Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Many Konoha ninjas undoubtedly already knew the combined ninjutsu of the three masked monsters, Wind, Fire and Lightning. When they saw the three masked monsters make a move, they all formed hand seals and used Water Release: Water Wall and Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall to defend themselves.

Thick walls of water and earth appeared, forming a solid defensive line that blocked the terrifying fire waves created by the combined ninjutsu of the three masked monsters, Wind, Fire, and Thunder.

However, Kirito's purpose in having the three masked monsters, Wind, Fire, and Lightning, attack was merely to stop these reckless Konoha ninjas from charging forward.

As the Konoha ninja blocked the combined ninjutsu of the three masked monsters, the four masked monsters in the sky quickly gathered together. The black lines on their bodies rapidly intertwined and merged, eventually transforming into a bird-shaped monster with three masked heads and a tail with a head on top.

After Kirito jumped onto the monster's back, the wind-style masked creature on the bird-shaped monster's tail immediately released a strong gust of wind, which then carried Kirito and moved quickly through the air.

In the blink of an eye, Kirito and the bird-like monster disappeared into the horizon.

Chapter 174: Konoha After the Great Battle

The Konoha ninjas watched as Kirito rode away on a bird-shaped monster formed from four Earth Grudge Masks, and their faces turned extremely grim.

Kirito's escape was tantamount to a heavy slap in the face to all the Konoha ninja present. Not only did he teach their Hokage a lesson right in front of them, but he also swaggered away in front of them.

If this gets out, the Konoha ninjas will lose all face.

However, while they were frustrated, they couldn't help but feel a little fortunate.

Because the enemy's strength was so astonishing, even the Third Hokage was no match for him, so who else in Konoha could defeat him?

If the enemy really stays and fights to the death, even if they manage to wear them down with their numerical advantage, their side will definitely suffer heavy casualties.

For a moment, the scene fell into a deathly silence, and the atmosphere became unusually heavy.

“We have repelled the enemy. Why aren’t you all rushing to rescue the wounded under the rubble? What are you all standing around for? Medical personnel, listen up, come with me immediately to treat the wounded.”

Suddenly, Tsunade's voice appeared again.

Clutching her chest, she once again leaped out of the crowd, shouting loudly, and then rushed towards the third generation.

"Lady Tsunade is right, the enemy was repelled by them."

Tsunade broke the silence. Her appearance was like a ray of light shining into the darkness for many Konoha ninjas. When they heard what Tsunade said, they were all shocked and their bodies involuntarily followed her forward.

As more and more Konoha ninjas followed Tsunade to rescue the wounded from under the rubble, the scene gradually became heated.

The negative emotions such as unease, frustration, and hatred temporarily disappeared from the hearts of many Konoha ninjas, and a spirit called the Will of Fire was rekindled in their hearts. They worked together to do their part to save their comrades.

"Well done, Tsunade. You may not have realized the power you possess. Everyone trusts you. With you around, everyone will follow you with peace of mind. Their hearts are connected because of this. The more critical the situation, the more obvious this power becomes. Tell me, who is more suitable to be Hokage than you?"

Momoka felt both gratified and moved as she watched the many Konoha ninjas heed Tsunade's call to action and rescue their comrades.

Tsunade has always said that she is not suitable to be Hokage, but the facts have proved that she is the most suitable person for Hokage in Konoha right now.

Unfortunately, this child seems unable to escape the shadow cast by the First and Second Hokage, believing that her strength is far inferior to theirs and that she is incapable of becoming Hokage and protecting everyone.

"Is this the power of the Senju clan? Sigh... This kind of charisma is something the Uchiha clan has never possessed. If the Uchiha clan wants to produce a Hokage, they must change their arrogant personality. It's impossible to become a leader if you don't fit in."

As Uchiha Homura watched this scene, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

He personally scoffed at the idea of ​​becoming Hokage and never even considered it. However, as more and more young people in his clan went to the Ninja Academy and began to dream of becoming Hokage, even if they found out later that they couldn't achieve this dream, they still wanted to pass it on to the next generation.

Furthermore, the Uchiha clan believed that they and the Senju clan were among the two great ninja clans that founded Konoha, and that the position of Hokage should be held alternately by the Uchiha and Senju clans.

As a result, after the Second Hokage, the position of Hokage actually fell into the hands of the Sarutobi clan.

This caused discontent among many members of the Uchiha clan, and this discontent accumulated over time, gradually forming a powerful force.

As a result, voices calling for a new Hokage had been growing louder and louder within the Uchiha clan.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha clan had virtually no friends in Konoha and a bad reputation, so other ninja clans were unwilling to support a member of the Uchiha clan to become Hokage.

Even though the Uchiha clan is very strong, it is only relative to other ninja clans. Compared to Konoha as a whole, the gap is huge, and it is impossible for them to seize power through military force.

From the current perspective, the possibility of success is even greater with the addition of Kirito as an anomaly.

Integrating into the village and following its lead is the only normal direction for the Uchiha clan's future development.

"It's imperative to take action against the clan internally. I need to do it quickly while I still have some prestige within the clan. Otherwise, if that brat Kirito joins forces with that ugly girl Chizuru to attack the Uchiha clan, it will probably turn the clan upside down."

When Uchiha Homura thought about the Hokage position, she thought of a sensitive issue within the clan, and then quietly made up her mind.

The reason he kept making excuses to Kirito about solving the problem was twofold: firstly, he was soft-hearted and unwilling to take action against his own people; secondly, if he didn't intervene, his side would lack the strength to deal with the hawkish forces within the Uchiha clan.

Today, the problem of lack of power has clearly been resolved.

He didn't know the relationship between Kirito and the mysterious Kage-level powerhouse, but since Kirito was able to persuade the other party to venture deep into Konoha to kill Danzo once, he could definitely persuade him a second time.

If he had the help of this mysterious Kage-level powerhouse, dealing with the internal problems of the Uchiha clan would definitely be no problem.

Problems are things that are better solved as soon as possible.

"But if we want this brat to get this Shadow-level expert to help, we'll probably have to offer some benefits. What good stuff does our clan have left?"

Uchiha Homura suddenly had a headache.

The cost of enlisting the help of a Kage-level savior is considerable, especially one who has mastered Sage Mode and is currently dominating the Third Hokage.

I wonder how good the opponent's Yin Release ability is?

If the other party's Yin Release abilities are also quite strong, he wouldn't dare let Kirito ask them for help, for fear of inviting trouble.

Because of his advanced age and severely declining physical condition, most of his current strength lies in the genjutsu of his Mangekyou Sharingan. If his opponent has made significant progress in Yin Release, it will be very difficult for him to pose a threat.

"Sage Mode. Back then, Hashirama Senju lost because he mastered this incredibly powerful ninjutsu. And that person's genjutsu ability is superior to mine."

Uchiha Homura murmured, then turned and left with his clansmen.

Hinata and Mami Uchiha Homura were about to leave when he opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

He's feeling very anxious and desperately wants to find some powerful allies to calm his nerves.

At that moment, he immediately thought of the Uchiha clan, who were isolated in the village.

Although the Uchiha clan is detestable, their strength is undeniable, producing a wealth of talent, with each generation boasting a Kage-level wielder.

Because Konoha existed when he was born, he never fought against any of the Uchiha clan's Kage-level ninjas. However, he could clearly see the strength of this ninja clan from some of their clan's records, especially the fact that the Uchiha clan's ninjas would undergo a qualitative change in strength after awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan.

He hadn't had much dealings with this old guy, Uchiha Homura, but he knew very well that the old patriarch of the Uchiha clan was extremely powerful. He felt that the other party was as threatening as the Third Hokage, and the abnormal chakra contained in his eyes made him feel terrified.

Unsurprisingly, this old guy is an Uchiha ninja with the Mangekyou Sharingan.

If he can win over Uchiha Homura as an ally, the pressure on the Hyuga clan when facing that mysterious Kage-level powerhouse with the Byakugan will definitely be greatly reduced.

He wasn't naive enough to think that the mysterious Kage-level powerhouse with the Byakugan was one of the Hyuga clan's own people or friends. If that were the case, the person should have made contact with the Hyuga clan much earlier, not just now, especially when they attacked Konoha.

He didn't want anyone else to know that the mysterious Kage-level expert possessed the Byakugan, fearing it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

Therefore, he has warned all the tribesmen who come here not to tell anyone about this.

"A pair of white eyes that have been lost to the world, who exactly is this person? Why does he have such pure and powerful white eyes? Could he be from there?"

Hinata Kazuma thought to himself with a worried expression, and subconsciously looked up at the sky.

In fact, he no longer believed that the mysterious Kage-level powerhouse was not a member of the Hyuga clan. Even if he wasn't, he must have possessed the Hyuga clan bloodline, otherwise how could his Byakugan have evolved to such a powerful level?

He didn't believe that someone who wasn't of the Hyuga clan bloodline could continue to evolve the Byakugan after obtaining it.

That mysterious Kage-level powerhouse must have some connection with the Hyuga clan. If he is not a member of the Hyuga clan, then he is very likely a distant relative of the Hyuga clan, or a member of another branch of the Hyuga clan recorded in the clan's documents.

However, according to historical records, that branch of the Hyuga clan lived in the heavens.

Finally, Hyuga Kazuma left with a heavy heart. He needed to return to the clan as soon as possible to discuss with the elders and reach a consensus on the clan's attitude towards this mysterious Kage-level powerhouse.

He had a premonition that the mysterious Kage-level powerhouse would one day come looking for the Hyuga clan.

Because he felt the other person watching him when they left, and he still felt this way even when he couldn't see them anymore, it's clear that the other person's Byakugan power was greater than his own Byakugan.

Meanwhile, Tsunade was actively treating the Third Hokage's injuries.

The Third Hokage fought against the White Zetsu clone. Although he was not defeated, he suffered considerable injuries, especially on his left arm, where a deep wound appeared. Judging from the depth of the wound, it had penetrated to the bone.

"Hang in there a little longer, teacher. I'm almost done cleaning out that special chakra left behind by the other party."

Tsunade placed her hands, which she had used to perform the Healing Palm Technique, on the cut on the Third Hokage's left hand, and said, her forehead covered in sweat.

"Take your time, don't rush. I can bear this pain. The special chakra in my wound is actually Sage Chakra left by that person, and it's even Wind-style Sage Chakra. It won't be easy for you to get rid of it."

Upon hearing this, the third generation replied with a pale face, but a look of relief appeared in his eyes.

As expected, Tsunade is the best friend to him.

He had naturally seen Tsunade's performance just now. Many Konoha ninjas watched as he was being overwhelmed by that despicable guy, and apart from Tsunade, not a single one dared to stand up for him. Even the Sarutobi clan members did not do so, which greatly disappointed him.

Fortunately, Tsunade stepped forward and led the others to attack, forcing the man to retreat. Otherwise, he might have continued to embarrass himself for a while longer, or even been defeated by the other party.

"Sage Chakra! That person just used the power of Sage Mode?"

Tsunade was surprised to hear what the Third Hokage said.

She explained why the special chakra in the Third Hokage's wound felt so familiar and was of such high quality compared to ordinary chakra; it turned out to be Sage Mode chakra.

She was actually quite familiar with Sage Chakra, because the Slug Sage with whom she had a summoning contract was a powerful sage.

She once sought the power of magic, but unfortunately she could not learn the magic of the Slug Sage.

However, she was not discouraged by this, because throughout history, very few ninjas have mastered Sage Mode, so it was perfectly normal that she couldn't learn it.

According to the Slug Sage, her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, was also unable to learn her Sage Techniques. No ninja has ever successfully learned her Sage Techniques. Her grandfather's Sage Techniques were a unique Wood Release technique that he created on his own.

"That's right, that person is a ninja who has successfully mastered Sage Mode and has mastered Sage Art. Tsunade, do you know who this person is?"

The Third Hokage nodded and looked into Tsunade's eyes.

In the ninja world, the three sacred sites for summoning beasts—Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—possess the power of Sage Mode. This secret is not a secret among the strong ninjas in the ninja world. Ninjas who want to obtain the power of Sage Mode can generally only go to these three sacred sites to train.

The third generation now believes that the person just now must have learned the power of immortal arts from one of these three holy lands.

Coincidentally, Konoha currently has contracted ninjas from these three sacred lands of summoning beasts: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, all of whom are his prized disciples.

However, it wasn't that no one from other ninja villages hadn't successfully signed contracts with these three sacred sites for summoning beasts. As far as he knew, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure was one of the contractors of Ryuchi Cave.

If the person just now learned immortal techniques from one of the three holy lands, he might be able to learn more about that person through his three disciples.

Moreover, that person was clearly brought in by the Senju clan, and it's very likely that he learned Sage Arts from the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest.

"Anyway, it can't be a contractor from Shikkotsu Forest. The Slug Sage told me very clearly that I'm the only one who has signed a contract with her. I guess it's someone from Ryuchi Cave. Among the three holy lands, Ryuchi Cave has the most contracts with ninjas, and Ryuchi Cave is also the easiest to find among the three holy lands."

Tsunade was quick-witted; she instantly understood the Third Hokage's meaning and then shared her own insights.

After saying that, she continued to use her palm magic to treat the third generation without speaking again.

"Ryuchi Cave, it is indeed very possible."