Several days after the battle in the valley, Anbu Squad 11, having received initial treatment on the border of the Land of Fire, set out for their return to Konoha.
After their failed attempt to surround and kill Tatsuya and his team, the Hidden Cloud had promptly abandoned the idea of continuing the stalemate with Konoha. The main body of the Hidden Cloud forces quickly withdrew from the Land of Fire. Apart from a small contingent remaining in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost, the rest retreated to the Land of Lightning for rest and recuperation.
Faced with the withdrawal of the Hidden Cloud's main force, the Konoha ninja army also began a coordinated, phased retreat. The two great ninja villages had tacitly chosen a ceasefire, without signing a peace treaty or reigniting the flames of war.
This time, Tatsuya and his team were traveling with the first group of injured soldiers returning to Konoha.
In just a few short days, information about Konoha's Anbu Squad 11 had been released by the Hidden Cloud. As Jiraiya had anticipated, this information immediately caused a massive uproar throughout the ninja world. To use a modern internet buzzword, it was definitely the top trending topic.
Whether it was Konoha's ally, the Hidden Sand, the neutral Hidden Mist and Hidden Stone, or the hostile Hidden Cloud, all were diligently gathering intelligence on the four members of Konoha's Anbu Squad 11. The tactical analysis teams of each major power were also attempting to devise targeted strategies based on their individual characteristics.
However, after much analysis, many realized that dealing with Konoha's Anbu Squad 11 wasn't something that could be accomplished by one or two elite squads from other villages. It would require the combined might of most of a village's elite forces.
At this moment, in the eyes of the higher-ups of the other four great ninja villages, Konoha seemed to be overflowing with prodigious talent.
On the black market, all four members of Konoha's Anbu Squad 11 had been placed on the bounty list, and the price was not low. Among the four, Shisui Uchiha and Tatsuya Akimichi had the highest bounties, at 30 million ryo, comparable to the high-ranking figures of the five great ninja villages.
Kakashi was slightly lower, with a bounty of 20 million ryo. In the battle in the valley, Kakashi's brilliance as the captain of Anbu Squad 11 had been completely overshadowed by his three companions. Due to the burden of Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi's weakness of poor combat stamina was glaringly exposed in this battle. On the battlefield, if not for the timely protection of his teammates, Kakashi would have died several times.
Guy was known as Konoha's Blue Beast. While he possessed immense power when opening the Seventh Gate, the duration was short, and the burden on his body was enormous. This information was well-known to the higher-ups of the major ninja forces throughout the world.
After the battle in the valley, it was unknown whether Guy would even be able to return to the battlefield. Therefore, his bounty was the lowest, at only 10 million ryo.
Of course, Tatsuya and Shisui's higher bounties were also partly due to the influential families backing them. Both the Uchiha clan and the Akimichi clan were top-tier noble families in Konoha, and they would not allow others to hunt down their geniuses and elite members.
Inside the Hokage's office in Konoha, an Anbu operative wearing a dog mask knelt before the desk, reporting the detailed intelligence of the battle in the valley to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"You're saying that even the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb couldn't break through Shisui Uchiha's Susanoo?" After listening to the Dog-masked Anbu's report, the Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and, after a moment of silence, asked.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Not only did Shisui Uchiha's Susanoo block the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb, but Tatsuya Akimichi, in his Butterfly Transformation state, also withstood a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Bomb." The Dog-masked Anbu replied respectfully.
"He's different. Tatsuya Akimichi likely possesses some kind of medical ninjutsu that allows him to rapidly recover from injuries," the Third Hokage said, shaking his head.
The battle in the valley in the Land of Hot Water had also given the higher-ups of Konoha a huge "surprise" in the form of Anbu Squad 11's performance. While the Third Hokage was pleased that Kakashi and Guy had escaped safely, the astonishing power displayed by Tatsuya Akimichi and Shisui Uchiha also worried him, particularly Shisui Uchiha, who was only fourteen years old. The Third Hokage seemingly saw another Madara Uchiha rapidly rising.
His expression constantly shifting, the Hokage's office fell into silence. After several minutes, the Dog-masked Anbu, having received no further instructions, vanished in a shunshin.
Half an hour later, footsteps sounded outside, and Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado arrived together.
"Hiruzen, Anbu Squad 11 will soon return to the village. I demand that they all be brought to Root and placed under surveillance!" Danzo said to the Third Hokage in a deep voice as soon as he entered the office.
"No! They are heroes of Konoha. They should be treated as such," the Third Hokage refused, shaking his head.
"Heroes? Hiruzen, according to the report from my subordinates, when the order was initially given, the four members of Anbu Squad 11 directly disobeyed it. Such behavior cannot be tolerated!" Danzo looked at the Third Hokage coldly.
"The assignment of that mission was indeed poorly considered. It's natural that they would have some… feelings about it. In the end, didn't they complete the mission perfectly?" The Third Hokage said calmly.
Hearing this, Danzo narrowed his exposed left eye, staring directly at the Third Hokage. After a moment, he said, "Hiruzen, Shisui Uchiha has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. You know the terror of those eyes. While his injuries are still healing, we must take him into our control."
"Hiruzen, Danzo is right. We cannot allow the Mangekyo Sharingan to return to the Uchiha clan," Koharu Utatane added, supporting Danzo.
"This is our collective opinion," Homura Mitokado chimed in.
Putting down his pipe, the Third Hokage furrowed his brows, staring intently at Danzo.
"Have you considered what the Uchiha clan's reaction will be if we try to seize Shisui Uchiha? A rebellion would likely erupt in an instant," the Third Hokage said slowly after a pause.
Danzo's eyes flashed with a cold light. "If the Uchiha clan rebels, I will lead Root to suppress them directly!"
"No! The village cannot withstand any more turmoil! Jiraiya and Orochimaru have not yet returned to the village. Root and Anbu alone cannot suppress the Uchiha clan. We also don't fully understand the abilities of Shisui's eyes. Taking such a gamble doesn't guarantee victory. If the village falls into internal strife at this time, the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone will likely attack again immediately. What will we use to stop them? Moreover, Shisui is Kagami's descendant. I believe he would not do anything to harm the village." The Third Hokage shook his head, still refusing.
After the Third Hokage finished speaking, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado frowned in hesitation.
"Hmph! You will regret this in the future!" Danzo glared coldly at his three companions, dropped those words, and turned to leave.
The Third Hokage's voice followed him: "Danzo, without my permission, Root is not to act independently during this time!"
Danzo paused momentarily, then continued to stride out.
Soon, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado also left. The Hokage's office was left with only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"No signs of using Sage Mode, huh?" he murmured, flipping through the intelligence reports in his hand.
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