"Gojo-sama!"
"Yoru-sama!"
When Gojo Yoru arrived at the location of the ninja squad, the four Tokubetsu Jonin had already been killed.
The ones who killed them were three Anbu squads, totaling twelve people.
If he hadn't known that Gojo Yoru possessed the ability to hide his Chakra aura, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never have agreed to his plan.
Even choosing to support it, he still sent three Anbu squads, ready to assist Gojo Yoru in aborting the plan and retrieving the supplies at any time.
Seeing Gojo Yoru appear, the twelve Anbu members greeted him one after another, their tone very respectful.
The Sannin didn't know what Gojo Yoru's secret mission was, but these Anbu members knew very well.
Although they didn't know if Gojo Yoru had succeeded on his side, they had successfully annihilated four Tokubetsu Jonin without any members getting injured or damaging the supplies, which was already a huge profit.
Normally, even with numerical superiority, without intelligence and tactical help, they couldn't guarantee keeping all four Tokubetsu Jonin.
Now, with more than half a day of preparation time and knowing the enemy's location, the joint efforts of three Anbu squads took them away without a scratch.
Knowing well that this lure-enemy plan was proposed by Gojo Yoru, the Anbu members were full of admiration for this lord who became famous throughout the Ninja World a few months ago and had the record of injuring the Salamander.
Not only outstanding talent and amazing strength, but even his wisdom was so excellent.
Barring any accidents, this lord should become one of the village's ace combatants in a few years.
"Hello."
Gojo Yoru raised his hand in response, then took out a photo and handed it to the Anbu member who possessed his Flying Thunder God kunai, instructing: "Deliver this photo to Sakumo-sama. I will report to Hokage-sama."
"...Yes!"
The Anbu member took the photo and subconsciously glanced at it. His body trembled instantly, and the trembling in his voice could be heard even through the mask.
This reaction aroused the curiosity of other members.
What kind of photo could cause such intense emotional fluctuations in their captain?
"I leave the transport of supplies to you."
"Yes."
After handing over to the Anbu members, Gojo Yoru teleported and disappeared.
"Captain, what photo did Yoru-sama give you? To scare you like this?"
"Yeah, let us see too."
As soon as Gojo Yoru left, the other Anbu members gathered around, their gazes all turning to the photo.
The Anbu member didn't stop them but changed the angle so everyone could see.
Someone wanted to see more clearly and got a lamp from somewhere, shining the light on the photo.
"Hiss..."
The next second, the sound of sucking in cold air rang out almost simultaneously.
Then voices sounded, equally revealing obvious trembling.
"Th... what kind of hell on earth is this?"
"So tragic, so terrifying a scene... Look next to those minced corpses, there are so many Flying Thunder God formulas. They were all killed by Yoru-sama using the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"They are like us, wearing Anbu attire and masks, yet they all died in the cave. There are no traces of battle or Ninjutsu around, obviously killed before they could even react. Is... is this the power of the Flying Thunder God Technique? Is this the strength of the Black Flash?"
"As expected of the only existence in the Ninja World to injure the Salamander in decades, truly amazing!"
"..."
At first, all Anbu members were shocked and sighing at the power of the Flying Thunder God Technique and Gojo Yoru.
Suddenly, an Anbu member spoke in disbelief: "Hey, hey... did you miss the point? Look at the minced corpse in the photo not wearing an Anbu uniform. Look carefully at that face, see who he really is?!"
Reminded by their companion, the Anbu members re-examined the photo, including the captain who hadn't looked carefully just now, only scared by the pile of Anbu corpses.
Then the scene fell silent; everyone lost their voices.
The Anbu captain recovered first, hurriedly put away the photo, and said in a deep voice: "Organize the supplies quickly. We must deliver them to the White Fang battle line as fast as possible."
"Yes!"
The other eleven responded seriously in unison.
Although their voices no longer trembled, waves crashed in their hearts, and they acted with full power.
They could all foresee how much impact this photo would have when it reached the battlefield.
At the very least, their morale would soar; at most, it might cause huge changes in the war situation.
What was certain was that their Konoha would begin to gain the upper hand in this confrontation with the Land of Wind.
Thinking that this photo might break the "balance period" that had lasted for four months, the twelve Anbu members couldn't help but feel a trace of awe for Gojo Yoru.
Injuring the Salamander was something they had only heard of.
The reason it was called a feat was that Hanzo the Salamander personally admitted it.
As for how badly the Salamander was injured, no one knew.
Because during this probing period, Hanzo the Salamander hadn't made a move, and no one dared to go to Amegakure to fight him.
Ninjas from the four countries, including Rain ninjas, hadn't seen that number one poisonous creature in the Ninja World for a long time.
And now, they personally participated and witnessed with their own eyes Gojo Yoru achieving another feat that might affect the war situation.
An instinct to admire the strong, unrelated to age but hidden in human nature, made them feel awe for Gojo Yoru while also generating strong admiration.
At this moment, they firmly believed.
With Gojo Yoru, their Konoha would definitely win this campaign!
...
"Cough, cough..."
In the morning, just as Sarutobi Hiruzen started work, he received a photo from a better angle.
He was puffing on his pipe leisurely, but he almost choked to death.
This reaction was as intense as hearing the news of Nawaki's sacrifice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face flushed red, looking at Gojo Yoru in disbelief: "You... you killed Ebizo?"
"Yes, I brought his head back too."
Gojo Yoru took out a storage scroll and placed it on the Hokage's desk, his tone very certain: "I've checked; it is indeed the main body."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the storage scroll on the desk, his gaze moving back and forth between the photo and the scroll, his heart shocked into speechlessness.
Ebizo's status was as high as Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, second only to the Hokage's Assistant Shimura Danzo.
His death was a major event in the Five Great Ninja Villages, equivalent to the sacrifice of an elder, a top member of the higher-ups circle.
Sarutobi Hiruzen never thought Gojo Yoru's plan could hook such a big fish and successfully kill him.
He supported Gojo Yoru's plan because the southwestern location was simply too perfect; once the enemy was hooked, they basically couldn't escape.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen's best expectation was only to annihilate one or two ninja squads.
After all, such a trap could fool uneducated ninjas only fit to be tools, but not the opponent's think tank.
His main purpose was to deter those ninja squads infiltrating the Land of Fire through this trap, making them dare not easily snatch supplies.
Otherwise, even if they snatched them, it would be difficult to bring them back to their own camp smoothly.
He just never expected that Gojo Yoru actually hooked a big fish, along with dozens of Anbu-level elites.
Deploying such a lineup meant they would definitely scour the area for tens of kilometers around, confirming there were no traps or ambushes before choosing to act.
Yet such a lineup was killed by Gojo Yoru in the cave before they could even act.
Those Flying Thunder God formulas all over the ground—how did he make the enemy unable to discover them?
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly realized he seemed to have underestimated Gojo Yoru's Phantom Body Flicker Technique.
That ability to perfectly hide Chakra aura, combined with Earth Body Flicker, was simply more terrifying than Transparent Release.
However, a Hokage is a Hokage after all.
Although shocked in his heart, Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed a smile on the surface and praised generously: "You did a beautiful job. This plan is even more perfect than I expected. But you should have notified me as soon as you returned."
"It was too late, so I didn't disturb you, Hokage-sama." Gojo Yoru smiled. "Besides, Anbu are Anbu because information is unknown. No one knows if those Anbu are real Anbu. Just the death of an elder controlling the intelligence agency doesn't feel like it has much impact on the war situation."
"No, this impact is huge." Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the scroll in his hand, unable to hide his excitement. "If it's really the main body, his brain must store a large amount of intelligence. As long as we successfully crack it, not only the hidden lines lurking in our Land of Fire, but even Sunagakure's secrets in various countries will be mastered by us."
"The scales of this war have tipped in our favor."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Gojo Yoru: "Killing Ebizo not only affected the battlefield but also the ninja village and even the entire country. This is undoubtedly a Super S-rank mission merit."
Hearing this, Gojo Yoru immediately feigned a look of pleasant surprise: "Then can I exchange for a Forbidden Jutsu?"
Seeing Gojo Yoru look like a teenager at this moment, the smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face widened: "Of course. Except for strictly prohibited Forbidden Jutsu that only the Hokage can cultivate, you can choose any one from the Scroll of Seals or the Forbidden Jutsu library."
Gojo Yoru didn't immediately say the Ninjutsu he wanted but asked, "Hokage-sama, is there a list?"
"Of course."
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened a locked drawer and quickly took out a scroll with a seal from a pile of small scrolls.
Using the Unsealing Technique to remove the seal, Sarutobi Hiruzen threw the scroll to Gojo Yoru.
Gojo Yoru took the scroll and opened it to read.
The list contained Ninjutsu that were very powerful or special, strictly controlled by the village due to high danger, potentially causing irreversible damage or even death to the caster, and could only be exchanged by those with powerful talent and distinguished military service.
The first one that caught his eye was the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique, one of Uzumaki Naruto's three axes in the original work, which couldn't be cultivated without massive Chakra; otherwise, it would easily threaten life.
There was also the Genjutsu: Bringer of Darkness Technique, which Orochimaru taught him a few months ago. Like the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique, it was only A-rank but listed in the Scroll of Seals.
Then there was a series of Secret Ninjutsu, and some Super Secret Ninjutsu known as Super S-rank Ninjutsu due to being overly powerful.
Like the Flying Thunder God Technique mastered by Gojo Yoru, and the Spirit Transformation Technique mastered by Kato Dan.
However, in this list, Gojo Yoru didn't see the Impure World Reincarnation and Eight Branches Technique stolen by Orochimaru, nor the Chimera Technique secretly researched by Hiruko, who was a classmate of the Sannin but still obscure due to inferior aptitude.
Clearly, these unethical Ninjutsu were strictly prohibited Forbidden Jutsu that only the Hokage could cultivate.
Thinking of the Chimera Technique, Gojo Yoru looked a bit dazed.
His original game strategy was to turn himself into a stitched monster, fusing the Uchiha bloodline, using the Sharingan to balance Hashirama cells, becoming a higher-level Wood Release experimental subject, possessing massive Chakra, transplanting the Rinnegan, and finally becoming an enhanced version of Six Paths Obito.
The Chimera Technique was one of the Ninjutsu he had to obtain.
But now, Gojo Yoru didn't need to go down this route of a stitched monster.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know Gojo Yoru's thoughts. Seeing him staring blankly at the scroll, he couldn't help but smile: "Don't know what Ninjutsu to choose?"
"No, I've already chosen, Hokage-sama." Gojo Yoru recovered his senses and gave his answer, "I want the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags developed by Lord Second."
"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat surprised and hurriedly reminded: "This technique is similar to Hanzo the Salamander's Explosive Tag Barrier. It's actually just a formation requiring a large reserve of explosive tags to unleash maximum power."
"I won't hide it from you; this technique actually has a Forbidden Jutsu paired with it, but that technique violates ethics and is forbidden for anyone to cultivate."
"Without that technique, the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags is just an A-rank Ninjutsu."
"Super S-rank mission merit requires not only strength but also a certain amount of luck. You might not encounter it once in ten years. I suggest you consider it carefully again."
Gojo Yoru said without hesitation: "No need to consider, Hokage-sama. I choose this Ninjutsu."
If Impure World Reincarnation and Chimera Technique were available, Gojo Yoru would definitely choose them without hesitation; he even had excuses ready.
Without these two techniques, the Ninjutsu with the highest value on the list were the Super S-rank Flying Thunder God Technique and Spirit Transformation Technique, as well as some S-rank Secret Sealing Jutsu.
These Sealing Jutsu were also in the Uzushiogakure Scroll of Seals; Gojo Yoru already knew the cultivation methods.
Might Duy hadn't become famous in the Ninja World yet, so the Eight Gates wasn't on the list either.
Although the Spirit Transformation Technique was powerful, its weakness was too obvious. The cautious Gojo Yoru, even if he learned it, would never use it in his life.
What if his soul left his body, and a White Zetsu popped out the next second to behead his body?
So, Gojo Yoru chose the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
As a transmigrator, he knew that besides Impure World Reincarnation, there was another technique that matched it perfectly.
That was Konan's Paper Release.
Explosive tags, like storage scrolls, were made by people with such talent.
Such technology wasn't hard to obtain; Konan in the original work definitely had such technology.
Otherwise, six hundred billion explosive tags couldn't be found even by scouring the entire Ninja World.
As long as she obtained the technology to manufacture explosive tags and could mass-produce them, combined with Paper Release and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, Konan's art would definitely be no weaker than Deidara's.
Seeing Gojo Yoru so determined, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't force him anymore. He soon copied an independent scroll for the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags and gave it to Gojo Yoru.
"Logically speaking, when exchanging for Forbidden Jutsu in the Scroll of Seals, there will be a special Sealing Jutsu on the scroll." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "When the person using the Unsealing Technique opens the scroll, that Sealing Jutsu will automatically be implanted in the user's body, forbidding them from passing this technique to a second person. Anyone who cracks this Sealing Jutsu without authorization will be listed as a rogue ninja."
"But you established a Super S-rank mission merit. For this A-rank Forbidden Jutsu, this old man will take the liberty not to attach a Sealing Jutsu on it, allowing you to teach it to others."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Gojo Yoru respectfully accepted the scroll.
Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Gojo Yoru heavily on the shoulder: "You worked hard on this mission. Rest well for a few days."
"Yes."
Smiling as he watched Gojo Yoru walk out of the office, as soon as the door closed, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed.
He raised his hand and made a gesture, then looked at the Anbu who appeared out of thin air in front of him, saying seriously: "In my name, invite the patriarch of the Yamanaka Clan over. At the same time, notify the Sealing Squad and Torture and Interrogation Force to prepare for cracking seals and reading intelligence."
"Yes!"
The Anbu bowed his head and disappeared.
Soon, the Intelligence Division of the Hokage Building started running.
In front of Konoha, an ally of Uzushiogakure, the Sealing Jutsu of other ninja villages were like children's toys, not worth mentioning.
The Intelligence Division effortlessly cracked the Sealing Jutsu and restrictions in Ebizo's brain, reading his memories and intelligence. While confirming he was Ebizo himself, the intelligence was presented to Sarutobi Hiruzen in the form of scrolls.
Through these scrolls, Sarutobi Hiruzen learned how Gojo Yoru killed them.
"Speed like a flash, surrounded by wisps of black electric arcs, weapons also covered with black Lightning Release nature transformation..." Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes were full of surprise. "Could it be that Yoru also developed Black Lightning similar to the Third Raikage's secret technique?"
"Just by exchanging Hiden technique scrolls with Jiraiya, he developed Black Lightning in a few months? What amazing Ninjutsu talent. No wonder he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique and Mito-sama's Yin Seal in such a short time."
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, Gojo Yoru looked more and more like Senju Tobirama.
If not for the lack of massive Chakra, Sarutobi Hiruzen would really suspect that Gojo Yoru might also have the blood of the Senju Clan.
"Hokage-sama, Sakumo-sama sent back intelligence."
An Anbu figure appeared out of thin air, handing over a scroll with a Sealing Jutsu.
Taking it and opening it, a smile soon appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
Immediately, he picked up the photo given by Gojo Yoru and handed it to the Anbu, instructing: "Mass-produce copies of this photo, then seal them in storage scrolls, and have Jonin Gojo transport them to Sakumo."
"Yes."
...
At noon.
A piece of news, a piece of intelligence, and photos suddenly spread from the White Fang battle line at the junction of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, quickly spreading to the entire four-nation battlefield.
The Black Flash Gojo Yoru became famous throughout the Ninja World again, becoming the most dazzling supernova!
Ebizo, the Elder and King of Intelligence of Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, the younger brother of the Kazekage's Assistant Chiyo, along with fifty-four Anbu members, were instantly killed by Konoha's Black Flash using the Flying Thunder God Technique and Flying Thunder God Slash in a cave in the Land of Rivers!
Verified by Konoha, Ebizo was the real person.
At the same time, Konoha released the list of hidden lines planted by Ebizo in various countries for free.
News and intelligence could be fabricated, but photos... couldn't be faked in this era.
The cave with no traces of battle or Ninjutsu, and the nauseating minced corpses all over the ground, proved that Konoha's external propaganda was true!
This also shocked the ninjas of the four countries, including Konoha, immensely.
Instant kill, not a one-against-fifty-five slaughter!
At this moment, the Flying Thunder God Technique, whose deterrence had declined significantly over the years due to the Second Hokage's death in battle, had its name as a Super S-rank Ninjutsu spread throughout the Ninja World again.
People recalled the man who signed a contract with the sea and was hailed as the fastest ninja in the Ninja World.
Regardless of how Gojo Yoru did it, his record of instantly killing fifty-five Sand ninjas was an indisputable fact.
And the ninjas he instantly killed weren't small characters, but a Sunagakure elder and elite-level Anbu. The value was simply too high.
The title of Number One Speed in the Ninja World began to spread gradually.
Less than a year after the war started, Gojo Yoru was about to have a second title.
No record or stage could compare to the fame speed of establishing merit on the battlefield.
Regardless of whether the intelligence released by Konoha for free was true or false, the other five major powers and various small countries began to arrest and interrogate those hidden lines.
Sunagakure would definitely be greatly weakened.
Who knew how many years it would take for the intelligence agency to recover.
...
Amegakure, Tower.
"Didn't they set up a barrier in the cave? This is impossible."
Hanzo the Salamander looked at the photo in his hand, his eyes full of dread: "In other words, even Anbu with various unique skills, top-notch in certain fields, and barriers couldn't crack his ability to hide Chakra aura?"
"What kind of Hiden technique is that? Even Transparent Release is nothing more than this, right?"
Looking at the Rain ninja who handed up the intelligence, Hanzo the Salamander suddenly spoke: "Pass the order down: if you encounter Konoha's Black Flash during a mission, you can choose to abandon the mission and flee. Just save your lives; this old man won't punish them."
"Yes!"
The Rain ninja's heart trembled, then he lowered his head.
...
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's Office.
"Dad, this photo can't be fake, right?" Kitsuchi's eyes trembled, saying in disbelief, "An elder of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, along with more than fifty Anbu, were killed by him without even the ability to resist. This, this... isn't this too absurd?"
Kitsuchi wanted to say that he didn't even kill chickens that fast.
Describing those high-level combatants like that was very impolite and self-deprecating.
After all, he wasn't even a high-level combatant yet. Did that mean in front of the Black Flash, he was less than a chicken, just a small fry?
Was the Flying Thunder God Technique that terrifying?!
Onoki ignored Kitsuchi but examined the photo in his hand carefully, looking for details to analyze.
"Every corpse was dismembered, and not just split in two, but cut into several pieces. This isn't something ordinary ninja tools and nature transformation can do. It's said that the brat has the Second Hokage's Raijin Sword, one of the sharpest ninja tools."
"This tragic state of death should be the work of that sword."
Staring at the Flying Thunder God formulas all over the ground in the photo, a trace of dread finally appeared in Onoki's eyes: "This cave is obviously a secret base. Someone must have checked it in advance and set up one or even multiple barriers. It's impossible for him to set up Flying Thunder God formulas in this place in advance."
"But as it happens, this brat did it."
"Could it be that his Flying Thunder God Technique no longer needs formulas as coordinates to teleport? Is this possible? If so, he can teleport at will. People with slow neural reaction speeds would be instantly killed upon seeing him; there's no need to ambush them in a cave."
"Konoha doesn't need to probe and stall with us either. He alone can affect the entire situation, entering any place as if no one were there."
"If his Flying Thunder God Technique hasn't surpassed the Second Hokage, it means there's another reason."
Onoki thought of the Second Tsuchikage's title and concluded: "This brat possesses a concealment ability similar to Dustless Bewildering Cover. Even Anbu with various unique skills and barriers couldn't discover his Chakra, so he could set up so many Flying Thunder God formulas and kill them instantly with Flying Thunder God Slash."
"Pass the order down: combat units and support units must be vigilant. Try not to gather usually. When forced to assemble, someone must check the ground."
"Yes."
...
Land of Wind, Border Base.
"Brother, I'm sorry..."
Chiyo looked at the photo in her hand with blurred vision, her voice trembling, her heart cutting like a knife.
Her face was already covered in tears.
Then her expression suddenly became ferocious. She crumpled the photo in her hand, her eyes full of hatred: "Don't worry, Sister won't let you feel lonely. I'll make more Konoha ninjas accompany you to the Pure Land."
Looking at the adjutant beside her, Chiyo gritted her teeth: "Report to the Kazekage, have Bunpuku come to guard the border base. This old woman wants to shift the battle line."
"Yes!"
The adjutant responded apprehensively.
As a member of the command team, he could already foresee that the war situation was about to change.
Unless the Kazekage came in person, no one could stop Chiyo.
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