pdf-ebookys Chapter 248 The Confidence to Speak
Chapter 248 The Confidence to Speak
Chapter 248 The Confidence to Speak (Second Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)
Leaf.
When news of Kumogakure's declaration of war arrived, Konoha's leadership remained leisurely. After all, Konoha had already prepared ample contingency plans for all of this, and in Konoha's view, Kumogakure's attack now was still somewhat late.
Just as the Hokage of Konoha and his two advisors were meeting to discuss how many troops to allocate to the northern front in relation to the declaration of war against Kumogakure, even worse news arrived.
The Cloud Village's troops, on their way back to the Land of Lightning, detoured and launched a surprise attack on the Leaf Village's camp located in the Land of Rivers. According to the intelligence sent back by Jiraiya, the losses amounted to at least two hundred men.
It was like a bolt from the blue. They were just sitting back and watching the tigers fight, but now the tigers have bitten them back. Konoha has lost both face and substance.
After the three carefully read the information that Jiraiya had sent back, their expressions became even more serious.
This is not only because of the losses caused to Konoha by the Cloud Ninja's sneak attack, which, although huge, were still within Konoha's tolerance.
But the information about the skeletal giant mentioned in the intelligence report made the three of them even more uneasy.
For the older generation of ninjas who had witnessed Madara Uchiha's power, they were naturally familiar with the Mangekyou Sharingan and the "God of Destruction" Susanoo that he summoned.
The three members of the Uchiha clan, who thought that no one had ever been born with the Mangekyou Sharingan since Madara and his brother, were filled with deep apprehension upon learning that a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan had appeared.
"Hiruzen, what do we do? Those eyes have appeared again." Mitokado Homura said in a panic, his voice trembling.
"What's the panic? No matter how powerful the Mangekyou Sharingan is, it depends on who uses it. The owner of these eyes is just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy. Are you really afraid of such a child?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as expected of the Hokage, quickly grasped the key point: the Mangekyou Sharingan, at least for now, is not enough to threaten the safety of the village.
"But what about the Uchiha clan? They were already a source of instability when they didn't have those eyes. Now that they have those eyes, even if the owner is still a boy, will they still be obedient?"
Mitokado Homura's concerns were not unfounded. After all, the Uchiha clan was known for producing mentally ill individuals, and no one knew what outrageous things they might do next.
This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi also fell silent. It was indeed impossible to guarantee, but this was not the time to let the village descend into chaos.
If the Uchiha clan is to be dealt with simply because of a pair of eyes, not to mention how happy other ninja villages would be, at least the other bloodline limit and secret technique clans of Konoha would not agree.
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi still hadn't made a move, Homura Mitokado couldn't help but get anxious. He quickly came up with an idea.
"Hiruzen, the intelligence says that this ninja named Yohei directly summoned a giant in the form of a half-skeletal skeleton. This is clearly not something a newly promoted Mangekyou Sharingan user could do. He must have been hiding the fact that he had promoted to Mangekyou Sharingan from everyone. He has ulterior motives!"
Furthermore, we must investigate whether anyone in the Uchiha clan knows about this. At the very least, we need to send ANBU to monitor the Uchiha clan to ensure their safety.
These words did indeed tempt Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although Homura Mitokado's reasoning was far-fetched—it's the norm for ninjas to conceal their strength—people are often hypocritical, especially when it comes to Uchiha ninjas, which often forces one to consider things carefully.
However, at this moment, Koharu Utatane, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Why don't we call Taiichi over and ask him? He was Uchiha Yohei's teammate and also his captain. He should be more familiar with Uchiha Yohei."
These words were a wake-up call. How could they not have thought of something so simple? They were truly blinded by concern.
Soon, Taichi, the shadow clone who had been waiting at home, received the Hokage's summons and arrived at the Hokage's office immediately.
"Matsushita Taichi, are you aware of your teammate Uchiha Yohei's awakening of the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Upon meeting, Mitokado Homura immediately confronted Taichi with an aggressive demeanor.
Taiichi frowned and glanced at Mitokado Homura. Was this guy on fire today? Why was he so hot-tempered? You have to know that Taiichi is now a proper Jonin, and his status is not much lower than Mitokado Homura's.
Besides, you're not Danzo, so why are you hostile to the Uchiha? Did they steal your concubine? Taiichi thought to himself with a hint of malice.
Although he was constantly thinking about Mitokado Homura in his heart, on the surface, Taichi was still a good child who respected his elders.
He said with a smile, "I know, it's still me—"
"Knowing that you knew about this but didn't report it, what are your true intentions?"
"7
Before Taichi could finish speaking, Mitokado Homura immediately interrupted him and accused him of something serious.
Taiichi was displeased. Did they really think he was so good-natured? Was he made of clay? He was a ruthless man who could kill enemies without batting an eye on the battlefield and rub Shukaku to the ground.
Taiichi's smile vanished, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Mitokado Homura. A chilling aura emanated from him, rushing straight toward Homura who was not far away.
Are you questioning me?
The cold words that came from Tai's mouth, coupled with his imposing aura, made Mitokado Yan feel a chill run down his spine and leave him speechless.
"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, breaking the tense atmosphere in the arena.
"Yan, if you're going to ask a question, just ask it properly. What's with that sarcastic tone you're using!"
He then turned to Taiyi and sternly reprimanded him, "And you, Yan is an elder of Konoha, your senior. What's wrong with him asking you a couple of questions? Why are you reacting so strongly? Do you want to fly to the sky?"
Taiyi immediately feigned grievance, crying out with a face full of injustice, "Grandpa Hokage, you must stand up for me! You saw what just happened. This elder's attitude was bad when he first asked me questions, but I didn't say anything then and even answered his questions with a smile."
But look at him, he interrupted me before I even finished speaking, and with that tone asking what my intentions were. Was he talking about me? He was talking about Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sensei, and you!
Taiyi finished speaking in just a few breaths. Hearing his words, the three people present all twitched their eyes. He was really good at talking nonsense.
But you can't deny that Taiichi has a point. He's not a criminal, and he was very cooperative at first. It was Mitokado Homura who took it too seriously and tried to bully Taiichi.
But little did they know they'd kicked a hornet's nest. Taiyi's backing was incredibly strong, tracing back all the way to the Third Hokage—a true member of the inner circle.
Koharu Utatane glanced sympathetically at Homura Mitokado, shaking her head slightly. She couldn't understand what had gotten into her companion today. Targeting the Uchiha was one thing, but why was she targeting Taichi as well?
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Elder Yan was just being impatient and wasn't targeting you. Let's leave it at that."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put an end to the previous conflict between the two, turning the page. However, everyone could see that he was clearly biased towards Taichi, since Taichi had indeed committed insubordination, and it was all swept under the rug with just a few words.
"If you didn't finish saying something, continue."
"Oh~ Oh~" Taiyi nodded quickly, knowing when to stop. "I know about Yangping Kaleidoscope. He was promoted during the Northern Battlefield. I told him to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone."
"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Taiichi and asked curiously, "You asked him to keep it a secret, why?"
"Well, I know that some of the village's higher-ups don't get along with the Uchiha clan, but we're all from the same village after all, so some conflicts are inevitable."
As he spoke, Taiichi gave Mitokado Homura a sly look, which made Homura snort and turn his head away in anger.
Taiyi just pursed his lips and continued, "Of course, there must be problems within the Uchiha clan. I saw relevant records in the materials left by Tsunade-sensei. There is a group of self-centered radicals within the Uchiha clan who have never been of one mind with the village."
Therefore, I was also worried that Yangping's Mangekyou Sharingan would be used by them, which is why I instructed Yangping not to reveal anything about the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips twitched involuntarily. He sighed inwardly, thinking that Tsunade truly held nothing back from Taiichi, even giving him the scroll containing the secrets of the higher-ups.
"How can you be sure that Uchiha Yohei will follow your instructions? You know, even if he tells others, you might not know the truth."
When Koharu Utatane asked this question, it was exactly what Tai had wanted. It was a handle that he had prepared long ago so that the higher-ups would feel they could control Yangping.
"First of all, Yangping's Mangekyou Sharingan has been open for more than half a year. If he had revealed it to the Uchiha higher-ups, they should have made some changes by now, but in fact they haven't."
Furthermore, from this Cloud Ninja ambush incident, it is not difficult to see that Yangping loves the village; otherwise, he would not have risked exposure to summon Susanoo to resist the Eight-Tails.
Finally, and this is the point I'm most certain of, overuse of the Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan will cause blindness, but I can alleviate that symptom!
"What?!"
This time, it wasn't just one person who was surprised, but three people exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
"That's impossible. Even Tsunade couldn't cure blindness caused by overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan. How old are you?"
It was Mitokado Haru again, but his question reflected the thoughts of everyone else.
"It's not a cure, it's just a temporary relief," Taiyi explained. To make his point, he raised his right hand, and a dense, vibrant green chakra appeared on his palm.
"this----"
The Hokage and his two advisors exchanged glances. The quality and vitality of this Yang-attribute chakra were rare to them. At this moment, they seemed to feel the immense vitality of the First Hokage once again. Although there was still a considerable gap, at least they saw a glimpse of it.
Koharu Utatane, as the advisor who is most skilled in medical ninjutsu here, personally stepped forward and felt the chakra in Taiichi's palm. The life-giving aura, if combined with superb medical ninjutsu, might not be impossible to alleviate the blindness caused by the overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
She nodded slightly to the Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura, confirming Taichi's statement.
This made Hiruzen Sarutobi's mindset more flexible, and with a means to maintain balance, things became much easier to handle afterward.
Moreover, Taiichi was right before. Judging from Uchiha Yohei's behavior, he is also loyal to the village. With this additional measure, although his loyalty cannot be guaranteed, there is no need to worry too much.
With his worries about the Uchiha clan gone, his anger at the Cloud Ninja's sneak attack surged up again.
"Taiyi, you must have heard about the sneak attack on the southern camp by the Cloud Ninja, right?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama, I heard about it before I came. If it weren't for Minato and Yohei's timely return, the front-line camp would have been in serious trouble." Taiichi immediately composed himself and answered seriously.
"Alright, alright, I won't forget their contributions. Now I want you to share your thoughts on this matter." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, interrupting Taichi's attempt to continue, and went straight to the point.
"Of course we should fight back hard! Konoha isn't easy to bully. Kumogakure started the war without declaring war, which already broke the rules. If we don't retaliate in kind, will the other ninja villages think Konoha is weak and easy to bully?"
Taiyi's reply was also resolute. At times like these, one must be decisive. Whether it's a person or a village, if someone bullies you, you must fight back.
Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a satisfied expression and nodded slightly. "I plan to send you back to the southern camp. It has just been attacked and is lacking in both medical resources and military strength. I wonder if you are willing?"
"No problem, wherever the Hokage tells me to go, I'll go without hesitation."
Taiichi's answer was even more decisive this time, without the slightest hesitation. Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that he would go secretly even if he wasn't sent, or whether he had some other considerations, this was exactly what Taiichi wanted.
"You have the Flying Thunder God Technique, go back and pack your things and hurry over there, they need your power."
"Yes, I'll go pack it right away." After saying that, Taiyi bowed to the Hokage and the two advisors and elders and immediately left the office.
Once Taiichi's figure disappeared, Mitokado Homura could no longer contain himself. He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked, "Do you really believe what he said? The Uchiha are fickle. Maybe Yohei is on our side today, but who knows if his attitude will completely change tomorrow. Hiruzen, we have to be careful!"
"Yan, the situation you described could happen to anyone. We can't target a family just because something like this hasn't happened yet."
Furthermore, Konoha cannot afford any internal discord right now. Our enemies are waiting for us to make a mistake, and we cannot give them that opportunity.
For now, we can only trust Taiyi.
The country of rivers is located to the east, about a hundred kilometers from the sea.
Minato Namikaze followed the Cloud Village ninja from a distance, stopping every now and then to press one hand on the ground and check if they were going the wrong way.
At this moment, his face was calm, without any of his usual smile. Every move he made seemed to be brewing a storm, just waiting for the moment when it would pour down.
Jiraiya's order to Minato was to follow him and not to act rashly, but Minato understood that since he had come, how could he leave empty-handed?
He was waiting, and he believed that Jiraiya-sensei had the same thought, also waiting for that one person to arrive.
As the Cloud Village ninjas approached the shore, a slight ripple appeared beside Minato. He knew that the person he was waiting for had finally arrived.