From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

"Of course not, don't worry!"

Naruto patted his chest and said loudly.

After completing all the follow-up tasks and handing them over, Team 7 finally walked out of the Hokage Building.

After Team 7 left, the smile on the Third Hokage's face slowly disappeared. He glanced at the report in his hand again, then took out another report from the drawer and began to read it.

Team 7's mission in the Land of Waves is considered complete, but his mission as Hokage in the Land of Waves is far from over.

For this mission, Konoha had made thorough preparations. On the surface, they dispatched Kakashi, Konoha's top Jonin, but secretly they also sent an elite Anbu squad led by Yamato.

Although Konoha knew that Gato might have a very strong ninja, the ninja Gato hired was Zabuza, the Demon King, to Konoha's surprise.

Even more unexpectedly, and arguably the biggest variable, was the sudden appearance of Raiga Kurosuki.

Fortunately, everything turned out alright.

In addition to these, the Anbu report also mentioned that Sasuke had awakened the Sharingan. Although it was too far away to see clearly how many tomoe it was, it was confirmed that he had awakened the Sharingan.

The Third Hokage was slightly surprised by this, but also felt it was only natural.

Even though Sasuke has reached the level of a Jonin, he still cannot kill a master like Raiga Kurosuki without the help of the Sharingan.

'It seems he awakened his Sharingan because his opponent was too powerful.'

The Third Hokage concluded in his mind that he didn't care how many tomoe Sasuke had awakened.

As long as it's not the Mangekyou Sharingan, even if Sasuke awakens the three-tomoe Sharingan on the spot, he won't care.

Rather than being concerned about how many tomoe Sharingan Sasuke had awakened, the Third Hokage was more concerned about the upcoming struggle against Kirigakure in the Land of Waves.

The fact that the newly built bridge in the Land of Waves is named the Konoha Bridge shows that the Land of Waves is biased towards Konoha.

Sasuke's act of openly accepting the spoils after killing Raiga Kurosuki also shows that the Hidden Mist Village's strength is weaker than they imagined.

'If Sasuke had killed Aoya back then, I doubt Kirigakure would have dared to say anything, right?'

The Third Hokage thought with a hint of malice that he disliked war and even now feared it.

However, as the Hokage, from the perspectives of the nation and the village, he still adhered to the idea that not taking advantage of a good opportunity would be a loss.

Moreover, the Byakugan originally belonged to Konoha!

...............

"Well, since the Third Hokage has decided to give us a two-week break, let's go back and rest early!"

After leaving the Hokage Building, Kakashi first summarized the experience of this mission, and then said goodbye with a smile.

Naruto shouted, "Wait, Kakashi-sensei, didn't you say you'd treat us to a meal after this mission...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Kakashi's figure turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared from everyone's sight.

"That bastard Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto clenched his fist, creating a whooshing sound as he cursed.

Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead, saying, "Never mind, Naruto, don't you know Kakashi-sensei well?"

"Humph!"

"In that case, let's go and have a get-together ourselves!"

"I won't go." Sasuke shook his head and said calmly, "You guys go ahead, I have something to do."

"What is it?"

Naruto muttered with a disgruntled expression.

"After this mission, I feel that my strength has improved. I plan to take advantage of this time to go into seclusion and cultivate for a while to consolidate my strength."

Sasuke offered a brief explanation, and before he finished speaking, he vanished from their sight in a blur.

"His strength has improved again!?"

Naruto's expression tightened. He had originally planned to invite Sakura to a party alone, but after hearing Sasuke's words, his heart jumped.

"Sakura, I'll take my leave now!"

Naruto no longer cared about having a date with Sakura; all he wanted now was to find a place to train even harder!

In a flash, Naruto also vanished from the spot like a gust of wind, leaving Sakura alone, looking somewhat disheveled.

"Who are these people?"

Sakura made a helpless remark, but remark aside...

With both teammates giving their all, Sakura, as a member of Team 7, naturally felt the pressure.

So the three of them went their separate ways. Even though it was a holiday, they trained even harder.

Uchiha Clan Territory!

Upon returning home, Sasuke went straight to the basement and created a shadow clone, sending it to his home to take his place for a while.

The Shadow Clone Technique is a very special and extremely practical ninjutsu!

Besides those with physical form, which can distribute chakra evenly according to the caster's will.

He also possesses an extremely strong ability to conceal himself—he is indistinguishable!

In the original timeline, when Naruto used Shadow Clones, neither Zabuza nor Kaguya Otsutsuki could see through his Shadow Clones.

Yes, even Kaguya Otsutsuki's Moon Eye and Byakugan couldn't see through Naruto's shadow clones.

Although the Byakugan is known for its unparalleled insight, possessing the ability to see through chakra and discern its flow, it still cannot see through the Shadow Clone Technique.

In the original timeline, Neji faced off against Naruto during the Chunin Exams, and the two engaged in a fierce battle. Naruto unsurprisingly used the Shadow Clone Technique as well.

However, Neji's Byakugan still couldn't find the original body within it, so he could only obediently use Gentle Fist and Gentle Reversal to shatter it one by one.

Kaguya Otsutsuki, who possessed the Eye of the Moon and the Six Paths-level Byakugan, still couldn't see through the Shadow Clone Technique during the Fourth Shinobi World War and was tricked by Naruto.

(There's a bug here: during the first battle at the Valley of the End, Sasuke told Naruto that his Sharingan could see through Naruto's shadow clones. Also, Madara could tell that Naruto was a shadow clone as soon as he saw him. Apart from those two, Kakuzu, Nagato, Itachi Uchiha, and others could not see through shadow clones.)

(Sasuke's ability to discern this was due to his deep understanding of Naruto, while Madara's ability to do so likely stemmed from his extensive combat experience.)

Sasuke poured a relatively large amount of chakra into this shadow clone. In his estimation, if this shadow clone did not engage in combat, it should be able to last for at least half a month.

He was going to leave for a while, but he didn't want to encounter any unforeseen circumstances during that time, and when someone looked for him, they would find that he was not there.

"Spiritual communication!"

With a bang, a puff of smoke appeared, and a small lizard, about the size of a palm, appeared in the room.

"Sasuke-sama!"

Sasuke nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Kusaki, I need your main body to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to bring me into the Grass Lizard Swamp."

Sasuke's summoning beast is called the Shuzaki Giant Lizard, which is a summoning beast contracted by the Shuzaki Daimyo clan for generations.

More than fifty years ago, when the then-daimyo, Gosuke Shuzaki, and Masashi Kishimoto, who served as both the daimyo's teacher and strategist, faced the crisis of national subjugation, they summoned it.

Because of the caster's dying wish, the Shusaki Giant Lizard continued to protect Shusaki Castle for fifty years after Shusaki Gosso's death, devouring any enemy that dared to enter the castle.

The Shuzaki giant lizard was enormous; its stomach wall alone could swallow Shuzaki Castle, which was no smaller than Gamabunta's.

Although the giant toad Iwasu never officially appeared in the original timeline, Sasuke speculated that the giant lizard Suzaki was not much smaller than it.

In addition, the Shuzaki giant lizard has an excellent ability to camouflage itself, just like a chameleon in nature.

In the original timeline, even Hinata's Byakugan couldn't see through the Shuzaki Giant Lizard's disguise.

The lizard clone that Sasuke summons now is the third ability of the giant lizard, Shuzaki.

The Shuzaki Giant Lizard is a lizard-like spirit beast, possessing the survival abilities of geckos and lizards, such as shedding its tail.

The Shuzaki giant lizard can also transform a part of its body tissue into an effect similar to the slug fairy's clone.

The giant lizard from the Shuzaki Mountains was an alternative in Sasuke's Land of Waves plan after he was unable to awaken his Kaleidoscope Sharingan in a life-or-death battle.

Then Sasuke would make up his mind to merge with the dark personality that had been locked away in his inner world for more than two years.

Sasuke had no idea what would happen during the fusion process.

But it seems inevitable that he will remain unconscious for some time.

Therefore, Sasuke needs an absolutely safe and secluded place to take this step, and this will be even more true when he fuses the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan in the future.

After much deliberation, Sasuke set his sights on the giant lizard from the original timeline, which had appeared once before.

The Shuzaki giant lizard has an exceptional ability to camouflage itself.

In addition, in the original timeline, the giant lizard from Shuzaki finally dispelled the summoning spell, returned, and disappeared.

It can be seen that it has its own spiritual realm, such as Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest.

A few days ago, after spending some time and effort, Sasuke successfully signed a blood pact with the giant lizard, gaining its approval.

Through their conversation, Sasuke learned that the Shuzaki Giant Lizard did indeed possess its own summoning world, called Kusanagi Swamp.

It was a mysterious place filled with miasma and swamps. However, only the giant lizard, the Shuzaki Giant Lizard, lived there. There were no other races, let alone any magical arts or secret techniques passed down through generations.

It had lived there for hundreds of years since the records of the Shuzaki Giant Lizard, until later the Shuzaki clan accidentally came to the Grass Lizard Marsh through spirit communication.

The Shuzaki giant lizard only then realized that there were other living creatures in the outside world, and that they also had a name of their own—Shuzaki.

It's worth mentioning that Sasuke had previously asked it, with a touch of mischievousness, who Kishimoto Masashi was, the first two contractors.

Although Sasuke knew that this Kishimoto Masashi was not the same Kishimoto Masashi as before, but just a little Easter egg designed by the production team in his previous life.

But when it's translated into the real world, things might be different.

However, Kishimoto Masashi in this world is nothing special; he is neither a hidden boss nor an incarnation of the author.

He was the teacher and strategist of Gosaku Shuzaki. More than fifty years ago, he died in battle that destroyed the country, along with his disciple.

"Yes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the little lizard turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared. Sasuke waited silently for a while, then suddenly felt a calling in his heart, and the surrounding space also felt pulled.

With a thought, Sasuke followed the feeling and gently stepped forward, turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing.

Chapter 88 Your loneliness, I will bear it.

Grass Lizard Marsh!