The Third Hokage Fell Ill

Utatane Koharu again told everyone to keep it a secret, emphasizing, "Hiruzen needs rest now. We absolutely cannot let him be agitated again. We must secretly send him back first, without letting his Police Force personnel know, otherwise I'm certain that Uchiha Qingcheng will act immediately."

Utatane Koharu had Sarutobi Aiki take out a stack of Ryo to reward the doctors who treated Hiruzen Sarutobi. She then instructed the doctors, "You must also keep this a secret. The matter of the Third Hokage must not be made public. Konoha cannot afford any more trouble."

The bespectacled doctor then said with a serious expression, "Understood, Consultant Koharu. I will definitely keep my mouth shut and announce to the outside world that the Third Hokage Master is incredibly vigorous, capable of thirteen times a night, and is perfectly capable of taking a concubine."

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura's face filled with embarrassment, and he emphasized again, "You can say anything, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone about your illness."

Sarutobi Aiki then helped the Third Hokage Earth Flow towards the Anbu base, intending to sneak him Third Hokage.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi walked out of the Hokage's Office, the corridor lights were on, and it was already dark. Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly turned back and said to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, "I'm entrusting everything to you. We will definitely restore order to the village."

Looking at the pale-faced Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura said with a pained expression, "Hiruzen, you need to focus on your treatment and stop worrying about the village. Things won't get too chaotic. I just hope you recover quickly. Without you here, the two of us simply can't hold off that Uchiha Clan."

Upon Utatane Koharu added with anticipation, "I hope those ANNI who went out can find Jiraiya or Tsunade soon, so that we higher-ups will have the confidence to fight that Evil Uchiha."

Upon hearing Tsunade and Jiraiya's names, Hiruzen Sarutobi's memories of Tsunade flashed through his mind again. He sighed and said with a pained expression, "She must be blaming me, right? If I had stopped Danzo back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have Nawaki on the Explosive Tag and been blown up."

Mitokado Homura said with a worried expression, "I didn't know Jiraiya could deal with Uchiha Qingcheng. Those Mangekyō Sharingan haven't revealed their Dōjutsu yet. This Uchiha Qingcheng is simply too cunning."

That's right, the Third Hokage also dispatched a large number of Anbu Ninja to gather intelligence on Uchiha Qingcheng, especially his Mangekyō Sharingan's Dōjutsu, which were a key focus of the mission.

These Anbu Ninja went to the site of the battle at Qingcheng, which was also the Root's base, to search for any clues. However, without exception, they found no leads Mangekyō Sharingan.

No one else in the world knows the secret of Qingcheng's Mangekyo.

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage's face showed a bitter expression again. He said with a pained look, "Start with the people around him. We must find out the Mangekyo's Dōjutsu, and whether his Mangekyō Sharingan will cause him to go blind."

Seeing the Third Hokage's contorted face, Mitokado Homura immediately said, "Hiruzen, you should go and rest! I'll arrange for people to secretly investigate Uchiha Qingcheng's secrets so we can defeat him later."

Utatane Koharu also said with a concerned expression, "Don't worry about Hiruzen's affairs, we'll take care of everything."

Sarutobi Aiki dragged the Third Hokage away slowly, preparing to return to the Sarutobi Clan with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Looking at the huge office, now almost empty, Utatane Koharu sighed, "The world is really going to the dogs. The once vibrant Hokage Building is now a stagnant pool. Those powerful ninja clans avoid us, afraid of offending Uchiha Qingcheng."

Mitokado Homura watched the departing Third Hokage, then looked at the empty office, and said with a weary expression, "If the Fourth Hokage hadn't died, I don't think the village would have become like this. If Uchiha Qingcheng had died on the Night of the Massacre, we wouldn't be so passive, being bullied by the Evil Uchiha Tenten."

Utatane Koharu, with a nostalgic look on her face, said, "Uchiha Fugaku was the best. He was the kind-hearted Uchiha Clan. Unlike this Uchiha Qingcheng, he was simply the embodiment of evil."

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura said with a worried expression, "I don't know how many days we can hold out. I hope everything will turn out for the better."

Utatane Koharu, looking panicked, said, "Hopefully Uchiha Qingcheng won't find out so quickly that Hiruzen is sick."

Then they both sighed and sat down on the sofa with helpless expressions.

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha Clan Compound, Qingcheng went to the basement and saw a large group of Shadow Clone practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique. They had already begun the second stage, which was to comprehend the power of space.

After dinner each day, Qingcheng would come to the basement, dismantle all his Shadow Clone, absorb and comprehend all the experience gained from their cultivation, and then create new Shadow Clone to continue cultivating. In this way, his strength would increase rapidly.

These Shadow Clone who had cultivated the Flying Thunder God Technique, upon seeing Qingcheng arrive, all called out, "Main body! We've all achieved a stage of success; experience it for yourself!"

Looking at the smiling Shadow Clone, Qingcheng knew they had all missed their chance. He then softly called out, "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, dispel!"

In an instant, a large amount of smoke appeared, and these Shadow Clone made banging sounds as they turned into puffs of smoke and disappeared.

After the hundred-plus Shadow Clone disappeared, Qingcheng immediately felt his body become more than a hundred times more fatigued, and he also gained more than a hundred copies of the Flying Thunder God's knowledge.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu is also a forbidden technique. If too many Shadow Clones are created, the fatigue upon their return to the original body is dozens of times greater. Ninjas with Chakra will either die from exhaustion or suffer brain damage due to the accumulation of excessive memories in their brains.

Qingcheng possessed a weakened version of the Sage Body, along with the talent for Strong Kidney and Body Strengthening, and the chakra of Entry-level Kage Chakra. However, after enduring over a hundred points of fatigue, Qingcheng was still panting heavily.

He added wearily, "This Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu is basically the Multiple Ox-Horse Technique, it's exhausting!"