"N-no... impossible! How could Captain Yan Luoya have died here?"
The Iwagakure Jonin's face was filled with disbelief.
Uchiha Douyang sneered. "Nothing is impossible. The moment he chose to ambush us here, he was destined to die."
As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Douyang used the Body Flicker Technique and lunged at him.
That night, in a secluded valley in the Land of Grass.
Kakashi and the others sat cross-legged around a campfire, eating grilled meat as they chatted and laughed.
Apart from Douyang, the other three members of the team had injuries of varying severity, so Kakashi ordered them to rest and recuperate in the Land of Grass for a few days.
As for the attackers from earlier that day.
Uchiha Douyang had dealt with most of them before Kakashi and Guy arrived.
After the battle ended, the four surveyed the scene.
Their attackers had included not only the six members of the Iwagakure and Kirigakure teams, but also more than thirty wandering ninja.
Yan Luoya, the Jonin leading the Iwagakure team, had fought Shisui Uchiha alone.
Juzo Biwa, the Jonin leading the Kirigakure team, had gone after Uchiha Douyang alone.
The remaining four Jonin had each led more than ten wandering ninja to attack Kakashi and Guy.
Six Jonin, plus more than thirty Chunin-level wandering ninja.
That force was certainly not to be underestimated.
For Kakashi's team of four to achieve such results without losing a single member was truly remarkable.
Shisui suddenly said, "Captain Kakashi, all the Mist Ninja and Stone Ninja died at our hands. Do you think they'll use this as a pretext to make trouble?"
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured, "In theory, no, but it's hard to say."
Five years had passed since the war ended.
The major shinobi villages were all licking their wounds, so they should not have started another conflict at this point.
But Konoha's Fifth Hokage had yet to be chosen, leaving the village at its weakest.
That made the previously clear situation increasingly uncertain.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Douyang, who was in the best condition, spoke up. "Get some rest. I'll keep watch tonight."
Guy smiled. "Douyang, my injuries aren't serious either. Leave the second half of the night to me."
Two days later, Kakashi and his three teammates set out for Konoha.
The journey went smoothly this time, without any mishaps, and they returned safely to Konoha a few days later.
The team immediately went to the Hokage Building to report the course of their mission to Torifu Akimichi.
When Kakashi described how powerful Moryo was, even comparable to an ordinary Tailed Beast, Torifu Akimichi looked utterly surprised.
And when he heard that the four had suffered a joint attack by Iwagakure and Kirigakure teams in the Land of Grass, Torifu Akimichi's expression immediately darkened.
After a long deliberation, Torifu Akimichi sealed the mission report in the top-secret archives.
He also instructed the four not to divulge anything related to the mission, including the attack on their return journey.
After the four left his office, Torifu Akimichi sat upright in his chair, his expression grave.
"If Iwagakure and Kirigakure use this as a pretext to make trouble, what should I do?"
"Being Hokage really is a pain. Good thing I'm only the acting Hokage."
Torifu Akimichi's brows knitted tightly.
He only wanted a peaceful transition until Tsunade and Jiraiya returned to take over.
As long as nothing went too badly wrong, that would be enough.
He sought no achievements; avoiding mistakes would itself be an achievement.
After pondering for a moment, Torifu Akimichi asked his assistant, "Any news of Tsunade and Jiraiya?"
The assistant shook their head. "No."
After leaving the Hokage Building, Kakashi and his three teammates went their separate ways.
Their trip to the Land of Demons had taken nearly three months and more, and even Uchiha Douyang, who was in the best condition, felt somewhat mentally exhausted.
Torifu Akimichi had therefore given the four ten days off to rest properly.
After returning to the clinic in the village center, Douyang checked Kurama Yakumo's training progress while silently taking stock of his gains from the mission.
After his battle with Juzo Biwa, his template progress had advanced again, reaching 9%.
Douyang had a feeling that once his template progress reached 10%,
he would gain a new ability.
Apart from his template progress, his other gains were learning the Sealing Jutsu of the Land of Demons' priestess lineage and his intimate liaison with Priestess Miroku.
The power of Sealing Jutsu needed no elaboration.
Winning Miroku's affection, meanwhile, was an intangible gain.
Although the Land of Demons' priestess was an ordinary mortal, she held an exalted position in the shinobi world.
The fact that all the Five Great Nations had sent teams to help after she sent out a plea for aid made that clear.
Establishing a deeply intimate relationship with the priestess was a great boon to Uchiha Douyang, and even to the entire Uchiha Clan.
Next was the Amber Purifying Pot, one of the Six Paths Tools, which he had obtained from Toroi.
Although the Amber Purifying Pot had seemed inconspicuous in the original story, it was extremely useful.
It contained a space of its own that could seal Tailed Beasts.
In the original story, if the Akatsuki had obtained the Amber Purifying Pot and simply tossed the Tailed Beasts inside, they would not have needed to go to such lengths to capture them in order from one to nine, giving the Five Great Shinobi Villages a chance to respond and ultimately failing on the verge of success.
Just as Douyang was considering how to make the most of the Amber Purifying Pot, Uchiha Yui suddenly hurried over.
"Lord Douyang, someone is here to see you."
"Oh?"
Uchiha Douyang paused briefly, but did not give it much thought.
After all, he was a doctor, and many people came to the clinic every day to seek treatment from him.
When Douyang reached the reception room and saw the bandaged man sitting upright in a chair, his pupils contracted slightly.
Uchiha Douyang took two steps forward, pretending he had only just gotten a clear look at the visitor, and said, "A dog from afar, a dog up close. On closer inspection, it turns out to be Shimura Danzō."
Indeed, the bandaged man who had come to the clinic was none other than Shimura Danzō.
Douyang did not know why the man had come to his door at this particular juncture.
But since he had come to the clinic openly,
that made things easy.
"You..."
Danzo's expression darkened at those words.
He knew he was unpopular in the village, but Uchiha Douyang was the only one who dared insult him to his face.
"Douyang, you should show your elders at least a modicum of respect," Shimura Danzō said coldly.
Uchiha Douyang suppressed his disgust and asked, "What brings you here?"
"Douyang, something is wrong with my body. Take a look for me."
As he spoke, Danzo's right arm trembled faintly for an instant.
Uchiha Douyang keenly caught that detail, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He knew that Danzo had already transplanted a Wood Release arm in his pursuit of power.
However, not just anyone could suppress Hashirama cells.
In the original story, many people had transplanted Hashirama cells, only to either be assimilated into trees or have their bodies burst and die.
Obito was the only person who had successfully transplanted Hashirama cells without placing any burden on his body.
Uchiha Douyang surmised that this was not because Obito had a special constitution, but because awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan had caused the Yin Release energy within him to surge, allowing it to balance the Yang Release energy in Hashirama cells to a certain extent.
"Hmph."
With a sneer on his lips, Douyang said, "You killed Uchiha Itachi. You're the Uchiha's sworn enemy, yet you expect me, a member of the Uchiha, to treat you? Have you lost your mind?"
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