Yes, the Hokage!

“This is…” Jiraiya couldn’t help but become serious. “That kid has such terrifying talent.”

"This move already has some of Grandpa's style," Tsunade said, offering a rare compliment to Obito.

However, Obito had a bitter pill to swallow. The Ranking Technique was indeed almost an absolute defense, but it consumed a lot of the user's chakra. No matter how powerful he was, he could not compare with Hashirama Senju. He only lasted for half a minute before his body began to tremble violently.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

Obito clenched his teeth. He thought of Kannabi Bridge, the boulder that crushed half of his body, the despair of waking up to find himself a cripple, and Rin holding his hand as he lay under the rock waiting to die.

"I am different now!"

Under Obito's full power, the Oni Mask Shield suddenly expanded, its surface even showing a metallic sheen, holding out for nearly ten minutes and blocking all the subsequent waves of falling rocks.

"Okay, it seems to have quieted down." A Uchiha ninja muttered to himself.

“Daily checkpoint.” Feng Lan turned her head to look.

Hizashi immediately rolled his eyes and concluded: "The landslide has stopped, but there are still a lot of rubble on this wooden shield."

Obito channeled his chakra again, and the demon mask shield above his head slowly separated to the left and right. As this process occurred, sand and gravel fell, but they were all blown away by Feng Lan's wind jutsu.

"Phew! It's over..."

Obito let out a long breath, only then realizing that he was covered in sweat. He looked at Rin, about to give her a reassuring smile, when suddenly everything went black and he fell straight forward.

"Obito!"

Lin exclaimed in surprise and rushed over to hug him.

"Rin... I will definitely protect you." Even though he was in a semi-conscious state, Obito was still muttering to himself.

“Obito…” Rin couldn’t help but shed tears, feeling both heartache and self-reproach.

Kakashi, standing to the side, wore a complex expression hidden beneath his mask. He was pleased with Obito's rapid progress, admired his unwavering faith, and felt a sense of loss at being left behind.

[Obito... wait for me, I will definitely master Sage Mode and fight alongside you!]

“He’s exhausted,” Feng Lan said. “Let’s take Obito to the carriage to rest.”

"Hmm." Lin wiped her eyes and helped Obito walk towards the carriage.

At this moment, unusually, Kakashi wasn't on her mind: [Obito, I won't just let you protect me. I must learn Tsunade-sama's skills too, and I want to... protect you!]

Looking at the three kids' individual performances, Jiraiya knew that it wasn't just Obito who had grown. He couldn't help but glance at Fenglan. If all of this was within his calculations, then this kid's claim of knowing how to manipulate people was no exaggeration.

"What?" Feng Lan seemed to notice his gaze, turned her head and smiled slightly, "Do you think what I did was too cruel?"

“Compared to sending people straight to the battlefield right after graduating from the Ninja Academy, this is already much better.” Jiraiya sighed. “But I think I know why Tsunade and Orochimaru both call you a bastard.”

“Because I’m a bastard by nature,” Feng Lan said calmly. “Then, Jiraiya-sama, I’ll leave it to you to clear the way.”

"Wait, why me?" Jiraiya asked, bewildered.

“There’s no proper Earth Release ninja in the team. Kakashi only knows Earth Release: Earth Wall, and Obito, who knows Wood Release, is exhausted. Besides you, who else can clear the way?” Feng Lan spread his hands.

"Fine, fine, for Tsunade's sake, I won't hold it against you."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, walked to the front of the group, quickly formed the hand seals for the Tiger and the Sea, and then pressed his hands to the ground: "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

Suddenly, large swamps rose up on the land ahead, and the boulders blocking the way began to slowly sink. Jiraiya, feeling they weren't sinking fast enough, jumped on one of the boulders and stomped on it.

Soon, these boulders sank into the swamp, leaving only a smooth stone path on top.

"Such strong chakra control." Feng Lan's gaze narrowed slightly.

“Precise chakra control is a necessary condition for practicing Sage Mode.” Jiraiya returned to the front of the group and explained, “If you don’t even have this much skill, when you absorb a large amount of natural energy, you will definitely turn into a stone frog because your body will go out of control… This is no joke, so don’t do anything reckless without being fully prepared.”

[Yeah, Naruto is definitely the main character.]

Feng Lan shrugged. It hadn't been long since Pain killed Jiraiya and then invaded Konoha. Yet Naruto had already mastered Sage Mode and returned. Although it only lasted five minutes, Sage Mode was even more perfect than Jiraiya's decades of training.

It seems I can't have this kind of quick and easy success.

"Danzo sent these Root guys to launch a suicide attack, both to reduce our numbers and to slow our progress..." Jiraiya's face was ashen. "Damn it, so they really want to target Yahiko and the others?"

"Hurry is not enough."

Feng Lan patted his shoulder to comfort him: "Even if we march through the night, we won't arrive at Amegakure until tomorrow. Everyone will be in poor condition by then, and it would be very disadvantageous if we really turned against each other and started fighting. So, resting tonight is essential."

"Besides, Yahiko and his group aren't just three people; they must have companions. They won't be taken down so easily."

In the original story, Konan was captured so quickly because the Akatsuki members who were supporting Yahiko and the others were killed by Obito. Now that such an accident has not occurred, they should be able to hold out for quite some time.

Although Jiraiya was anxious, his experience told him what was right, and he nodded slightly: "You're right."

“Yes, there’s an abandoned village not far ahead.” Feng Lan pointed. “Let’s rest here.”

A slight smile played on his lips: "My intuition tells me there will be a lot to gain inside."

Chapter 68 Hanzo's Threat

"A big haul?"

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened, and he leaped towards the ruins. He had gained a deeper understanding of Feng Lan's scheming, and he was certain that he would benefit greatly from Feng Lan's promise of a great gain.

He had considered that it might be an injured member of Akatsuki hiding here, or even that it might be one of Yahiko, Nagato, or Konan. He had also considered that it might be a member of Danzo's Root organization whom he could capture and torture to extract information (those who had just been captured by Jiraiya had already been killed). He had also considered that it might be some kind of special clue.

However, none of these were the case. Jiraiya quickly searched the ruins and found only a few shivering children.

[What's going on? They're not worth anything...] Jiraiya instinctively thought this, then suddenly realized with a jolt of horror, slapping his forehead. [I've really been corrupted by that guy, Fenglan. How come my mind is full of nothing but value? He's still a child!]

Of the three legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was the kindest. When the trio of Yahiko sought help from the Sannin, Orochimaru's reaction was the cruelest. Rather than let them struggle in the already ruined village, he would rather just kill them and give them a quick death.

Tsunade's reaction was more realistic; she gave them some food and left. There are so many people suffering in the world, and she couldn't help them all.

Only Jiraiya stayed behind to become the three children's teacher, teaching them ninjutsu and survival skills, and passing on his own perseverance and spirit to them. For this, he stayed in Amegakure for a long time.

Seeing that Fenglan and the others had also entered the ruins, Jiraiya comforted the children and said, "Fenglan, there are only children here. Bring some food and supplies over."

"No problem, no problem." Feng Lan smiled and directed her subordinates to bring out a plentiful amount of food and bedding, and to properly settle the children.

"Is this guy... acting or is it genuine?" Jiraiya frowned slightly as he watched Fenglan playing with the children.

“It might be acting, but he is indeed very good to the children.” Tsunade said with her arms crossed. “The new orphanage that Fenglan built in the village is the largest and best since the founding of Konoha. And it’s not just Konoha; he has been arranging for people to continuously receive orphans from the Land of Fire.”

"This... could it be that they're planning to train private soldiers from childhood like Danzo did?" Jiraiya frowned. He couldn't imagine that Fenglan would do something so charitable.

“How could that be?” Tsunade smiled. “You don’t know, right now the Uchiha, Aburame and the entire Hyuga branch family are his private army, why would he need any children?”

"He specially hired a teacher to teach the children in the orphanage. Those who wanted to become ninjas were sent to ninja school, and those who did not want to become ninjas were given special training in survival and work skills. All expenses during this period were paid by the Hokage's office."

"Oh? This kid has such a warm side." Hearing this, Jiraiya looked at Feng Lan with new respect. As the saying goes, a gentleman judges by his actions, not his intentions. Regardless of the other party's reasons for doing so, he had indeed genuinely protected and helped those children.

"This kid is weird. I'm too lazy to figure him out anymore." Tsunade sighed. She had obviously been tricked by Feng Lan repeatedly, but she gradually felt that it wasn't so bad. In the end, she simply stopped thinking about it and started to give up and let him do whatever he wanted.

Soon, the children, having eaten and drunk their fill, fell into a deep sleep. Only then did Feng Lan leisurely return to the campfire to eat and rest.

"Fenglan." Jiraiya, after holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, "The big gain you mentioned is these children?"

“That’s right.” Feng Lan nodded. “They can be of great use.”

"What use are they?" Jiraiya frowned. He wouldn't agree to Fenglan using the children as hostages.

"Well, it's best not to say, it's best not to say~" Watching Feng Lan calmly stroke his non-existent beard, Jiraiya really wanted to slap him in the face with a Rasengan, but unfortunately he couldn't.

Therefore, he went to sleep with a heavy heart, determined to keep a close eye on Feng Lan and prevent the boy from harming any children.

However, the next morning, Feng Lan still smiled and arranged food for the children. After the team had eaten their fill, she left them a lot of supplies before setting off again.

"Fenglan, what exactly are you doing?" Jiraiya was really confused.

"It cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken."

Feng Lan had a charlatan-like expression on his face, which was actually just him trying to win over the Akatsuki. Before Yahiko died, the Akatsuki took a mild approach, helping orphans from Amegakure who were displaced by the war. However, their abilities were limited and their resources were scarce, so the number of people they could help was just a drop in the ocean.

With this in mind, Feng Lan used his senses to detect the presence of living people and rescue the displaced people of Amegakure. This way, he could improve his reputation with the Akatsuki, and once these people ran out of the supplies he had provided, they would instinctively chase after the carriage. When they all gathered at the Akatsuki's side, they would not have enough supplies to save so many people and would have no choice but to ask him for help.

It's important to know that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan all lost their families and homes because of the war between Konoha and Sunagakure. They respected Jiraiya, but they might not have been so kind to other Konoha ninjas. This arrangement was also to successfully form an alliance.

Fenglan adopted a strategy of leaving a few ninjas behind to distribute supplies to people they encountered, and then having them catch up quickly after the supplies were delivered, so it did not delay their progress.

They continued distributing supplies along the way, giving away everything they had promised to give to Hanzo before setting off. However, Fenglan had no intention of befriending Hanzo anyway, so the supplies were gone.

"I'm starting to understand Tsunade a little better now." Jiraiya shook his head helplessly. That brat could really make you grit your teeth sometimes.

Finally, as dusk approached, Fenglan and his group arrived at Amegakure Village.

"No!"

However, at that very moment, Feng Lan suddenly sensed a surge of powerful chakra, and his expression immediately became quite interesting: [Could my luck be that good?!]

"A large group of people is moving about eight kilometers to the west, including Danzo and Orochimaru!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they prepared for battle, rushing towards their target location.

Upon arriving at the destination, it was indeed the classic scene: an abandoned quarry surrounded by jagged rock walls. Nearly a hundred Amegakure ninjas and Root members were densely packed in a semicircle, their kunai and ninja tools gleaming coldly.

Yahiko and Nagato stood side by side, each bearing numerous wounds and breathing heavily. Meanwhile, Konan had been taken hostage by Hanzo, and this time, Orochimaru and Danzo were also present, making a rescue far from easy.

However, since Obito did not intercept the other Akatsuki members, they also participated in the battle. Some of them had already died and lay among the enemy's corpses, while the rest guarded Yahiko and Nagato.

Due to the intense battle, Nagato revealed his Rinnegan, leading to a completely different direction from the original work.

“That’s right, that’s the Rinnegan.” Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh. “I never thought that after failing to steal the Sharingan, I would obtain an even better Rinnegan in a place like this.”

"Hanzo," Danzo said coldly, "Let that brat Yahiko kill Nagato and offer up the Rinnegan. That's our agreement. Orochimaru will find a way to cultivate experimental subjects who can control the Rinnegan, helping you develop and strengthen Amegakure, and ultimately crush the Five Great Nations under your feet!"

"Hmph~" Hanzo clearly had his own ideas. He originally planned to kill Yahiko, the leader (which is also part of the original story), but after seeing the Rinnegan, he changed his mind.

"If you want this woman to live..." He held his scythe to Konan's neck, "You brat named Yahiko, go and kill Nagato, then offer his eyes to me!"

Even though he ruined his reputation in his later years, Hanzo still had the most basic judgment. Although he was tricked by Danzo into taking action against the Akatsuki, he knew that the Rinnegan had to be controlled by himself, not by Danzo and Orochimaru. Otherwise, those two guys could have completely turned the tables and taken over Amegakure.

At this moment, Feng Lan, who was hiding in the shadows, began to distribute gas masks to his teammates, preparing to take action. Although Jiraiya was anxious, he still restrained himself and obeyed the order. Since Minato trusted this kid's command ability, he trusted him too.

【Yahiko, Nagato, Konan...】

Jiraiya looked anxiously at the battlefield: [Please, I hope nothing happens to you!]

Chapter 69 Saving Xiao Nan

"You all go! Don't worry about me!"

As a prisoner, Konan cried out anxiously, but Hanzo grabbed her chin and said, "Shut up, woman. If you're a prisoner, act like one."