Chapter 254: Konoha's Grief, Slaughter Begins (3.5K+)
"Immediately send people to find Tsunade and Jiraiya and bring them back to the village."
This was the last order Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi gave to the Anbu before the start of the war council. Hatake Kakashi, wearing the Konoha Anbu cloak and mask, completely concealed his identity. He calmly watched as the heads of Konoha's various clans and the village's Jonin appeared one by one.
A Jonin meeting of this scale was comparable to wartime.
He turned his head to look out the window; the wind outside Konoha Village was still gentle, carrying green leaves from an unknown place into the room through the window.
It was a pity that this peaceful daily life was probably about to end again…
Kakashi suddenly sensed someone approaching. He turned his head, his indifferent eyes meeting a pair of emerald-like ones.
Ten'i was tall, similar in height to Kakashi. She looked levelly at Kakashi, whose only visible eye was exposed, and a small, exquisite scroll, palm-sized, suddenly appeared in her hand.
Ten'i was one of the few Konoha ninja who did not wear an Anbu cloak. Her blonde hair made her identity instantly recognizable, and she seemed to have no intention of hiding it. Not only her own identity, but even the identities of other Anbu were no secret to her.
"Kakashi-kun, now is not the time to be dejected. Soon, this village will be engulfed in war. By then, I think you will be willing to open this intelligence report."
Ten'i ambiguously leaned her head close to Kakashi's ear and whispered. Kakashi hesitated for a moment but still took the scroll.
There were rumors within the Anbu that the mysterious Ten'i possessed unique intelligence channels, and everyone who received a scroll from her eventually became immensely grateful to her.
Kakashi's mind was quick. His breathing instantly grew heavier as he put away the scroll, then watched her blonde hair sway in the sunlight as she walked into the meeting room.
The Anbu typically did not participate in such Jonin meetings, but clearly, this woman was an exception. Both the Third Hokage and the current Hyuga and Uchiha clans held her in high regard.
Kakashi thought of what she had said, and his mood grew even heavier.
In other words, in this woman's eyes, Konoha probably couldn't escape being attacked…
A terrifying killing intent appeared in Kakashi's eyes. Konoha was under strict martial law, and numerous enemy villages were eager to make a move. This situation almost made him feel as if he had returned to Konoha's most difficult period.
Ten'i saw that her reputation with Kakashi had also improved to friendly, but she felt no pride. Such a small matter could be achieved by any Reincarnator with enough time and a certain ability to read people.
She didn't think anything she did was particularly amazing. Although Wu Shang and Wu Xin praised her as if she were the most incredible Reincarnator, Ten'i never thought so.
In her opinion, she had merely done everything a Reincarnator should do.
In this Infinite Dimensional Space, there were countless talented Reincarnators, and not a few astonishingly brilliant ones. Beyond that, there were also those 'anomalies' and 'monsters' who could not be measured by ordinary standards.
"A person like me, at most, can only be considered astonishingly brilliant."
She gave herself an evaluation, yet there was no trace of self-satisfaction or boasting. She remained calm.
Compared to herself, Tao Bai Bai, who had appeared in this world, surprised her more. How did that guy manage such an unsettling rate of growth? In the previous mission world, he was just a decent Reincarnator, stronger than Jie Bo and E Tong, who were on the border of the first and second tiers. In just two mission worlds, he had become the terrifying figure who was now virtually sweeping through this world.
The Infinite Dimensional Space would not allow score farming. The mission world you entered would definitely be linked to your rating. This meant that in the Space's rating, Tao Bai Bai was still a 'Normal' or just promoted to 'Strong' Reincarnator.
However, the combat power he displayed almost exceeded the description of 'Broken'.
He directly defeated Uchiha Shisui, fought Pain Six Paths alone, survived, and gained his recognition.
Tao Bai Bai's current true combat power was undoubtedly at the Kage level, and he was a very strong one with no weaknesses, surpassing Jiraiya in Sage Mode.
She almost laughed at the intelligence she had received. She had thought that by taking a step-by-step approach, she could achieve a peaceful evolution, seize power in Konoha, and restart bloodline research, hoping to obtain various bloodline items and even have the possibility of obtaining Ōtsutsuki Clan bloodline in the future.
But now, after realizing that Tao Bai Bai had joined the Akatsuki organization, that special 'Five Nations Fallen' major event was probably Tao Bai Bai's doing.
Once she knew Tao Bai Bai's objective, she understood that she couldn't achieve what she wanted according to her original plan.
She sat behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, closing her eyes and contemplating all the possibilities in this world.
Tao Bai Bai's actions would inevitably cause huge changes in this world. Such behavior would earn him high-level singularity points, but at the same time, it would cause the Reincarnator to lose the advantage of knowing the plot development of this world.
Her mind raced. She wasn't just thinking about changes to a few events, but the entire timeline. She simulated in her mind what possible development paths this world might take if Tao Bai Bai led the Akatsuki organization to destroy Konoha, and how she should act in those timelines to achieve the highest income.
Ten'i's ability allowed her to gain the trust of the farming team after being farmed by them upon entering the Reincarnation Space, and then gradually destroy '9527'.
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that everyone had arrived, cleared his throat, and began to speak.
"All of us should know that Konoha's situation is now quite dangerous."
"Because of the rumors regarding the Uchiha, other ninja villages have set their sights on Konoha. As long as we show any weakness, war… will begin again."
Hyuga Hiashi glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, who was wearing Konoha's combat ninja uniform and offered no rebuttal, as if the friction between Konoha's high command and the Uchiha was baseless.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continuously appeased the various clans and requested them to send more personnel to enhance Konoha's defenses and vigilance in all aspects. He also ordered their clan ninja not to engage in combat with enemy village ninja during this period.
This statement made Hyuga Hiashi frown slightly. He recalled the humiliating past of the Hyuga Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to continue speaking when suddenly, an alarm sounded.
Whoosh~
A piercing alarm sounded from the direction of the village gate. The next moment, an Anbu ninja landed in the room. He Instant ed next to Hiruzen Sarutobi and reported in a low voice:
"A large number of giant beasts are attacking the outer perimeter of Konoha Village!"
Whoosh!
A new Anbu appeared, bringing new intelligence.
"The Barrier Team reports that someone has broken through the village's protective barrier, and their individual Chakra reaction is strong!"
Everyone present was either a Konoha Jonin or a clan leader, almost all of whom had experienced war. At this moment, they knew that someone had invaded Konoha Village.
This caused everyone's expressions to change.
As the strongest ninja village in the Shinobi World, the previous Battle of Kikyo Pass, due to the battlefield extending deep into the Land of Fire, extremely close to Konoha, had already been regarded as an extremely dangerous signal and a shameful incident.
Unexpectedly, someone had now directly invaded Konoha's interior.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up abruptly.
"Anbu Squads One to Three, immediately investigate the identity of the ninja who infiltrated Konoha!"
"Hyuga Clan, cooperate with the search and dispatch ninja to guard outwards, expanding the alert range to twenty kilometers outside Konoha."
"Inuzuka Clan, Aburame Clan, cover the twenty-kilometer area outside the village. Do not let any trace of an enemy ninja go unnoticed."
Orders were rapidly issued one after another. At this moment, Konoha truly felt the approach of war. The political frictions of the past now seemed insignificant. As orders were given, people quickly left to execute them.
Konoha, the strongest war machine in the Shinobi World, finally began to roar once more.
Suddenly, Hyuga Hiashi's footsteps paused. His departing stride stopped, and he abruptly turned to look outside the meeting room, his body instantly flashing to appear by the wall.
Then, intense Chakra erupted from his body, and a blue-white Chakra suddenly rotated rapidly around him.
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!
Bang!
The next moment, the wall directly exploded, and a tall figure, with a single punch, shattered the wall. A searing white smoke cloud, like a giant snake, was blasted into the meeting room, instantly exploding upon hitting the Revolving Heaven.
As the force scattered, the meeting room was as if a strong wind had swept through it.
A fierce aura emanated from outside inwards.
All the ninja present were astonished. The enemy came so fast?!
Moreover, the opponent actually attacked the Hokage Building directly?!
Only Ten'i remained in her seat, her expression devoid of joy or sorrow beneath her mask.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was also startled by how quickly the enemy arrived, but the next moment, he suddenly realized something. He abruptly turned and reached out to grab the woman sitting behind him.
Ten'i's intelligence capabilities were so powerful that she knew about battles happening on the border of the Land of Fire. So how could she not know anything about this group of people frantically attacking Konoha Village?!
The only explanation was that Ten'i had betrayed Konoha and deliberately concealed the information!
Ten'i looked up, meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, her emerald eyes calm as still water. But she had also risen at some point, raising her left hand as if to block Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand.
Bang!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest suddenly took a heavy blow. He reacted extremely quickly; the moment he was attacked, his body exploded into smoke. A broken chair appeared in his place, and the Third Hokage himself appeared at the back of the meeting room.
His Hokage's Robe had been taken off, revealing the combat uniform he had already put on underneath.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not yet so old as to completely lose his 'Shinobi Professor' demeanor. He would not place all his hope on others and had already prepared for the eventuality of war.
There was a fist mark on Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest, and his ribs had cracked from the recent blow. Hiruzen Sarutobi clasped his hands together, and a Shadow Clone quickly appeared.
Ignoring his injuries, he said in a deep voice,
"Konoha Anbu, immediately apprehend the rogue ninja Ten'i! If she resists, kill her without mercy!"
Hatake Kakashi had just entered the meeting room when he heard this order. Before he could process what was happening, a terrifying aura erupted from outside the meeting room's wall.
He turned his head and saw a tall man with Short Hair, wearing a red cloud black robe, standing by the broken wall, a cruel smile on his face.
A vast, surging aura, like the ocean, crashed down on everyone.
Even Kakashi felt his breathing quicken for a moment, and several clan elders had already lost consciousness from the terrifying intimidation.
And accompanying this aura, Tendō Pain and Orochimaru entered through the broken wall one by one. They looked at the Konoha Jonin and various clan leaders gathered in the meeting room, and Orochimaru revealed an evil smile.
"This is truly… a good opportunity to catch them all."
He glanced at his teacher, then sneered and shifted his gaze.
Uchiha Fugaku's scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan stared at Bai Cangshu. He guessed that this person was probably Tao Bai Bai, who had captured Itachi. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed.
Behind these few people, a familiar figure appeared.
Uchiha Itachi had a calm expression on his face. His scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan met his father's gaze, and he spoke:
"Father, please forgive me. The slaughter of today is a fated outcome."
The next moment, Uchiha Itachi's figure vanished. A strong gust of wind appeared behind Koharu Utatane. She had been out of the front lines for too long, and her reaction was slightly slow. After realizing what was happening, she only managed to half-turn her body before a sharp blade sliced into her neck from behind.
Pfft!
Blood splattered onto Uchiha Itachi's young face, staining his tear troughs red. His figure vanished again in an instant, and Hatake Kakashi's kunai struck empty air.
He turned his head, his gaze meeting Uchiha Itachi's. As the scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan spun, Hatake Kakashi felt as if he saw Obito and Rin's faces again…