Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

And then... and then that was it. After his dead uncle returned to the village with a man wounded, he posthumously honored the scorching ninja as the first hero of Sunagakure. Since then, no one from that scorching ninja's family has ever used scorching techniques again, and this continues to this day. This little girl will probably awaken scorching techniques at some point in the future, but not now. If she had already awakened scorching techniques now, this little girl would have already taken off. She could have received the same treatment as Sasori, only needing to take exams instead of going to school. After graduation, she would have been given special training by Sunagakure to build a complete system for her. Although scorching techniques don't have as many variations as magnet techniques, they are much more powerful than ordinary fire techniques. The fireballs blown out by scorching techniques are many times hotter than ordinary fireball techniques. Moreover, bloodline limits are rare, and each one is a symbol of the village. If this little girl had already awakened scorching techniques, Sunagakure wouldn't have let her study and graduate with these nobodies. In Sunagakure, geniuses have special privileges.

Just like Luo Sha, ever since that kid, before he and Handsome Scorpion returned to the village some time ago, it is said that he was stimulated when he spied on the aunt and uncle next door testing the shock absorber. He directly awakened the Magnetic Release, causing golden sand to fly everywhere. He scared the aunt and uncle who were testing the shock absorber so much that they were afraid to test the shock absorber during the day in the future.

However, ever since then, Sunagawa treated Rasa like his own son, keeping him by his side almost like they were sleeping in the same bed. Rasa was already of school age, but what was school anyway? What could school teachers teach? Sunagawa practically took him everywhere, following him everywhere he went, even skipping his solo concerts to have more time to teach his disciples. In previous years, when there was no war, Sunagawa would have given him a 32-show tour every year…

"Lord Shindou, is there a third point? What is the third point?"

While Masato was in a daze, the boys below, who harbored ambitions of rising to power, couldn't wait any longer. After taking notes, they saw him lost in thought and quickly spoke up to remind him. They felt that Masato-sama's lectures were far more engaging than their teachers from years past. If Masato-sama were their teacher, they would definitely graduate with A+ in every subject...!

"Ahem...! The third point is extremely important, even more so than the previous two. It relates to your future performance. Write it down in red ink; this is the essence of team battles. Some of you are puppeteers, some have exceptional ninjutsu talent, and some taijutsu skills. Therefore, teamwork is crucial. Ninjas aren't samurai. Unless you're an incredibly skilled ninja like me and can't find a suitable partner, one-on-one combat isn't really important. Ninja teams are usually three-person groups. When you first start out, you'll have a mentor, but once you're promoted to Chunin, you'll generally be handling missions on your own. At this point, teamwork becomes extremely important. The division of labor within the team must be clear, and you absolutely cannot steal someone else's spot."

For example, mages... well, ninjas skilled in ninjutsu have powerful attacks, but they don't have that much chakra... oops! Chakra allows you to unleash your ultimate attack indefinitely, so they can't be the core of the offense. They can only serve as roaming units, unleashing their ultimate at the right moment to finish off enemies. Meanwhile, teammates skilled in taijutsu don't consume chakra for attacks and can sustain themselves, but without a super ultimate attack, their attack power isn't enough to kill in one hit. Therefore, they need to assist the other two teammates by tanking damage when necessary. The puppeteer, skilled in puppet warfare, has puppets coated in poison, making their attacks powerful while controlling them doesn't consume too much chakra. So, with the protection of teammates skilled in taijutsu, the puppeteer acts as the core of the team, engaging in territorial battles, while the teammates skilled in ninjutsu unleash their ultimate attacks at opportune moments to deliver a devastating blow to the enemy..."

As Masato got more and more excited, he couldn't help but draw crookedly on the blackboard with chalk. The story was made up, but even he was convinced by his own words, and it seemed to make some sense. Isn't the highest level of bragging the point that you don't even realize you're bragging anymore?

"...Senior Galo, is that really true? (⊙_⊙)?"

"Of course, after all, that's what Lord Shindou said!"

"That's true..."

"..."

A group of Jonin, who were about to lead their teams, had arrived outside the classroom. Each of them looked bewildered. One of them, looking confused, asked his companion carrying a puppet. He stared at Shinto-sama's flamboyant writing on the blackboard, completely baffled. However, listening to Shinto-sama's explanation, he felt it made sense. As a Jonin skilled in ninjutsu, he deeply understood Shinto-sama's words. Despite being a Jonin, he lacked special taijutsu and his chakra reserves were average, far from enough to unleash many powerful attacks. Every time he fought an enemy, he had to rack his brains to find the perfect moment to unleash a devastating attack and wipe out the enemy. But this was his one-on-one combat style; he had never actually teamed up with a partner like this. So he looked at the veteran puppeteer beside him, thinking that this senior had been in the profession longer and must have practiced this kind of teamwork before.

The puppeteer named Gara was also completely bewildered, but considering that Lord Shinto was Lord Jie's older brother and a top expert in the ninja world, it must be true.

Successful people can boast about anything, right?

365. Even the head of the secret service can have a side job.

"Ahem... Your Jonin teacher has arrived, and I've finished my summary. Before you go to sleep, prop your pillows up a bit and review what I taught you today. Whether you can make a name for yourself in the future depends on your own destiny. Hey you, the rest of the time is yours."

When Masato saw the group of Jonin leading the group outside the classroom, he immediately shut up. It was easy to fool these naive kids, but it would be embarrassing if those more experienced and straightforward Jonin exposed him on the spot. Besides, he was charging these kids for lessons; giving them a free lesson would be a huge loss...

"Lord Shinto, Lord Kazekage requests your presence."

He left the classroom under the reluctant gazes of these diligent and studious kids. Not long after he stepped out of the school gate, a member of the ANBU appeared beside him and said in a cool tone.

"...Don't talk so cool next time, or I'll instinctively think you're showing off. Show-offs usually don't end well in front of me. Even your old clan leader, who was hanging on by a thread waiting for me to collapse with him, didn't dare to show off in front of me...Who's the current head of the Dark Guard?"

Masato glanced sideways at the ANBU underling with sallow hair, who thought that wearing a mask would prevent others from recognizing him and allow him to show off without restraint. Judging from the underling's hair color and the Umekawa clan crest embroidered on his collar, who else could he be but a member of the Umekawa clan? This Umekawa clan member was just showing off. Even after changing into an ANBU uniform and wearing a mask, he still flaunted his clan crest on his collar, as if afraid others wouldn't know which gang he belonged to. This kind of behavior was unheard of before. Has the management of the ANBU become so lax these days?

After the war ended, his son was killed, and his grandson was taken in as a disciple by Sunagawa, Luo Zhen, disheartened, retired and returned to his hometown. Perhaps the blow of his son's death, the loss of his son, was too great. Although he had been a special agent for many years and had seen many life and death separations, it was still difficult for him to get over the experience of losing his son. In addition, he was getting old. He had been too reckless in his youth, and the hidden injuries left behind had caused his body functions to decline by the age of fifty. The hidden injuries that had been lurking in his body for many years began to gradually torment his body. He simply did not have the energy to manage such a large department as the Anbu. He had been holding on because he wanted to pass the position to his son, but his son died in the war, and his grandson awakened Magnet Release and was taken in as a disciple by the Kazekage, making him a candidate for Kazekage. He had no motivation to continue and simply handed a resignation letter to Sunagawa and went home to recuperate.

This is a stage that every ninja goes through in their career. Except for those puppeteers who use ranged attacks and rarely charge into battle, so their careers are longer, most ninjas reach a turning point at fifty. There are very few ninjas in the ninja world who can still fight at sixty. When Rōjin was in charge, the ANBU was very strictly managed. In addition, he was Chiyo's family member, and his background and power in the village were strong. Even if the family members in the ANBU were arrogant, they still had to be ninjas. There was no such thing as embroidering the clan crest on the collar. Now that Rōjin has retired and gone home to enjoy his retirement, he really hasn't paid attention to who the new head of the ANBU is. However, the ANBU is a department directly led and managed by Sunagawa. It should be his trusted confidant. How could such a strange thing happen?

"...The ministership is currently held concurrently by Lord Jie, but Lord Jie only visits the Anbu once a month; the rest of the time, Lord Kazekage directly manages it... o(╯□╰)o"

The young man from the Meichuan clan, who had just finished showing off, felt a pang of embarrassment when he heard Zhendou's words. He wanted to slap himself. He had gotten so used to showing off that he had forgotten that this old man and their old clan chief were sworn enemies who would argue whenever they met. It was said that the old clan chief was still hiding because he wanted to drag this old man down to keep him company... Why was he showing off in front of this old man?

"...No wonder...-_-||"

Shinto looked up at the sky speechlessly. This was the first time he had ever heard of an Anbu leader holding multiple positions. Wasn't that like receiving two salaries? And it was Sasori's father who was nominally holding the position. Sasori's father and mother were already working long hours in the Puppet Master unit, so they had no time for the Anbu. The Anbu's workload was much greater than that of the Puppet Master unit, with departments like intelligence, interrogation, and espionage. Sasori's father had only been in the Anbu for two years before Chiyo sent him to the Puppet Master unit to gain experience. He had no knowledge of these things. As for Sunagawa, the Kazekage, he had even more to do than Sasori's father. Even with Ebizo sharing the workload, there was now a disciple who had awakened Magnet Release to train, leaving him even less time to manage the Anbu. Ebizo already held multiple positions. He had given Sasori the position of Jonin squad leader because he was too busy with too many positions. It was impossible for him to manage the Anbu as well.

Currently, Sunagakure lacks a suitable leader for the Anbu. They were so focused on training Rasa's father that he unexpectedly died, leaving a temporary shortage of someone familiar with Anbu's procedures to replace Rasa. Sunagakure only has a handful of capable people around him, and the only person he could trust to lead the Anbu was probably his bodyguard captain, Mada. While Mada might not be the most quick-witted, he had experience in the Anbu and was familiar with its procedures, making him perfectly capable of serving as a temporary leader. However, Mada had already lost an arm and retired early. The village lacks capable young and middle-aged leaders; those who could rise to power have already taken positions in other departments. Sunagakure doesn't trust the powerful families to lead the Anbu. But leaving the Anbu leader position vacant isn't an option either, as many are eyeing it. Therefore, Sunagakure had no choice but to give Sasori's father a nominal position in the Anbu. Sasori's father's status as a prince is quite effective; even a nominal position is enough to silence those who actually hold the Anbu leader position.

However, the fact that the leader of the Anbu could also hold multiple positions was quite impressive. Sunagawa's actions really showed his true colors. At the same time, he was also struck by the huge difference in the ratio of talent between Sunagakure and Konoha. Not to mention, Ebizo has been holding multiple positions for more than 20 years. Unlike people like Hiruzen Sarutobi, he doesn't hold all the power. If he really had talent, he would have retired long ago and had time to stroll in the park. Maybe he could even have a twilight romance.

Unfortunately, over the years there have been a few talented people, but none of them have been particularly outstanding. And Scorpion's father wasn't interested in these matters, which is why he held the position of Grand Councilor for so many years.

366. Getting ready to make a pilgrimage to Uncle Ban.

So the Dark Division is currently in a state of limbo. With the leaders above too busy to manage it, it's normal for the members to let loose a bit. However, this kind of operation of displaying the clan crest on the collar is probably something only the more flamboyant young people of the Meichuan clan would do. The current clan leader of the Meichuan clan, the son of Meichuan Baidi who has been the crown prince for decades, is now extremely low-key. It's probably because he has been the young clan leader for decades and has passed the age of being brave and impetuous. He has begun to mature and is completely different from Meichuan Baidi, who always wanted to be number one. Since this young clan leader took over, he is probably afraid of being targeted by Jin Shizi. He has been keeping a low profile these days. After all, Jin Shizi and his father are mortal enemies, the kind that fight to the death.

.....

"What do you want? Why are you acting like your father just died? Luo Sha, go out for a walk, get some fresh air. Cultivation requires a balance of intensity and relaxation. Don't push yourself too hard... A young boy like you always has such a serious face like them. Be careful you don't end up not finding a girl to team up with and practice your skills with later..."

Upon arriving at the Kazekage's office, only Sunagawa and Ebizo were there, their faces grim and brows furrowed as if their fathers had just died. The worst part was that the little boy next to Sunagawa, who was also destined for a miserable life, was mimicking the Kazekage's expression... well, their fathers were already dead...

"We just received news that Kirigakure has officially announced a nationwide lockdown. We hope you can investigate the reasons and what the Mizukage is planning to do."

Sunagawa and Ebizo were clearly not in the mood for joking around with him. A shadow seemed to have been cast over them, and they felt somewhat uneasy. Kirigakure's sudden announcement of closing the country off meant that it would no longer intervene in the affairs of the ninja world. In the recently concluded Shinobi World War, almost every village had suffered losses, and only Kirigakure, which had not participated from beginning to end, had preserved its strength most intact. Now, no one would disagree that Kirigakure's strength ranked second among the five great ninja villages. In addition, Kirigakure had been labeled as cunning since the first war. Now that the war had just ended, Kirigakure had announced its closure of the country. They themselves did not believe that there was no ulterior motive behind it.

So after secretly observing Masato's lecture near the school, Sunakawa had originally planned to experiment with the team-fighting strategy that Masato mentioned in his third point. But now, he had no intention of doing so. They couldn't sleep because they hadn't figured out the reason for Kirigakure's isolation. In the past, Kirigakure's geographical location was far from the mainland, and although they didn't have much interaction with it, they were still teammates who fought against Cao Cao... oops! Konoha. Now, this powerful teammate had suddenly left the team for no reason, which really worried them. Could it be that, like in World War I, Kirigakure had received some benefits from Konoha and therefore left the team?

Or perhaps they encountered some powerful crisis that threatened the entire Hidden Mist Village, forcing them to close off the country. No matter what it was, they were worried about it.

"(⊙_⊙)?.....The Hidden Mist Village is closed off? What's going on? It was one thing that they didn't come to the last fight, but this time they just withdrew from the team!"

Shinto was also completely bewildered. He remembered that Kirigakure had a dark history in the original work, where Obito Uchiha successfully turned to the dark side after the world was destroyed, took control of the Fourth Mizukage from Madara, and caused a massacre of bloodline ninjas, which was also known as the "Village of Blood Mist". However, he really didn't know if Kirigakure was closed off from the world, and the timeline didn't match up. The current Wu Wu Kai was still a kid who hadn't even grown up yet, and that Obito Uchiha was probably about the same, not yet showing the potential of a big boss. Madara probably hadn't even approached him yet. If nothing unexpected happened in Kirigakure now, the Third Mizukage might already be under Madara's control. Although the Third Mizukage's strength was only at the passing level, and Madara wasn't at his peak either, controlling the Third Mizukage with those domineering Mangekyou Sharingan was a piece of cake.

However, if Madara became the mastermind behind Kirigakure, there was no need for the country to close itself off!

This move is something I really don't understand.

"We wanted you to investigate because we don't know what they're up to. The Hidden Mist Village is currently sealed off; it's almost impossible for anyone else to get in..."

Ebizo shook his head. He wished he knew what Kirigakure was up to, but the problem was he couldn't figure it out. Last time, they agreed to enter the war together, but Kirigakure didn't make a single move. They thought Kirigakure was playing the same old trick again and secretly kept an eye on them. But from the beginning to the end, Kirigakure didn't do anything, leaving them all confused. Now they've directly closed off the country. This kind of mysterious operation is something that ordinary people like them can't guess. Even if they were invaded by giant monsters or fighting aliens, they should at least make some noise, right?

The move by the Hidden Mist was absolutely baffling!

"Well... that's fine. It's really not good to come and visit after all these years..."

Shinto stroked his chin and nodded. As a die-hard fan, it was really wrong of him to come to his idol's territory for decades without buying a ticket to support him in person. But it was good that his idol was still alive. Every time he saw him, it would be one less time. It would be good to make a pilgrimage now. Maybe he could even get his idol's favor and get some commercial endorsements. That would be the best thing. Obito, that loser from the Uchiha clan, couldn't compare to him!

Although he didn't know the current situation in Kirigakure, he guessed that Kirigakure was now Madara's territory.

The thought of meeting his idol soon made Masato's heart, which had been dormant for many years, start pounding wildly again...

"I reckon the other villages have heard the news too, and they'll send people over as quietly as possible to avoid causing any trouble."

Seeing the inexplicable excitement on Masato's face, Ebizo and Sunagawa's eyelids twitched involuntarily. They were genuinely afraid this bastard would cause some major incident. Their village needed time to recover, and if they hadn't been desperately searching for a suitable replacement, they really didn't want to let this bastard go. Every time he went out, he caused a huge stir, which had both good and bad effects on Sunagakure...

.....

After the four great ninja villages of Konoha signed a peace treaty in the 38th year of their reign, the ninja world had barely calmed down when Kirigakure, which hadn't participated in World War II, suddenly announced its isolation and seclusion, causing another uproar. Everyone was speculating about Kirigakure's intentions. Kirigakure's enigmatic actions over the years had been truly perplexing. Their absence during the war already raised suspicions of betraying their allies, but thankfully Hanzo of the Land of Rain stepped in. Now, they've gone even further, completely withdrawing from the party!

367. The extent to which Hiruzen Sarutobi's brain was fried.

The one who reacted most strongly wasn't Sunagawa or Ebizo, nor even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who constantly spouted righteousness and morality, claiming it was his duty to maintain peace in the ninja world. It was Onoki, who harbored a deep hatred for Kirigakure. Ever since Onoki received the news of Kirigakure's isolationist policy, he couldn't eat or sleep, and he even lost the will to have a second child. Knowing that the old man Hiruzen Sarutobi had given birth to a second child two years ago, he put aside all other thoughts and focused solely on having a second child. He heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son was ambitious, determined, and a perfect successor to the will of Konoha, and in this aspect, he was evenly matched with his son, Yotsuchi. This round was considered a draw, and the next battle would be between the younger sons. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi somehow got lucky and his younger son had already been born two years ago. Of course, he couldn't lose, so after the war ended, he even postponed his plan to kidnap the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, wanting to focus on having a second child before confronting Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But now that Kirigakure has done something like this, his man's intuition tells him that this is definitely not simple. Or rather, since the start of World War II, Kirigakure's various unusual behaviors have made him feel uneasy, as if Kirigakure is plotting something big. Not participating in the war and then closing the country off after the war is too abnormal. These days, Onoki is so worried that Kirigakure is plotting something that he can't sleep well and has no mood to have a second child.

"Lord Tsuchikage, the other villages must have already sent people to the Land of Water. Should we send some people to investigate?"

Onoki was in a bad mood. His right-hand man, Tsuchiki, had performed exceptionally well in the Konoha negotiations, earning Onoki's enthusiastic praise. Tsuchiki was also in a bad mood, but for a different reason. Onoki couldn't sleep and kept nagging in the office all day, while Tsuchiki, as his right-hand man, couldn't sleep even though he wanted to. Since his boss couldn't sleep, he, as the underling, naturally had to bite the bullet and stay with him. Today was already the fifth day, and he was really worried that he would die of exhaustion if this continued. He wanted to ask for leave to go home and sleep, but seeing his boss still deep in thought, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

"No need. Since the Mizukage has already declared a closed-off policy, he will naturally send other villages to investigate. He's already prepared. Going there wouldn't necessarily yield any results, and they might just end up losing their lives. Besides, who knows, Kirigakure's goal might actually be this..."

Onoki shook his head slightly at the suggestion of the headman. Since Kirigakure was doing this, they must have made preparations. At this time, sending someone without a top-tier double-flower red staff would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths. Even if a top-tier double-flower red staff went, there might still be risks. He even suspected that Kirigakure was setting a trap for several villages. Don't be fooled by the Third Mizukage's effeminate appearance; he is a disciple of Hozuki Gengetsu. Don't be deceived by his appearance. Moreover, if they really manage to trap some people, such as Shiki, Sakumo Hatake, or the Raikage, or even just one of them, then they will have made a huge profit!

While Toastmasters possess exceptional literary skills, he falls short in other areas, a matter of perspective. As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you see, and the farther you see, the more you think. Toastmasters' talents seem to lie in cultural exchange, which puts him a bit behind seasoned strategists like Azaburo and Nara—after all, he's four points less intelligent...

"Does Lord Tsuchikage mean that this might be bait released by Kirigakure? But it doesn't seem very useful!"

Tumu frowned before realizing what his boss meant. It wasn't impossible that Kirigakure was deliberately spreading false information to send people from other villages to scout ahead and then kill them. However, this was clearly not very effective. Usually, those sent to scout were low-level operatives. What good would it do to kill these low-level operatives? Unless it was the Kage of each village or top-tier double-flower red-spotted knights like White Fang and Golden Lion, and Kirigakure had a way to kill them, but that seemed unrealistic. Things weren't like they used to be. Now, the Kage of each village were all incredibly shrewd, and it was impossible to kill them so easily. White Fang was the head of Konoha's Anbu, and he was very perceptive. How could such a small trick fool him? Although Golden Lion seemed crazy and uneducated, he was actually a tiger with a heart of gold and a delicate touch. He had never suffered a loss in his more than twenty years of service. The possibility of luring Golden Lion to his death seemed unlikely.

"That's a possibility. Let's just wait and see. It's hard to say whether other villages will send people, but that short dwarf Hiruzen Sarutobi, who always claims to be the one who maintains peace in the ninja world, will definitely send people. We'll see then."

Onoki said confidently, "I'm not sure if Kumogakure has a big-headed guy like Nara, and while Sunagakure doesn't have anyone with exceptionally high intelligence, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Sunagawa are all quite intelligent. He can consider this aspect, so there's no reason why those three wouldn't have thought of it. As for Konoha, even if Nara the big-headed guy thought of this and told Hiruzen Sarutobi, given Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't send someone to investigate. After all, if there's any trouble in the ninja world, Konoha will definitely be the first to be threatened."

So Hiruzen Sarutobi will definitely send someone, but who he sends depends on how irrational he is. If it's Sakumo Hatake (White Fang) who goes, then Hiruzen really needs to be admitted to the ICU again for brain surgery...

...

"Zixiao, take some men and go to the Water Kingdom..."

Inside the Hokage Tower in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Mitarashi Shishou with deep affection, as if entrusting him with a heavy responsibility, the hopes of the entire village resting on his shoulders. He patted Mitarashi Shishou's not-so-broad shoulders heavily...

Hiruzen Sarutobi definitely lost his mind. After receiving the news of Kirigakure's isolationist policy, he completely forgot about his good friend's research on the Sharingan. He even gathered Konoha's most intelligent people, whose IQs were all over 90, to discuss the purpose of Kirigakure's actions. In the end, based on statistics, they concluded that there was a 90% chance that Kirigakure's actions were a trap, and only a 10% chance that something might have happened in Kirigakure.

However, despite reaching such a conclusion, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who dedicated his life to maintaining peace in the ninja world, still planned to send someone to investigate the situation, even if there was only a 10% chance of it happening. Otherwise, he was really worried!

However, although Hiruzen Sarutobi had acted irrationally, he wasn't completely brain-dead. He wouldn't send his top lieutenant on a mission with such a high risk level that could be a one-way trip. This was a top-tier double-flower red-hat, and he would be a fool to send Sakumo. Sakumo was powerful, but he wasn't a one-man army like the First Hokage or Madara. If something happened to him, who knew if Lord Ito would come and chat with him in the middle of the night.

However, sending underlings would be pointless, as their strength was too low to uncover the core information. They were also reluctant to send their two disciples already in the village. So, after much deliberation, they finally decided on Mitarashi Shishou, the vice-captain of the Anbu. Firstly, Shishou was a Red Rank member, calm in the face of danger, and possessed a strong spirit of inquiry... indeed a good candidate. Secondly, Konoha had enough Red Rank members; even if he didn't return, it wouldn't be a massive loss like the loss of Sakumo...

368. I grew up listening to your stories of killing people.

Boom! Boom!

"what......"

"Huh?...There's a fight going on up ahead...(⊙_⊙)?"

"Holy crap! My idol! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

As Shinto flew towards Kirigakure, a violent rumbling sound came from not far ahead, along with the faint screams of what could not be human beings. Activating his Observation Haki, he saw a staggering figure standing on a high platform in mid-air on the battlefield ahead. The figure stood with arms crossed, staring with a pair of Sharingan eyes that seemed to be in the late stages of a red-eyed disease, looking down at the corpses lying haphazardly in front of him with the gaze of a grandfather looking at his grandson. The key point was that such a domineering gaze would seem pretentious to others, but on this staggering figure, it felt perfectly reasonable. Although the staggering figure's face was thin due to old age, there was an unyielding, familiar, and awe-inspiring aura about him that could not be erased with age. Who else could it be but his idol, Madara?

Judging from their uniform attire, the corpses in front of Madara were undoubtedly Konoha's ANBU. There were quite a few of them, but Madara didn't recognize any of them. They were probably sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi to spy on the Land of Water's isolationist policies, but they had the misfortune of running into Madara. Despite his weakened state, Madara was still a force to be reckoned with. Judging from the clean, fatal wounds inflicted on these Konoha ANBU, and the fact that the surrounding environment wasn't significantly damaged, Madara had likely killed them in a single move. It's unbelievable that a group of Konoha ANBU were wiped out in one strike by a frail, dying old man, but it truly happened. Madara's skills were still sharp!

"Hmph...! I didn't expect Konoha to send such trash. What a pity..."

Although the old man on the high platform was incredibly old, he was still the arrogant old man who was a doctor. He looked at the corpses lying haphazardly in front of him with disdain and muttered to himself with a mixture of contempt and disappointment.

The long-standing rivalry among the most powerful figures in Kirigakure finally came to an end recently, with the Three-Tails Jinchuriki emerging victorious to become the new Fourth Mizukage. However, before the Fourth Mizukage could even celebrate, he was caught by Madara, who was squatting outside the toilet in the middle of the night. Under Madara's terminal red-eyed disease, the Fourth Mizukage, even with the Three-Tails inside him, was powerless to resist and fell into Madara's genjutsu. The Three-Tails inside him, probably badly beaten back then, pretended to be dead the whole time, sensing the familiar gaze.

After taking control of the Fourth Mizukage, Madara suddenly had a scheme to target Konoha. Konoha always considered itself the embodiment of justice and the peace of the ninja world. If Kirigakure were to make any moves, that brat Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely not be at ease and would send someone to investigate. Madara could also use this to further weaken Konoha's strength, since he was still able to fight. It would be even better if Hiruzen Sarutobi sent that brat White Fang. Killing White Fang would definitely cause Konoha to suffer a huge loss. Therefore, Madara immediately took control of the Fourth Mizukage and announced a policy of national isolation, all for the purpose of targeting Konoha.

However, to Madara's disappointment, although the people from Konoha did come, it wasn't the White Fang he had imagined. Instead, it was a bunch of nobodies. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't declined with age or if these Konoha nobodies were just too weak, but they couldn't even withstand a single blow from him. He was really disappointed!

"Red-eye... Pshaw! Sharingan! You... you... you're an idol?! An idol! You're still alive?! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Just as Madara was disappointed with his boastful act, Masato couldn't stand it any longer. With a whoosh, he arrived less than a meter away from Madara. With a look that was three parts excitement, three parts shock, three parts bewilderment and one part confusion, he pointed at Madara, tears welling in his eyes, and shouted incredulously as if a son had found his long-lost father. This excited and loud shout pierced through the clouds and soared into the sky.

"Huh? Cartoon!...."

"Huh? The Golden Lion brat from Sunagakure? You recognize me?"

Madara was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure. He turned around and was about to throw a fireball at the figure, but when he saw the face clearly, a wisp of black smoke got stuck in his throat and he forced it down. Wasn't this his die-hard fan, the Golden Lion of Sunagakure?

Seeing the kid's excited, tearful eyes, how could he bear to lay a hand on his die-hard fan?

But what intrigued him even more was that this kid actually knew him. He knew the kid idolized him, but he'd already been retired from the spotlight for several years when the kid debuted. How did this kid recognize him...?

"Of course I recognize you! I grew up listening to stories of you killing people. That unique, domineering aura you exuded, the way you looked down on ordinary people like ants—who else in the world could possess such an air? Although you're no longer in the martial world, your legend is forever etched in my heart... Everyone said you were dead, and I thought I'd never have the chance to see my idol again. I never imagined you were still alive... It's wonderful!!!"

Masato grabbed Madara's leg and burst into tears, just like a die-hard fan meeting his idol. The tears just kept flowing and wouldn't stop.