Night fell.
At this moment, the open area was already riddled with devastation—everywhere were enormous craters, the land completely flattened.
If someone were to stand inside one of those craters, they would be shocked to discover that terrifying residual power still lingered within, enough to roast an egg.
"Hah—!"
As he let out a long breath, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, slowly withdrew the Rasengan in his hand. His whole body relaxed as he exhaled deeply.
His forehead was now covered in large beads of sweat.
Off to the side, Ning Feng wasn't in much better shape. He was slumped atop one of the massive craters, gasping heavily for air.
Over the course of the entire night, Ning Feng and Minato had coordinated countless times. At long last, they had elevated their mutual understanding to an utterly terrifying level.
Now, the two of them needed only the slightest exchange of glances to know exactly what the other intended to do—perfect, seamless coordination.
The Taiji Rasengan they unleashed together had also grown dramatically under their repeated practice. Compared to the first time, its effective range had doubled, while its destructive power showed no signs of diminishing.
Just as the two struggled to catch their breath, a gentle voice suddenly rang out:
"Hey—you two have been training for so long. You must be exhausted, right?"
As the words fell, Uzumaki Kushina, known as Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, walked over carrying delicious food in one hand and fine wine in the other.
Just from the aroma alone, Ning Feng's mouth began to water. He couldn't help but exclaim,
"Wow—just smelling this, I can tell that Sister Kushina must've made something incredibly delicious!"
Minato didn't say anything. He merely smiled foolishly, his face full of doting affection.
"Didn't I tell you not to run around so much? What if you disturbed the baby?"
At that, Kushina immediately shot Minato a glare and gently rubbed her visibly swollen belly.
"Hmph! Our child is going to be extraordinary. How could a little movement possibly hurt him!?"
As she spoke, Kushina glanced at the devastation around them and proudly lifted her chin.
"See? I told you—Peak has incredible talent in ninjutsu. He's definitely going to become your right-hand man in the future!"
"Hahaha, my wife really has good judgment!"
Minato laughed heartily as he picked up a plate of food and began eating with gusto. The taste filled him with the warm feeling of having a family.
Ning Feng had no intention of staying around to keep watching the two shower each other with affection. After taking one last deep look at Kushina's belly, he briefly said goodbye and vanished without a trace.
It was clear that when Ning Feng left, there was an extra scroll in his hand.
This scroll wasn't a ninjutsu scroll for cultivation, but rather a space scroll used to store large quantities of ninja tools.
Inside that scroll, quietly sealed away, was Namikaze Minato's chakra.
Yes—Minato's chakra.
After their joint training the previous night, Ning Feng had specifically suggested this method. With Minato's chakra stored away, Ning Feng would be able to use Wind Release: Taiji Rasengan even on his own.
Likewise, Minato had also kept some of Ning Feng's chakra, allowing him to do the same.
As Ning Feng mentally reviewed the key principles of Wind Release: Taiji Rasengan, he prepared to return to the Uchiha compound.
Suddenly, just as he was about to head home, he noticed a symbol left near the Uchiha residence.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than childish graffiti—but only someone like Ning Feng, an ANBU operative, could recognize it.
It was an ANBU summons.
Something big was about to happen in Konoha.
His eyes narrowed slightly. Making sure no one was watching, Ning Feng immediately put on his ANBU mask and headed straight for ANBU headquarters.
At this moment, ANBU headquarters had completely lost its usual calm. Everything was in chaos. ANBU operatives hurried back and forth with frantic steps, as if some great storm were descending.
The moment Ning Feng entered, he spotted Kakashi, the ANBU squad leader he had previously worked with, as well as Uchiha Itachi and others, all waiting quietly.
When they saw Ning Feng's familiar mask, they immediately waved him over.
Once the four of them assembled into a squad, they went together to report to Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"You arrived just in time," Sarutobi Shinnosuke said grimly, his expression severe.
"On the surface, Konoha looks calm these past few days—but in reality, things are already surging beneath the surface."
This was the first time Ning Feng had ever seen the ANBU commander-in-chief wearing such a solemn expression.
"The reason is simple. Our spies have sent back intelligence indicating that Kirigakure has recently dispatched a large number of elite ANBU operatives toward Konoha. Among them, there are even members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"We don't yet know Kirigakure's exact purpose, but it's highly likely that we need to prepare for the possibility of war between our nations."
"The reason I called you here today is equally simple—stop Kirigakure's ANBU from infiltrating Konoha and probing our defenses. And above all, be wary of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Each one of them is a ruthless killer."
As he said this, Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Kirigakure?" Kakashi frowned.
Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, Kirigakure had implemented the Blood Mist policy, producing countless powerful shinobi. It had long been the nightmare of other villages.
Could it be that this dispatch of Mist ANBU truly signaled the beginning of another great war?
Ning Feng, on the other hand, wasn't particularly surprised—he was calm.
When he encountered Black Hoe Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had already guessed that Kirigakure wouldn't simply let things go.
After all, the moment when Uzumaki Kushina would give birth—when the Nine-Tails' seal would be at its weakest—was fast approaching.
"Don't worry. We'll uncover the true purpose of these Mist ninjas as soon as possible," Kakashi said in a low voice. He didn't want the hard-won peace to be shattered.
"The Blood Mist Village…" Uchiha Itachi fell into deep thought.
Just as the group was pondering, an ANBU operative suddenly rushed in.
"Captain—bad news! Kumogakure has made a move as well!"
"A large number of Cloud Village ninjas are rapidly approaching the Hyūga clan and the Uchiha clan!"
"And Mist Village ninjas are mixed in among them!"
The moment those words fell, Uchiha Itachi and Ning Feng exchanged shocked looks.
The Cloud Village and the Mist Village had coveted the dōjutsu of these two clans for far too long.
Now—
They had finally made their move.
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