Mei was quiet, but Deidara's talkative nature had flared up again. Fortunately, Takemi was in a good mood now, so he didn't mind too much.
"The Fourth Hokage used this jutsu to teleport the Tailed Beast Bomb away, and even teleported the Nine-Tails out of the village. I just made some improvements."
"Ah? It wasn't specifically to deal with me?"
Deidara was a little disappointed, while Mei sighed slightly.
"A very impressive jutsu. I've heard of the Flying Thunder God for a long time, but this is the first time I've seen it. It's truly astonishing."
"Thank you. Actually, your Kirigakure's jutsu are also very powerful."
Takemi politely replied instinctively, but as soon as he finished speaking, he felt something was off.
It seemed that the Ice Release he used was from the Kirigakure.
Sure enough, he glanced at Mei out of the corner of his eye and saw that the woman seemed disinclined to speak, so he simply changed the subject.
"Alright, enough of that. As the host, I should show you around Konoha, but given the current situation... I might as well treat you to some food."
"Food? Hey, it's not Ichiraku Ramen again, is it?"
Deidara's eyes lit up when he heard about food, but then he immediately looked disgusted as he remembered something.
The two mouths on his hands immediately opened, with two tongues lolling out.
Clearly, he hadn't forgotten that the last time he stuffed noodles into those two mouths, it made them throw up.
"Don't worry, I'll treat you to barbecue." Takemi shrugged, smiling as he spoke.
"That area should be fine. Let's go take a look."
"I have no problem."
Mei nodded indifferently. She roughly knew the purpose of having her follow along, so she didn't care what they ate.
Deidara, however, looked at Takemi suspiciously and asked strangely.
"That's odd. With what happened during the Chunin Exams in Konoha this time, why are you still in a good mood?"
"?"
"Otherwise, given your stingy personality, why would you treat us to barbecue?"
"..."
"Naruto, that little blonde, told me, you know. He said you're the stingiest."
"..."
Takemi felt his fists clench. Naruto, that scoundrel, dared to slander him?
But he had to admit one thing: he was indeed in a very good mood right now!
[Completed Konoha Exclusive Side Mission: I Am the Hope of the Entire Village]
[Reward: One Tail's Chakra]
Looking at his status panel, he chuckled softly. This reward would normally be good.
But now...
It wasn't as much as what he gained from 'hunting' himself.
This time, by transforming into Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki, he not only thoroughly tested his abilities but, more importantly, he shattered the Gedo Statue.
He didn't leave a single fragment of the Gedo Statue behind. Although he couldn't pick them up due to 'maintaining his image,' he could still use Shinra Tensei as he left, activating 'auto-pickup mode'.
"And the fragments of the Gedo Statue have a strong attraction to the god tree source within me. It seems..."
He knew that this thing would definitely bring him huge benefits.
He fully believed that once he used the 'god tree source' to devour these massive fragments, it would undoubtedly bring him a huge harvest.
"Adding the One Tail's Chakra, this time I might be able to break through to 50%."
Fifty percent development meant that more than half of his bloodline had been developed. He couldn't say what kind of changes this would bring him.
But he knew that he was on the right path, and he could also slowly plan for the Tenseigan on the moon.
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
While Takemi was deep in thought, Deidara spoke again, puzzled.
"Did I hit the nail on the head?"
"No, I'm thinking about the subsequent Chunin Exams."
Takemi glanced at Deidara, then spoke slowly.
"After all, the assessment isn't over yet, and it will definitely continue. Besides, only two people have been eliminated, so it certainly can't end in a hurry."
"Eh? Only two people eliminated? Didn't the first match not even finish yet?"
"Unfortunately, the Raikage and Kazekage failed to successfully pass this joint Chunin Exams. Haven't they already been eliminated?"
"..."
"And later, more people will inevitably be eliminated. I hope there's a blonde one."
"..."
The news of Konoha's Chunin Exams being attacked quickly spread throughout the Ninja World.
Before anyone could react in surprise, other news soon followed.
"Although Konoha was attacked by villains, forcing the Chunin Exams to be suspended, the issue has been resolved, and the exams will resume in one month."
This simple announcement was all there was, with no additional information.
This left the entire Ninja World somewhat bewildered, but while ordinary people didn't know what had happened, the high-ranking officials of the great Ninja Villages already knew quite a lot.
"What? The Kazekage is dead? And Gaara has fallen into Konoha's hands?"
Inside Sunagakure, Chiyo stood up abruptly upon hearing Ebizo's report.
"Damn it! Is he crazy? Why would he make such a choice?"
"According to intelligence, Konoha was under attack at the time, and the Kazekage might have thought Konoha would find it difficult to resist."
Ebizo sighed, he was also distraught at the moment.
"And the Raikage also sided with them, so they chose to join forces, but in the end, they were killed by Takemi."
"Takemi, that new Konoha White Fang?"
"Yes, according to intelligence, he seems to have learned Dust Release, not only defeating One Tail but also killing the Kazekage and the Raikage."
"That kid…"
She had indeed met Takemi before, and she couldn't forget how he had instantly put a blade to her throat.
But how long had it been, and he had already grown to this extent?
"Now he's no longer a kid. If nothing unexpected happens, he will probably be the Fifth, or at the latest, the Sixth Hokage."
Ebizo sighed, looking at his aged sister, he spoke softly.
"We need to prepare early. Although Konoha said nothing, they will definitely do something."
"You mean, war?"
"It's not impossible. The Daimyo cuts our budget every year, our morale is already low, and we don't have many Ninja. Now Gaara is still in their hands, so now…"
"I understand, we do need to make some preparations."
Speaking of this, Chiyo sat down weakly, her already aged face now looking even more lifeless.
If you lose, you have to admit it. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, one wrong step is an abyss.
Sunagakure had received the news, and Kumogakure naturally knew everything as well.
"What, my brother is dead?!"
Killer Bee couldn't sit still upon hearing the news. He immediately stood up, wanting to rush out, but was stopped by Dodai.
"Bee, don't be impulsive. What are you trying to do?"
"What am I trying to do? Of course, I'm going to avenge my brother!"
"Are you crazy? You're not going for revenge, you're going to your death!"
Dodai looked at the furious Bee, feeling helpless and mournful.
He certainly knew how deep the bond between Bee and the Fourth Raikage was. As a high-ranking official of Kumogakure, he understood many of their policies.
Bee seemed eccentric, ignoring the gossip and cold shoulders and violence from others in the village.
Besides knowing his responsibilities, the most important reason was that he had his good older brother, the Fourth Raikage.
"Bee, your impulsiveness right now won't accomplish anything." Dodai held Bee, earnestly trying to persuade him.
"Konoha will definitely strengthen its defenses after the attack. That Takemi killed two Kage by himself."
"This will certainly give Konoha confidence, and they won't let us off easily, so we must remain calm."
"Takemi…"
"Yes, Takemi, that new Konoha White Fang, the Silver Flash, and probably in the future, he'll also have titles like 'Kage Killer'."
Dodai looked at Bee's grim face, took a deep breath, and spoke with extreme seriousness.
"So, absolutely do not panic. If we panic, we won't have any chance. Once you act recklessly and he targets you, you won't have a chance for revenge…"
The two great Ninja Villages were both in a state of shock from the sudden bad news, but Konoha remained calm.
Although the village's vigilance had become stricter due to the previous attack, everyone had already returned to normal life.