Since that was the case, Luffy had many more things he could do...
"Come on, come on! Let me fight him next!"
Luffy hadn't had enough fighting yet.
He had just been testing how much power he could unleash in Gear Three or Gear Four.
After consuming some physical and mental energy, he was checking if he still needed to change his body's form to recover.
After testing, Luffy found that the power of this world was fresher and purer. It was much easier to fight against.
His body's recovery speed was significantly enhanced compared to the Pirate World!
The embarrassing situation of turning into a "dwarf" would no longer occur. It was as if the shackles binding Luffy had suddenly been undone!
He could now fight even more fearlessly and vigorously!
It just so happened that Kakashi and Kurenai, two Konoha Jonin, were struggling against Orochimaru at this moment.
At this point, they moved aside, and Luffy re-entered the battlefield.
...
"Lord Hokage should already know the situation here... Orochimaru himself appearing, coming to Konoha, he probably has other conspiracies."
"Perhaps he himself is a decoy, attracting Konoha's attention in this direction, and the conspiracy might be happening somewhere else in the village."
After Kakashi retreated, he didn't even catch his breath, immediately beginning to analyze and deduce.
Kakashi was once an excellent Anbu Jonin in Konoha and was very knowledgeable about covert methods.
Of course, compared to the sinister and cunning nature of Konoha's Anbu, Orochimaru was still a bit of a small-time villain compared to a big-time one.
"The Hokage should already know who this guy causing trouble in the village is by now." Asuma was very familiar with the Hokage's ability to gather intelligence, after all, that was his father.
"I estimate that now, the Hokage should be struggling with the 'power struggle' between himself and the Konoha higher-ups..."
The current Konoha Village was very different from the village under the rule of the First and Second Hokage. The First Hokage created the system of ninja villages.
He himself was, of course, the sole authority in the village, his word absolute.
However, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, wasn't particularly good at handling internal affairs.
Most of the major and minor matters were handled by his younger brother, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, later on.
The First Hokage, relying on his unchallenged prestige and strength in the ninja world, could completely control the village under his own name.
But the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was slightly inferior in terms of strength.
This also led to a gradual decline in his actual control over the village, especially when the powerful "Uchiha Clan" was still in Konoha Village.
To strengthen the Hokage's complete authority over the village, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, simply introduced the "Anbu" system.
All Anbu ninja had to swear absolute loyalty to one person that was the Hokage of Konoha.
Through this method, the Hokage could possess an elite Jonin squad that belonged solely to him.
This powerful force could be completely used to deal with anything that happened, and could potentially happen, within the village. This single move almost completely erased the gap in strength between the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and his older brother, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju!
It has to be said that the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was indeed a rare genius, a true prodigy.
It's a shame that the system was a good system, and its implementation was also good. But as it was passed down and developed, it eventually changed its flavor.
For example, during the Third and Fourth Hokage's reigns, and then when it returned to the Third Hokage's hands.
Konoha's Anbu forces seemed to grow stronger... but they were no longer as pure as they were originally. For example, in the current Anbu, there were voices other than that of the Konoha Hokage.
Danzo Shimura, as the disciple of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, and the protégé of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
...
Now, he actually wants to show his fangs, demonstrating his strength and leadership in Konoha Village that is no less than the Hokage!
His previous actions of intervening against Luffy without the Hokage's command were one example.
Directly or relatively subtly opposing the Hokage in meetings was also an example...
However, the final outcome was good. The Old Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, still had control over the Konoha high-ups... or perhaps, his prestige still remained.
Ultimately, things continued to develop according to the Old Hokage's wishes.
It was just that due to some unexpected situations involving Danzo.
This seemed to have caused things to slow down more than expected.
But well, there was nothing that could be done about it.
The current Konoha, compared to when it was first founded by the First Hokage, was vastly different.
...
The small ninja villages that joined Konoha, and other ninja clans, also differed from their original states.
In the current new situation, wanting to make this enormous entity function, relying solely on the Hokage's absolute authority seemed a bit too extreme.
It was either a Konoha Village where one person's word was law, or everyone deliberated together, but efficiency had significantly decreased in the current situation.
In any case, there must be compromises and trade-offs. This was unavoidable. Although ninja possessed various bizarre Ninjutsu, they still hadn't fully grasped human nature.
Even someone as arrogant as Orochimaru researched immortality Ninjutsu, not Ninjutsu that delved into the human heart.
"This way!"
An Anbu ninja wearing a fox mask led the way.
Following closely behind him were none other than the Third Hokage, and some elite Jonin from other villages whose names were well-known and possessed considerable strength!
Based on all available intelligence, the Third Hokage, having understood the identity of the intruder, would naturally go all out to thoroughly purge the village!
As for whether there were any shadows left behind by Orochimaru within the village, that matter was handed over to other Anbu ninja, which was essentially left to Danzo to handle.
Orochimaru's actions often had multiple contingencies.
Although Danzo had been quite abnormal recently, the loyal Old Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, still trusted his work.
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