Konoha Hokage Building
" Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade group have arrived at the guard post 30 kilometers outside Konoha. There are four of them in total. Besides Konoha Jonin Shizune Kato, there is also a person named Guren, who was once an orphan of war taken in by Orochimaru and possesses the Kekkei Genkai Crystal Release."
" Crystal Release... It's been a long time since the Shinobi World has had a user of the Crystal Release Kekkei Genkai. Let's prepare a Konoha Ninja identity for her, and her rank... let's tentatively set it as Special Jōnin. Where's the other one?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi Hiruzen Sarutobi a smoke ring, a wisp of white smoke enveloping him. His left hand caressed a smooth crystal ball, and gradually, an image appeared on the crystal ball...
White steam billowed around them as small groups of young women strolled by. Although bath towels covered most of their bodies, the glimpses of their fair skin and alluring figures revealed as they moved were still incredibly tempting...
Hiruzen Sarutobi, without batting an eye, simply covered his face with his hand, then switched the scene to another location: a women's changing room... Next...
It wasn't until the crystal ball's image switched to the village entrance that Hiruzen Sarutobi, coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness.
"Alright, continue with the information you've gathered."
"Yes." The Anbu Ninja reporting the mission knew better than to raise his head until this moment, lest he see something he shouldn't and ruin the Third Hokage's reputation in his later years...
"The ninja was male, with white hair, and appeared to be between sixteen and eighteen years old. He addressed Lady Tsunade as ' Sister Tsunade.' He possessed exceptional Taijutsu and a powerful sensory ability. He once easily subdued two Anbu members single-handedly. His Ninjutsu and Genjutsu abilities are currently unknown."
"I understand, you can go now." After receiving the Third Hokage's signal, the Anbu Ninja instantly disappeared from the office.
After the Anbu Ninja left, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally relaxed, taking a drag on his pipe with mixed feelings. "Turbulent times indeed..."
"Is this the strength of Konoha?"
Guren emerged from the sentry post with a tremor in her heart. While registering her information, she sensed no fewer than three extremely threatening auras. The strength of Konoha was truly terrifying.
"This is nothing. During the Third Shinobi World War, Jonin were barely considered a major fighting force. Countless Jonin on every battlefield. And Konoha now isn't even at its strongest." Tsunade recalled the glorious past...
Shizune proudly puffed out her little chest, but unfortunately, it was still nothing special...
"Compared to Kirigakure, Konoha is indeed far stronger." This was the first time Naoki Senju had directly experienced Konoha's strength. Just one outpost had three Jonin stationed there, their foundation was truly astonishing.
"Let's go into the village first. We can't see Konoha's full strength from outside the village, and if we don't go back soon, the Old Man Third will start to worry."
As they approached Konoha, Tsunade, who had been away from the village for many years, was also somewhat excited. Looking at the unhurried Guren and Naoki, she couldn't help but urge them on.
"Then let's listen to Sister Tsunade and speed up." Naoki Senju lightly tapped his toes, increasing his speed as he leaped between the branches.
The others also sped up, heading straight for Konoha not far away. Several pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows gradually disappeared. Konoha not only had the Anbu directly under the Hokage, but also the Root hidden in the shadows...
"I heard Lady Tsunade is going back to the village?"
"Remove 'seems like,' and we're almost at the village."
"Really? Is it still possible to see Lady Tsunade?"
A group of villagers gathered on the street to welcome Tsunade back to the village. The ordinary people and ninjas of Konoha are highly integrated. Many ninjas' parents were ordinary people who had not condensed Chakra. As a result, the number of ninjas in Konoha far exceeds that of the other four major ninja villages.
Gradually, the crowd spotted a familiar figure at the front: Hokage hat, a divine robe...
"It's the Third Lord Hokage!"
" Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!"
Hearing the enthusiastic cheers behind him, the Third Hokage turned to face the crowd with a kind smile. No one would have guessed that this gentle old man would secretly use Ninjutsu to spy on the women's bathhouse from his office...
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never cease; its Kakkō will illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
" Lord Hokage!"
" Lord Hokage!"
This scene was incredibly moving, with the Lord Hokage's cheers rising in waves. It also allowed the Will of Fire to sprout in the hearts of every reserve ninja in Konoha, one day growing into a towering tree.
However, Naoki Senju, who witnessed this scene, saw a strong whiff of pyramid scheme activity...
" Lady Tsunade, this way please. The others, please wait a moment."
A ninja with strange markings on his face led Naoki Senju and the others to a small hut next to the gate. Welcome ceremonies are quite important to Konoha, and are usually only enjoyed by ninjas who have made meritorious contributions during wartime. However, with Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu, making an exception is not out of the question.
Shizune glanced at Tsunade with envy, then obediently followed behind the Konoha Ninja with Ton-Ton in her Tonton. Guren, who had not been brainwashed by the Will of Fire, was naturally unaffected.
However, as Naoki Senju looked at the Konoha Ninja's back, he felt a slight sense of familiarity. After thinking for a few minutes, it suddenly dawned on him: wasn't that Kiba Inuzuka's older sister, Hana Inuzuka?
Without the iconic Ninja Dog emblem, I almost wouldn't have recognized him.
However... the Inuzuka Clan is a good starting point. A thought flashed through Naoki Senju's mind, and he quickly came up with an idea.
Hello, didn't you bring your dog with you?
Hana Inuzuka's ears twitched, and she instantly moved closer to Naoki Senju, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed something. Then her expression changed, and the nails on her five fingers became incredibly sharp as she brought them close to Naoki Senju's neck.
"You're not Konoha ninja. Tell me, how do you know about Ninja Dog?"
" Lord Naoki!"
Shizune's hand trembled, slamming the unprepared Tonton to the ground with a 'pop pop pop' sound. Shizune then pulled out three poison needles from under her skirt, from the straps on her fair thighs, and tucked them between her fingers, aiming them at the aggressive Hana Inuzuka.
Guren also made Hand Seals gesture. If it weren't for the fact that this was Konoha's territory, and that she had just witnessed Konoha's strength, her Crystal Release would have already struck Hana Inuzuka.
" Lord Naoki is Lady Tsunade brother, not an enemy of Konoha. Please calm down."
Naoki Senju's smile remained unchanged as he gently brushed aside Hana Inuzuka's sharp claws and explained with a smile:
"So you have Ninja Dog? Don't misunderstand, I used to own a pet dog, and I smelled dog hair on you, which is why I was curious and asked."
With Shizune bringing up Tsunade, and Naoki's reasonable explanation, Hana Inuzuka slowly withdrew her claws and released her Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu. However, everyone could see that she was still quite unconvinced.
Hana Inuzuka snorted somewhat unhappily, " Ninja Dog and pet dogs are not the same thing; don't compare the two."
This personality is surprisingly easy to understand... Naoki Senju's smile remained unchanged, but he slightly adjusted his facial muscles, making his smile even gentler, which further lowered Hana Inuzuka's guard.
"Of course, but I usually treat my pet dogs as friends and family. I've heard that ninjas who raise Ninja Dog Ninja Dog them as true family members."
Hana Inuzuka's ears twitched again, but this time she didn't show any aggression. When she looked at Naoki Senju, she felt more like she had met a kindred spirit.
After all, the Inuzuka Clan, who regard Ninja Dog as family members, is considered quite an unusual clan, even in the highly tolerant Konoha Ninja Village.