I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

Two were slain, one fled, and with no one left to maintain the thick mist, it gradually began to dissipate.

And so…

The Daimyō witnessed everything with perfect clarity.

“This… What kind of jutsu is this?”

The entire river seemed to rise, its waters surging back in a massive wave that engulfed the surroundings.

He was dumbfounded.

He had never seen a jutsu like this before!

“It should be Earth-Style Wall,” Minato muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Although, judging by its sheer scale, it looked more like Earth Wall. But from the structure of the walls, it seemed to be just a standard Earth-Style Wall.

Only…

This scale was absolutely insane.

“This is Earth-Style Wall?” The Daimyō was stunned into silence for a long moment before a wave of admiration and awe washed over him.

No doubt, this was the power of the Senju bloodline!

Having forced his opponent into the open, Kyoichi quickly formed seals. The moisture in the air condensed around him, instantaneously forming a massive water dragon.

The Mist Jōnin was utterly dumbfounded.

His own jutsu was instantly shattered, while Kyoichi’s water dragon remained completely intact, surging toward him with relentless force.

What the hell…

Who was the real Kirigakure ninja here?

Why was this kid’s Water Release stronger than his own?!

He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

But now wasn’t the time to think—this young man was clearly a terrifying opponent. And so young, too! If Konoha had such a prodigy, he had to escape and deliver this intelligence.

Taking advantage of the lingering mist, he activated Mist Body Flicker and fled without hesitation.

However…

He hadn’t gone far before he sensed something was wrong.

That genjutsu!

He immediately drew his kunai.

Clang!

A crisp metallic clash rang out.

As expected—there was a blade!

A chill ran down his spine, and he was forced to dispel the mist.

The Konoha shinobi had appeared.

At this moment, he had no intention of fighting Kyoichi to the death—he only wanted to escape and report back.

As he ran, he rapidly formed seals.

Landing on the river’s surface, he slammed his palm down, summoning five ferocious sharks.

Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks!

Kyoichi recalled how those same sharks had just torn corpses apart.

Kisame had used jutsu to self-destruct—who was to say this guy wouldn’t do the same?

“Forget it, getting the corpse is good enough.”

Kyoichi abandoned the idea of taking him alive.

In the next instant, his blade left its sheath.

A flash of light.

The Mist Jōnin’s instincts screamed danger—he immediately dived into the water and formed seals to create a Water Formation Wall.

However…

The moment the blade struck—

One slash!

A Wind Release sword technique cleaved through the river, creating a brief vacuum of empty space.

Blood dyed the waters red. A lifeless body floated to the surface.

“Magnificient!”

The Daimyō’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

He wasn’t a shinobi, but even he could tell from the sheer power and scale of the battle—this young man was incredibly strong. And given his age…

Such a prodigy…

If only he could bring him under his influence…

Countless thoughts swirled in his mind.

Meanwhile, Minato used a Shadow Clone to teleport to Aoba Yamashiro’s side. Unfortunately, the two corpses from earlier had been utterly shredded. Only the one Kyoichi had slain remained relatively intact.

Aoba returned to formation, while his summoning crow remained in the air, keeping watch. The convoy pressed forward, while Kyoichi discussed with Minato’s clone.

“They originally planned to detonate the bridge before attacking. When I crossed, I sensed a faint chakra presence below. Sure enough, after I made my move, I found someone hiding there.”

Kyoichi retrieved an explosive tag.

“I found this under the bridge.”@@novelbin@@

Minato’s expression turned grave.

All three enemy shinobi had scratched forehead protectors, a common sign of rogue-nin. However…

It was obvious they weren’t actually rogue-nin.

Since when did rogue-nin target a Daimyō?

That was suicide!

“It’s fortunate you managed to recover a body.”

Minato took a deep breath.

These three were fanatics, utterly unafraid of death.

If they had succeeded in assassinating the Daimyō, the Land of Fire would have been thrown into chaos. In that case, it wouldn’t just be Kirigakure launching an attack—both Iwagakure and Kumogakure, having bided their time, would seize the opportunity as well.

Konoha wasn’t capable of fighting all three villages at once.

Kirigakure was truly sinister!

“There must be many Kirigakure spies within the Land of Fire. This plan has been in the works for a long time.”

However…

Kyoichi couldn’t help but feel that perhaps the Third Hokage had allowed this on purpose.

Would Kirigakure really have made a move if the Daimyō hadn’t left his palace?

Unlikely.

Even with just this one recovered corpse, they had still obtained valuable intelligence.

“Alright, I’ll send the body back immediately. Hopefully, the Intelligence Division can extract any lingering memories.”

Minato used Flying Thunder God to deliver the scroll back to Konoha.

The journey continued.

Along the way, Aoba Yamashiro detected multiple traces of enemies. Kyoichi also noticed some lurking shinobi—but they remained distant, never fully approaching. The moment they entered his range, they immediately withdrew.

Hunting them down was too much trouble.

But…

It was clear that Land of Fire had many foreign operatives hiding within.

Then again, that was inevitable.

Every nation had spies in each other’s territories. A Daimyō’s movements were impossible to keep secret.

However…

All of this was a sign that war was brewing once more.

Not long after the conflict with Sunagakure had ended, it seemed Iwagakure and Kirigakure were preparing to make their moves.

Once they crossed the bridge, the enemy presence faded.

After confirming their safety, the Daimyō decided to stop and rest.

Kyoichi and the others had no choice but to obey.

However…

During this time, the Daimyō requested a private meeting with Kyoichi.

Kyoichi hadn’t wanted to meet him.

This Daimyō was still young—he seemed gentle, but in truth, he had great ambition. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have later established the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

He was no Asuma. Getting involved with him would only bring trouble.

Inside his carriage, the Daimyō lifted the curtain and asked, “Are you a descendant of the Second Hokage?”

“…Something like that.”

Kyoichi didn’t deny it.

His grandmother bore a striking resemblance to Tobirama Senju. Before the clan had disbanded, she had closely followed his teachings. She was one of his loyal subordinates.

And the Hoshida family techniques were also originally Tobirama’s.

“I have admired the Second Hokage since childhood. Many see the First Hokage as the greatest, but in my eyes, the Second was just as vital. Without him, Konoha wouldn’t be what it is today.”

The Daimyō sighed.

Clearly, he was trying to build a rapport with Kyoichi.

If he had been speaking to Tsunade, he would’ve been praising Hashirama instead.

Kyoichi merely smiled. “The Senju Clan is gone. Their glory belongs to the past—it has nothing to do with me.”

“If one has the strength, the Senju’s glory can be revived.”

“That depends on Lady Tsunade. If she wishes to restore the Senju name, I would, of course, be duty-bound to assist.”

Kyoichi’s tone remained indifferent.

The Daimyō fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

The Daimyō lowered the curtain, no longer pressing the matter. Instead, he casually asked about Kyoichi’s age, rank, and experiences, even requesting that he recount some of his past missions as if they were stories.

Once their rest was over, he signaled for the convoy to resume its journey.

After that, he never summoned Kyoichi again.

Since Minato was leading the mission, once they returned to the village, Kyoichi didn’t stay with the group. Instead, he called Asuma and the others to grab some ramen.

Aoba Yamashiro seemed somewhat reserved.

He had initially wanted to treat everyone, but Kyoichi refused.

After all, ramen wasn’t expensive—he could afford to cover it himself.

Asuma, however, seemed lost in thought. He absentmindedly ate his ramen, but his mind was occupied with images of Kyoichi and the Daimyō speaking together.

What exactly had they talked about?

His curiosity was killing him!

“Alright, make sure to keep up your training. This mission is over, but things might not be so peaceful in the future. Everyone should be prepared.”

Kyoichi stretched lazily.

Asuma recalled how his teacher had told him to study the Hiding in Mist Technique.

After everything that had happened today…

He was beginning to understand. He lowered his voice and asked, “Sensei, do you think the east will make a move?”

“It’s hard to say for sure, but they’re certainly growing restless.”