In Konoha, you get one evolution point every day.

Lin Fan tested his "Mechanical Spiral Cannon" on a large tree with the lowest power Rasengan. The tree trunk looked like a honeycomb, with each hole about half the size of a fist.

"Perhaps this move can be reproduced." Lin Fan had another, more advanced way of using Rasengan in his mind, but that move was too powerful, and if it were used in the village's training ground, it would definitely attract the attention of the villagers.

......

Meanwhile, within each clan, a similarly intense cultivation program was underway. In various training grounds, each clan had orderly reserved a public training area—this was to prevent the "despicable" Lin Fan from sending people to spy on their cultivation progress.

Konoha Village has a total of 64 training grounds, many of which are large training grounds. For example, the Forest of Death is training ground number 44, with a radius of ten kilometers.

Meanwhile, on the Uchiha clan's side, many high-ranking members, upon hearing that this matter concerned whether the Uchiha clan could produce a Hokage, even had Uchiha ninjas undergoing combat training in the training grounds that resembled life-or-death battles.

While the various clans were training enthusiastically, news from the so-called high-level officials of Konoha Village inevitably reached the villages through the leak of newspapers.

......

In a gravelly area, there is a village that consists almost entirely of mud houses, and when viewed from above, it has a diameter of over twenty kilometers.

A newspaper, after going through multiple layers of transportation, arrived at a rather simple office.

—[Konoha Village abolishes advisor positions... and will introduce a new high-ranking leadership known as the Three Great Shinobi!]

Looking at the words on the newspaper, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was completely baffled as to what Konoha was trying to do. The news of the Hokage change had come from Konoha along with this newspaper.

So it's really funny.

—Isn't the new Hokage Tsunade a disciple of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi? The disciple dragged her master down? Are you kidding me?

The Third Raikage of Kumogakure, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure, and... well, the Hidden Mist Village is embroiled in internal strife and hasn't been paying attention to the outside world's newspapers.

The other two major film studios also fell silent upon seeing the newspaper.

After some discussion, the three great nations decided to send ninjas to Konoha for a "visit".

The word "visit" here really means "visit".

After all, no one knows for sure if Konoha is having internal strife. If it is confirmed... well, that would be... well, you know.

The Hidden Mist Village only managed to keep outsiders from knowing what was happening there by sealing off the village with blood mist; otherwise, the Hidden Mist Village would have been in trouble too.

......

Hidden Mist Village.

The Third Mizukage, his face expressionless, looked down at the Anbu member with green hair and pink eyes, Yagura Karatachi, and after giving him some instructions, left the Mizukage's office.

Shortly after the gate closed, the Third Mizukage's eyes reflected the Sharingan.

An elderly man with white hair emerged from behind the Third Mizukage. Underneath his clothes, he was clearly wearing a white flesh armor that did not belong to his own body.

Beside him was a black and white creature that looked like a pitcher plant.

"There's a lot going on in Konoha, Lord Madara. It seems like it's Tsunade who's behind this commotion."

I glanced at the newspaper that Yagura had brought back:

"Senju... Tsunade..." Madara Uchiha murmured, forcibly pulling himself back from his memories: "Tsunade doesn't have that ability. It must be that kid named Lin Fan in the newspaper who did it."

Let's go to Konoha.

"I'm fine here."

He nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, Black Zetsu said in a seemingly concerned voice, "Lord Madara... please take care of your health."

After saying that, Black Zetsu left.

Madara Uchiha simply let out a soft chuckle.

"In Kirigakure, no one is my match."

......

Time flies, and the "Feast Day" on April 24th is fast approaching.

"Palm Healing Technique - Evolution +3": "Your Palm Healing Technique healing efficiency is doubled. When using Palm Healing Technique on an injured person, it will also heal one additional trace of their existing hidden injury."

Lin Fan treated an injured rabbit in front of the slug.

The green light disappeared, and the rabbit was hopping around happily.

Lin Fan coughed.

"Cough cough."

"Now, I can accept your legacy, slug."

The slug tilted its head, its two eyes—which looked like ears—glanced at the rabbit, then at Lin Fan:

"Alright, since you've learned an advanced ninjutsu, I'll reluctantly accept you."

Hearing the slug's disdainful tone, Lin Fan's lips twitched slightly: Do you know how many advanced medical books I've read this month, and how many times I've trained, just to barely make the Palm Immortal Technique usable?!

—The hemostasis technique is easy to use; you can use it directly once you upgrade it to level 3.

Even though the Palm Immortal Technique was twice as efficient, it still took Lin Fan more than twenty days of serious study before he could barely use it.

......

"Reverse Spirit Communication Technique!"

With a bang, Lin Fan appeared from his home in a vast, white area.

"Cough cough. What kind of place is this? Slug, is this the Wet Bone Forest? Why does it feel so foggy? Cough cough cough." Lin Fan stood in this white 'fog' area, feeling a little breathless.

"Lin Fan, what are you calling me! Call me Lord Slug!"

—Do you think you're Tsunade?!

The slug's haughty voice came from beneath my feet.

Lin Fan's lips twitched: "Alright, you slug, what's going on? I feel like I'm about to die."

The difficulty breathing wasn't an illusion; it felt as if the mist was alive, constantly creeping into my body...

"Call me Lord Slug, or you'll die," the slug said with a smile.

Damn it! Did you think I would give in?

"Lord Slug," Lin Fan said.

The slug nodded and then jumped onto Lin Fan's shoulder.

The 'white mist' that was originally attached to Lin Fan's body began to move in an instant. At this moment, the slug sucked the white mist into its belly like a dehumidifier.

"Burp." The slug let out a satisfied burp and said, "Delicious. Lin Fan, do you feel much better now?"

Feeling his body relax and his breathing return to normal, Lin Fan nodded and said:

"I feel much better. But I still feel a little uncomfortable breathing."

Upon hearing this, the slug thought for a moment and said, "Lin Fan, come this way."

The slug formed a tiny hand and pointed in a southeast direction.

......

Lin Fan walked through the misty forest and encountered many slugs, who chirped and chattered as they greeted the slug on his shoulder.

After leaving the woods, we came to a clearing, next to which was a river filled with white mist.

Lin Fan asked, "Slugs, aren't you one entity? Why were you greeting each other just now?"

Slug: "? What did you call me?"

"A slug," Lin Fan said with a smile. "Hilarious! I can breathe perfectly well, and you still want me to... uh!"

Lin Fan suddenly grabbed his own neck with both hands.

The slug simply stopped inhaling the 'white mist' for Lin Fan on his shoulder and said, "Sigh. Since I'm just a slug, then I'll just be an ordinary slug."

"Lord Slug!" Lin Fan called out.

The slug nodded, took another deep breath, and only after the white mist disappeared did Lin Fan feel that his body was his own.

Lin Fan's eyes widened.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

He even suspected that there was a female ghost beside him who would occasionally help the slug choke his throat so that he couldn't breathe.

"This? It's natural energy~" the slug said calmly.

Lin Fan paused for a second, then exclaimed in astonishment:

"What?! Natural energy?!"

Looking up from Lin Fan's position, flying to an altitude of ten thousand meters, one can see that the Wet Bone Forest below is almost entirely covered by this strange white mist, and the area where Lin Fan is heading southeast is where the white mist is least present.

......

"It's actually natural energy."

Lin Fan was astonished.

He is currently in an area on the outermost edge of Shikkutsu Forest.

The Shikkut Forest is an enclosed area, the lowest in the world and with the least natural energy, where many slugs, no bigger than a finger, crawl on the ground.

"This place contains about 10 times the natural energy of the outside world." The slug glanced back at a mountain peak that was still quite far away. "The natural energy at the location of my main body is about 200 times that of the outside world."

200 times...

"May I ask how many times greater Mount Myōboku is?"

The slug thought for a moment and replied:

"The most concentrated area is about 20 times densest."

"Ryuchi-dong is about 25 times larger."

"..."

Lin Fan suddenly seemed to understand why the Sage of Shikkotsu Forest had said that the Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest was very difficult.

The slug seemed to understand what Lin Fan was thinking and nodded, saying, "The Immortal Mode in the Wet Bone Forest doesn't actually exist. But it's not entirely nonexistent. However, using the Immortal Mode carries extremely high risks."

"You are a contractor of Mount Myōboku. You should know this. Mount Myōboku uses toad oil as an aid, allowing you to first absorb it in a lower energy field before moving to a higher energy field to master Sage Mode."

"You don't know about Sage Mode in Ryuchi Cave, but I can tell you about it."

"The Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave involves the White Snake Sage injecting his Sage Chakra into your body in one go. If you can withstand it, you will directly 'become a Sage,' and if you can't, well..."

The slug curled its lip and said:

"You will turn into a pile of poop."

Lin Fan: "..."

"And my Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest."

"Then you need to absorb it yourself."

"Absorb it yourself? What's the difference between this and Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave?" Lin Fan asked, puzzled.

The slug shook its head and said, "It's different. What Ryuchi Cave gave you was the natural energy of the White Snake Sage. The 'sage' you became was just someone whose genes were changed by the White Snake Sage, and who evolved into another kind of snake. The reason he devoured you when he failed was only because the White Snake Sage did it to increase his own power... After all, you're going to die anyway, so don't waste your life."

"While the toad oil from Mount Myoboku can help you master the natural energy of Mount Myoboku, at the same time, you can only temporarily use Sage Mode by absorbing natural energy from Mount Myoboku... But the Sage Mode that I, the Slug Sage, will teach you is a gradual process of mastering the power of natural energy through evolution."

"evolution?"

Lin Fan looked bewildered, while the slug nodded:

"Natural energy can alter the genes of organisms."

"But some creatures can't withstand that much, so if they want to learn Sage Mode, the first thing they need is to adapt to natural energy."

"After adapting to natural energy, you can then figure out your own way of using natural energy."

"This is the Sage Mode of my Shikkotsu Forest!"

Lin Fan: "...What's the difference between this and making me develop Sage Mode myself?"

Slug: "...That's why I said Shikkotsu Forest doesn't have a Sage Mode! But I can help you develop it, so it's not like it's completely nonexistent."

—There is no immortal mode, only the way to become an immortal, right?

Lin Fan complained.

......

On the afternoon of April 23, the ninjas from various clans, who had been training for a month, were eagerly anticipating the grand feast to be held the following day.

This grand event was not attended by any high-ranking officials of the daimyo government at the last minute, nor was there any additional publicity in newspapers or documents after the announcement.

Even so, newspapers and other news channels were frantically promoting the "Konoha Village Civil War" and "Konoha Village Trial Conference" for free in the days leading up to April 24th, attracting countless businesses. In particular, Konoha Village specially commissioned the construction of a temporary town outside the village to accommodate almost all of the original Konoha Village residents, and named it "Konoha Town" in preparation for the trial conference.

Not only that, but newspapers and media outlets also heard about this, and many businessmen sensed an opportunity and invested heavily in Konoha Town. This not only improved the town's rudimentary facilities and poor decor, but also built a more advanced signal tower on the outskirts of Konoha Town. This would allow for a complete live broadcast of the entire "Battle of the Summit" in Konoha Village. The signal tower could even be projected to other towns, transmitting the signal all the way to the capital of the Land of Fire, like a game of connecting dots.

On the afternoon of the 23rd, the Fourth Hokage, Tsunade, issued an order requiring all ninjas of Konoha to guide all residents within a radius of about 20 kilometers from the Hokage Building to the newly built Konoha Town.

Of course, a radius of 20 kilometers is almost equivalent to the entire area inside the walls of Konoha Village.

The ninjas all knew what was going to happen tomorrow and had already arranged their positions. Regardless of the outcome, for the sake of Konoha's order, even the Uchiha Police Department, which was about to turn against them tomorrow, or the Mitomon and Utatane clans, the two elders, were all carrying out large-scale temporary relocation work according to Tsunade's request.

"When the fight breaks out tomorrow, remember not to fight within our Inuzuka clan, understand?"

"Be careful if a fight breaks out tomorrow. Don't destroy the Uchiha clan's territory, and it's best to avoid the security headquarters building as well. The Uchiha clan is about to rise to the top, so we can't afford to lose face."

People of all ethnicities have their own little schemes; they may fight and make a fuss, but they can't afford to lose money.

However, each tribe has its own thoughts, and no one wants their own family territory to be affected. But when a fight breaks out, who cares whether they are "allies" or not?

......

The relocation was completed before dark.

Konoha Village, a metropolis with a diameter of over 40 kilometers, was almost turned into a dead city in just a few hours. Anbu ninjas drew yellow and red lines to mark the combat zones throughout the city.

The area within a five-kilometer radius of the Hokage Building is a red zone; life or death there is no exception.

The area within a radius of five to fifteen kilometers from the Hokage Building is designated as the yellow zone.

The Hokage Building, which originally had a red exterior, has been transformed into a metal shell within the past month to prevent documents that cannot be easily moved from being damaged by the outside world.

Within the gray concrete panels atop the Hokage Building, resembling peeled grapefruit skins but actually made of concrete, a new, even taller execution platform was constructed, overlooking the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Lin Fan stood on it, looking down at the magnificent view.

Suddenly, a leaf flew by and landed in front of him.

He reached out and caught the green leaf.

Then I saw that the green leaves were intact, without any insect damage or small holes in the middle.

At that moment, several clear footsteps could be heard.

Lin Fan put down the green leaves, turned his head, and saw that Tsunade and the others had all come to the bottom of his execution platform. He looked down.

Lin Xiaobai, who had returned from a month-long study trip to Mount Myōboku, waved to Lin Fan: "Lin Fan! I'm back!"

Wearing the Hokage hat, Tsunade crossed her arms and said, "I knew you'd be here."

Orochimaru, wearing a Chunin vest, accompanied by Tenzo, asked, "I'll bring a student along. That should be fine, right?"

Jiraiya, dressed casually: "Hey, Lin Fan, I'm all set. Tomorrow, you can decide how you want to fight."

Minato Namikaze, who had clearly lost weight, said, "Let me make this clear first, I might not be able to be of much help... and now that everyone's gone, what are we going to eat tonight?"

"..."

Might Guy, dressed in green and radiating youthful energy;

Maruhoshi Kosuke, carrying an iron pot and looking helpless;

With a pair of red eyes like the Sharingan, and when she gets serious, Kurenai Yuhi;

The wind-style ninjutsu is no less than that of Shimura Terutaro, the head of the Shimura clan, who is currently comparable to Shimura Danzo.

Once a Root squad leader skilled in poison and possessing sensory abilities, Mitarai Kaito, now wearing an Anbu uniform, is now a Jonin-level ninja.

Sakumo Hatake, who serves as the vice-head of the Shadow Division, the captain of the Dark Division, wears the Dark Division uniform, and has a head of bright silver hair;

as well as......

"I hope you won't break your promise."

A cool, clear female voice came from the crowd behind them.

As everyone looked over, they saw Uchiha Mikoto, wearing a green vest and a police uniform, and a cat-face mask, striding towards them.

Lin Fan stood on the high platform and said, "Those who were supposed to come have mostly arrived. So..."

He looked into the distance, surveying the entire village: "Let Konoha's order truly enter a new era!"

......

The door to Hiruzen Sarutobi's cell in the Anbu prison was now open. After suffering significant damage and being invaded, Lin Fan and Tsunade decided to abandon this Anbu base. So now, only one person remained in the prison to deliver food to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Everyone else, including important documents and equipment, had been transferred to a new base—after all, there were enough to build a new base, so why keep the old one?

now.

A newspaper and a document were placed on a table in Hiruzen Sarutobi's prison cell—the contents of which all explained that Konoha Village had entered a new phase, and this was the final invitation for Hiruzen Sarutobi to leave this trend belonging to the old era.

"To maintain decades of peace in Konoha... as a hero of Konoha?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the invitation in his hand and sighed deeply: now, perhaps this was the only path he could take.

......

Inside the Hokage Building, all the personnel preparing for the battle set up tables of hot dishes on the streets surrounding the Hokage Building.

The hot dishes were all brought from Konoha Town.

On the face of every diner was anticipation for a new era in Konoha.

Not everyone belonged to the old guard, thinking about maintaining the basic peace of Konoha. In fact, many people hoped that Konoha would become better, but because they were not in charge, although they had this idea, the higher-ups did it this way. Their opinions could not be conveyed to the upper echelons, and the upper echelons were basically conservatives. This caused Konoha Village, which should have gradually reached its peak after its establishment, to gradually become the weakest Konoha in the original story.

As footsteps echoed through the dark street, all the ninjas, hundreds upon hundreds of eyes, turned to look—and there came Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in a black chainmail combat suit, his black hair now streaked with white, yet his aura still at its peak, walking alongside Kiyohiko Uzuki, the ANBU squad leader guarding the old ANBU base, with purple hair.

Many people had mixed feelings when they saw that it was the Third Hokage, and some even stood up and called out the Third Hokage's name.

After greeting these people, Hiruzen Sarutobi went to the main table and scanned his former subordinates and disciples.

Finally... Lin Fan was identified.

"Lin Fan, I'm here."

Lin Fan stood up, extended his hand across the table, and smiled:

"Welcome, Hiruzen Hero."