Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Chapter 94 Still Water Opens Its Eyes!

Konoha Building, Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, the flame in his pipe flickering, his face somewhat blurred by the swirling smoke.

Jiraiya stood opposite him, having just returned from Tanabata Street, his body still bearing the smell of travel dust from the journey.

After the secret agents left, only the master and apprentice remained in the room.

He recounted Tsunade's situation in detail.

After listening, the third generation did not speak immediately.

He took a deep drag of his pipe, the tobacco hissing softly, and then slowly exhaled.

The white mist dispersed in the air, blurring his face.

He lowered his head, looked at the thin intelligence report on the table, and remained silent for a long time.

"I never expected it to turn out like this!"

His voice was calm, so calm that it surprised Jiraiya.

"Old man!" Jiraiya couldn't help but step forward, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety. "That's Tsunade!"

How could we let her get into this situation?

"We must find a way to resolve this! Otherwise—"

"Otherwise, where would we place Konoha?"

His voice echoed in the office, carrying both the apprentice's questioning of his master and his anxiety for his companion's safety.

The third generation raised his hand and gently pressed it down.

The movement was light, yet it carried an undeniable composure.

Jiraiya's words caught in his throat, and he reluctantly shut his mouth.

The third generation slowly raised his head, looked at the disciple in front of him who was still agitated and unable to calm down, and sighed slightly in his heart.

This child is still the same as always. He can't calm down when it comes to Tsunade.

"Jiraiya." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "You need to understand, that's something even Tsunade herself couldn't undo. If even she couldn't do it, what do you think you could do?"

Jiraiya's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

"You know how many years it took Tsunade to successfully construct the Yin Seal."

The Third Hokage continued, "With that kind of chakra control and that kind of precision, you can't find many people in the entire ninja world."

"The very conditions required for its creation have already eliminated countless people, let alone its removal."

He paused, his gaze falling on Jiraiya's face.

"And in Konoha—who now surpasses you, surpasses Tsunade, in the skill of sealing techniques?"

This question is like a stone thrown into a lake.

In fact, the same name appeared in the minds of both master and disciple: Kushina.

That woman from the Uzumaki clan who always smiled, that once carefree yet gentle and sensitive Jinchūriki.

That person who had an amazing talent for sealing techniques, and who had a fiery and straightforward temper, is no longer here.

On the night of the Nine-Tails, Konoha lost its youngest Hokage, and it also lost her.

If she were still alive—

The third generation shook his head, banishing those "ifs" from his mind.

"This matter," his voice regained its composure, "has exceeded Konoha's current capabilities."

"But I will have people search for a solution, no matter how long it takes."

He glanced at Jiraiya and added, "At least, even if we can't undo it for now, I'll have someone devise a way to isolate the other party's control and give it to Tsunade."

Jiraiya was taken aback.

He was indeed anxious just now. As soon as he heard that Tsunade had become someone else's puppet, all he could think about was "release".

But they forgot that besides lifting restrictions, there is also the option of isolation.

Since the problem cannot be solved internally, we should try to solve it externally by cutting off the other party's means of control.

He should have thought of this idea much earlier.

"----I see."

Jiraiya's voice calmed down a bit, and the impatience on his face gradually faded, replaced by his usual firmness.

"I'll leave this matter to you, old man."

He paused for a moment, as if he were considering something, and then continued.

"Next, I will travel to various places to continue investigating the clues about that mysterious masked man."

"Similarly—let's see if we can find a way to get rid of Tsunade's troubles."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"etc."

The voice of the third generation came from behind.

Jiraiya stopped and looked back.

The third generation looked at him with a helpless expression, but his expression also carried a kind of persistence that knew the answer yet still wanted to ask.

"Jiraiya," the Third Hokage's voice was soft, "are you willing to take over the position of Hokage?"

Jiraiya paused for a moment, then pointed to his own nose and made a funny face.

"I?"

He shook his head, his tone tinged with cynicism.

"Old man, stop joking. You know me. Even if Orochimaru were the Hokage, he would be a hundred times better than me."

""

really.

The third generation sighed inwardly; he had known this answer all along.

From the moment I opened my mouth, I knew this would be the outcome.

"Alright," the Third Hokage waved his hand, his tone full of helplessness, "I knew you would refuse. But I really have no one else to choose from."

Jiraiya shrugged and casually joked, "Isn't Orochimaru still there?"

He refused.

The third generation's voice was as calm as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."

Jiraiya's smile froze for a moment, then returned to his indifferent expression, but a hint of complexity lingered in his eyes.

The third generation also had no choice.

Jiraiya knew he couldn't stay in Konoha any longer; if he did, the old man might really conscript him to be Hokage.

"Solving Tsunade's problem is the most important thing!" he said quickly. "I'm leaving!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already slipped out of the office.

The door closed behind him, leaving Sandai alone in the empty office.

He shook his head with a wry smile, picked up his pipe again, and took a deep drag.

The rising smoke blurred his features.

Outside the window, the lights of Konoha gradually came on, illuminating the village, which had recently experienced trauma, with warmth and peace.

The third generation looked down at the documents on the table, his gaze deep.

Tsunade's problem must be properly addressed.

We must never give anyone else the opportunity to destabilize Konoha.

He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, which dissipated under the light like a silent sigh.

It seems that Konoha has suddenly lost its leader.

A few weeks later, Uchiha Shisui followed his senior ANBU operatives to the border of the Land of Fire to carry out a mission.

At the start, everything seemed normal. The mission briefing only indicated routine tasks such as clearing out bandits and investigating suspicious outposts, with moderate difficulty, which was not a big deal for the secret service.

However, when the real enemy emerged from the shadows, everyone realized that the intelligence was wrong.

This is not a band of roving bandits; it is a well-trained and elite force.

From the very beginning, they were on the defensive; the enemy seemed to know their every move, and each raid was precise.

Strike at the weakest link.

"careful--!"

A sharp shout exploded in my ears.

Shisui suddenly looked up and saw a figure rushing towards him from the side, shoving him aside.

A kunai grazed his cheek, drawing a trickle of blood, while the senior behind him had a kunai embedded in his chest.

Blood splattered before Shi Shui's eyes.

The scarlet color was exactly the same as the color of the three magatama.

The elder's body slowly fell, like a felled tree.

Shisui stood still, his pupils contracting sharply. In his eyes, the three tomoe began to spin wildly, faster and faster, until they finally merged into one.

The magatama shattered and reformed into a completely new shape, with sharp patterns like those of a shuriken slowly emerging on a scarlet background.

Kaleidoscope Sharingan.

opened!

Shisui looked down at his hands, then looked around.

The enemy had surrounded him from all sides, and his last comrade had fallen beside him.

There were no reinforcements and no way to retreat.

He was all alone now.

He slowly raised his head, the shock and sorrow on his face gone, replaced by a cold calm.

Those Mangekyou Sharingan eyes shone brightly in the dim light, like two silent, burning flames.

The ninja sword is drawn.

Shisui's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The power of the Mangekyou Sharingan was on full display at this moment. His dynamic vision was enhanced to the extreme, and every micro-expression and every muscle contraction of the enemy was clearly visible to him.

The illusion spread along his gaze; he only glanced at it, and the nearest enemy froze in place, their eyes unfocused.

The blade sliced ​​through the air, leaving a cold glint in its wake.

Blood gushed from the man's throat, and Shi Shui's figure had already swept towards the next target.

A knife.

A flash.

Another cut.

Another flash.

His figure moved through the enemy ranks like a ghost.

Every appearance takes a life, every disappearance leaves behind a corpse.

Those enemies who had just held an absolute advantage were now filled with terror; they couldn't even see their opponents' movements.

A moment later.

The last enemy collapsed, clutching his throat, his eyes filled with resentment and confusion.

Shisui stood still, breathing heavily.

Blood dripped from the blade of the ninja sword, one drop, two drops, falling into the soil at its feet.

His arms trembled slightly, not from fear, but because his physical strength had reached its limit.

Those Mangekyou Sharingan eyes were still shining, reflecting the corpses scattered on the ground and the silent mountains and forests in the distance.

On a distant cliff, two figures were hidden in the shadows.

"Truly outstanding talent."

Obito's voice came from under the mask, as calm as if he were evaluating an object.

"What a pity, he was an idealist who followed the Will of Fire of Konoha."

His gaze fell on the panting figure, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Konoha might be able to tolerate the Uchiha without the Mangekyou Sharingan, since even the strongest three-tomoe Sharingan has its limits."

"But now—this new pair of kaleidoscopes has appeared at just the right time."

Zetsu's figure slowly rose from the ground, his voice low and deep: "The higher-ups of Konoha witnessed the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan back then."

"Yes." Obito tilted his head slightly, a cold smile appearing beneath his mask. "They saw with their own eyes the Nine-Tails' eyes transform into the Sharingan."

He withdrew his gaze and looked again at the lonely figure in the distance.

On the night of the Nine-Tails, he used his Mangekyou Sharingan to control the Tailed Beast, causing Konoha to pay the price of losing a Hokage.

That disaster brought the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha clan to its peak.

Now, at such a sensitive time, another Uchiha has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

What will the higher-ups in Konoha choose?

To continue to tolerate it, or —

Obito's figure slowly twisted and merged into the void.

"I'm really looking forward to it."

His voice faded into the wind, carrying a sense of detached enjoyment.

In the shadows, only half of Jue's body remained, still watching the boy.

On the open ground below the mountain, Shisui finally put away his Sharingan, bent down, and silently helped up the body of his senior.