"Even Danzo was killed?"
"This is truly something hard to be happy about. Kirigakure's Yuki Sora has ultimately become a serious threat to the entire Ninja World. His existence is like a bone stuck in the throat, I'm afraid it will keep many people from sleeping soundly."
Hanzo of the Salamander, living in seclusion in Amegakure, looked at the photo of Danzo on his desk and couldn't help but sigh sadly.
Although he and Danzo belonged to different villages, they shared similarities in both personality and ideals. They could be considered rare like-minded friends in this cruel Ninja World.
Now, hearing the news of his friend's death, Hanzo's mood was quite complex.
"Yuki Sora... with such a growth rate, I'm afraid he will soon become an existence more terrifying than a Tailed Beast!"
A trace of unconcealed apprehension flashed in Hanzo's eyes as he muttered to himself, "Perhaps compared to Amegakure's Nagato, this Yuki Sora is a younger generation who deserves more attention."
Three parts astonishment, three parts appreciation, three parts apprehension, plus a final one part killing intent… this was probably Hanzo's truest impression of Sora.
Now,
Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the [Demigod], was undoubtedly one of the strongest Ninjas standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
Even the reputations of the Hokage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage were all beneath his.
Therefore, any young Ninja who could make him feel apprehensive was destined to leave a significant mark on the future Ninja World.
…
"Yuki Sora is indeed a more outstanding Ninja than Konoha's Yellow Flash. Perhaps..."
"He might really become a second Uchiha Madara!"
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, located in Iwagakure, maintained his consistently high evaluation of Sora.
…
"Shimura Danzo, nothing but a rat in the sewers! That Danzo only mastered some of the Uzumaki Clan's forbidden Sealing Techniques. If it weren't for that, based on his Wind Release alone, he'd just be a second-rate Kage-level Ninja!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, on the misty island battlefield, snorted coldly and said, "But no matter how second-rate, he was still a Kage-level Ninja with a body full of Forbidden Jutsu. Being able to kill Danzo proves that this Yuki Sora, or rather the Yuki Clan's Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, does have some merits."
"I remember that Kirigakure's Yuki Sora seems to have a direct clan member named Yuki Haku, right?"
"Pass down the order..."
"Capture that Yuki Haku and bring him to me. I want to see what secrets are hidden within this Ice Release Kekkei Genkai!"
For Kumogakure, which had always been fond of plundering, seizing opportunities to snatch resources from other villages was a very familiar practice.
…
Land of Water.
Outside Kirigakure.
An unknown open area.
Boom!
Suddenly, the air emitted a crisp shattering sound, then cracked like a mirror into a spiderweb-like pattern.
The next moment, those broken web-like cracks were suddenly twisted into even smaller fragments by a great and mysterious force from the void.
Then, clusters of deep black light membranes ran rampant, devouring those fragments and forming a gate-like shape.
This was the Garganta!
A mysterious power capable of traversing space-time!
The moment the Garganta formed, the spatial passageway opened. Immediately, two figures stepped out from within the Garganta.
Afterwards, the black light membrane vanished in an instant, and everything returned to its original state.
"Sora..."
"Are we home?"
Mei, in a blue long dress, stood on the open ground, her small mouth slightly agaped, looking utterly bewildered.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
One second she was in Tenfu Gorge in the Land of Fire, but the next second, she had traversed thousands of kilometers and returned to distant Kirigakure.
Such a thing was miraculous and bizarre, giving Mei an unreal feeling.
"Of course, we're home."
Sora looked up towards the outline of Kirigakure faintly visible in the thick fog not far away, feeling quite thoughtful himself.
War…
It truly was something that exhausted both body and mind. Even with constant victories, it inevitably placed enormous psychological pressure on Sora.
If one could live a clean and honest life, who would want their hands stained with blood?
Mei also hadn't returned to the village for a long time. Kirigakure was short on manpower, desperately wishing they could split an Elite Jonin like her into five to use. Once the war started, there was naturally little time for rest.
"Hmph!"
Feeling nervous upon approaching home, Mei looked at the village's outline from afar and suddenly snorted lightly, saying, "Sora, you always have these strange and mysterious abilities. I've gotten used to it. Luckily we have you. If you hadn't turned the situation around, the village's war situation would have probably collapsed long ago!"
"Our esteemed Mizukage-sama was brimming with confidence before the war, thinking he had grasped some incredible opportunity to swallow Konoha in one go. But when the fighting actually started, he realized the huge chasm between plan and reality. It's really..."
"Disappointing!"
Not every Ninja from Kirigakure was as optimistic about the war situation as the Third Mizukage. For example, the faction represented by Mei and Elder Genji had strongly opposed joining the Great Ninja War early, even before it began.
Genji's suggestion was to rest and recuperate, accumulating strength in the shadows, waiting until Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure had truly decided the outcome before joining the fray to seek benefits from the war.
But this relatively conservative suggestion was directly rejected by the Third Mizukage. And Kirigakure joined the Third Great Ninja War earlier than Genji had originally planned.
The Ninjas of Genji's faction were very dissatisfied with this, considering it a mistake in the Third Mizukage's strategic judgment, and a significant one at that.
If Sora hadn't risen like a meteor, single-handedly suppressing Konoha's elite forces, Kirigakure, who is now fighting both Konoha and Kumogakure simultaneously, would likely be on the verge of collapse.
After this series of events, the perceptions of the Third Mizukage and Sora among Genji's faction, and indeed all Ninjas of Kirigakure, underwent a very subtle change.
In secret,
Rumors had already begun to spread among the Ninja populace.
For example, that the Third Mizukage was 'unworthy of his position' and would only lead Kirigakure down the path of destruction.
There were also rumors that Kirigakure needed younger, more powerful leadership to change the village's future, for example...
The Supreme Commander of the Expeditionary Force, Yuki Sora!!!
Pushed by certain unseen hands, these rumors gradually began to spread. After all, Sora's power was something all Kirigakure's Ninjas had witnessed. It was an indescribable strength, unparalleled across time, suppressing the Ninja World.
The Third Mizukage, however, rarely made moves. And whenever he did, it often brought shame to Kirigakure.
For instance, his crushing defeat seven years ago at the hands of Iwagakure's Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. Or his defeat two years ago, where he was beaten like a stray dog by the Third Raikage and fled with his tail between his legs.
And just a few months ago, his severe beating by Jiraiya in front of the armies, after which he retreated to Kirigakure under the pretext of guarding the village and commanding the overall situation, but in reality, he had been scared off by Jiraiya.
All along, the Third Mizukage had been the type who was invincible below the Kage-level, but achieved zero victories against actual Kage-level opponents.
His motto seemed to be: I go all out against weaklings, but surrender instantly in high-level matches!
Before,
Since Kirigakure's Kage-level combatants were generally considered mediocre anyway, and the Third Mizukage was relatively the more prominent among them, even with his poor record against top-tier opponents, the Kirigakure's Ninjas tolerated it.
After all, there was no one stronger, and replacing him would only make things worse.
But now,
With a gem like Sora appearing first, the Third Mizukage, this stumbling block who lost to everyone, started to seem rather foul-smelling.
After all, no one could deny Sora's power. It could be bluntly stated that Konoha's defeat was largely due to Sora's god-like performance alone.
As for the other Kirigakure's Ninjas, they mostly served to fill the front lines. One could almost say the war was won by Sora alone.
Thus, naturally, the topic of who was more suitable for Kirigakure's future, Sora or the Third Mizukage, grew increasingly intense in the shadows.
Sora and Mei walked side by side towards Kirigakure.
Kirigakure's Main Gate.
About a dozen Ninjas were on guard duty, and many passing merchant caravans or residents were being questioned and inspected by the Ninjas.
At that moment, a Chunin accidentally looked up, and then he froze completely, staring dumbfounded in a certain direction, his face filled with an unconcealable fanatical expression.
"Tatsuya, what's wrong with you?"
The Chunin next to him, seeing his colleague's expression as if he'd seen a ghost, nudged the dazed Chunin's arm with his elbow.
"It's..."
"It's Sora-sama!"
"Yuki Sora-sama, he's back!!!"
Finally, as if his soul had returned, that Chunin screamed hysterically like a fan meeting their idol: "Sora-sama is back!!!!!"
"Sora-sama?"
"Yuki-sama?"
"Where? Where is he?"
"Look over there, it really is Sora-sama!"
"So handsome!"
"Long live Sora-sama!"
"Sora-sama, I love you!"
The Chunin's screams attracted the attention of everyone at the gate.
When the Kirigakure's villagers saw Sora's figure, the entire area spontaneously erupted into a frenzy.
Cheers.
Frantic cheers.
More and more villagers were even drawn by the noise. After seeing Sora, they naturally joined the cheering crowd, making the wave of sound grow larger and larger.
"Let's go."
"This is what you deserve."
Mei's smile was bright. She understandingly took a step back, hiding behind Sora, letting the man she trusted most receive the worship he deserved.
…
News spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred. The news of Sora's return quickly spread throughout Kirigakure and naturally set off a wave of celebration.
Victory!
Great Victory!
Sora represented Kirigakure's long-awaited, resounding great victory!
The entire populace was celebrating.
Even the Ninjas took to the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sora's heroic figure.
However,
On the third floor of the village's tallest building, the Mizukage Building, in the dimly lit Mizukage's office.
The Third Mizukage stood with his back to the light, his figure hidden in darkness, silently watching Sora in the sunlit world outside, receiving the cheers and worship of the entire village.
Even more bizarre was that there was not a trace of joy on the Third Mizukage's face.
Instead, it was covered in gloom. Even his cold gaze held an indescribable dullness and killing intent.
Numbness, dullness, killing intent, an intimidating aura...
Various complex, even conflicting, emotions continuously alternated on the Third Mizukage's face.
"Unstable factors should be nipped in the bud. It's already too late... Yuki Sora is gradually becoming uncontrollable..."
Looking at Sora amidst the celebrating crowd, the Third Mizukage's sharp gaze flickered constantly, a sinister aura emerging from him.
"Madara-sama, it's not too late now..."
A terribly strange voice suddenly issued from the Third Mizukage's mouth: "With your power, even if you can only borrow this incompetent puppet, you can easily kill that brat, right?"
"As long as Yuki Sora is killed, Obito will have no opponents in the future. He will definitely accomplish everything according to your plan!"
As the words fell, the Third Mizukage fell into a long silence.
Or perhaps...
It wasn't the Third Mizukage, but... Uchiha Madara!!!
Indeed, at the start of the war, Madara had never paid any attention to Sora, an insignificant Kirigakure brat.
But as the war progressed, things gradually spiraled out of control.
Especially the potential displayed by Sora. Even he, Uchiha Madara, could no longer afford to underestimate it and had to take it seriously.
"The plan must not have any problems!"
"Obito and Nagato are the key parts of the plan, crucial for my future revival. There absolutely cannot be any issues."
After a long silence, Madara hesitated no more. He was originally a decisive person who killed without hesitation.
Killing a junior genius Ninja might seem like bullying, but for the sake of the plan's completion, he could no longer allow any potential accidents to occur.
In the shadows, Madara, using the Third Mizukage's body, had manipulated all of Kirigakure as he pleased.
But suddenly, a pawn in his hand had grown to a level that could threaten the final plan.
Of course,
For Madara, in his prime, he wouldn't have paid Sora any mind. But with his current aged body and soul, he had no choice but to lower himself and do things he would have previously disdained.