The Devil of Konoha: Starting as a Medical Ninja

After ten days of recovery, Sunagakure Village has gradually regained some human presence, and at least it no longer looks like a dilapidated place.

This made Granny Chiyo of Sunagakure extremely happy. Although she had been completely countered by that guy's detoxification ability on the battlefield, Konoha was still very generous in this matter, at least worthy of the name of an ally.

This was something that would never have happened during the Shinobi World War, when everyone was backstabbing each other, which is why Granny Chiyo felt somewhat pleased.

The Sand Village has been completely devastated by this incident. Unless Gaara can tame the One-Tailed Shukaku, there is no chance for them to turn things around.

But that's impossible. Although it wasn't her plan to make Gaara a tailed beast, she still knew about Gaara's growth trajectory.

It's a miracle that Gaara hasn't gone completely insane. Perhaps this was destined to happen when Rasa decided to test whether Jinchuriki were qualified.

However, all of that is in the past. Konoha, as an ally, is unlikely to take advantage of the situation. Although Sunagakure has declined, it is not so bad that it will be destroyed.

Thinking of this, Grandma Chiyo was overjoyed; everything was moving in a positive direction.

Chapter 265 A Qualified Puppet

On the night of the fifteenth day, Hongzhi gazed at the moon in the sky.

"I'm curious, what do people like you think about when they have nothing to do?"

Kakashi's voice came from behind Hiroji. Since all the ninjas of Sunagakure had been healed, Hiroji, the medical ninja who needed protection, now had a bodyguard.

That is, Kakashi Hatake, the elite Jonin who has been researching bloodline limits for almost two years without any results.

"Is it possible that I'm just admiring the moonlight tonight?"

Hongzhi answered the question casually, but perhaps he was still somewhat resistant to Kakashi's arrival. With Kakashi around, Hongzhi couldn't openly absorb natural energy.

Although Kakashi doesn't know Sage Mode, no one knows exactly how the Fourth Hokage used Sage Mode, and Hongzhi wouldn't gamble that Kakashi doesn't know Sage Mode.

Even if he didn't know, after Naruto and Jiraiya returned, he would definitely be able to access Sage Mode, and even if he didn't learn it, he should know some of its contents.

If this matter were to cause unforeseen trouble, then Hongzhi felt it was somewhat inappropriate, since once those two returned, Hongzhi would have a way to directly locate Mount Myōboku.

After Mount Myōboku is destroyed, Sage Mode will become a rare commodity. If Naruto Uzumaki hasn't learned Sage Mode from Mount Myōboku, he'll probably turn his attention to Shikkotsu Forest.

After all, compared to Ryuchi Cave, which has a close relationship with Orochimaru, Shikkotsu Forest has a more friendly relationship with Konoha.

Hongzhi didn't want to be watched by Naruto Uzumaki, especially after he grew up. Who knew if the Sage of Six Paths was already lurking inside him?

There's no reason for Hongzhi to panic when facing the Sage of Six Paths. After all, even Kaguya Otsutsuki couldn't suppress Hongzhi's strength without him using his back chakra.

But if that guy targets us, the plan will need to be adjusted, which is something Hongzhi doesn't want to see.

Moreover, if the plan is disrupted, and Koji is forced to face Kaguya Otsutsuki alone, that would be quite awkward.

Why not just sit back and reap the benefits instead of facing the final boss head-on?

"If it were someone else, that would be very likely, but if it were you, that statement is really not very convincing."

Kakashi was engrossed in reading "Icha Icha Paradise" without even glancing at Hiroji. He already knew it was impossible to get any information from Hiroji.

Since that's the case, we might as well take this opportunity to read books properly. After all, even Lady Tsunade couldn't know what Hiroji was researching, so how could he possibly know?

"Why do you read books? To memorize the moves so you can use them later?"

Hiroji stared at Kakashi curiously. Ever since their first meeting, Kakashi had been watching "Icha Icha Paradise," which piqued Hiroji's curiosity.

If Kakashi had a girlfriend, that would be one thing, but the problem is he's single, so what's there to see?

Was he waiting to die so he could share it with Obito Uchiha?

"...it was just to pass the time."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then casually said that he used to read books to escape reality, but now he reads purely because it has become a habit, and he feels like something is missing if he doesn't read for a day.

"That's really a great way to kill time!"

Hongzhi sighed casually, his gaze once again turning to the moon on the horizon.

"A dark and windy night makes it a good time to act."

Hongzhi spoke out of a sense of urgency. At the same time, a team of ten Iwagakure ninja outside Sunagakure silently bypassed the Sunagakure guards in an extremely unified manner.

After easily passing through the narrow passage, the ten people headed directly towards the area that had already been cleared out.

The shadow clone followed casually behind the Iwagakure ninja, his ten fingers moving slowly.

If Kankuro were to witness this scene, he would undoubtedly exclaim, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

However, Kankuro was destined never to see such advanced puppetry techniques. After a busy day, Kankuro had long since fallen asleep.

The Iwagakure group moved in as if they were in an empty village, casually entering Kankuro and Gaara's room.

Because of Shukaku's destruction, most of the buildings here have no doors, which allows Iwagakure ninjas to enter directly.

Gaara remains unconscious, which is the idea of ​​Sunagakure. Previously, because of Shukaku, Gaara was unable to rest every day, so it would be better to let him take this time to rest properly.

The key point is that if this guy wakes up now, not only will he not help at all, but he will also remind the Sunagakure ninjas and civilians who have not yet emerged from despair of their past despair.

The Iwagakure ninjas secretly took Gaara away, and Kankuro didn't react at all.

Sage Mode itself can increase sensory abilities, but what Hongzhi is using now is not Sage Mode. If we have to define it using the levels of the ninja world, Hongzhi should be considered a Sage.

In such a situation, one's perception ability is naturally enhanced exponentially, and one can even use natural energy to hide oneself and deceive all perception ninjas.

The same principle applies to shadow clones, which is why the ninjas of Iwagakure were able to infiltrate Sunagakure so easily and successfully evade all other ninjas.

Under the control of the shadow clones, the ninjas of Iwagakure seemed to have no weight, and everything they did was light and airy.

As for how much of a burden this would place on the body, Shadow Clone doesn't really know.

Since puppets cannot speak, the shadow clones, in order to ensure that the ninjas of Iwagakure were all qualified puppets, directly severed some of their nerves, which actually did not have any effect.

They simply can't see, can't hear, and can't speak. They can still feel their bodies moving, but that's all.

After Gaara successfully obtained them, the five Iwagakure puppets headed directly out of Sunagakure.

You can't put all your eggs in one basket. Nara Shikamaru and Gaara are in different situations, so to prevent the situation from turning into a complete waste, you naturally have to ensure a minimum return.

The other five puppets have quietly arrived at the tent where Nara Shikamaru is resting. There is a shortage of supplies, even though Sunagakure gave Konoha all the houses that could shelter them from the sandstorm.

However, as combat members, they naturally had to take care of the most hardworking medical ninjas, which resulted in the three male ninjas of Team 10 resting in a relatively intact tent.

Inside the tent, Asuma and Choji Akimichi were already asleep, leaving only Shikamaru Nara lost in thought.

Since arriving in Sunagakure, he felt that his previously dull life had become more interesting, but Nara Shikamaru still couldn't figure out what the problem was...

Chapter 266: Nothing to be surprised about

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared around the tent in the dead of night, and Nara Shikamaru, who was not asleep to begin with, quickly noticed it.

'What happened?'

Nara Shikamaru slowly got up, thinking to himself. It wasn't that he was oblivious, but rather that nothing unexpected had happened in Sunagakure during the past two weeks.

Moreover, this area is considered the heart of Sunagakure. Intruders cannot arrive here silently, as there are Konoha patrols in addition to Sunagakure's defenses.

Nara Shikamaru slowly stepped out of the tent, his eyes fixed on the dark figure not far away. The figure was blurry in the darkness, making it impossible to see its features, but Nara Shikamaru could tell that it was a female ninja.

Suddenly, the shadowy figure began to dance, a very strange dance, as if the body had no bones, and could make all sorts of poses at will.

Nara Shikamaru stared in astonishment at the scene, unsure how to react, as he had never witnessed anything like it before.

Having spent half a month in contact with the ninjas of Sunagakure, he had a fairly good understanding of various things happening in the village.

But he had never imagined that someone would dance so gracefully in the middle of the night. It was rather strange, but it posed no threat and there was no need to be on guard.

Just as Nara Shikamaru was thinking this, the dark figure in front of him suddenly stopped and then collapsed to the ground.

It was as if an accident had occurred.

Nara Shikamaru didn't think too much about it. Whether it was a ninja from Sunagakure or Konoha, he wouldn't turn a blind eye to something like this.

Nara Shikamaru quickly stepped forward to check on the man, but just a few steps away from the shadowy figure, time seemed to freeze and then begin to rewind.

Nara Shikamaru, who had been calm, had already picked up a kunai and even started to slowly back away.

Because of the close proximity, Nara Shikamaru could even smell the strong stench of blood emanating from the ninja not far away.

This situation is very strange; Nara Shikamaru is even preparing to send out a signal flare to request backup.

However, at that moment, the shadowy figure that had fallen down slowly stood up again and walked towards him with extremely fast and eerie steps.

Nara Shikamaru subconsciously took out a signal flare, but just as he was about to release it, another dark figure attacked from behind and snatched the signal flare away.

The moonlight, obscured by clouds, shone down, and Nara Shikamaru, whose signal flare had just been stolen, used the moonlight to see the face of the dark figure.

Blood streamed down the pale face, and this bizarre appearance only made Nara Shikamaru feel somewhat taken aback. What truly terrified him was the headband on the shadowy figure's forehead.

The headband of Iwagakure Village.

Upon seeing this, Nara Shikamaru opened his mouth, preparing to shout at the top of his lungs, hoping that someone would notice.

However, before he could utter a sound, a hand chop struck him directly, and Nara Shikamaru felt his vision go black, forcibly entering physical hibernation.

Just as Nara Shikamaru was about to collapse, another Iwagakure puppet carried him on its back.

Five dark figures silently departed in the darkness, and the figure in the center seemed to have something extra on its back.

After effortlessly crossing the narrow pass, the ten Iwagakure puppets reunited, and then the shadow clones controlled them to quickly leave.

The direction we were heading was not towards Iwagakure, but towards Amegakure.

Of course, the shadow clones couldn't go directly to Amegakure; the mission was to find a place along the way to obtain what they wanted.

"Didn't you feel the atmosphere was a bit strange just now?!"

Inside the tent, Hiroji, who hadn't rested yet, looked at Kakashi, who was still engrossed in "Icha Icha Paradise," and asked curiously.

"I've been hearing this kind of talk a lot lately, there's nothing to be alarmed about."

Kakashi casually explained that he had just faintly heard some footsteps, which didn't surprise him at all.

Besides the possibility that some people are having trouble sleeping, it's also possible that ninjas from Konoha and Sunagakure are patrolling at night.

He heard it several times every night, nothing serious, but what happened next made Kakashi realize that something was wrong.

About five minutes later, the faint sound of footsteps came again. Upon hearing the sound, Kakashi immediately closed the "Icha Icha Paradise" book in his hand.

It's impossible for ninja patrols to patrol the same place continuously within five minutes. If what just happened was a patrol, then who are these people now?

Conversely, if it were a patrol team now, then what just happened?