Naruto: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Otsutsuki.

Lu Yan pointed to Dekayi, who was being frantically whipped by the son of the daimyo, in the distance.

"This woman must be a squad leader; she knows a lot..."

Lu Yan's tone suddenly became urgent halfway through her sentence.

"Timon, knock her out!"

Without hesitation, Akimichi Choman struck Saji on the back of the neck with a palm strike, knocking her unconscious.

Lu Yan strode forward, ripped off the tape on her mouth, and quickly probed her mouth with his finger, pulling out a small razor blade from her cheek.

The blade is as thin as a cicada's wing and is cleverly hidden between the gums and cheek muscles, making it impossible to detect without careful examination.

"Phew... thank goodness I saw it..."

He let out a long sigh of relief, then looked at Hinata Seiran.

After all, Hinata Aoran is the captain, and no matter what, the final decision rests with him.

"That makes sense..."

Hinata Seiran nodded thoughtfully.

"Then let's take this woman with us. As for the rest, we'll use them for interrogation first, and then send the information back to the front lines and the village."

"..."

Nara Shikaga was silent for a moment, feeling that something was off about Hinata Seiran's current state, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Is the reaction too slow? Or... something else?

"I hope I'm just overthinking it..."

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and turned to direct the cleanup efforts.

-

The morning mist enveloped the entire village of Yugakure.

Unlike the bustling and noisy Konoha, this town, famous for its hot springs, exudes tranquility.

Scattered figures of ninjas occasionally crossed the street, their steps hurried, unwilling to linger in the silence.

Even so, given the current backdrop of war raging in the ninja world, this place is already considered a rare haven of peace.

At least this place isn't like the Land of Rain, where refugees are everywhere.

The real Hinata Seiran stood quietly in the shadows, his gaze sweeping over the ubiquitous hot spring hotel signs, a silent sigh escaping his lips.

"Half of the chakra... should be enough for the shadow clones."

Hinata Seiran endured the soreness and pulled his hood down further, covering most of his face.

So much time has passed, I wonder if anything has changed.

He pondered silently, but his steps did not falter.

Before that earth-shattering battle, he lived a fairly comfortable life on the moon.

Unlike the strict system of branching into the main family and branch households of the Hyuga clan on Earth, the main family and branch households on the moon are more about ideological differences.

There was no discrimination, only peace.

It was during that period that he made many preparations in the ninja world.

However, at that time, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were so dazzling that he had to avoid their sharp edge.

Hinata Seiran traversed the jungle path, crossed several cliffs, and finally stopped in front of a hidden cave.

The entrance to the cave is half-hidden by vines, and unless you look for it deliberately, you will never discover that there is a hidden world here.

"Finally found it..."

Chapter 16: The Showdown Between Shadows.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.

The darkness lasted only a moment.

As he emerged from the other end of the cave, sunlight pierced through the morning mist, illuminating a clearing surrounded by mountains below.

"I didn't expect this village to still exist... and it's even bigger now."

Looking along the woods, there was a small village in a clearing at the end.

The houses are scattered in a pleasing manner, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be faintly heard.

The surrounding flowers, trees and shrubs are exceptionally lush, a stark contrast to the desolate landscape ravaged by war outside.

If one had to make a comparison, Hinata Seiran would say it was a paradise.

"It's truly a paradise on earth."

Hinata Seiran lifted his hood and looked at the peaceful scene before him, the tension in his chest eased slightly.

The villagers inside probably have no idea that there's a war going on outside.

They lived a quiet life, farming, raising chickens, and watching the sunrise and sunset...

"Heh...you're overthinking it..."

-

"Lord Hokage, urgent news!"

The door to the Hokage's office was suddenly flung open, and an Anbu member practically stumbled in.

"Ok?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's slight relief, which came from Danzo's report that "everything is going well," was interrupted in an instant.

He quickly composed himself and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me slowly, don't rush me."

"Yes... Lord Hokage."

The member of the secret service took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his voice.

"The situation on the battlefield of Iwagakure is not optimistic. The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, has personally rushed to the front line. Even if Lord Minato and Lord Jiraiya join forces, it will be difficult to completely suppress him."

He paused, then added, "Onoki's Dust Release has an extremely strong suppressive effect on the battlefield. In order to avoid large-scale casualties among the troops, Jiraiya has ordered a partial retreat."

"Our original advance lines... are being pushed back step by step by Iwagakure."

The counter-pressure has returned?!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly.

How long has it been since the Kannabi Bridge was destroyed?

Logically speaking, Iwagakure's supply lines should have been severely damaged, and it would be impossible for them to recover in a short period of time.

But now, not only has the other side stabilized the situation, they've even been able to mount such a powerful counterattack...

Did they plan ahead and establish an alternative logistical route? Or...?

The smoke billowed in front of him, making his expression even more obscure and difficult to decipher.

"Has Onoki gone to the battlefield...?"

In his memory, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, rarely stepped onto the front lines of battle.

The only memorable instance was the encirclement and killing of the Third Raikage.

Now, this veteran Kage, known for his caution, tact, and strength, is once again in action, and this is combined with the intelligence that Iwagakure's logistics have suddenly resumed...

The meaning behind this is all too obvious.

Iwagakure has received the full support of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth.

This is a nationwide effort to fight Konoha to the death.

"So the village... has it really reached its most critical moment?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes.

Images flashed through my mind.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, single-handedly suppressed the chaos of the world and forcefully pacified the ninja world.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, led them to conquer all directions, establishing Konoha's true system and order through ruthlessness and wisdom.

Then it was his turn.

That year, the teacher died in battle, and the position of Hokage was hastily passed down.

Konoha was in turmoil, and he had to take up the straw hat at the most dangerous moment, shouldering the fate of the entire village.

It was after that that he led Konoha out of the war step by step and won the Second Shinobi World War.

Those glorious years, those figures fighting bloody battles, those beliefs that were once torn apart by war but were pieced back together by the Will of Fire...

Even today, I have never truly left him.

A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, his eyes no longer showing any hesitation, only contemplation and determination.

"How's Orochimaru doing?"