Chapter 42 — Baki: My Strength Isn't Even Ranked in Konoha?!
"Ice Release Ninjutsu is the bloodline limit of the Hidden Mist Village. Could it be that Your Excellency is from the Land of Water?"
Chiyo was deeply wary of Su Li's move.
It wasn't that she had never seen Ice Release before—but this was the first time she had ever seen anyone use it to such an incredible level.
"No," Su Li explained calmly. "My Ice Release isn't inherited through blood. I developed it myself by combining Water Style and Wind Style."
Of course, this wasn't true.Su Li's Ice Release came from the system, but that wasn't something he could easily explain.It was simpler to claim that he had developed it himself.
Hearing this, Chiyo's unease only deepened.
To be able to develop Ice Release on one's own—just how profound must one's mastery of Water and Wind Style be?
"I see… then why have I never heard Your Excellency's name before?"
"I studied under Master Jiraiya since childhood," Su Li replied with a calm smile. "But I always felt my strength was lacking, so I've spent most of my life in seclusion, training in solitude. It's normal that you haven't heard of me, Senior Chiyo."
"You're Jiraiya's apprentice? Then…"
At that moment, Chiyo's mind suddenly cleared a little.
No wonder Jiraiya hadn't taken the position of Fifth Hokage himself.It seemed he had been preparing Su Li for leadership.Perhaps Su Li lacked public recognition, so Jiraiya allowed him to serve as Acting Hokage first.
That explanation answered one of her doubts.But she still had many more questions.
Looking at the enormous Destiny Gundam standing not far away, Chiyo finally voiced the one that bothered her most:
"How did that thing come to be?"
Su Li didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked with a faint smile:
"...Senior Chiyo, may I ask—what do you think of Konoha's current strength?"
"What do you mean?" she frowned.
"I heard from my subordinates that Lord Baki recently had a conflict with our Konoha guards… and was directly killed?"
As he spoke, Su Li's gaze shifted toward Baki, who stood behind Chiyo.
Baki's expression darkened, his face twitching slightly.He wanted to say something—but didn't know where to begin.After all, Su Li's words were true.
But what Su Li said next completely stunned him—and everyone else from the Sand.
"With all due respect," Su Li continued casually, "although Shenyue Izumo and Kotetsu Hagane aren't at the bottom of Konoha's ranks, they're only mid-level at best. In terms of ranking, they'd probably be around… ten thousandth place in Konoha."
"What?!"
Baki couldn't help but shout.
It was one thing to say someone strong had killed him—it was Konoha, after all, the strongest of the Five Great Nations.It wasn't impossible that they had a hidden master.
But to say that this person—someone who could kill him in an instant—was only ranked around ten thousandth in Konoha?!
That would mean his strength, as an Elite Jōnin, didn't even break into Konoha's top ten thousand!
That was absurd!
Even Chiyo, Gaara, Temari, and the others couldn't hide their shock.
If Konoha had been that powerful, how could it have been beaten so badly before—losing even its Hokage?It couldn't have suddenly grown this strong in just a few days!
"Your joke isn't funny," Chiyo said flatly.
Su Li smiled faintly.
"A joke? I didn't mean it as one, Senior Chiyo. Tell me—why do you think I'm the Acting Hokage?"
"Even with Jiraiya-sensei's support, if I weren't capable, wouldn't I have been replaced long ago?"
Chiyo fell silent.
"The truth," Su Li continued, "is that I improved Konoha's overall strength in a short time. That's why the village acknowledged me as Acting Hokage."
"Would you like to know how I strengthened Konoha's shinobi, Senior Chiyo?"
Chiyo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Comics?" she murmured.
For a moment, she recalled what Temari and Kankurō had mentioned earlier.
"Yes," Su Li confirmed, smiling faintly. "That's the secret behind Konoha's rise in strength. As long as one reads the manga I draw, they have a chance to awaken a special ability."
"You drew this manga?"
Chiyo blinked, stunned.She glanced again at the manga cover—and sure enough, at the bottom, there was a signature: Su Li.
Could this be some kind of new bloodline ability?But how could such a strange power exist?
If people could grow stronger just by reading a manga, wouldn't Konoha become invincible in no time?
"...Your Excellency Su Li," Chiyo said slowly, frowning. "Since this is Konoha's secret, why are you telling us? And even allowing us to read these comics?"
She exhaled deeply.
This kind of secret was something any village would guard with its life.Why would he so openly share it?
"Hahahaha…"
Su Li laughed heartily, as if he had already expected that question.
"What's so funny?" Chiyo asked sharply.
"I'm laughing," Su Li replied, still smiling, "because someone as wise and experienced as Senior Chiyo would ask such a childish question."
"Childish?"
The word made Chiyo's expression stiffen slightly.
"The answer's obvious, isn't it?" Su Li shrugged lightly. "Even if your Sand Shinobi gain something from my manga, you still won't pose a threat to Konoha."