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

"With everyone back to back, and the fog so thick, there must be at least forty or fifty people using this technique. This is beyond our capabilities. Let's wait for rescue!" Kakashi said, his face pale.

Upon hearing that there were forty or fifty people who had used the Mist Concealment Technique, everyone's expression changed.

Waiting for rescue?

But so much time has passed, where is Konoha's rescue?

Not only did they not receive any rescue, but Orochimaru, whom they had seen earlier, also seemed to have run away.

Despair spread through everyone's hearts.

Leaf.

Without warning, a large-scale fog spread out of the forest, quickly covering the area outside Konoha and beginning to spread into Konoha.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo, the leader of Root, had just led a large number of ninjas over the walls of Konoha, but what greeted them was an endless expanse of grayish-white mist.

"This fog...how can it cover such a vast area?!"

Many ninjas were stunned by what they saw.

They had seen the technique of concealing mist before, but they had never seen such a large area and such a high concentration of mist.

Just as everyone was looking grim and unsure of what to do, the mist distorted, and they saw a snake emerge.

Cough cough cough...

It was Lord Orochimaru who swam out.

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

Chapter Sixty-One: Hidden Leaf Village

"Orochimaru? What happened? How did you manage to summon Manda to fight?"

Upon seeing Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately inquired.

Orochimaru noticed the Konoha members and immediately swam over, retracting his snake tail and transforming back into human form.

"The Hidden Mist Village sent the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. I encountered three of them, and I'm not sure if there are any others. They are very strong, have excellent teamwork, and possess ninja swords with special abilities. Their strength has exceeded that of elite Jonin. I couldn't defeat them, so I had to flee back for the time being," Orochimaru said with a gloomy expression.

I had a rather embarrassing escape, especially since so many people saw me, so I have to give my opponent a shout-out.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? What are they doing here?"

"It is said that they are all very strong, far surpassing ordinary elite Jonin, and their ninja swords are also extremely formidable."

"What are such powerful ninjas from the Hidden Mist Sect doing on the outskirts of Konoha? Do they want to start a war with Konoha?"

……

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, the expressions of all the ninjas changed.

Some warmongers were already showing excitement, eager to rush into the mist and kill the enemy, hoping to make a name for themselves. Others, however, were filled with worry, knowing that once war broke out, a catastrophe would engulf the entire ninja world.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression also became much more serious at this moment.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are a special operations group directly under the Mizukage. Does their presence in this place really mean that Kirigakure has designs on Konoha?

It's important to understand that the current situation in the ninja world is extremely chaotic. With Konoha holding a dominant position, the other major ninja nations are showing signs of forming an alliance. The Land of Water, isolated overseas, doesn't usually participate much in the struggles between the major powers, but their reaction this time is truly extraordinary.

"What's going on inside this fog?" Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then looked at the few ninjas beside him, one of whom possessed the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.

“Lord Hokage, this mist contains a lot of chakra, which is not something that an ordinary ninja can release, nor can it be done by just one or two people. My Byakugan can't see far enough; I can only see about two or three hundred meters. I can't do anything beyond that,” the Hyuga clan ninja said immediately.

The Byakugan's X-ray vision has met its match at this moment. Although they can see through things, they can't see through everything, especially this special mist containing a large amount of chakra, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of their X-ray vision.

"Immediately organize personnel to investigate. If any Hidden Mist ninjas are found, do not act rashly; immediately relay the message," Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered.

Upon receiving the order, the ANBU ninjas immediately took action, with many rushing directly into the fog.

On the other side, the Root ninjas had already arrived. Those who knew Wind Release ninjutsu began to use it, trying to disperse the fog. However, after trying, they discovered a problem: the fog was too dense and was constantly spreading. Their Wind Release ninjutsu could only disperse a small area of ​​fog, and after the ninjutsu ended, a large amount of fog would spread back, rendering their efforts futile.

"Lord Danzo, something's not right. The people inside are still continuously using the Hidden Mist Technique, and our Wind Release ninjutsu isn't very effective," a Root ninja reported with a grim expression.

The wind in the forest at night is usually weak, making it difficult for the fog to disperse. Although they could use Wind Release ninjutsu to disperse the fog, that was only after the Mist Concealment Technique had been stopped. However, it seemed that the people inside were still recklessly using the Mist Concealment Technique, and their speed in dispersing the fog could not keep up with the speed at which the ninja world was creating fog.

"Damn it, don't they need to fight? What's the point of running to Konoha's gates and using Hidden Mist Technique to annoy Konoha?" one ninja cursed under his breath.

Indeed, such a massive amount of fog cannot be created by just one or two people; it would require at least dozens of people working together. But what is the point of so many people continuously casting the Fog Concealment Technique? It's a huge waste of chakra. If the purpose is to conceal their movements during battle, they have no need to do this at all.

It seems that it serves no purpose other than to disgust Konoha.

Perhaps tomorrow the ninja world will hear news that Konoha was swept away by the Hidden Mist Technique, but what good will it do?

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand it, Danzo couldn't understand it either, and the other ninjas were also completely baffled.

However, since the enemy has already reached their doorstep, they can't just stand by and watch.

After the ANBU ninjas ventured deep into the fog, the others also began to quickly investigate.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was no exception; mainly because his son was still inside, and he had to check on his son's condition.

A large number of Konoha ninja began to venture into the mist to investigate, but faced with such dense fog, their senses seemed to be blocked, and their investigation was very slow. After all, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were inside the fog; one wrong move and they could be beheaded. Even Orochimaru was being extremely cautious, let alone the other ninja.

However, after searching for a long time, they did not find a single ninja from Kirigakure, nor did they suffer any attacks. They didn't even see a hair of the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

The situation became increasingly bizarre.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

Instead, everyone became more cautious, wondering if the Hidden Mist Village had some kind of conspiracy.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had to detach a portion of his ninjas to immediately deploy the Mist to protect Konoha, in order to prevent the enemy from using a diversionary tactic.

And in the deepest part of the fog.

The instigator, Yao Xingji, looked at the Root ninja in front of him and finally revealed a gentle smile.

He finally got the result he wanted.

[Healing ninja complete, increased own chakra by 0.3%!]

[Acquired the secret technique—Mind Reading!]

[Gain the power to create the Azure!]

Through continuous healing from his injuries, Yao Xingji finally extracted the ninjutsu he wanted from this mountain clan.

"Now, let me see what's in your memory!"

Yao Xingji manipulated the Wood Release ninjutsu to lower the Root ninja's body, and then, without forming hand seals, he directly activated the Mind Reading Technique, placing his right hand on the Root ninja's head.

hum!

In an instant, Yao Xingji seemed to enter a special space, where a naked brain appeared before him, like countless scrolls unfolding for him to peruse.

"It's far inferior to the Human Path of the Rinnegan, but it'll do for now."

Yao Xingji began searching for information about Danzo and quickly found it.

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

Chapter Sixty-Two: Possessed by a Drama Queen

Through his mind-reading ability, Yakusei learned that this person's name was Yamanaka Ichiro, who had recently joined Root. This mind-reading task was the first mission Danzo had given him.

In his memory, Danzo's order was to read Yao Xingji's memories without leaving any trace, which meant erasing Yao Xingji's memories after the mission was completed, or simply killing Yao Xingji.

Apart from these memories, Yaksha saw no other memories related to Danzo and Root.

"No wonder his memories weren't sealed; Danzo probably didn't trust him either." Yao Xingji looked at Yamanaka Ichiro in front of him, and recalling the guy's various rookie performances before, he understood a lot.

Most likely, this was just a cannon fodder that Danzo selected from the Yamanaka clan.

After a moment's hesitation, Yao Xingji raised his hand and killed Yamanaka Ichiro.

This person came to kill him, so he had no reason to show mercy, especially since the man knew too much.

A scarlet light emanated as Yao Xingji transferred his experience to Bian Que.

Ming Shi Yin has already reached level four, so there's no need to level up his hero anytime soon. Bian Que, however, is different. At level four, with his ultimate skill, Bian Que's healing and attack power will both increase significantly, so he needs to level up as soon as possible.

After reducing the body to ashes, Yao Xingji withdrew his three shadow clones, stopped using the Mist Concealment Technique, and lay down on the ground.

Next, he should think about how to showcase his acting skills.

The fog that permeated the forest began to thin out, and the Konoha ninjas quickly realized this. So the previously abandoned plan was put back into use, and a large number of ninjas began to use wind-style ninjutsu simultaneously to disperse the fog that surrounded Konoha.

As a strong wind blew gently, the thick fog began to dissipate, and the Konoha ninjas, no longer hindered by the fog, moved much faster.

Before long, they first discovered Kakashi and the others gathered together.

"We're fine, just some minor injuries. You guys go find Kurenai and Hoshino who got separated," Kakashi said directly.

When they saw the Konoha ninjas, they knew they were saved. Everyone collapsed to the ground. Everything they had experienced that night truly made them realize the cruelty of the ninja world.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly arrived as well. Seeing that Asuma was unharmed, his expression softened. He then put on the kind smile characteristic of a Hokage and inquired about what had happened to the others.

Not long after, news came that Yao Xingji and Xi Rihong had also been found, not far from them, only a few hundred meters away. However, the two seemed to be injured and were both unconscious.

Everyone was very worried after hearing this, especially Sarutobi Asuma, who anxiously inquired about Kurenai's condition and even disregarded his own injuries, wanting to go and see her.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw all of this and naturally went along with everyone's feelings of concern for their comrades, leading them toward Kurenai Yuhi's location.

In addition, a large number of Konoha ninjas have been deployed to search for traces of Kirigakure ninjas throughout the forest.

"My head...it hurts so much..."

Kurenai was the first to be awakened, but the first thing she felt when she opened her eyes was a dull pain in the back of her head, as if she had been hit several times with a hammer.

"Red, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? Are you injured?" Asuma asked with concern.

"I... just have a bit of a headache..." Kurenai Yuhi said, rubbing the back of her head.

Under questioning from the crowd, Kurenai recalled that after getting lost, she seemed to have been under a spell, and she had no idea what happened afterward. She vaguely remembered that in her dream, a doctor was about to perform brain surgery on her, hitting and striking the back of her head, which was extremely terrifying.

It seems that she fell and hit the back of her head after being under the influence of the illusion. Fortunately, she did not suffer from a concussion, otherwise it would have been troublesome.

On the other side, Yao Xingji had already been placed on a stretcher by several medical ninjas, and his condition seemed to be very bad.

His face was extremely pale, he was covered in sweat, his clothes were almost soaked through, and his expression was one of extreme terror, as if he had encountered something terrible before he lost consciousness.

"How is the child?" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo, who was not speaking not far away, and then asked.

"Reporting to the Hokage, the child has no external injuries, but judging from his appearance, he has been greatly frightened. It may be due to genjutsu, or it may be that he has really encountered something," a medical ninja reported.

"Starry Sky, Starry Sky, how are you?"