Are those guys still behaving themselves?"

Upon hearing this, the subordinate immediately lowered his head and replied, "The minor Kekkei Genkai clans are fine, it is only those major clans."

"Hmph!"

The Third Mizukage let out a cold snort, his refined face filled with killing intent as the aura of a Kage spread out.

"With war approaching, they are starting to harbor ulterior motives again. It seems the killing hasn't been ruthless enough."

"Have Yagura keep an eye on them. If they dare to make any suspicious moves—"

The meaning behind the words of this Mizukage, who had initiated the Bloody Mist Village, was self-evident.

"Yes!"

Facing the intense pressure of a Kage, the subordinate broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to lift his head.

On the other side, other ninja villages also received the news, each reacting differently.

"Another White Fang of Konoha, it seems."

Chiyo put down the intelligence report in her hand, the wrinkles on her face deepening involuntarily.

As she thought of White Fang, a ferocious expression appeared on her face.

White Fang had committed suicide rather than dying by her hand; it was truly letting him off too easily. One had to know that both her son and daughter-in-law had died at the hands of White Fang.

Ebizo, standing to the side, nodded as well.

"We are not adept at dealing with such high-burst, high-mobility ninjas, and this Nara Dan is terrifyingly young."

One had to remember that White Fang was already over thirty when he became famous, yet this Nara Dan was not even twenty. He was simply more terrifying than White Fang.

At this age, they wouldn't even need to defeat them on the front lines; they could simply outlast them with ease.

Thinking of this, Chiyo's expression relaxed slightly. Fortunately, White Fang was dead; otherwise, if their village had to face two such opponents, it would undoubtedly be adding frost to snow.

Ebizo's mind stirred, and he had an additional thought.

"Since the Sannin are not currently stationed in Konoha, why don't we..."

Chiyo shook her head, interrupting him.

"This guy is not just a simple genius. To be promoted to Jonin based solely on taijutsu only proves that he is far more terrifying than an ordinary Jonin."

"Moreover, given Konoha's temperament, anyone promoted to Jonin during a non-war period has likely been growing for a long time."

Ebizo nodded, understanding Chiyo's reasoning.

Indeed, a formal Jonin represented flawless proficiency in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Only then could one become a Jonin, yet this kid was able to become a Jonin through taijutsu alone.

Clearly, the advantage he had accumulated in the field of taijutsu far exceeded the sum of the three categories of an ordinary Jonin.

Furthermore, Konoha could not be unaware of how conspicuous a Jonin was during peacetime. Out of a desire to protect the geniuses within the village, Konoha would never let a genius who hadn't fully matured take such a risk.

"And besides..."

Chiyo looked toward the direction of the village, filled with worry. They had more difficult matters to face right now.

For instance, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage.

"The paper will soon be unable to wrap up the fire."

"This guy has grown again."

If there was any village among the Five Great Nations that had the deepest understanding of Nara Dan, it was undoubtedly the Iwagakure Ninja.

Back then, Nara Dan had turned the Land of Earth upside down, giving them quite a headache.

A tactical squad of nearly a hundred men couldn't even handle a single Chunin, being forced into a counter-encirclement for an entire day and night until the Jinchuriki stepped in to salvage some face.

It was precisely this battle that earned Nara Dan the moniker of the Black Demon.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, looked at the intelligence before him with a headache. Clearly, being able to withstand a Kekkei Genkai like the Mist Ninja's Lava Release meant Nara Dan's defensive capabilities had reached another level.

One had to know that in that battle, Nara Dan still had to be wary of the power of Kekkei Genkai users; at the very least, he wouldn't have received such ninjutsu head-on without any concerns.

It must be understood that the reason Kekkei Genkai users were feared was that the power of their techniques far exceeded ordinary nature transformation ninjutsu. It could be said that Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu were inherently equivalent to five-element ninjutsu that had already undergone nature transformation.

Ōnoki rubbed his old waist, feeling an unbearable headache.

If Roshi hadn't happened to pass by and intercept Nara Dan back then, that tactical squad of nearly a hundred ninjas would likely have been wiped out by him.

"And now, Roshi is still out there."

Ōnoki's face was gloomy, feeling angry at Roshi's disobedience. If not for Roshi's special status as a Jinchuriki, leaving the village without authorization would have been enough to label an ordinary ninja a rogue ninja.

"Only a Jinchuriki can restrain such a ninja."

Having fought his whole life, Ōnoki naturally understood the mutually reinforcing and restraining characteristics of every ninja. Facing a ninja with high attack and high speed like White Fang, only large-scale ninjutsu attacks could keep them in check.

And only a Jinchuriki or a Tailed Beast possessed the chakra reserves to continuously output large-scale ninjutsu attacks.

"But this guy is even more troublesome than White Fang."

Ōnoki sighed and waved his hand.

"Keep an eye on this Nara Dan for me, and notify me the moment you have any intelligence."

"Also, keep a close watch on Kumogakure as well. Those guys might look like rough, brawny brutes, but they are incredibly cunning."

Kumogakure, Raikage's office.

The Third Raikage slammed his fist onto the desk, his beard bristling.

"This kid is somewhat interesting."

Regarding a taijutsu secret technique similar to his own Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Third Raikage felt some interest, and even a spark of fighting spirit.

However, he only took a few extra looks before losing interest, because the combat feats Nara Dan could achieve now, he, the Third Raikage, could also achieve, and do even better.

"Our main target is not Konoha, so there is no need to worry about them for the time being."

The next day, the Konoha dungeon welcomed new guests.

"I'm troubling you, Lin-kun."

Uchiha Fugaku spoke politely; when facing the clan head of the Yamanaka clan, even the Uchiha had to show proper respect.

What's more, they were currently asking for a favor.

"You're too kind, Brother Fugaku, this is just my duty."

Yamanaka Lin had the signature yellow hair of the Yamanaka clan, a resolute gaze, and a face that looked slightly aged.

As they spoke, the two walked toward the depths of the prison.

Opening the gate to the Konoha prison, a stench of blood mixed with the unique dampness of the basement rushed toward them, making it difficult to endure.

But neither Uchiha Fugaku nor Yamanaka Lin changed their expressions, as if they were accustomed to it.

With cold expressions, they walked into the interrogation room one after the other.

Inside the room, the man who had been sent flying by Nara Dan yesterday was right there.

His hands and feet were shackled by special chains that restricted chakra, his entire body was a bloody mess, and he was wrapped in numerous bandages.

One could still clearly see the miserable traces of the injuries from the day before; in some places, the white bone hadn't even been covered by bandages yet.

Despite this, there was no look of pain on the man's face; instead, he was very calm, licking his dry lips.

"It's a pity, if Dan-kun hadn't been a bit too ruthless with his strikes, I'm afraid he would have died even faster under torture."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have been your turn to step in, Lin-kun."