From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

"In addition, the two enemies who attacked Kakashi-sensei and the Anbu squad are of unknown identity but extremely strong, and are also at the level of S-rank wanted ninjas."

"With limited information, we cannot determine whether these members, who are suspected to be from the same organization, have any connection with Amegakure. It is also possible that they are hired by the rogue ninja, Suien."

The Third Hokage took a drag of his cigarette, remained silent for a long while, then looked at Sasuke and asked in a deep voice, "I heard from you that one of those unidentified enemies was killed by you, and the other was defeated by you? And the other one is... Itachi Uchiha?"

The Third Hokage found it hard to believe, even though he had long known that Sasuke was extremely talented and had reached the level of a Jonin a few months ago.

But those two enemies wiped out Yamato's ANBU squad and seriously injured Kakashi.

Is Sasuke really that strong?

Having defeated two S-rank rogue ninjas, how could he possibly face Uchiha Itachi?

"The credit doesn't go to me; most of the credit belongs to Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke shook his head slightly and calmly explained.

"One of those guys was held back by Kakashi-sensei, which gave me the opportunity to ambush and kill him. The other guy was seriously injured by Kakashi-sensei before we even fought, which greatly reduced his strength. But even so, I couldn't kill him. I could only barely make him back down."

Sasuke was telling the truth, but he exaggerated Kakashi's achievements and role in the battle.

Anyway, after Kakashi used Kamui, he was instantly beaten into a coma and had no idea how much effect his Kamui had on the opposite side.

"As for Uchiha Itachi..."

Sasuke lowered his eyelids and remained silent for a while before speaking, "It should just be a secret technique clone. Sakura and Naruto encountered Kisame Hoshigaki in the same situation."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage looked at the two of them, and they both nodded simultaneously.

The Third Hokage remained silent for a long time before speaking solemnly: "Is everything you've said true? You encountered Amegakure's forces, and enemies wearing standard red cloud uniforms?"

The three members of Class 7 exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and then Sakura spoke.

"Lord Sandai, on behalf of the entire Class 7, I guarantee that all of the above statements are true."

"I see."

The Third Hokage nodded, took a light drag on his cigarette, and fell silent.

Even if, as Sasuke said, he only got a lucky break, it still shows that he is very strong.

He felt that Sasuke's strength had somewhat exceeded his control.

Even the growth of Class 7 far exceeded his expectations.

Defeating a ninja squad of dozens of people and the clone of an S-rank rogue ninja head-on is not something that newly graduated genin can do.

But we'll talk about that later; now is not the time to dwell on the strength of Team 7.

Rain hides.....

Red Cloud Robe.....

Could this organization be the "Akatsuki" organization that Itachi Uchiha mentioned a few years ago?

That very night, after the Uchiha clan massacre, Itachi Uchiha approached him.

He said there was an organization called "Akatsuki" that would harm Konoha, and he would infiltrate it as an undercover agent and spy.

So what if he was a spy? But after infiltrating, Itachi Uchiha disappeared without a trace, as if he had vanished into thin air, without sending back any information.

If it weren't for what happened today, the Third Hokage would have thought he was already dead.

"Grandpa, why were the Anbu members there, and why did they encounter enemies?"

While the Third Hokage was pondering silently, Naruto was the first to ask a question.

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage snapped out of his reverie, flicked the cigarette butt off his hand, and said with an expressionless face, "Their squad happened to be on a mission in the Land of Waterfalls, but they didn't expect to encounter such an unexpected and mysterious enemy."

"Oh, I see."

Naruto nodded with a look of sudden realization. Sakura, who was good at thinking, glanced at Naruto and the Third Hokage, and then something occurred to her.

"All information and details regarding your mission are classified as confidential. You are not to divulge it. Understand?"

After the three nodded, the Third Hokage said seriously, "For the sake of secrecy, the mission level this time will remain C-rank and will not change."

Upon hearing this, Naruto pursed his lips, feeling somewhat displeased, but he didn't say anything.

Taking in Naruto's subtle changes, the Third Hokage glanced at the members of Team 7, a thought flashing through his mind. After a long silence, a slight smile appeared on his serious old face.

"The mission took an unexpected turn, which is my fault as an old man. Although your mission was classified as C-rank, I will reward each of you with a ninjutsu as compensation."

"Go back and rest first."

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

After Team 7 left, the Third Hokage continued reading the documents in one hand and held a cigarette butt in the other.

After a long while, he sighed, and a look of exhaustion appeared on his old face.

Red clouds, dawn.

Is it dawn?

Could it be that you are the leader of the Akatsuki organization that Itachi mentioned?

Hanzo!

The Third Hokage's gaze turned solemn as he thought to himself.

Dawn, also known as daybreak, refers to the time when darkness is about to give way to light.

Geographically, the Land of Rain is perpetually rainy, with thick cumulus clouds making it difficult for its people to see the sun.

In terms of the political environment, the Land of Rain is located at the intersection of three major powers, a position that is extremely awkward, and it usually becomes a pawn in the hands of the major powers.

The meaning of "晓" is not hard to guess: it means to see the sun after the clouds have parted, or the rise of a small country.

This was something that was attempted decades ago, during World War II, but it failed.

Because no country, whether it's fire, earth, or wind, would allow the Rain Country to become a major power.

This has nothing to do with personal grudges, but rather it is not permitted by national interests.

The Third Hokage thought that this guy had given up his dream of becoming a great nation after being hit hard by reality many times.

But unexpectedly, this old fox not only did not give up, but also hid himself so well.

For a moment, the Third Hokage felt a strong sense of undercurrents stirring within the ninja world.

"Go and call Shikaku over here!"

After pondering silently for a while, the Third Hokage clapped his hands and said softly.

"Yes!"

..........

Meanwhile, in the Land of Fields, in the Village of Sound.

Orochimaru sat in the chair with a playful expression, listening to Kabuto Yakushi's report.

“Uchiha Sasuke’s talent is outstanding. In the two years I’ve known him, he has mastered medical ninjutsu of all levels in a very short time, and this is even while he is simultaneously training in other ninjutsu and taijutsu.”

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and chuckled, "Mastering medical ninjutsu requires extremely precise chakra control, and among all the people I've ever seen, no one can match Uchiha Sasuke's chakra control. Neither I nor you, Lord Orochimaru, are as good as him."

"Oh?" Orochimaru licked his lips, showing a hint of surprise.

"You're not even as good as him?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto Yakushi nodded, his tone somewhat puzzled.

"I really don't know how he has such subtle and precise chakra control."

"Talent, I suppose," Orochimaru concluded calmly.

"Just like his older brother Itachi Uchiha, he also possesses unparalleled talent, hehehe... He is the perfect vessel for me."

Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly, a deep longing flashing in his eyes.

Kabuto smiled slightly, about to continue speaking, when suddenly his expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Lord Orochimaru, please wait a moment."

"Go, Dou."

Orochimaru chuckled, waved his hand, and said nonchalantly.

Yakushi Kabuto left in a hurry, and then returned a short while later with a strange expression.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Tell me, what does Sasori want from you?"

Kabuto was a spy he planted next to Sasori, but Sasori turned the tables and placed him next to him to spy on him.

Orochimaru decided to play along, releasing some half-truths and half-false information while simultaneously probing for Orochimaru's intelligence.

There are some tricks involved, anyway, that's the gist of it.

"He wanted me to gather all the information about Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Orochimaru let out a soft exclamation, his eyes narrowing slightly, his long, golden pupils revealing a dangerous aura, like a venomous snake.

"Why did he suddenly ask you to gather information about Uchiha Sasuke?"

Orochimaru was somewhat puzzled and worried.

Sasuke Uchiha was his prey, and he wouldn't allow anyone to touch him.

Kabuto shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I don't know. The message he sent only said this one sentence."

"Lord Orochimaru, what should I do on this side?"

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru said, "I'll leave it to you to handle. I trust you can do a good job. Also, remember to figure out his purpose."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Kabuto Yakushi responded in a deep voice, then hesitated before saying, "Lord Orochimaru, Sasuke Uchiha's current strength has far exceeded our expectations. His growth rate is truly astonishing. When do you plan to..."

"That's why he's the perfect vessel in my heart, Kabuto."

Orochimaru's sinister voice rang out.

"However, what you said makes sense. His growth rate is too fast. In order to prevent him from getting out of my control, I must act as soon as possible."

At this point, Orochimaru gazed into the distance, a flicker of emotion crossing his eyes, and a sinister smile curved his lips.

"The three-year period for the Reincarnation Jutsu has come to an end. After giving my teacher, the Third Hokage, a grand farewell ceremony, let's perform the Reincarnation Jutsu on Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha's current strength is indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.