At the Third's command, Konoha's shinobi moved in.
A barrier was formed, sealing off the battlefield. The Third Hokage entered it himself.
Inside, Gaara and Karin had lost all reason. They were completely consumed by madness.
The only way to stop them was to use a sealing technique to suppress them by force.
From the shadows, Orochimaru watched with a smirk.
Beneath Konoha's bright surface… everything was already rotten to the core.
Kakashi's words only revealed a small part of what Konohagakure had done. In reality, it was far more than that.
The death of Hatake Sakumo, the death of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the Uchiha clan massacre.
Aside from these, what happened when the Hyuga clan was targeted?
When Hyuga Hiashi saved his daughter, Hyuga Hinata, from a Kumogakure ninja, it led to worsening relations between the two villages. In the end, Konohagakure apologized, and Hiashi's younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, was forced to take responsibility with his life. His body was then handed over to Kumogakure.
But the real cause of this incident? A Kumogakure ninja infiltrated Konohagakure and kidnapped Hinata. It was only after this that Hiashi fought back.
But was this the only disgraceful act by Konohagakure? Not even close.
Orochimaru's expression remained cold. The Will of Fire was supposed to burn endlessly, but now, the great tree of Konohagakure had rotted. It could no longer sprout new life.
"Let's go."
Seeing Kakashi leave, Orochimaru didn't linger either. The two Otogakure ninjas beside him were surprised.
"Orochimaru-sama, aren't we going to watch a little longer?"
"No need. She's already reached her limit."
Orochimaru had long understood Karin's situation. He had done everything possible to draw out her potential.
But clearly, not everyone from the Uzumaki clan had the same talent as Shanks.
It wasn't a problem with Karin's training methods. Orochimaru had copied them exactly. After all, Shanks never hid anything from Madara, and information flowed freely between Madara and Orochimaru.
Maybe he didn't copy one hundred percent, but at least eighty percent of it. Even so, people were just different from one another.
The best example was Madara and Sasuke.
Both were from the Uchiha clan, both inherited Indra's chakra.
But without Orochimaru's help and without the power-ups from the Sage of Six Paths, could Sasuke have reached Madara's level? The answer was obvious—he couldn't.
And if that wasn't clear enough, just look at Indra himself. He started off at a much higher level than most people. In fact, if he and Madara had fought, it would've been hard to say who would win.
"What's left now is time. Not everyone has Shanks' spirit and determination. Without the resolve to become one of the Four Emperors, even if you take the same path, you won't get far."
Orochimaru led his two subordinates away. There were more important matters waiting for them.
"Spirit and determination, huh?"
One of the Otogakure ninjas mumbled.
He didn't fully understand, but if Orochimaru said it, then it had to be true.
In reality, Orochimaru had pretty much given up on Karin. It was clear that Shanks didn't mind others learning from him. He was even promoting that training method.
You could see it from the Blade-less Pirates.
Breaking the barriers between villages and ninja clans, shattering the old monopoly on jutsu—there was no such thing as stealing or copying.
That was the Four Emperors, Shanks. If someone walked the same path, he'd be thrilled. He wanted to see if the next generation could surpass him.
That was the spirit of a true Four Emperors.
As Orochimaru thought about everything Shanks had done and then looked at Konohagakure, his contempt only deepened.
"The old man's past his time."
He vanished into the shadows.
There were many other ninjas from different villages present, but they all quietly left.
Especially after hearing what Kakashi said, everyone pretended not to have heard a thing.
Not just the ninjas from other villages—even the ones from Konohagakure had no choice but to act like they didn't hear it.
Guy didn't bother with the Third Hokage and just went after Kakashi.
"Kakashi, let's have a youthful battle!"
"No time."
"I feel like you've gotten a lot stronger lately, and…"
Guy casually threw an arm around Kakashi's neck like they were best buddies.
"And you've been carrying that sword around. Are you learning swordsmanship?"
"I just happened to find a sword at home, that's all."
"Hmm!"
Kakashi yawned, looking like he was ready to sleep again.
"Instead of worrying about that, you should think about the upcoming Chunin Exams. There are some really strong people this time."
Hearing that, Guy started worrying about Lee.
Lee would never back down from the Chunin Exams, and he'd probably be willing to risk his life for it.
But those two guys from earlier were unbelievably strong—practically insane.
No matter how much Guy believed in his student, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
And in that brief moment of distraction, Kakashi vanished right in front of him.
"Damn it, Kakashi! You've been secretly training, haven't you? You even picked up a weapon again."
"But… that's more like it. That's the Kakashi I know."
Guy thought back to their childhood.
Back then, Kakashi was the most talented ninja of their generation in Konohagakure.
His father was even a great hero of the village.
But after everything that happened, Kakashi had completely changed.
"If that's the case, then I have to work even harder. I can't let Kakashi surpass me!"
Guy's fighting spirit ignited once again.
As a ninja without natural talent, the only thing he could do was work harder than anyone else.
And that hard work and sweat—
That was the true strength of Taijutsu ninjas like him.
Meanwhile, Kakashi returned home and was met with a familiar face in his room.
His shock lasted only a second before he quickly regained his composure.
"Kakashi, long time no see."
Standing in his house was none other than Orochimaru.
"I wasn't hoping to see you at all."
Kakashi had no fondness for Orochimaru.
More than that, Orochimaru was dangerous.
"Relax. I'm here to make a deal with you. I've been tracking Hiruko lately. If you find anything, you can let me know anytime."
"This is a little gift for you."
After saying that, Orochimaru got up to leave.
But Kakashi couldn't help but ask when he saw the strange fruit with twisted patterns sitting on his table.
"What is this?"
"You should've heard the pirates mention it when you came back from the Land of Waves."
The moment Orochimaru said that, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
Devil Fruit—
A legendary treasure from the world of pirates!
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