Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Karin and Hozuki Suigetsu's bickering was a common occurrence for them. However, this time, the intensity of their remarks caused the Sound Four—Sakon, Ukon, Kidomaru, and Jirobo—who had been remaining silent, to take a few steps back to avoid hearing anything more explosive.

Tayuya, also a member of the Sound Four, remained standing in place, listening with great interest to Karin and Hozuki Suigetsu's argument.

This is not surprising, after all, Tayuya in the original work also made some very explosive remarks about the Sasuke pursuit team sent by Konoha.

However, Tayuya's attention was quickly shifted away from Karin and Hozuki Suigetsu.

The Nanga Shrine, built and managed by the Uchiha clan, contains secrets passed down from the Uchiha clan since the Warring States period. After Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju founded Konoha, the Uchiha clan hid the stone tablet recording the secrets of the Uchiha clan in an underground secret chamber, and built a shrine on it to cover it up.

Sasuke, having returned from the secret chamber, finally reappeared before everyone.

"It seems you've finished reading the contents of the stone tablet?"

Sasuke's heavy aura suppressed the originally noisy atmosphere, but Naruto remained unaffected and asked Sasuke a question.

"The secret of the Naka Shrine was revealed to me by Itachi that night: only the Sharingan can decipher the contents of the stone tablet, and to fully read the stone tablet, one needs the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Sasuke had already told Naruto about this, so Naruto wasn't surprised. He stared into Sasuke's dark eyes and continued to ask, "So what exactly is recorded on the stone tablet?"

"Itachi once said that the stone tablet records the meaning and true secret of the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan."

“In the past, when I possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan, I knew the significance of the Sharingan's existence—the Sharingan's eye power could easily control the nine tailed beasts that exist in this ninja world and are immortal. Even Konoha, which was unaware of the existence of the stone tablet, knew this fact.”

Madara Uchiha, who used his Sharingan to command the Nine-Tails and fought the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, at the Valley of the End.

And sixteen years ago, the Nine-Tails' rampage in Konoha occurred again because of the Sharingan.

After a moment of contemplation, Sasuke spoke again:

"Through the Mangekyou Sharingan, I have also learned the true secret of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto's left Sharingan eye, which was unable to be closed due to Naruto not being a member of the Uchiha clan.

Instead of telling Naruto the so-called "real secret," he changed the subject.

"Go and find those Konoha high-ranking officials who are stained with the blood of the Uchiha clan."

However, even though Sasuke had his doubts, Naruto already knew the so-called "true secret" of the Uchiha clan that was engraved on the stone tablet.

The information Sasuke is currently reading on the stone tablet through his Mangekyou Sharingan is not the information that Black Zetsu has altered.

The stone tablet written by the Sage of Six Paths can only be modified by the power of the Sage of Six Paths. Black Zetsu was able to tamper with it because its power, like that of the Sage of Six Paths, originated from Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Naruto also has the means to modify the contents of the stone tablet—the Rinnegan that Madara Uchiha transplanted into Nagato before his death.

Naruto knew that Sasuke would read the stone tablet again after he obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan, and Sasuke learned everything about the stone tablet from Itachi.

The truth about Itachi was Sasuke's lifelong nightmare and the starting point that overturned Sasuke's understanding of the ninja world.

Therefore, long before this formal invasion of Konoha, Naruto had already infiltrated Konoha and erased all the content that Black Zetsu had altered in the stone tablet, and then modified it again to the content that he wanted Sasuke to see.

That was when Naruto received the Rinnegan from Nagato, and Sasuke was still unconscious in the Land of Snow due to his duel with Itachi.

Chapter 81 The Hokage and Those Who Dream of Becoming Hokage

Everything happened too fast.

Ino confirmed Naruto's chakra.

Sakura then ran towards where Naruto was.

Then—before they could even think, their eyes were blinded by a sudden burst of bright light.

After a brief period of blindness, the restored vision is filled with the visible fluctuations of "air".

The "air" vibrated through everything it passed through, and the Konoha Intelligence Department, which was right in front of the two, was instantly reduced to ruins.

"Ino!"

Sakura anxiously called out Ino's name, then suddenly turned around and hugged the still somewhat bewildered Ino tightly.

At the same moment, the fluctuating "air" surged forth!

What followed was a deafening explosion.

Light, shockwaves, and sound, following their respective propagation speeds, manifested in Sakura and Ino in turn.

But as mentioned before, everything happened too fast.

It's pointless to think about whether this brief moment happened within one second or two seconds.

Although Sakura and Ino were not at the center of the explosion, the dust and debris kicked up by the explosion still buried them lightly.

"Sakura?"

During the earlier explosion, Sakura held Ino in her arms, shielding her from most of the impact and dust. However, Ino, who used to have long, bright, light golden hair and was always radiant, is now covered in dust and dirt.

"Sakura!"

Ino called Sakura's name again and again in fear, humbly praying for a response that would put her at ease.

"I...I'm fine..."

Sakura, who was pressing down on Ino, coughed lightly, finally responding to Ino's call.

Sakura shook her head, brushing away the loose clods of dirt mixed in with her pink hair, before letting go of Ino's arms and getting back to her feet.

"I'm a medical ninja who was trained by the Fifth Hokage, so don't worry about me."

After adjusting her breathing, Sakura gathered chakra in her palm and pressed it against her side, using the Palm Healing Technique to heal the hidden injuries caused to her body by the shockwave from the previous explosion.

He then reiterated his physical condition to Ino, telling her not to overthink things.

Even while casting Healing Palm on herself, Sakura was still concerned about Ino's injury: "What about you, Ino? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

When Sakura asked her question, Ino just shook her head.

During the explosion, Sakura's emergency response was impeccable, and Ino was well protected by her.

As for the minor cuts and bruises on Ino's skin, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was "completely unharmed" after such an explosion.

Sakura carefully examined Ino's body, and only after confirming that Ino wasn't lying to comfort her did she finally concentrate on treating herself.

"Mr. Inoichi and Shikamaru and the others—"

"Sakura, I'll go find Father and Shikamaru first—"

Sakura and Ino spoke at the same time very quickly.

The two of them have now weathered the crisis for the time being, but what about the rest of the intelligence department...?

"They are still alive."

Ino said.

She ran towards the epicenter of the explosion at the intelligence department, where the mountain clan's sensory abilities came in handy.

But Ino received no solace whatsoever.

According to Ino's perception, after the explosion, nearly three-quarters of the ninjas' chakra completely dissipated and could no longer be sensed.

This means they died in the explosion.

Ino can still sense the chakra of her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, as well as her fellow ninja team members, Shikamaru and Choji.

However, apart from Shikamaru, whose situation was slightly better, the other two had extremely weak chakra.

Like a candle flickering in the wind, it could be extinguished at any moment.

Seeing Ino's flustered figure, the healing with the Palm Technique came to an end, and Sakura followed closely behind.

Ino and Sakura used their memories to find the ruins of the interrogation room that had been razed to the ground.

"Shikamaru!!!"

To the two's surprise, Shikamaru managed to save himself before they arrived, in a situation that was now completely unrecognizable from the intelligence department.

Shikamaru sat cross-legged on the ruins, with Choji lying unconscious beside him.

"Ino, Sakura! Are you two alright?!"

Shikamaru was also surprised by Sakura and Ino's appearance.

He hurriedly tried to push himself up, but forgot the fact that his dominant hand was now completely unusable.

Shikamaru winced in pain, glancing helplessly at his right hand, which was now in a bizarre position due to its dislocation.

"This is troublesome."

He still had that familiar complaining tone.

"Let me do it..."

Sakura crouched down beside Shikamaru, placing one hand on his right shoulder and the other on his right arm, reminding him, "It might hurt a little."

Before Shikamaru could answer, Sakura had already lifted his right arm and put his dislocated right hand back into place.

Shikamaru shook his newly reattached right hand, while Sakura had already focused her attention on the unconscious Choji.

"Choji's injury... what exactly happened just now?"

Choji had noticeable scars on the front of his body, mostly caused by the heat and shockwave from the explosion.

Sakura stretched out her hands and simultaneously used the Healing Palm Technique to begin first aid for Choji.

"It's Naruto."

Shikamaru replied, "Choji used his Multi-Size Technique to shield me from most of the damage from the explosion."

Upon hearing this answer, Sakura remained silent.

But the surroundings were not quiet. The Konoha alarm, signifying an enemy invasion, had been sounded, and the entire village was immersed in this eerie and unsettling shrill sound.

Now is not the time to complain to Sakura, and it's not in Shikamaru's nature to blame others for his anger.

Shikamaru glanced at Choji, whose complexion was beginning to ease thanks to Sakura's first aid, then looked up at Ino and asked, "Ino, where is Mr. Inoichi?"

The immediate priority is to confirm the intelligence, and the fate of Yamanaka Inoichi, who examined the brain of the female ninja from Amegakure, becomes crucial.

"Here!"

Using her senses, Ino pointed out a precise location for Shikamaru in the ruins.

Haiyi was buried in the rubble and was in critical condition.

"Leave it to me."