Starting with Wood Release, he survives in Konoha Hospital and becomes a big shot.

This person was the Chunin who had previously harmed himself and then sought treatment from Yakusei.

“Also, I checked the surroundings, and there seem to be other ninjas besides us. I suspect they are from the Anbu or Root, but they aren’t very strong; they should be around Chunin level,” another ninja said.

In front of these ninjas stood a masked man with bandages wrapped around his upper body and a black vest over it. His most striking features were his long green hair and the two swords stuck in his back.

"It's still too close to Konoha from here. I only have one chance to make a move. Are you sure you can get close to that brat?" the green-haired man said directly.

"Rest assured, sir. Before he died, Kawano left us information, telling us that he would reveal his identity to Hoshiki and make him aware of his role as a spy for the Land of Water. Judging from the later outcome, although Kawano died at the hands of that mysterious Ming Shiyin, he must have told Hoshiki about it beforehand. Otherwise, he wouldn't have continued to approach Tsunade as planned and even become her disciple. His sacrifices for the Land of Water are worth the risk!" the blond ninja said in a deep voice.

The incident at the Konoha orphanage had a significant impact on the Land of Water's spy network in Konoha.

First, they lost a loyal intelligence agent, which also attracted Konoha's attention, forcing them to lie low for some time and not daring to make any rash moves.

Originally, they all thought that Kawano's unauthorized actions had caused them great losses, and even risked exposing the entire Land of Water's spy network. However, not long after, they obtained the intelligence that Kawano left for them before his death and learned about Kawano's plan.

The plan is to let the three-year-old Yaksha know his identity in advance, so that he can use his talent in medical ninjutsu to get close to Princess Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. Once the plan is successful, the Land of Water will have driven a deep wedge into the upper echelons of Konoha, and its value will be beyond imagination.

It's important to know that Yao Xingji is only three years old. Being exposed to these high-ranking ninjas of Konoha at such a young age will be extremely beneficial to his future development. Even if he doesn't become Hokage, as long as he holds an important position in Konoha in the future, the intelligence he provides will be of immense value.

Therefore, after Ming Shiyin caused a great disturbance in Konoha Village on the night of the peony, the Land of Water took advantage of Konoha's shift in focus and began to become active again.

They risked their lives to approach Yao Xingji and investigate his situation.

However, since they were inside Konoha before, they dared not act rashly and could only wait for an opportunity. Unexpectedly, Yao Xingji left the village soon, so they immediately began to make arrangements and came up with this action plan.

However, things were still somewhat rushed, and their preparations were very limited. Fortunately, after the message was sent back, a very powerful ninja from the Land of Water happened to be on a mission in the Land of Fire, so he was temporarily dispatched to assist them in completing this contact plan.

"I didn't expect this kid to have such a talent for medical ninjutsu, enough to catch Tsunade's attention." Mentioning Tsunade's name, the green-haired ninja's eyes became more serious.

"Remember this: when the lightning shoots into the sky, no matter what you're doing, retreat immediately. Otherwise, not only will you yourselves be exposed, but I might also be implicated. Understand?"

After a moment of contemplation, the green-haired ninja spoke in a low voice.

"Understood!" the ninjas replied immediately.

They all knew that this operation was extremely dangerous. Although this place was outside Konoha Village, it was still very close to the village. Once a battle broke out, Konoha's ninjas would arrive very quickly.

"Then let me hold a grand funeral for these children! Haha!" The green-haired ninja's voice suddenly became excited and hoarse, as if he had been stimulated by something, and tears even appeared in his eyes.

"By the way, sir, from what we know so far, among these Chunin there is not only Kakashi Hatake, the son of the Anbu captain, but also Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Third Hokage, and a brat from the Uchiha clan..." a ninja suddenly remembered something and reminded him.

The green-haired ninja: "..."

"I think it's not too late for us to abandon the mission now!"

------------

Chapter 45 The Dark Side of Konoha

"Abandon the mission?"

Upon hearing this, the ninjas from the Land of Water were all stunned.

Why are they suddenly giving up on the mission? They paid a heavy price for this mission, and the opportunity was rare. Yao Xingji had finally managed to leave Konoha Village. If they don't act now, who knows when they'll get another chance.

"The son of the Anbu captain, the son of the Hokage—do you think all the Anbu in Konoha are idiots?" the green-haired ninja roared.

His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings, and his expression beneath the mask was somewhat unpleasant.

He suspected that he had fallen into Konoha's trap.

Why would that brat suddenly leave Konoha when the situation is so unstable?

Moreover, although the children accompanying him were only Chunin, their own strength and the people behind them were among the top in Konoha. Wasn't this premeditated?

"Does the master mean... we've fallen into Konoha's trap? He deliberately lured us out using the Star-level technique?" The blond-haired ninja understood almost immediately.

Having infiltrated Konoha as spies for so long, none of them were fools; they now understood the green-haired ninja's meaning.

“But that’s not right. I don’t sense any other ninjas’ chakra around here,” the sensory ninja in the group said, frowning.

When Yao Xingji suddenly left Konoha to go to the village and catch fish outside, they couldn't help but suspect it might be a trap.

So they carefully sensed their surroundings along the way and found nothing unusual, which is why they decided to carry out the plan; otherwise, they would have gone back long ago.

The green-haired ninja frowned and asked, "Didn't you just say you sensed Konoha ANBU ninjas around? What's going on?"

“Reporting to you, sir, this ninja’s chakra has been consistently present near Hoshino, even back when we were at the Konoha Hospital. Therefore, we believe he was sent by the Konoha Anbu or Root to monitor Hoshino. Apart from this person’s chakra, I haven’t sensed anyone else’s chakra. In other words, there is at most one Anbu ninja here,” the sensing ninja said solemnly.

The green-haired ninja remained silent, gazing at the faintly visible wooden house by the river. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Don't act rashly yet. Let's wait until tonight. I'll contact the Anbu of the Land of Water to see if we can get any support."

"I don't want to prepare for my own funeral!"

Finally, the green-haired ninja added one more sentence.

"Yes, my lord!"

The ninjas from the Land of Water were quite convinced of the person before them, both by his strength and by the two uniquely shaped ninja swords he carried on his back.

On the other side, the Hokage Building.

In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his large desk, leisurely smoking.

"Have Kakashi and the others reached the riverside cabin yet?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"We've arrived." Danzo nodded calmly.

"How confident are you that we can lure out the spies from the Land of Water this time?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked after a moment of contemplation.

"It's hard to say. Our plan has many flaws and may be exposed, but we'll have to try to find out."

"The medicine master Xingji overheard Ming Shiyin and Kawano talking. We've already spread the word about this. If those parasites in the Land of Water don't want their information to be leaked, they'll definitely take action. It's not easy to make a move in Konoha, so let's create an opportunity for them to do so."

Danzo said without even blinking.

"Unfortunately, Yakushi Hoshiki didn't hear anything," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"But the spies from the Land of Water don't know that, in order to ensure their secrets aren't leaked, they will most likely take action to eliminate Yakushi Hoshiki."

"And this is our best opportunity."

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!

"Speaking of this, Hiruzen, you shouldn't have stopped me from reading Yakushi Seiki's memories in the first place. I always felt that there might be something hidden in his memories." Danzo glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“Tsunade’s attitude is very clear. Besides, our goal at the time was that Wood Release ninja, and that Ming Shi Yin has already jumped out on his own. There’s no need to make things difficult for Tsunade.” Hiruzen Sarutobi said lightly.

"Hmph!" Danzo snorted coldly and said nothing more.

"Can you guarantee the child's safety?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

Although he didn't mention a name, Danzo clearly knew who the child represented, and replied directly, "To avoid alerting them, our people are lying in ambush at a relatively far distance. With Kakashi and the others' strength, they should be able to hold out for a while. As for that child, we'll see. After all, he's their main target. The others might be fine, but he..."

"What a pity, he was a promising talent." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head slightly.

"Heh, when have you, Hiruzen, ever cared about these things? There are plenty of talented ninjas in Konoha, and they've all sacrificed themselves." Danzo sneered, "Besides, he's just a wild child picked up on the battlefield whose origins are unknown. In our hearts, those who are not of our kind are bound to have different intentions."

"Oh no, actually, there are some people in Konoha that neither you nor I can trust, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo, stood up, and slowly walked to the window, quietly gazing at Konoha under the sunlight.

Sunlight streamed down and fell upon Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Danzo, standing not far away in the shadows, appeared even more sinister.

"You are the leaves bathed in sunlight, while I am the roots buried deep in the ground."

Danzo lowered his eyelids and thought to himself.

As dusk settled, Kakashi and the others had caught enough fish in the riverside cabin, while Kurenai and Rin had started a fire and prepared plenty of seasonings to grill the fish.

The delicious aroma wafted through the smoke, and Yao Xingji, the first to be grilled, was the envy of everyone.

"It's so delicious."

The medicine star was extremely delicious.

The freshly caught fish is very tender. After grilling, it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Peel off the outer layer of charred fish skin, and you will find plenty of melt-in-your-mouth fish meat inside.

"Eat slowly, there's more to come. Also, you're still young, you can't eat too much, or you'll have indigestion," Nohara Rin reminded her from the side.

"Okay, Sister Lin." Yao Xingji nodded obediently.

"Rin, come here quickly, I snatched this fish from Kakashi for you." Obito Uchiha ran over quickly, handed the grilled fish to Rin Nohara, and smiled brightly.

"Can you out-steal Kakashi?" Nohara Rin asked with a smile, taking the grilled fish as she did so.

"Kakashi is nothing, what can't we beat?" Obito Uchiha said confidently.

"Obito, don't talk big..." Sarutobi Asuma's voice came over.

"Youth is wonderful!" Kai, feeling the sweetness of being shown affection, devoured a whole grilled fish in one bite.

……

Looking at the noisy crowd in front of him, Yao Xingji's eyes flickered slightly, as if a light was flashing within them.

The people in front of him were familiar in some ways, since they were all characters from his favorite comics, but they were also strangers, since they were not his real friends.

Those who used to stay up all night watching Naruto with him are gone forever.

"My hometown is far away, and all news of it is cut off. I weep silently, and my breath is about to burst!" Yao Xingji murmured to himself.

Perhaps he needs to learn to accept this world.

------------

Chapter 46 Mutation

As night fell, after everyone finished eating the grilled fish, they sat around the campfire in front of the house and sang noisily.

Yao Xingji had never heard these songs before. There are actually very few songs sung by anime characters in Naruto, especially those of the main characters, who have never sung a single song. After all, everyone is busy training and fighting, so they don't have time to sing and have fun. If they did, the audience would probably say it was just filler.

However, today, Yao Xingji was very fortunate to hear everyone sing, especially Kakashi singing in a very serious manner.

I must say, it's pretty good.

Kakashi is naturally handsome. Although he always wears a mask, his facial features are still faintly visible. Coupled with his striking white hair and powerful talent, he is the epitome of a top student. The mask only adds to his mystique, and with his deep voice, he is simply the coolest guy in the cabin.

Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi's gazes towards Kakashi were clearly filled with hearts, which aroused envy and jealousy from Asuma Sarutobi and Obito Uchiha, who also felt a great threat.

Yao Xingji sat to the side, mostly watching the show.

"I never expected Kakashi to have this side to him. He seems quite different from the Kakashi I saw in Naruto."

"Oh right, Kakashi's personality only changed drastically after Sakumo Hatake committed suicide, becoming depressed and indifferent. Now that Sakumo Hatake is still alive and well, this should have a significant positive impact on him. I guess I won't be able to see the depressed and indifferent Kakashi from the original Naruto."

"Yes, the sunset is really beautiful."

Finally, Yao Xingji's gaze fell on Yuhi Kurenai, a gaze of pure admiration.