And yet, it was precisely these ordinary, even lighter-than-kunai flying daggers that, in the minds of the Cloud ninjas present, possessed a threat no less than that of the God of Shinobi and the Asura of the Ninja World.
The terror of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and the Asura of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha, was the kind that inspired awe and fear upon sight.
They were "gods" capable of annihilating hundreds, even thousands, of ninjas with a single move.
Li Anshi's terror, however, was akin to a demon, effortlessly and systematically wiping out countless lives, one by one, unstoppable.
To be an enemy of the God of Shinobi and the Asura of the Ninja World meant a ninja village might be obliterated and reduced to ruins in an instant.
To be an enemy of Li Anshi...
At least, until the Cloud Village figured out how to counter Li Anshi's daggers, facing his offensive, whether it was this camp or their village, they feared becoming a living hell.
Those who encountered Li Anshi first might die in an instant.
Those who followed would have to wait in terror, counting down until their turn arrived...
Amidst the roars of the assembled leaders, Mandara, who had remained composed until now, looked bewildered.
What the hell?
Why had they previously blamed him for cowering?
What did they call this display of theirs now?
"Pack up, return to the Cloud Village!"
After a long pause, the Third Raikage, having regained his composure first, issued the order.
"Our battle with Konoha ends here!"
Phew...
Hearing the Third Raikage's words, the Jonin in the tent instantly felt a wave of relief wash over them.
Just moments ago, they had indeed been thoroughly terrified by those at least three thousand flying daggers.
However, as Jonin, most of them were ninjas who had survived the Warring States period, having experienced that chaotic and violent world.
Therefore, though Li Anshi was terrifying, they did not lack the resolve to fight to the death.
If only their deaths could have some meaning.
For instance, if they could stop Li Anshi!
But unfortunately, they knew full well that let alone them, even the Cloud Village's deterrent weapon, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Blue B, and their strongest, Lord Third Raikage A, couldn't last a second against that man.
It could be said that if they fought Li Anshi, their deaths would be utterly meaningless.
Thus, their earlier horror also contained an element of theatrics.
Now that Lord Third Raikage had decided not to fight Konoha anymore, they naturally didn't need to maintain the pretense.
However...
Recalling everything the Cloud Village had sacrificed to invade the Land of Fire, with even the Second Raikage and the Gold and Silver Brothers, three Kage-level powerhouses, falling in the battle against the Second Hokage, they felt a pang of unwillingness.
But still...
The heavens truly favored Konoha!
First, there was the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and the Asura of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha, who dominated the entire ninja world, changing its landscape and ushering it from the Warring States period into the era of ninja villages.
Now, there was someone like Li Anshi, who cultivated such a powerful secret technique...
And their Cloud Village?
The First Raikage had fused Water and Lightning Release chakra nature transformations to create "Storm Release." The Second Raikage had created the "Lightning Release Chakra Mode," and the Third Raikage had perfected it...
It could be said that with the God of Shinobi Hashirama Senju and the Asura of the Ninja World Madara Uchiha gone, the Cloud ninjas believed that Lord Third Raikage was the strongest ninja in the entire world!
The Strongest Spear and the Strongest Shield allowed Lord Third Raikage to ignore the attacks of many ninjas while being able to instantly kill most of them.
Before encountering Li Anshi's daggers, the Third Raikage hadn't known how other enemies could possibly kill him.
"Lord Raikage, if we leave just like this, shouldn't we negotiate a truce treaty with Konoha?"
A darker-skinned Cloud ninja voiced his concern. "What if Konoha's ninjas don't stop after we return to the Cloud Village and continue to attack us?"
"Rest assured."
The Third Raikage rose and patted the Cloud ninja's shoulder. "Konoha is currently fighting on three fronts. If we withdraw our troops, they will only redeploy the ninjas stationed here to the other two battlefields. It's unlikely they'll continue to counterattack our Cloud Village."
"Of course, we cannot let our guard down either."
"The main force will withdraw to the Cloud Village. A small contingent of ninjas will remain in the Land of Grass, constantly monitoring Konoha's movements."
"Especially that guy!"
"If he is found entering the Land of Grass with intentions of advancing towards the Cloud Village, send word back at the fastest possible speed."
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
A Jonin acknowledged, then couldn't help but ask, "Lord Raikage, if that Konoha fellow really does advance towards the Cloud Village, are we to resist to the death?"
"No!"
The Third Raikage shook his head, looking towards the Land of Fire. "At that time, you will proceed to Konoha at the fastest speed, submit a letter of surrender, and complete the signing of a truce agreement!"
"..."
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Third Raikage usually solved problems with force.
That was because the Third Raikage believed there was nothing his strength couldn't resolve.
But if he truly encountered something his own martial prowess couldn't handle, the Third Raikage was no fool.
Seriously, could a fool become a "Kage"?
Well, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, might count as one.
However, Hashirama Senju's strength was enough to manifest his "foolishness," making everyone acknowledge it. Thus, it was no longer "foolishness."
It was "truth"!
...
Li Anshi sat by the small river, holding a fishing rod.
In the fish basket beside him, several foot-long fish were still thrashing about.
This was a task Tsunade had given Li Anshi.
Currently, Tsunade had selected a dozen or so Genin under the age of twelve who possessed the aptitude for learning medical ninjutsu to study with her.
Unlike the tree-climbing and water-walking exercises of other ninjas, the first thing medical ninjas needed to do was convert their chakra nature into the "Yang" attribute, which was outside the five main elements. Then, they would begin using this "Yang" attribute chakra to heal the injured.
However, although "Yang" attribute chakra possessed healing properties, as long as it was chakra, it also had a powerful destructive effect on objects.
This was even more true for chakra that wasn't one's own.
Therefore, Tsunade couldn't possibly let these medical ninja apprentices treat injured ninjas from the very beginning.
Initially, Tsunade had issued missions for other ninjas to capture animals from the forest to serve as experimental subjects for these medical ninjas.
However, the effectiveness of using these animals to practice medical ninjutsu was not ideal.
Later, based on his memories, Li Anshi suggested using fish for practice. After Tsunade tried it herself, she praised Li Anshi greatly.
Fish out of water were already in a near-death state.
If one could use Yang-attribute chakra to heal a fish out of water and restore its vitality, it proved they had mastered the basics of medical ninjutsu.