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Jiraiya's words made Uya's lips twitch slightly, but he ignored him and continued thinking about Orochimaru.
It's normal for a ninja to improve their strength rapidly in the early stages, but once they reach the Kage Level, it becomes extremely difficult to advance further. Many ninjas only reach their peak in their thirties or forties, after which they find it difficult to make any further progress.
Orochimaru can still improve, but the pace will likely slow down considerably. Uya estimates that Orochimaru's strength will not have reached the Peak Kage Level after the Third Shinobi World War.
After all, according to the original work, when Orochimaru defected, Hiruzen Sarutobi still seemed to have the ability to kill Orochimaru.
Of course, this also reflects how strong Hiruzen Sarutobi is.
In the original work, Hiruzen Sarutobi was hardly mentioned, but since some Anbu claim that Hiruzen Sarutobi is the strongest Hokage of all time, even if this claim is exaggerated, it still demonstrates Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength.
As for just how strong he was... he could freely use the five elemental Chakra Nature Transformation, and his mastery of various forbidden and Secret Technique was definitely no less than Danzo's. Uya estimated that even if Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reach the Kage Level of a Kage at his peak, he was at least half a step into the Super Kage level.
Beings above the Kage Level are already extremely rare in the Shinobi World.
Uya simply divided the above beings into two levels: Super Kage Level and Six Paths Level.
Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan and could unleash some of its power, was at the Kage Level.
The most representative figures of the Kage -Peak Kage Level are Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. Both of them possess terrifying strength that allows them to easily sweep through a country and conquer the entire Shinobi World.
Above that, those who possess the Six Paths Power and condense the Truth-Seeking Orb to activate the Six Paths Mode are beings belonging to the Six Paths Level.
Whether it's the Six Paths Level or the Super Kage Level, they possess near-crushing power against ordinary Kage Level beings or even those below Kage Level. Uya's current strength is still completely insufficient against those level of powerhouses, so Uya needs to become even stronger.
After teaming up with the Sannin and defeating the big boss Hanzo of the Salamander, Uya planned to train all the way to the Fourth Gate of the True Eight Gates Released Formation, and for the time being, he would no longer concern himself with the upcoming localized war of the Second Shinobi World War.
"Alright, let's go."
After glancing at Orochimaru and Jiraiya, Tsunade nodded solemnly, and then the four of them led an elite force away from the Konoha camp.
Since the goal is simply to hold off Hanzo of the Salamander, there's no need to lead too many ninjas; just a few elite ones will suffice.
With the departure of the four, the Konoha camp became completely empty.
Just after the four left, a strange movement suddenly occurred in the Konoha camp, and a white figure emerged from the muddy ground.
It was White Zetsu!
"They've left. They're probably going to fight Hanzo of the Salamander... Oh well, I should report this to Lord Madara first."
White Zetsu looked in the direction where Uya and the other three had left and muttered something to himself before disappearing underground again.
An unnamed underground location in the Shinobi World.
In the shadowy depths, a dim flame flickered, and an old man, frail and seemingly on the verge of death, sat there.
The old man looked frail and weak; it seemed as if he could fall over with just a slight poke.
However, he possessed an aura that looked down upon the Shinobi World, as if he were above everything and looked down on all things!
Those eyes were calm and still, staring blankly at the ground in front of them, but the depth within them was as unfathomable as an abyss.
He... is Madara Uchiha!
He stands Hashirama Senju, a true pinnacle of the Shinobi World!
"That brat Ōnoki of Both Scales hasn't grown much. It seems Iwagakure has completely withdrawn from the war."
Silently, White Zetsu appeared before Madara Uchiha Madara Uchiha, whose eyes gleamed slightly as he calmly spoke.
"Yes, Lord Madara, Iwagakure is adopting a defensive posture, and has even abandoned some of the territories it has occupied."
White Zetsu shrugged at Madara Uchiha, then continued, "By the way, Lord Madara, that Uya you're concerned about is about to fight Demigod of the Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander."
" Demigod? Hmph!"
Upon hearing this word, Madara Uchiha's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery.
Hanzo of the Salamander, what is that thing? How dare he call himself a god?!
Even Demigod, just having the word "god" attached to their name, is unacceptable!
"Such a clown dares to claim the title of a god... The Shinobi World has indeed been in complete chaos since Hashirama's death, but this is actually advantageous for my operations."
After shaking his head, Madara Uchiha voice, "Just continue to observe from the shadows. If that brat named Uya dies at the hands of this guy, then there's no need to pay attention to him anymore. He won't affect my plans."
"Yes, Lord Madara."
White Zetsu nodded at Madara Uchiha, then disappeared underground once more.
Madara Uchiha's eyes, however, once again turned silent and dim, as unfathomable as an abyss.
In the Land of Rain, in a slightly muddy, hilly area, Uya and Tsunade's group were moving quickly.
At this point, the subtle differences in strength become quite apparent.
Uya Orochimaru, who was the fastest and perhaps the strongest, was running at the forefront, while Uya followed closely behind, almost shoulder to shoulder with him.
As for Tsunade, she is a little faster than Jiraiya. In the original work, Jiraiya may not have been the weakest, but because Tsunade has mastered the Taijutsu Body Flicker Technique, she is stronger than Jiraiya.
As they continued, Uya intentionally increased her speed, only to find that Orochimaru could still keep up. This further confirmed her suspicion that Orochimaru had undergone a breakthrough and transformation on the battlefield, and had nearly reached the Kage Level.
As we walked, a grove of trees came into view.
Uya slowed down, and Orochimaru and the others also slowed down. Soon, the group arrived at the front of the forest.
"Ninja Technique, Forest Search Technique."
Orochimaru took a few steps forward, formed a hand Hand Seals, and pressed it to the ground. In Setsuna, dozens of small snakes darted into the forest and disappeared, while Orochimaru closed his eyes.
After a few minutes, Orochimaru opened his snake-like eyes and said, "There was no ambush."
"Okay, let's continue."
Uya nodded, then led everyone into the forest. After quickly passing through the forest, they continued deeper into the Land of Rain.
Along the way, even Uya herself was very cautious, carefully exploring every forest she encountered, because no one knew if Hanzo of the Salamander might be lying in ambush somewhere.
Other Kage might not resort to ambushes, but for Hanzo of the Salamander, the extremely cautious leader of Amegakure who almost never acts without a victory, such an ambush would be quite normal. (To be continued.) Mobile users please visit m. for a better reading experience.