Chapter 69: Hiruzen (Bonus Chapter)

Konoha Village, Hokage's Office. As the Hokage's assistant, Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed loudly and said happily, "As expected of my disciple, Tsunade did a great job!" Akimichi Tofaze said with a puzzled look, "Tsunade's choice to withdraw when dealing with Zenkichi has already caused dissatisfaction in Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure." "They have now sent a letter asking us to give an explanation. Isn't this a bad thing that gives people a headache? It feels like you are very happy." Sarutobi Hiruzen replied with a calm smile, "Tsunade did nothing wrong. Otherwise, we would have lost a shadow-level combat power." "As for the letters from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure—don't worry about it. Why should we in Konoha give them an explanation?" "As long as we maintain our current strength, no matter how dissatisfied they are, they can only choose to cooperate with us." "Joining forces to deal with Kirigakure and Zenkichi is the most important thing at the moment. They won't fight us head-on." "Of course, they don't dare to do so because they fear that pushing us too far will drive us into an alliance with Kirigakure." "Even if we don't side with Kirigakure, simply standing by and doing nothing will make them nervous." "After all, things like sitting on a mountain and watching tigers fight, taking advantage of others, and adding insult to injury aren't uncommon among the Ninja Villages." Sarutobi Hiruzen remained calm and said, "Just wait. They will definitely send people to negotiate with us and work hard to win us over." He was a little excited. When Zenkichi caused a major incident in Konoha, it wasn't just the village that lost face—Hiruzen, as the longest-serving Hokage, also did. At that time, he became the laughingstock of the entire ninja world. The Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, Chiyo, and other elders of his generation all mocked him. Hiruzen's tone turned cold. "Don't worry. To deal with Zenkichi, we specially trained a new ninja unit." Akimichi Tofaze pondered. "Are we going to fight Zenkichi of Kirigakure again? That guy's not easy to deal with." The Third Tsuchikage didn't fare much better. His only son was crippled by Zenkichi. The Third Raikage and Chiyo were both severely humiliated. "What's more, the other three villages are not weaklings. They have forces capable of handling Zenkichi." "Of course, this kind of action shouldn't be taken too hastily. We can't act without thorough preparation." "We can't expect Zenkichi to let us off every time. That's just unrealistic." ... Kirigakure Village. Zenkichi requested an ANBU quota from the Third Mizukage and also a set of ANBU gear for Pakura. Looking at the neatly dressed Pakura, Zenkichi frowned slightly and asked, "Your hairstyle is very distinctive. Won't acquaintances recognize you?" Pakura's hair was unusual. Most of it was dark green, with two orange bangs hanging at the front. "Hair? I thought it was interesting at first, so I dyed it like this." "But you make a good point. It does stand out." "Is there a hair dye shop in Kirigakure? I'll just change it." She casually touched her hair. "You dyed it?" Zenkichi asked in surprise. Pakura said with annoyance, "Of course! How else would my hair be two different colors?" Zenkichi shook his head. "No, no, no, you underestimate the magic of this world. Kirigakure has all sorts of people—it wouldn't be strange for someone to have naturally two-colored hair." He sighed. He was already used to oddities. From Momochi Zabuza, who had no eyebrows, to Kisame, who looked like a shark hybrid. Juzo with sharp teeth, or the Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish with mutated features... Nothing surprised Zenkichi anymore. He saw it all as part of the Naruto world's bizarre design. He took Pakura to a hair dye shop and had her change her hairstyle while wearing a mask. Soon after, an ANBU ninja with light green hair stood in front of Zenkichi. "Not bad!" Zenkichi looked her over. Pakura appeared especially pretty now. Her hair had become light green, replacing the heaviness of her previous look with something brighter and more vibrant. "Very good! Let's go. Time to find my men and disciples overseas." He nodded with satisfaction and took her on board the ship to Neutralis. ... "Wind Release—Thousand-faced Wind!" On the deck, Zenkichi and Pakura were sparring. Pakura's strongest technique was her Bloodline Limit: Scorch Release. Normally, she relied heavily on her Scorch Release, or used it to supplement her main fighting style. But now, it couldn't be used. This was a huge handicap. She had to adapt quickly. "Even without Scorch Release, your Taijutsu and Wind and Fire Release jutsu make you an elite Jonin." "You truly are a genius. You have a sharp combat sense and plenty of experience." "But even so, you're still on the lower end of the elite Jonin spectrum. That's not good enough." "I have a special set of techniques that should help. I'll teach them to you now." Zenkichi had decided to pass on the Naruto-verse adaptation of the Six Powers. He didn't believe in using those he couldn't trust, nor did he trust those he couldn't use. And with his Observation Haki, he could sense that Terumi Mei and her group were in a battle—and their enemies were strong. With his Haki fully deployed, Zenkichi quickly located their position. Besides, with his current strength, even if Pakura made trouble, she couldn't pose a threat. "Interesting. Terumi Mei and the others aren't fighting shinobi—but enemies just as dangerous." Zenkichi murmured with interest. "Follow me." He gave Pakura the command and led her toward the source of the battle. Soon, they reached the edge of the Island. Terumi Mei and her allies had fought their way there. They faced four enemies in total—one man and three women. The female was fierce, with a cold and bloodthirsty style. She clashed hard with Momochi Zabuza. At that moment, Zabuza was holding a standard ninja sword and battling her. The three women all had significant power, while the only man remained hidden behind them. ---