With Orochimaru's order, the Konoha ninjas pounced on the Iwa ninjas. The Iwa forces only resisted briefly before their morale crumbled, leading to a full retreat.
If there had been someone like Naruto among these Iwa ninjas—one who could use the legendary Mouth Jutsu: Gradual Persuasion Technique—they might have been able to rally. Such a technique, capable of restoring chakra and uniting broken ranks, could have turned the tide. But unfortunately for them, none of these Iwa shinobi were gifted with that mysterious ability.
This highlights an important point—why is it generally accepted that Konoha produces the strongest ninjas? Decades ago, elite shinobi like the Gold and Silver Brothers were able to assassinate both the Second Hokage and the Second Raikage. Could it be said that the Hidden Cloud lacked powerful fighters? Of course not. Yet the ninja world recognizes Konoha as the strongest, not just because of individual power but because of their unity—what is often called the Will of Fire.
...
With Konoha on the brink of liberating the Land of Rain, Uchiha Tatsumi wanted to rush forward and continue racking up achievements. However, Sarutobi Shinnosuke stopped him in his tracks.
"Tatsumi, you're completely drained of chakra. If you rush into battle now, it's suicide. What am I supposed to tell Orochimaru and the others if you collapse?" Shinnosuke scolded.
Tatsumi considered this for a moment before nodding. The exhaustion from prolonged battle was catching up to him. Seeing that the battlefield was now under Konoha's control, he leaned against Shinnosuke's back and fell into a deep sleep.
...
When Tatsumi finally woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.
"Where is this?" he murmured groggily.
"You're awake, Tatsumi." Mikoto, who had been sitting nearby, immediately turned to him with relief in her voice.
Tatsumi looked around, recognizing the canvas walls and the scent of antiseptic in the air. "Mikoto, where are we?"
"You're in the medical tent at Konoha's front-line headquarters," she explained. "You passed out, so Shinnosuke brought you here."
Tatsumi rubbed his temples, still feeling a bit dizzy. "How long was I out?"
"A full day and night," Mikoto replied with a smile.
"No wonder my head feels heavy," Tatsumi muttered before his gaze shifted to another occupied bed in the tent.
Nawaki was lying there, his head wrapped in thick bandages, completely engrossed in a book. Every now and then, he chuckled to himself. Fortunately, it wasn't some risqué novel like Icha Icha Paradise—which, of course, Jiraiya hadn't even started writing yet.
Curious, Tatsumi tilted his head slightly and caught a glimpse of the title: Memoirs of a Geisha in the Land of Rain.
Jiraiya's work again, huh?
Turning back to Mikoto, he asked, "What happened to Nawaki? Wasn't he fine before?"
Mikoto hesitated before answering. "Well… he got caught in an explosive tag's blast during the battle with the Iwa ninjas."
Tatsumi sighed. "Of course he did..."
Mikoto giggled before switching to a more serious tone. "Tatsumi, do you know? Yesterday, Hanzo of the Salamander officially acknowledged Orochimaru-sensei, Tsunade-sama, and Jiraiya-uncle as the Sannin of Konoha."
Tatsumi nodded—it was expected. But he noticed Mikoto's excitement and suddenly felt uneasy.
"And then," she continued, "the Sand Village issued a statement as well. They're calling you the Konoha Lightning Flash after your battle with Shukaku. They say you defeated the One-Tail with just one Lightning Release technique!"
"...Huh?" Tatsumi blinked in disbelief. "Wait, what did you just say?"
Mikoto's eyes sparkled as she repeated, "They're calling you Konoha Lightning Flash! They even claim your strength is comparable to the Sannin!"
Tatsumi immediately felt his stomach sink. He now understood exactly what was happening.
The Sand Village wasn't praising him out of admiration—they were setting him up.
A ten-year-old being compared to Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade? That was a death sentence. People from all over would come to test him. Assassins from rival villages would target him.
In the ninja world, prodigies were priority targets.
Minato Namikaze, in the future, would be feared across the battlefield. The mere sight of him would make enemy forces retreat. But that was because he truly earned the title of Yellow Flash. Tatsumi? He wasn't at that level yet. His current strength was only that of an elite Jonin at best, and elite Jonin were far from invincible.
What if Kakuzu, the bounty-hunting immortal, came after him for a hefty price? What if he got caught in an unexpected Particle Style attack? What if Shukaku wanted revenge?
Tatsumi groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Great. Just great. I've been hyped into an early grave."
To be fair, he had used the Kirin technique to wreck Shukaku in front of thousands of ninja. That was something most would remember for a lifetime. But now, the rumors had spun out of control, painting him as some unstoppable force.
Konoha Lightning Flash, huh? No hype, no black!
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