Meanwhile, after repelling the Iwagakure forces, Kōki returned to the camp with the Konoha Ninja surrounding him.
Along the way, the Konoha ninjas all looked at Kōki with admiration and respect.
They had only heard of Kōki's battle record before, and did not know much about Kōki specific strength.
But now that he has witnessed Kōki's strength firsthand, he is completely convinced and submits.
Kōki, who was being looked at with adoration by everyone, remained calm, as if he didn't care about the praise around him at all.
But it was precisely that calm and composed demeanor that earned him the respect of the surrounding ninjas.
"As expected of Lord Kōki, he defeated Iwagakure single-handedly and remained so calm. He's truly amazing."
Little did they know that Kōki was on the verge of collapse. Although he was pleased by the ninjas' admiration, their constant presence made him very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, someone came to his rescue before he could show a different expression.
"Alright, everyone, stop crowding around Kōki. This is just a small battle. The Iwagakure troops haven't really retreated yet. We can cheer for Kōki after the war is truly over." A white-haired man with two red paint stripes under his eyes appeared before the group of Konoha Ninja and advised them.
Upon seeing this person, the surrounding ninjas immediately dropped their expressions of admiration and hurriedly responded, "Yes, Lord Jiraiya."
Then they slowly scattered.
This person is none other than Jiraiya, a highly respected figure in the original work who trained numerous outstanding ninjas, including both villains and saviors.
Jiraiya's final farewell brought tears to the eyes of many in the past, proving him to be a ninja with exceptional personal charisma.
Therefore, upon seeing Jiraiya, Kōki introduced Jiraiya with great respect, " Lord Jiraiya, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kōki Itō."
However, Jiraiya seemed to be quite familiar with Kōki, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Kōki, I've always wanted to meet you."
Then, standing in front of Kōki, he led Kōki in one direction, saying as they walked, "I know you quite well. Both the old man and Orochimaru speak highly of you. Minato also thinks highly of you, because your appearance resolved a Kushina's heart. Now I hear from Minato that Kushina's complexion has changed a lot, and she's become much more cheerful."
" Lord Orochimaru and Lord Hokage are too kind. I only did what I was supposed to do. As for Minato- senpai, it was just a deal I made with him and Minato -Kushina. It doesn't count as my contribution."
As for Jiraiya's words, Kōki didn't take credit. He and Kushina each got what they needed, so there was no need for either of them to thank the other. In fact, strictly speaking, he should be more grateful to Kushina. The Sealing Jutsu she gave him solved the flaw in his special clone and helped him a lot.
Seeing that Kōki didn't take credit and remained calm and composed, Jiraiya was secretly amazed.
He hadn't expected that Kōki, at such a young age, would not only possess outstanding talent and strength, but also such remarkable character.
This reminded him of how proud and self-satisfied he was when others praised him as a child, as if he wanted the whole world to know how amazing he Jiraiya.
I was immediately frustrated. Is this the style of all geniuses?
Orochimaru was like that, Minato was like that, and now even Kōki is like that.
He simply couldn't understand the mindset of a genius.
However, Jiraiya quickly put his frustration aside; they had important matters to discuss.
Not long after, Jiraiya brought Kōki to the conference room, where quite a few people were already seated.
Moreover, there were many ninja clans that Kōki knew well among them. For example, there was the serious-looking, stern-faced Uchiha Fugaku, as well as the Aburame Clan wearing black sunglasses and the Inuzuka Clan members with Ninja Dog by their side.
After Jiraiya and Kōki entered, everyone's attention was focused on the two of them, especially on Kōki.
Judging from their curious gazes, they were quite interested in Kōki, who had mastered Wood Release and defeated the combined forces of the Four Kage.
However, they were somewhat disappointed when they actually met Kōki, because Kōki looked like an ordinary boy with a handsome appearance, and he didn't exude any aura of a strong person. He didn't seem like someone who could defeat the four Kage together.
If Kōki's victory over Sunagakure hadn't been accomplished in front of thousands of people, they would have doubted the accuracy of the news.
Despite their disappointment, they didn't show it on their faces. After all, Kōki was a genuine Kage Level powerhouse, and they didn't want to offend him over such a trivial matter.
"Alright, now that we're all here, let's discuss our next move." After taking his seat, Kōki heard Jiraiya speak.
Although Kōki defeated Iwagakure as soon as he arrived on the battlefield, he did not know the extent of the battle between Konoha and Iwagakure. However, considering that Iwagakure had only recently declared war on Konoha, the battle between the two sides was at most in the early stages and was not particularly severe.
And so, Jiraiya the side, while Kōki below was lost in thought.
It wasn't that Kōki disrespected Jiraiya; it was simply that such meetings held little meaning for him. He was very clear about his own position: he was an actor, not a decision-maker. All he had to do was wait for the tasks to be assigned and then complete them.
Besides, Kōki is only an eight or nine-year-old boy. If he were to offer any opinions on the war, who would listen? Of course, some might say that Kōki is very capable, and that some people would definitely consider it.
However, Kōki also wanted to say that we shouldn't underestimate the capabilities of those at the front lines.
They were all seasoned ninjas, and they certainly understood the difference between strength and vision. Strength is strength, and vision is vision; the two cannot be confused. Great strength does not equate to excellent strategic vision.
As the ancients said: a talented general is important, but a brilliant commander is the key to winning a war.
Therefore, for Kōki himself, it's better to be a powerful henchman at this stage, which also reduces the trouble of thinking and allows him to focus more on his research into Chakra.
Speaking of Chakra research, Aizen had given me some information about Chakra Release Technique when we Aizen before, so I can study it after the meeting.
Just as Kōki was planning to study the materials after the meeting, Jiraiya's words pulled him back to reality from his reverie.
Jiraiya said to him, " Kōki, Teacher Sarutobi just sent a message asking who the person you fought in the Land of Fire was and why they attacked you."
Upon hearing Jiraiya's question, Kōki's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that Konoha had discovered his fight with Setsugetsu.
However, Kōki remained unfazed, quickly coming up with a reason in his mind, and said calmly, "They didn't say exactly who it was. The reason they attacked was because they heard about the power of my Wood Release, so they specifically sought me out to see it. As for my strength..."