Fugaku Uchiha was deep in thought. A figure from not long ago flashed through his mind the man who called himself Madara Uchiha.
"It can't be Tianyuan. No." Fugaku shook his head. Back then, Tianyuan was only eight years old.
While there wasn't much of a difference between eight and nine on paper, the feeling they gave off was worlds apart.
Perhaps both could be called monsters.
Because this meant Tianyuan's strength had reached the Kage-level.
A nine-year-old Kage-level was unheard of.
Even Jinchuriki didn't possess such terrifying individual power.
Jinchuriki relied mostly on the strength of their Tailed Beasts, whereas Tianyuan relied on his own abilities, even if he did have a Kekkei Genkai.
Most in Konoha knew that Tianyuan was already comparable to an Elite Jonin through Ninjutsu alone.
What they didn't know was that if Tianyuan opened the Eight Gates and combined it with his Taijutsu, he would rank very high even among the Kage-level.
To say nothing of the fact that Tianyuan now possessed a Ki training method. Tianyuan was looking forward to his strength continuously rising in the future.
Beyond the shock within the Hokage, Danzo, and the Uchiha Clan, other major families like the Hyuga Clan, Inuzuka Clan, and Akimichi Clan learned the news shortly after.
While they admired Tianyuan, they could only resolve to ensure no major friction or grievances arose in their future dealings with him.
With strength like that, he could deal with them easily.
By the next day, all of Konoha knew. This was partly due to Hiruzen Sarutobi intentionally spreading the word so everyone would know how much Tianyuan had helped the village.
Perhaps this was Hiruzen's alternative way of deepening the bonds between the villagers, the ninja, and Tianyuan.
He wanted Tianyuan to feel a sense of belonging to Konoha.
From that day on, every corner of Konoha was discussing Tianyuan the village's true genius and its hero.
As for why Tianyuan could use Uchiha powers?
It didn't seem to matter much. It was certain Tianyuan wasn't an Uchiha, so it was seen merely as a manifestation of his power.
While some were worried, most chose to overlook it.
While Konoha was in a frenzy of discussion, the situation at the Kikyo Pass battlefield was similar. The ninja there had received even more help from Tianyuan.
Consequently, their respect for him was even greater.
Inside a Konoha command tent, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tianyuan were discussing the arrangements for the next stage of the war.
"Should we press our advantage now? The Sand Ninja morale is at an all-time low. This might be a good opportunity," Jiraiya suggested.
"Not necessarily," Orochimaru shook his head. "First, after such a defeat, the Sand Ninja won't move easily. Second, we don't know where their main base is."
"That makes sense," Jiraiya nodded. "Perhaps we should scout around and see if we can find where the main Sunagakure force is hiding."
As the ninja discussed among themselves, a voice came from outside. "Lord Jiraiya, Lord Orochimaru, the Hokage has a message."
Orochimaru and Jiraiya glanced at each other. "Let him in."
"Yes, my lord," the ninja outside replied. Soon, an Anbu wearing a cat-faced mask entered.
"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Orochimaru," the Anbu said quickly. "This is a letter the Hokage asked me to deliver to you."
"Just a letter? No other verbal instructions?" Orochimaru took the envelope and looked at the ninja.
"The Hokage ordered that the arrangements in the letter be carried out as quickly as possible," the Anbu added.
"Very well. You may step back. We will write a reply in due time," Orochimaru said, shaking his head.
"Understood, my lord." The Anbu withdrew respectfully and left the tent.
Minato Namikaze, Kushina, Choza Akimichi, and the others present were somewhat puzzled. What could be in a letter sent by the Hokage himself?
Orochimaru looked at the letter, pondered for a moment, and then performed a series of hand signs for the Sealing Jutsu release. It seemed the letter was highly important; Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't allow any mishaps.
Once the seal was broken, Orochimaru pulled out the message. It was clearly written by the Third Hokage, evidenced not just by the handwriting, but more importantly, by the seal placed upon it.
As he read the words, Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly.
"What is it, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked. Seeing Orochimaru's expression, he knew something was wrong.
"See for yourself." Orochimaru handed the letter to Jiraiya.
"Hmm..." Jiraiya took the letter, and as he read the contents, his brow furrowed just as Orochimaru's had.
"I imagine most of you are curious about what has happened." Jiraiya scanned the Konoha ninja in the tent. "Orochimaru, do you want to tell them, or should I?"
"You do it," Orochimaru replied, shaking his head.
"Fine, I'll say it." Jiraiya nodded. "Iwagakure is currently moving toward the Land of Fire. This means both Iwagakure and Sunagakure are now invading the Land of Fire."
"Iwagakure has joined the Shinobi World War."
"And their target is also the Land of Fire it's Konoha."
"As things stand, Konoha must deal with two Hidden Villages at once."
The Konoha ninja present looked at one another in shock. This was a dire situation.
"For this reason, the Hokage requires us to transfer a portion of our ninja there to help the Konoha forces on that front and regroup with them," Jiraiya explained.
"About a hundred ninja will be reassigned as the first relief force," Jiraiya continued. "And the Hokage has appointed Tianyuan as the leader of this group. Furthermore, he will be one of the commanders for the Iwagakure front." Jiraiya spoke slowly.
"Tianyuan is leading the team?" The Konoha ninja present were silent.
Had this been a few days ago, some might have voiced their doubts.
But after the soul-stirring battle of yesterday, those doubts had vanished.
Tianyuan was more than qualified.
Among all the ninja present, including Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Tianyuan was perhaps the strongest of them all.
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