Recalling the scene of Kimimaro fighting alone against the crowd, Shikaku and Kakashi found it hard to imagine that such a person would be sealed.
"This is troublesome now. Not only has the Third Hokage died in battle, but even Danzo is dead. Two of the top leaders are dead, and the subsequent impact will not be small."
Shikaku's mind began to spin rapidly.
It was pointless to think about who killed Danzo and who Danzo sealed.
The most important thing was to solve the immediate problem.
To govern an army, one must first select a general.
What Konoha needed most now was a leader, a prestigious leader.
Only in this way could the impact of the Third Hokage's death be mitigated.
As for Danzo's death, apart from the issue of Root's governance, there weren't too many problems.
"The only ones qualified to succeed the Hokage position now are Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama. Tsunade-sama's whereabouts are unknown, and Jiraiya-sama is in the village. But with Jiraiya-sama's personality, I'm afraid he may not be willing to take on the Hokage position."
Shikaku had a headache.
"These matters will be discussed with the two elders at the Jonin meeting later. For now, let's deal with the issue of Sunagakure and Otogakure. These two villages jointly attacked Konoha, but the Fourth Kazekage was impersonated by Orochimaru. There must be something wrong here.
I suspect the Fourth Kazekage may have already died at the hands of Orochimaru. With Konoha's current situation, we cannot completely turn against Sunagakure. This balance needs to be carefully managed."
"If the Fourth Kazekage is really dead, it would be much more advantageous for us. Let's go find the two elders."
"Okay."
Meanwhile...
With the end of the battle, the people at the competition venue woke up from the genjutsu and knew what had happened. They felt a wave of fear in their hearts.
"Gai-sensei, are you alright?"
Lee saw the injuries on Gai and looked worried.
"I'm fine. This opponent was really strong. I didn't even react to the move he used to defeat me. What a youthful battle! The next time I meet him, I will definitely defeat him!"
Gai was not discouraged by the defeat, but his fighting spirit became even stronger.
He only regretted that he should have opened the seventh gate earlier, knowing that his opponent was so strong.
If he had done that, he wouldn't have lost.
"Someone who can defeat Gai-sensei? So strong! Who is he?"
Lee was shocked.
In his impression, Gai was an invincible existence.
He didn't expect that someone could actually defeat him.
"I don't know either, but he used Shikotsumyaku, so he should be from the Kaguya clan."
"Shikotsumyaku? Kimimaro's clansman?"
Lee wanted to ask more, but Tenten ran over with a worried look on her face.
"It's not good! Gai-sensei, Neji is missing!"
"Neji is missing? What happened?"
Gai's expression immediately became serious.
"I just went to the contestant area to look for Neji, but I couldn't find him anywhere, and no one has seen him. Gai-sensei, could something have happened to Neji?"
Tenten's voice was already tinged with tears.
Neji was missing, and this was a huge deal for her.
"Tenten, don't panic yet. The enemy shouldn't target Neji, a genin. I'll go ask the Hyuga clan head, he might know some clues."
"Gai-sensei, I'll go with you."
"Me too!"
"Okay."
Gai took Lee and Tenten to find Hiashi Hyuga, who was dealing with matters.
"Hyuga clan head!"
The three of them ran all the way, kicking up dust as they came. Hiashi was puzzled, not knowing why they were in such a hurry to find him.
"Gai-san, what's the matter?"
"Neji is missing."
"What?"
Hiashi was startled. Missing? What did that mean?
Gai immediately explained the situation, and Hiashi's face grew increasingly grim.
He immediately activated the Caged Bird Seal in Neji's mind, trying to judge his location through it.
But no matter how he activated it, the Caged Bird Seal didn't react at all.
There was only one explanation for this situation: the Caged Bird Seal had been removed!
"Kimimaro!"
Hiashi was furious!
The only people in the world who knew how to remove the Caged Bird Seal were him and Kimimaro.
He didn't expect that after Kimimaro obtained the method to remove the Caged Bird Seal, he would actually target Neji.
Was he after Neji's Byakugan?
For a moment, Hiashi's heart was in turmoil.
If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have trusted Kimimaro.
"You said Kimimaro? Could this matter be related to Kimimaro?"
Gai quickly asked.
Hiashi took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
"I suspect that Neji was kidnapped by Otogakure, where Kimimaro is from."
Naturally, Hiashi couldn't tell the whole truth and could only choose some things to tell Gai.
"What? Why would Otogakure target Neji?"
Tenten exclaimed.
Tenten now understood the fearsome nature of Otogakure.
If Neji was really captured by Otogakure, it would be too dangerous.
"Perhaps it's for the Byakugan."
"Then wouldn't Neji be in great danger?"
Hiashi nodded.
Upon hearing this, Tenten turned and was about to rush out.
"Tenten, where are you going!"
Lee grabbed Tenten.
"To chase after the Oto ninja, I must rescue Neji!"
"I'll go with you."
"Okay!"
"This is youth! Our third team will act together to rescue Neji!"
Gai was full of fighting spirit.
But Hiashi stopped the three of them.
"It's too late to chase after the Oto ninja now. Moreover, the village is in a precarious state. Gai-san, as one of the main fighting forces of the village, you cannot leave casually."
"This..."
Gai was caught in a dilemma.
On one side was the village, and on the other side were his students.
"Gai-sensei, if it's inconvenient for you, Lee and I will go!"
Tenten was very insistent.
"Give up. With the current situation in the village, no ninja will be allowed to leave. If you forcefully go, you will only be labeled as missing-nin. Do you want to become missing-nin?"
Hiashi said again.
Hearing the word "missing-nin," Tenten and Lee looked at each other, feeling a bit intimidated.
They had too many attachments in Konoha and certainly wouldn't choose to become missing-nin.
"Hyuga clan head! Aren't you worried about Neji's safety at all? He's your nephew!"
Tenten couldn't hold back anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shouted angrily.
Under normal circumstances, she would never have the courage to do this.
But now, for Neji's sake, she couldn't care less.
"I will find a way to handle this matter. You guys shouldn't get involved. The Hyuga clan's matters will be resolved by the Hyuga clan itself."
After saying this, Hiashi turned and left, not giving Tenten a chance to speak.
Tenten couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Neji..."
"Tenten, don't worry, Neji will be fine. He's a genius."
Lee comforted her.
But this obviously didn't have much effect.
Tenten looked at Gai with red eyes.
"Gai-sensei, could it be that we'll never see Neji again?"
Gai's expression froze, and the emotions in his eyes were somewhat complex.
"No, Tenten. Neji will definitely come back safely."
(End of Chapter)