"Kage Level?"
Utatane Koharu whipped her head around, the anger on her face replaced by astonishment.
Mitokado Homura pressed down on the casualty report on the table and read it over twice.
They were no strangers to Uchiha Lieyang's record.
Twenty years old, Special Jōnin, Three-Tomoe Sharingan, skilled in Fire Release, Genjutsu, and ninja tool throwing.
Among ordinary shinobi, that already counted as outstanding.
But between Kage Level and Special Jōnin lay an insurmountable gulf.
"Hiruzen, are you sure you're not overestimating him?"
Mitokado Homura said gravely, "The annihilation of six Root squads and three regular shinobi squads is indeed an astonishing record. But he has the Shadow Clone Technique and has mastered a great number of ninjutsu Konoha has never documented. Defeating them one by one through an information gap does not mean he truly possesses Kage Level strength."
Utatane Koharu came to her senses as well.
"Indeed."
"If those squads had known beforehand about his Lightning Body Flicker, one-handed seals, and five Chakra natures, the outcome might not have been this."
"The consequences of directly classifying a twenty-year-old Uchiha as Kage Level are too great."
She did not voice the rest of her thoughts.
The Uchiha Clan had already produced one Shisui.
Body Flicker Shisui's strength, talent, and Mangekyō Sharingan had always made Konoha's upper ranks wary.
Now, another Kage Level powerhouse had emerged—an Uchiha who had hidden himself for years before defecting without warning. It was enough to upset the balance of power within the village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refute them immediately.
He pulled several pages from the files on the table and placed them before the two elders.
"The first Root squad: one Jōnin and three elites. The battle lasted less than fifteen minutes."
"The second Root squad: after two were wounded and one died, the entire squad was slaughtered."
"The following three squads numbered twelve people in total, including three Jōnin. They had received the latest intelligence in advance. They knew the target wielded Lightning Release, Earth Release, and Water Release. They also knew that his Shadow Clones possessed independent combat ability."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's finger came down on the final report.
"The result did not change."
"All twelve were wiped out. They did not even force out his real body."
Utatane Koharu's breath caught.
Mitokado Homura stared at a line in the report.
"In other words, the one who killed those three elite squads was still only a Shadow Clone?"
"Correct."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slowly.
"Based on the intelligence currently available, Uchiha Lieyang's real body remained blindfolded throughout and never entered the battle personally."
"With Shadow Clones alone, he could kill Jōnin in succession."
"Such power can no longer be measured by the standards of an ordinary elite Jōnin."
The office fell silent once more.
Utatane Koharu looked toward Danzo.
"You knew all along?"
Danzo's expression was far from pleasant.
The loss of six Root squads had left a glaring hole in the elite force he had accumulated over many years.
"The initial intelligence was all false."
"Uchiha Lieyang deliberately concealed his Chakra natures, ninjutsu, swordsmanship, and true taijutsu level."
"Every time Root updated its intelligence, he revealed even greater power."
Danzo paused, his voice cold and devoid of warmth.
"Even now, no one can be certain whether he has revealed all of his strength."
Utatane Koharu's pupils constricted.
That was the most terrifying part.
So many had died. Konoha had paid such a terrible price, yet they still had not uncovered Lie Yang's full hand.
Mitokado Homura lowered his voice.
"Where is his limit?"
Danzo did not answer.
Instead, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up another combat analysis report.
"At the very least, it is no lower than White Fang's back then."
"What?"
Utatane Koharu blurted out.
Mitokado Homura shot to his feet as well. The chair legs scraped against the floor with a sharp screech.
If he were merely an ordinary Kage Level shinobi, they could still barely accept it.
But Konoha's White Fang was entirely different.
Hatake Sakumo had carved out a fearsome reputation during the Second Shinobi World War, one that made the four great shinobi villages tremble, relying on his peerless Lightning Body Flicker and ultra-high-speed swordsmanship.
In one-on-one combat, there were only a handful of people in all Konoha who could contend with him.
Before the Legendary Sannin had reached their peaks, they had not been his match.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi in his younger days would not have dared claim he could surpass Hatake Sakumo in close-quarters combat.
Later, the only person in all Konoha capable of confronting that lightning-fast swordsmanship head-on was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God.
The four great shinobi villages had even issued a special order regarding White Fang.
If Konoha's White Fang was encountered during a mission, they could abandon the mission unconditionally without any punishment!
He was a taboo existence whose name alone could make enemy shinobi give up resisting.
"Hiruzen!"
Utatane Koharu planted both hands on the table.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
"How many enemy Jōnin did Hatake Sakumo kill on the battlefield back then? Uchiha Lieyang merely wiped out a few pursuit squads. How can he be mentioned in the same breath as White Fang?"
Mitokado Homura also stared fixedly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"White Fang's swordsmanship was unmatched in Konoha."
"Even if Lie Yang possesses Lightning Body Flicker, that does not mean he can reach the same level."
"This is not my judgment."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo.
"It is Root's analysis based on the memories of the dead."
The two elders turned their heads at once.
Leaning on his cane, Danzo stepped forward.
"Uchiha Lieyang uses lightning-nature Chakra to stimulate his entire body. His speed has already surpassed the limits of an ordinary Jōnin's dynamic vision."
"Root's Jōnin could only barely block the first strike through combat instinct."
"After blocking it, Lightning Release would surge through the metal weapon into their bodies, causing paralysis. Before the second strike fell, the opponent had already lost the ability to resist."
"And that is only his speed."
Danzo pulled out an analysis chart containing the dead men's memories.
"His swordsmanship has no fixed forms."
"Every swing of his blade targets the weakest point in the enemy's exertion of force. Whether they block, evade, or counterattack, their subsequent movements all fall within his calculations."
"Root once used three people working together to lure him into attacking."
"When his blade was only half an inch from the target's body, he forcibly stopped it, avoided the wire, formed seals with one hand, and counterkilled them with Earth Rising Spears."
Mitokado Homura studied the battle routes on the analysis chart, his expression growing darker and darker.
High-speed movement alone was not frightening.
Nor was pure mastery of the sword impossible to restrain.
What was truly terrifying was both appearing in the same person.
The enemy could not see his movements, nor could they predict his blade.
Even if they somehow blocked the first strike, Lightning Release would paralyze them.
How similar was this to Konoha's White Fang of old!
"And that is not all."
Danzo continued, "Hatake Sakumo mainly relied on Lightning Body Flicker and swordsmanship. Ninjutsu was not his core method."
"But Uchiha Lieyang possesses all five Chakra natures."
"He can use large-scale Fire Release to burn down the battlefield, use the Hidden Mist Technique to rob enemies of their vision, launch surprise attacks from underground with Earth Release, and complete simplified hand seals with one hand."
"His ninjutsu and taijutsu have both reached an extremely high level."
"He is a versatile Kage Level powerhouse."
"He is even harder to deal with than a Kage Level shinobi who simply excels at close combat."
Utatane Koharu slowly sat back down.
She picked up Lie Yang's original file and read it again.
Taijutsu: average.
Greatest achievement: killed two Chunin alone.
Fire and Wind Chakra natures.
Every entry now seemed like a joke.
Mitokado Homura muttered, "Why could a twenty-year-old Uchiha hide his strength to such an extent?"
No one could answer.
In times of peace, Kage Level powerhouses were exceptionally difficult to produce.
A shinobi's growth had never been separable from battle.
Especially not at Kage Level.
Talent, resources, inheritance, willpower, life-and-death combat—lacking even one of these could leave someone forever stuck at the Jōnin level.
Among Uchiha Lieyang's past missions, there had not been many truly dangerous experiences.
He had never entered a large-scale battlefield, never fought the top powerhouses of other shinobi villages, and never apprenticed himself to any famous shinobi.
Three years ago, he had still been an ordinary Chunin with an unremarkable record.
Though he had grown rapidly afterward, he had always remained under Konoha's surveillance.
ANBU had investigated his missions.
Root had investigated his businesses and personal connections.
The Konoha Police Force also had complete records of his activities.
Yet none of the investigation results contained any trace of how he had become a Kage Level powerhouse.
"He could not have become stronger out of thin air."
Utatane Koharu's voice tightened slightly.
"Where did he learn his ninjutsu? And who taught him Lightning Body Flicker and swordsmanship?"
"Konoha's records show that he never received any inheritance in those areas."
Mitokado Homura flipped to Lie Yang's past mission list.
"Nor was there any prolonged period when he went missing."
"He socialized with others, ran businesses, and took part in Konoha Police Force affairs. Aside from missions and training, he simply did not have much free time."
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the undisguised shock and suspicion on the other's face.
They could not understand.
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