Konoha ninjas launched missions with high frequency and rapid deployment, like a massive stone cast into the tranquil lake of the Ninja World. The ripples swiftly spread to every corner.
Cloud Village, Iwagakure, Sand Village, Hidden Mist... the upper echelons of every major ninja village received urgent scrolls from their intelligence divisions. They detailed several A-rank and even S-rank missions recently completed by Konoha ninjas—their efficiency and ruthless methods drawing widespread attention. The coup in Snow Country had been quelled, Jashin Cult bases in the Land of Hot Water had been uprooted, and rogue ninja groups in the Land of Waterfalls had been destroyed... each incident demonstrated that after suffering the devastating Collapse Plan, Konoha had not only failed to decline, but had instead erupted with even greater sharpness and strength than before.
However, without understanding Konoha's true intentions—especially while wary of Hyuga Clan Neji, who could summon a crystal giant, and Tsunade, who had awakened Wood Release—the major nations remained cautious. Yet they did not dare recklessly target Konoha ninjas on missions, and mostly chose to watch and probe.
Amid the storm sweeping across the Ninja World, the mission completed by Team Seven under Kakashi Hatake was particularly dazzling—they had thoroughly resolved the Snow Country coup crisis and helped Princess Fuka Koyuki successfully reclaim her nation.
When the mission report was delivered back to Konoha, it was rated S-rank for completion. The report mentioned that Kakashi had shed his usual laziness during the mission, commanding tactics with precision and decisiveness. More surprisingly, he had once again taken up the long-sealed chakra short sword that had belonged to his father, Sakumo Hatake. The battle footage attached to the report showed that his swordsmanship was swift as lightning and exquisitely refined. Clearly, he had not completely neglected his clan's inherited arts