Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

After Chiyo explained to the three of them what the Mangekyou Sharingan was, she muttered to herself.

A powerful figure who awakened the same type of eye as Madara Uchiha was hiding in the Land of Water. If it weren't for Shinto, no one would have discovered such a formidable figure in the ninja world. It's chilling to think about. There must be some hidden conspiracy behind this powerful figure's seclusion, and this conspiracy is very likely aimed at the entire ninja world. After all, Hashirama Senju is already dead. If it were only aimed at Konoha, they could have acted long ago when he awakened those eyes. She had witnessed firsthand how powerful those eyes were. Without Hashirama Senju, Konoha could truly do whatever it wanted with those eyes…

376. White Fang's Night Raid on Sunagakure

Awesome!

When Masato heard Chiyo's mutterings about getting close to the truth, he really wanted to give her two thumbs up and praise her wildly. An old hand is an old hand after all. Even though she has been behind the scenes for so many years, she can still deduce the essence of things from just a few words.

Through Chiyo's story, an image flashed in his mind of Madara showing off in front of his deceased uncle. Madara wasn't really introducing the Kaleidoscope to his deceased uncle; Madara was forcefully showing off, enjoying the astonished, envious, and jealous looks in his uncle's eyes. It's just that his deceased uncle couldn't keep up with Madara's pace and thought Madara was introducing himself...

Chiyo's knowledge of the Mangekyou Sharingan wasn't surprising. Even if her deceased uncle hadn't drunkenly told her, a little research would have revealed it. There were still about twenty years before the original story began, which was still considered ancient times. Information about war-torn eras was still available, especially for a powerful clan like the Uchiha. Besides, the Mangekyou Sharingan wasn't exclusive to Madara; the Uchiha's ancestors must have had others who awakened it, though they were extremely rare. After all, it wouldn't make sense for a powerful clan over a thousand years not to have even a few awakened Mangekyou Sharingan users. In recent decades, starting with Madara and his second son, the Uchiha produced several Mangekyou Sharingan users. It's just that none of them were as incredibly powerful as Madara, unable to dominate an era like him. So even if there were records, it wasn't a major historical event that many people would remember.

After all, Orochimaru was able to prove through ancient texts that the Six Paths Sage wasn't a fairy tale but a real person. This shows how amazing and abundant the ancient texts in the ninja world are. I just don't know where Orochimaru found them. Anyway, he's a history enthusiast. He traveled all over the country with Kakuzu and never saw these records of history from thousands of years ago. I can only say that Orochimaru is awesome!

"When has this world ever been peaceful? Uncle is right, when people die, birds fly to the sky; if they don't die, they live for ten thousand years. What goes around comes around. Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up first. If anyone should be worried, it should be Konoha. If Aunt Chiyo's analysis is correct, that guy should be a member of the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha clan is a troublemaker in Konoha. If they really want to cause trouble, they'll target Konoha first, it has little to do with us."

Shinto casually echoed Chiyo's words, saying that Sunagakure, as a minor village, was not really taken seriously by Madara. Even if his appearance angered Madara to the point of shortening his lifespan by a few years, Madara would probably only remember that Sunagakure had such a person. Just like Madara's world-destroying plan was all aimed at Konoha, and had nothing to do with other villages. Who can blame him when Konoha has good feng shui?

"Ahem... Excuse me..."

"Holy crap! Can't you change this habit of walking without making a sound?! Seriously, you busybody, instead of maintaining order in Konoha, you're running around raiding our... cough, Sunagakure village at night, what are you trying to do...?"

Just as Shinto finished speaking, a light and polite voice came in through the window, startling everyone in the room. Even Ebizo, who was a master player, didn't notice anyone approaching. While they were too engrossed in the story, the fact that someone could sneak into Sunagakure alone and get to within three meters of them without being detected by Sunagawa's bodyguards and ANBU underlings showed just how overpowered the newcomer was.

After angrily spitting out his breath at the tuft of white hair peeking out the window, Shinto quickly drank a cup of tea to calm himself down. It was truly bizarre; in this unexpected situation, his Observation Haki would have already triggered an alarm, but now that the white hair was less than three meters away, his Observation Haki showed absolutely no reaction. It was just too damn unscientific...

That white-haired man could only be the Konoha ANBU chief, Half-Sleeved Hokage. There are two famous white-haired people in the ninja world today. One is Jiraiya, one of the "yellow" people in the Hatake clan who lives a life of gambling, prostitution, and drugs. However, even if that guy had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to sneak into the Miyako clan in the center of Sunagakure so quietly. He also doesn't have the ability to do so.

Another one is the Hatake clan's rise to the top, the true Hatake clan's contemporary scumbag, White Fang. Only he, with his high skill and daring, dared to sneak into their Sand Village alone, hiding through layers of ANBU, and getting to within three meters of them.

Chiyo's expression changed slightly upon seeing the white-haired man, but she quickly regained her composure. She had already experienced the ultimate battle between Madara Uchiha and Retsuto for her, so this was nothing more than a minor incident.

Sunagawa and Ebizo were now shivering. To be able to get to their side with so many bodyguards and ANBU guards, they wouldn't have even noticed his presence if he hadn't made a sound. This guy was definitely the pinnacle of assassins. If Hiruzen Sarutobi sent this guy to collect heads... just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.

"-_-||...You guys were so focused on talking that you didn't even notice me..."

Sakumo Hatake, speechless, said, "This bastard is truly a dog's mouth that can't produce anything decent. What do you mean by 'night raid on Sunagakure'? Did I ever raid it?" ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Walking silently is a professional skill honed over many years; it's not something you can just change overnight. Besides, this is infiltrating an enemy village; making a sound would be asking to be ganged up on...

"What brings Konoha's White Fang to our Sunagakure headquarters in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Sunagawa touched his still somewhat cold neck and straightened his body, knowing he couldn't lose the Kazekage's dignity in front of outsiders.

"Lord Kazekage, our Hokage sent me here to ask Shiki about the events in the Land of Water. None of the people we sent from Konoha have returned. The only one we know is that Shiki was also in the Land of Water at the time. We want to understand what happened back then. Our people from Konoha cannot have died in vain."

Sakumo Hatake gave a semi-official reply.

"What do you mean 'understand the situation'? I think you're just going to avenge your underling, aren't you? No need to understand, your entire Konoha team has indeed been wiped out. When I arrived, your underling was already dead. But honestly, Hiruzen Sarutobi must have lost his mind. Knowing it was a trap, even our Kazekage would send me, the core member of the Kazekage, to investigate, while Hiruzen Sarutobi sent just a few Tom, Dick, and Harry? Isn't that just sending them to their deaths..."

It feels so damn good to berate someone's boss in front of them. If he hadn't seen White Teeth reaching behind his back again, he wouldn't have wanted to stop.

Anyone with an IQ over 80 could see there was a trap in the Kirigakure incident. Even something as mundane as gathering intelligence on outlying underlings was assigned to them by Sunagawa and Ebizo. For Konoha, a place known for its brilliant minds, to send a few nobodies like Tom, Dick, and Harry is simply insane.

377. Orochimaru and Danzo are still in their honeymoon period.

"That guy is strong?"

This guy knew when to stop, and White Fang didn't draw his sword. Instead, he frowned with a serious expression. He knew this bastard's personality too well. If he wasn't really that strong, he would always be called a nobody in this guy's eyes. Now, this guy's tone wasn't so disdainful. Instead, he seemed to agree with the mysterious person from the Land of Water. This made him take it seriously.

This guy has strong attack power and incredibly tough defense. Most importantly, he's fast and has superhuman stamina. He can only rely on positioning to deal with this guy; he can't possibly go head-to-head with him. From what we saw on the scene in the Land of Water, the mysterious man was able to go toe-to-head with this guy and still manage to retreat unscathed. Before, he was just guessing, since going head-to-head with this guy isn't easy. Probably only the Raikage in the entire ninja world could do it. Now, judging from the tone of this guy's voice, it confirms their guess. That guy really can go head-to-head with this guy. Although the outcome is unknown, judging from the guy's lazy appearance, it's clear that the mysterious man lost. Otherwise, given this guy's personality, if he lost, he wouldn't be sitting here so obediently talking.

"Utterly useless! It's more than just strong! The Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan, you tell me, is it strong or not? I think you'd better hurry back and warn Hiruzen Sarutobi. That guy has eyes just like my idol's, which means he's a member of the Uchiha clan. An Uchiha with the Mangekyou Sharingan hiding in the shadows... We Sunagakure don't care, after all, we have no grudge against the Uchiha. But it's different for Konoha. Everyone in the ninja world knows about the shady dealings between Konoha and the Uchiha. If that guy goes back to acknowledge his ancestors..."

"I must take my leave now!"

"call out!"

Before Shinto could finish speaking, White Fang greeted the people in the house politely and then disappeared. A moment later, he appeared at the entrance of Sunagakure and was running rapidly toward the Land of Fire.

While on his journey, White Fang's mind was in turmoil that wouldn't subside for a long time. The whole world knew who that guy's idol was—the big boss who co-created the glory of Konoha with the First Hokage! When that guy was dominating the ninja world, White Fang wasn't even fully formed yet!

And that mysterious person actually has the same eyes as that BOSS. Just the fact that these three Uchiha are involved already makes this a big deal!

White Fang didn't think Shinto was fooling him, since fooling him wouldn't benefit Sunagakure. Besides, the first thing people who saw the battlefield photos would think of was the Uchiha clan, since if anyone's fire release could reach that level, the Uchiha clan would be the most likely, after all, the Uchiha once produced Madara.

However, judging from the strength that the Uchiha clan has shown so far, no one has been able to do it yet, which is why they ruled out the Uchiha clan. But if the Uchiha clan members awakened Madara's eyes, then it would make sense. Since they have awakened their eyes, it is not impossible for them to reach that level in Fire Release. The Hatake clan is, after all, a prestigious clan, and there are records of Mangekyou Sharingan members in the clan. Moreover, his deceased father was one of the witnesses to the battle at the Valley of the End and told him some things. He is quite familiar with the abilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Once the Uchiha awakens the Mangekyou Sharingan, it's a qualitative change; they go directly from Bronze to King. So, their powerful Fire Release techniques become understandable.

"...Look at this guy, he's so rude! He just comes and goes as he pleases, treating our Sunagakure like his own backyard. Brother Sunagawa, the Anbu really needs to keep a closer eye on him. Letting such a big living person come and go like that without us even noticing is just outrageous!"

Looking at the figure whose white teeth had disappeared, Masato spoke to Sunagawa in the tone of a father lecturing his son.

"...I will handle it."

Sunagawa suppressed the urge to kill this bastard, his face contorted with constipation.

The opponent is White Fang, the core leader of Konoha's Anbu for many years, proficient in all kinds of assassination and infiltration skills. Even they didn't notice White Fang approaching, so it's normal that the Anbu underlings couldn't detect him either. If an Anbu underling did notice him, then he should really be worried that this underling might be pretending to be weak while actually being strong...

.......

"Orochimaru, are the results yet?"

Danzo, the head of Konoha's Root, rushed into Orochimaru's laboratory and asked in a hurried tone.

Today is the day the results are in, and Danzo can't help but be anxious. For this research project, he used his entire year's budget to trade with Kakuzu for several pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan. If the experiment fails, he really needs to go to his best friend for comfort.

This scientific research experiment is damn expensive; it's not something an ordinary person can afford. Not only are the various research facilities pricey, but they're also hard to find. Add to that those strange and equally expensive materials, and he finally understood why Orochimaru had been avoiding Tsunade for years, wearing the same clothes for three years at a time, patching and mending them repeatedly. Even though he was already a double-ranked Red Rank member, a few S-rank missions would be enough for him to live a life of luxury for decades. Yet, Orochimaru remained as frugal as ever. Before, he thought Orochimaru was stingy or that Tsunade had lent him all his money to live a life of luxury. Now he understood the real reason for Orochimaru's poverty: one S-rank mission wasn't even enough for him to buy a single piece of equipment.

"Heh, Advisor Danzo is really impatient. The entire ninja world is curious about who fought the Golden Lion in the Land of Water, but Advisor Danzo doesn't seem curious at all..."

Snake, wearing a white coat, walked out and looked at the intense team battle, chuckling softly.

"Hmph! That's something Hiruzen Sarutobi should worry about. It's not my place to concern myself with that. Tell me how it's going?"

When Danzo saw Orochimaru emerge, his eyes lit up. The two were currently in a honeymoon phase of cooperation; Orochimaru needed Danzo's financial and material resources, while Danzo needed Orochimaru's top-tier skills. They had gotten along quite well during this time. He was naturally interested in the incident involving the mysterious figure from the Land of Water fighting Shiki, as it was difficult not to pay attention to the sudden appearance of a top-tier double-flowered red stick in the ninja world. However, faced with the allure of Wood Release, those were minor matters. Having grasped the essence of the ninja world—might makes right—Danzo didn't intend to get involved before he possessed overwhelming strength, lest he get beaten up again.

If he had received a transplant of the First Hokage's cells and awakened Wood Release, things would be different. If he were lucky enough to awaken several Mangekyou Sharingan, that mysterious man from the Land of Water would be nothing special. Shimura Danzo would be the number one ninja in the world! Human! Human! Human....

378. He was just a few pairs of Sharingan away from his peak.

"The results are in. The nine pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan that you brought back, Advisor Danzo, have been tested and found to be able to support a small amount of First Hokage cells transplanted. The Yin Release chakra of the three-tomoe Sharingan can maintain a balance with the Yang Release chakra in the small amount of First Hokage cells. However, it is hard to say what will happen after the transplant, since no one has ever tried it before. If you want to have the transplant, Advisor Danzo, I can do it for you right now."

Snake said excitedly. For a scientist like him, the first experiment was more exciting than becoming the leader. He looked at Danzo with more excitement than when he saw his own child being born. Theoretically, everything was OK. All that was missing was the practice. If the experiment could be successful, it would be a great encouragement to him. So he couldn't wait for Danzo to agree to the transplant.

"...A small amount? What might happen?"

Seeing Orochimaru's fatherly, excited expression, Danzo's buttocks tightened. He was the one who was to receive the First Hokage's cells, and he didn't know what Orochimaru was so excited about. However, hearing things like "a small amount is not something to be discussed openly," Danzo's excitement immediately cooled. This was a major event concerning his ascension to the top; it was better to be cautious and understand the situation more thoroughly...

"Although there are nine pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan, the First Hokage's Yang Release chakra cells are simply too strong. Unless Advisor Danzo can find a Mangekyou Sharingan, the nine pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan can only maintain a balance with a small number of cells. And because there are too few transplanted cells, coupled with the suppression from the Sharingan, the change you expect might not occur... But now there is no Mangekyou Sharingan, so we can only use three-tomoe Sharingan as a substitute. However, the difference between three-tomoe Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan is huge. If we want to maximize the probability of awakening Konoha, these Sharingan are far from enough..."

Snake shook his head with some regret. He had almost finished researching the Sharingan. His only regret was that he didn't have the Mangekyou Sharingan to study. He didn't know how the three tomoe evolved into the Mangekyou Sharingan. Everything he knew was based on the Second Hokage's speculations and his own ideas from the research manuscripts Danzo gave him.

"Hmph! Only Madara Uchiha possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, but Madara Uchiha is long dead. Where am I supposed to find a Mangekyou Sharingan for you? Let's leave it at that for now. You continue your research, and I'll try to find you a few more Sharingan..."

When Danzo heard Orochimaru mention the Mangekyou Sharingan, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He thought Orochimaru had discovered that he had a Mangekyou Sharingan. However, he then remembered that when he stole Uchiha Kagami's head, Orochimaru was still a baby. He hadn't taken it out all these years, so no one knew that Uchiha Kagami had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, nor did anyone know that Danzo had one. So, he gradually calmed down.

Although he didn't understand science, he knew the difference between ordinary Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan. After all, he had personally witnessed how powerful Madara was. Even after so many years, he was still terrified by Madara's earth-shattering power. Even Kagami Uchiha, who also had Mangekyou Sharingan, couldn't inflict such damage, let alone ordinary Sharingan. Only Madara's Mangekyou Sharingan could rival the First Hokage.

Based on the above conclusions, he was certain that Orochimaru wasn't trying to fool him by saying he needed more Sharingan for research. However, he only had one Mangekyou Sharingan that couldn't be exposed to the light of day, so naturally he wouldn't give it to Orochimaru for research. They were indeed in a honeymoon period, but they weren't father and son. He was the son who was willing to kill his son to achieve his great ambitions, let alone Orochimaru, who had absolutely no relation to him.

So the only thing he can do is to get as many Sharingan as possible and win by sheer quantity. He's only a few pairs of Sharingan away from his peak, so he has to go for it, even if it means giving face to his best friend!

However... as Danzo walked out of the laboratory, he pondered a question: if he obtained enough Sharingan, where would he transplant them? Danzo stared blankly at the skillful hands that had accompanied him through countless days and nights, lost in thought...

"Lord Danzo, White Fang has brought back information about the mysterious person from Sunagakure. The Hokage requests your presence as well..."

Just as Danzo was looking at his skillful hands and lost in thought, Ryoma Aburame ran over and whispered something in his ear.

"Wow? Golden Lion is so agreeable?"

Danzo said in surprise, "Golden Lion is the kind of guy who won't act until he gets something in return. He tricked me when we were trading the Seven-Tails, and he wouldn't release Nawaki unless he got a good deal. My good friend sent White Fang to Sunagakure, and I guessed that White Fang wouldn't be back anytime soon. He should at least be in Sunagakure and dawdling with Golden Lion. I didn't expect him to come back so quickly."

"I don't know the specifics, but I see that the Dark Division is very anxious, so things may be more serious than we think."

Ryoma Aburame felt a wave of embarrassment. "I'm not a mind reader," he thought. "You're asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask...?"

“…”

Danzo nodded and walked towards the door. He was also quite curious about the origin of this mysterious person who could go toe-to-toe with Shiki. However, he still had an important research project to complete. Kakuzu had already disappeared after being ambushed by Sakumo Hatake after a month had passed, without leaving any contact information. Therefore, he could only use his subordinates to carry out the Three Tomoe project. There were no extra people to investigate the origin of this mysterious person.

Now that White Fang has been found out, it might be good to go and listen in. Perhaps there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future. For some reason, Danzo feels quite close to those sneaky villains, while feeling increasingly resistant to righteous people like Hiruzen Sarutobi who spout platitudes about morality. He can't quite put his finger on it; maybe it's because he's already seen their true colors...

........

"Sakumo, what news did you get from the Golden Lion?"

Half an hour later, the four giants of Konoha gathered at the Hokage Building. When Sakumo Hatake appeared, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked curiously.

Actually, it wasn't him who was in a hurry, but rather Toastmaster. Last week, he received a message from Toastmaster via his summoning beast, simply saying "Things are really serious," which kept him up at night and unable to eat or sleep for a week. He could only patiently wait for Toastmaster to return. When he learned that Toastmaster had returned, he immediately gathered his three friends together. Although they were just three friends and some of them were just there for show, the mere phrase "Things are really serious" was enough to bring the four giants together and create a tense atmosphere.

379. Danzo: This is to ensure my rise to power!

"Lord Hokage, this is what happened...@#￥%%@....."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, White Fang didn't waste any time and recounted everything he had heard in Sunagakure. The four leaders of Konoha listened with expressions that changed drastically, sometimes shocked, sometimes surprised, sometimes bewildered, sometimes excited... acting like lunatics. This scared the ANBU members who were standing guard in the shadows so much that their legs went weak. It was just a piece of news, why were they acting like lunatics? If their leader hadn't been there and remained relatively calm, they would have gone to inform Tsunade.

"...So that means the mysterious person from the Land of Water is very likely an Uchiha who escaped, and he even awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

After hearing White Fang's words, Mitokado Homura, a cultured man who had been holding back for a while, blurted out for the first time in his life—this news was just too damn exciting! The deaths of Mitarashi Shishou and those Anbu underlings were no longer important. What mattered was that they had heard news that at their age, a bad omen could lead to their entry into the IUC—there was actually a second pair of Mangekyou Sharingan in the ninja world, and not in the village, but outside. Most importantly, they didn't know which generation of the Uchiha clan member had awakened the Mangekyou. But considering that awakening the Mangekyou and then hiding instead of returning to acknowledge their ancestors... anyone could tell they were up to something, and it was definitely targeting Konoha!

My first father... This is so damn exciting!

Hashirama Senju: Who's calling me...? (⊙_⊙)??

"Based on Shiki's description and Chiyo's confirmation, those are indeed Mangekyou Sharingan. As for whether they belong to the Uchiha clan..."

Sakumo Hatake didn't finish his sentence. Wasn't that obvious? If you're not from the Uchiha clan, let's see you awaken your Red Eye Disease. An ordinary Sharingan in a normal person would already drain them of their life force; with the Mangekyou Sharingan, anyone not from the Uchiha clan would be drained dry. You'd better come to me then...

"It seems our guess was half right. There really are other Uchiha clan members who have fled abroad. But why is he hiding so well in the Land of Water? What is his purpose?"

Koharu Utatane frowned deeply as she spoke. This was pretty much what she had guessed before. It was indeed the Uchiha clan fighting against Shiki, and the Mangekyou Sharingan had awakened. So it wasn't surprising that they had such powerful fire-style techniques.

However, considering the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, and the fact that there's an Uchiha outside who has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, it's giving them a real headache. That's the Mangekyou Sharingan! The First Hokage is already dead, and if that awakened Mangekyou Sharingan comes to Konoha and causes trouble, no one can stop him. Although Sakumo is very strong, the Mangekyou Sharingan's abilities are just too overpowered. It would be extremely difficult for an assassin-type ninja like him to deal with him.

"I don't know. When Golden Lion arrived in the Land of Water and heard the sound, Zixiao and the others were all killed. Moreover, that mysterious person didn't speak to Golden Lion at all; he just unleashed his ultimate attack upon meeting him..."

Sakumo Hatake shook his head.