Meanwhile, Sunagakure Maruyoshi, who had successfully escaped from Kōki's Wood Release, finally returned to Sunagakure covered in blood, staggering with each step.
Upon seeing the familiar One-Line Sky outside Sunagakure, Maruyoshi could no longer hold on and collapsed straight onto the yellow sand.
At this moment, the ninja responsible for guarding the One-Line Sky noticed the commotion made by Maruyoshi and followed the sound. He immediately spotted a figure lying on the sand.
After discovering that the figure was Jonin Maruyoshi from the village, they immediately took the injured man to the hospital for treatment.
The information about Wood Release that Maruyoshi possessed was also presented to the Sunagakure leadership. Because of the importance of this information, all the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure were present to discuss the matter.
"What do you all think of this intelligence?" At this moment, an elderly woman sitting at the head of the table looked around at the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure and said with a serious expression.
But her serious expression vanished, replaced by a look of shock in her eyes; she was clearly also taken aback by the contents of the intelligence report.
The executives she questioned also looked very worried, and if someone had observed closely, they would have noticed that many of them had a deep-seated fear in their eyes.
"I think the most urgent thing is to verify the authenticity of the information and ask Maruyoshi to come and question him in person. The contents of this information are too bizarre to believe."
An elderly-looking high-ranking officer from Sunagakure made a serious suggestion. He could hardly believe the outrageous content described in the intelligence report, and his tone was clearly skeptical.
However, another high-ranking officer with a fiery temper retorted directly, "What's the point of verifying this? Our Jonin their lives to bring back this intelligence; the person is still lying in the hospital. You're still doubting its authenticity?"
In his eyes, intelligence brought back by his own people at great personal risk was infallible, no matter how outrageous it might seem.
"That's not what I meant, it's just that this news is too unbelievable. It's absolutely outrageous."
He didn't doubt the loyalty of his village 'Jonin; he just felt the intelligence was too outrageous, and that eyewitness testimony was more convincing than physical evidence. He hoped Maruyoshi recount their ordeal in detail.
"Just because you're shocked, you think you can doubt the people in your own village? Especially ninjas who have risked their lives for the village like that. Is your heart made of stone?"
Even after hearing the explanation, the hot-tempered high-ranking Sunagakure of Sunagakure still yelled at their colleagues.
Maruyoshi was a ninja he had always admired, and this time he risked his life to bring back important intelligence, yet he still faced criticism.
"You've gone too far! I've already said I just want to understand the truth, and you're still going to hold me accountable? And don't bring up our conflict over this." The elderly high-ranking official, who had been repeatedly shouted at, also turned ugly.
After all, he tried to explain his reasons politely, but instead, he was repeatedly accused of doubting a loyal ninja. No matter how good-tempered he was, he couldn't accept such questioning.
Chiyo had been listening to the escalating argument among the higher-ups, interrupted the fray. She addressed the short-tempered leader, "Alright, Tsunoda. Minamoto doesn't mean to doubt Maruyoshi. Besides, our priority isn't arguing here, but rather finding Maruyoshi and clarifying things. Whether the information is true or false, we need to confirm it. This isn't about doubting Maruyoshi's loyalty; it's about being responsible to our Sunagakure."
"Furthermore, if the information about Wood Release is true, then we need to know even more about the specific strength of the Wood Release users described in the information. You two are both people who came from that era, and you should both have a deep understanding of the power of Wood Release."
"Furthermore, the news of Wood Release reappearing in Konoha could bring about significant changes to our front lines, and may even alter the landscape of the Shinobi World. We must be prepared."
As expected of a pillar of Sunagakure, Chiyo immediately stopped the argument between the two high-ranking officials and summarized the intelligence issue.
Her expression was somewhat frightening. She desperately hoped that the news Maruyoshi had brought back about Wood Release was false, because the news of Wood Release's resurgence in the Shinobi World truly terrified her.
On the other side, after listening to Chiyo's words, the two Sunagakure high-ranking officials who were originally at odds also calmed down again.
Chiyo is right. Arguing won't solve anything. Their priority is to confirm the information and then develop a plan.
They came from the era of Hashirama Senju. Although they were young at the time, they had heard of Hashirama Senju's reputation and naturally had some understanding of the power of Wood Release.
They understood what the reappearance of Wood Release in Konoha would mean: as long as the user of Wood Release did not die young, Shinobi World Konoha the next two or three decades.
"My lords, Maruyoshi has arrived."
At that moment, a female Sunagakure dressed as a secretary suddenly walked into the conference room and spoke to the Sunagakure high-ranking officials present.
Behind her followed a ninja covered in bandages and hooked up to an IV drip; it was Maruyoshi, who had been unconscious earlier.
He had regained consciousness after initial treatment and immediately came to the conference room to report on the mission.
" Maruyoshi, you've just recovered from serious injuries. Please sit down and tell us in detail what happened to you." Chiyo, who was sitting at the head of the table, said with a bright look in her eyes when she saw Maruyoshi enter.
However, knowing that Maruyoshi was still seriously injured, she asked him to find a seat and give his report.
"Thank you, Lady Chiyo."
After finding a place to sit down, Maruyoshi continued his report, "This time, at Lord Rasa's request, our unit devised a plan to ambush the Konoha Anbu had repeatedly thwarted our plans. After a week, we used a medium-sized stronghold as bait and successfully ambushed the Konoha Anbu group consisting of the Ino-Shika-Cho and a child."
"We originally thought that with our strength of over a hundred men, the enemy would surely die at our hands."
But then something unimaginable happened.
A deep fear flashed in Maruyoshi's eyes. He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and continued, "In just a moment, his Wood Release Ninjutsu wiped out half of our men. And the endless stream of Wood Release that followed made it even harder for us to defend against."
After losing twenty or thirty comrades, Captain Lan ordered me to return to the village with the intelligence, demanding that I bring it back at all costs. Later, in order to protect me, he was hit by enemy wooden spikes, and I was seriously injured at that moment.
Perhaps it was my destiny to survive. Due to my unique physical structure, I didn't die in battle. Instead, I took advantage of the enemy's carelessness and escaped the battlefield. I finally managed to escape back to the village and bring back the intelligence.
When Maruyoshi finished speaking, his tone was somewhat self-deprecating. He felt it was ironic that he, the worst of them all, had survived, while the best of them all, the captain, had died on the battlefield.