Chapter 588: Influence of the Second God of Shinobi

"We were originally fighting the Iwa-nin unit led by Huangtu, but suddenly a mysterious man in a black robe with a three-tomoe Sharingan rushed out..."

Mu Yue briefly summarized their encounter today.

Mu Yue didn't go into detail about the battle process, only mentioned that the ninja suspected to be Uchiha Madara was very skilled in Fire Release, and briefly described the size of the Susanoo.

"Uchiha Madara? Could it really be that guy?" Despite the report coming from Mu Yue, Jiraiya's first instinct was still doubt.

Because this news simply defied common sense.

The person who originally brought news of Uchiha Madara's death was the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Hashirama himself said that he killed Uchiha Madara.

Would Senju Hashirama lie? As a Konoha ninja, Jiraiya felt that Senju Hashirama had no need to lie.

Senju Hashirama had no need to use lies to enhance his fame and achievements; he had already reached the pinnacle.

Then, did Senju Hashirama intentionally let Uchiha Madara go, not wanting Madara to be hunted by Konoha, and thus claimed he killed Madara?

That's also unlikely. Uchiha Madara once made a harsh vow to destroy Konoha, and for the Hokage, Senju Hashirama, that was an unforgivable crime.

Take Jiraiya himself for example—even if Tsunade were to say she would destroy Konoha and stand against the village, when the mission came to him, he would still endure the pain and kill Tsunade.

This wasn't because Tsunade was unimportant to him, but because Konoha was more important to him than himself and anything else.

Jiraiya didn't believe that Senju Hashirama, the founder of Konoha, would be inferior to him in love for Konoha.

However, when Jiraiya thought it over carefully, if this Uchiha wasn't Uchiha Madara, there didn't seem to be anyone else.

Even if Mu Yue didn't describe the battle process, Jiraiya could tell from Mu Yue's somewhat disheveled appearance that the opponent was no simple foe.

The current Uchiha clan of Konoha definitely had no such powerful figure.

"Mu Yue, let me take a look at the corpse." Jiraiya said after thinking for a moment.

He had never personally seen Uchiha Madara, but he had seen portraits.

Mu Yue nodded, took out a scroll, and released Uchiha Madara's corpse; Obito's corpse had already been removed by him beforehand.

Looking at that face full of wrinkles and loose skin, Jiraiya was taken aback.

It was far too old; he could not see in this the Uchiha Madara who could contend with the God of Shinobi.

However, Jiraiya did not immediately deny the identity of the corpse. The fact that someone so aged could still beat Mu Yue so badly only further proved his power.

"I'll report to the higher-ups. For now, Mu Yue, don't lead any more missions outside." Jiraiya turned his gaze from the corpse to Mu Yue and said.

Regardless of who this corpse was, one thing could be determined: there were still forces in the shadows targeting Konoha.

Mu Yue nodded.

This time, both he and his disciples had gained a lot; a period of rest to organize and adjust their state would be better.

Ten minutes after Mu Yue and his team withdrew, several Iwa-nin quietly arrived at this battlefield, which had been destroyed beyond recognition.

They were the squad Huangtu left behind to scout. After seeing the blue giant disappear from a distance, they thought the battle might be over and came to investigate.

When the Iwa-nin saw the state of the battlefield, they all gasped in shock.

The ground was covered with craters of varying depths and sizes, some even exceeding a hundred meters in width, like footprints left by a giant beast.

The Iwa-nin walked through this shocking battlefield, where rocks and soil were mixed, forming rugged obstacles. The vegetation had been torn apart by powerful forces, and the withered branches and leaves were covered with a thick layer of ash, recording the merciless ravages of fire.

Next, they saw a long, narrow, scorched ravine, as well as blue flames still burning on the ground that had not been extinguished.

"Is this level of destruction something humans can cause? Those two guys are way too incredible." The Iwa-nin couldn't help but exclaim as they saw the traces of the battle.

Although they hadn't witnessed the fight between Mu Yue and Uchiha Madara firsthand, just seeing these remnants was enough to know that "powerful" was an understatement—they were monsters.

"Just based on this, we can't tell which side won." The Iwa-nin jonin frowned slightly.

Mu Yue and Uchiha Madara were too strong. It was unclear whether Uchiha Madara was friend or foe, but the Konoha ninja Mu Yue was definitely an enemy of Iwa.

If Mu Yue had won, then Iwa would either retreat and wait for reinforcements, or go straight back to the Land of Earth.

With their current numbers in the Land of Grass, they couldn't possibly deal with the Konoha ninja forces. Even Mu Yue alone could surround a thousand-ninja unit, and Jiraiya wasn't easy to handle either.

If Uchiha Madara had won, then this could be an excellent opportunity for Iwa to make a move.

"Captain, it seems there are no Konoha ninja corpses here, but there are corpses of our Iwa-nin." After searching, an Iwa-nin reported this finding to the jonin.

The Rock Hidden jonin's brow furrowed even deeper. This was not good news—it could be basically confirmed that Konoha had come out on top.

Because if Uchiha Madara had won, there was no reason for him to only handle the bodies of Konoha ninja and ignore Rock Hidden.

"Continue searching," the Rock Hidden jonin ordered.

Konoha's victory didn't necessarily mean Mu Yue had won. It could be mutual annihilation, or both sides retreating after heavy losses.

Next, they discovered some traces of Konoha's retreat, proving that many Konoha ninja had survived.

Half an hour later, unable to find any more clues, the Rock Hidden jonin led his team back to the Rock Hidden unit camp and reported to Kitsuchi and Lie Shi.

"Did Yusheng Muyue win, or was it that black-robed mysterious person?" Kitsuchi asked hastily.

"The existing intelligence cannot determine which side won, but odds are that Yusheng Muyue was victorious."

The Rock Hidden jonin related what he had seen and heard on the battlefield.

Kitsuchi and Lie Shi each asked the Rock Hidden jonin a few questions. After answering, the jonin tactfully left the tent.

"Elder Lie Shi, I think we need to withdraw to the western border," Kitsuchi said, voicing his thoughts.

That Susanoo, standing over eighty meters tall, had left an exceedingly deep impression on him.

To have defeated even such a terrifying enemy, and to also possess an absurdly large-scale Wood Release jutsu – Kitsuchi could not imagine how great a role Mu Yue could play in a large-scale war.

"Indeed," Lie Shi nodded.

Before, Lie Shi had been single-mindedly set on earning merit and advancing further to become a high-ranking member of Rock Hidden. But ever since he had been gravely wounded and nearly killed by Jiraiya last time, his ambition had greatly diminished.

Now Lie Shi felt that staying alive was more important. After all, even if he wasn't a high-ranking official, he had already achieved fame and success.

After confirming the retreat, Lie Shi contacted Kumogakure? 【sic: should be Rock Hidden village】 Rock Hidden village to request the Tsuchikage's approval.

Withdrawing to the western border of the Land of Grass was something they could decide on their own, but pulling out of the Land of Grass entirely, or continuing to strike at the Land of Fire border—that was something only the Tsuchikage and the high-ranking Rock Hidden officials could decide.

In the Land of Earth, Onoki received the frontline intelligence and quickly began examining the contents.

After reading halfway, Onoki put down the report and checked it several times before confirming that this was indeed urgent and important intelligence from the front lines, not some ninja's draft.

"Yusheng Muyue has mastered Wood Release, able to release a Wood Release that can create a forest in an instant. And a mysterious black-robed person intruded on the battlefield to attack the Konoha force, also able to unleash a Susanoo over eighty meters tall…"

Onoki crossed his fingers, resting his elbows on the desk, and showed expressions of surprise, confusion, and worry.

Because of a certain special experience, he was no stranger to the ability of Susanoo and knew it was a power of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan.

If Susanoo attacked Konoha's forces, didn't that mean an Uchiha ninja was hitting Konoha? Had the Uchiha clan started another coup?

But a coup shouldn't involve attacking forces in the field; it should target the leadership.

Onoki analyzed for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was going on with Konoha.

"Still, what exactly is the deal with this Yusheng Muyue? He's even mastered Wood Release and his strength has skyrocketed."

Onoki didn't dwell too long on why the black-robed Uchiha had attacked Mu Yue. Now he wanted to know what the deal was with Mu Yue himself.

The Mu Yue of before, though exceptionally talented, was still within reason. Onoki could view him as another Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This time was different. Not only had Mu Yue become far stronger, but he had also displayed incredibly powerful Wood Release.

Even the mysterious black-robed person, whom Kitsuchi believed could easily annihilate a thousand‑ninja force, had likely been defeated by Mu Yue.

"Is Konoha going to produce another Hashirama Senju?" Onoki's expression turned very sour.

He would rather Konoha produce two more Hiruzen Sarutobi's than another Hashirama Senju.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was strong, but Onoki believed that if he led a team of elites, he could definitely kill Hiruzen Sarutobi.

If the opponent were Hashirama Senju instead, then Onoki would only say that someone would die, but it certainly wouldn't be Hashirama Senju.

Onoki had never directly fought Hashirama Senju, but he had fought Uchiha Madara, who was Hashirama Senju's defeated opponent.

At that time, Onoki was still very young. He had gone to Konoha with his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage, to discuss an alliance, and ended up getting severely beaten by Uchiha Madara.

That battle was still unforgettable for Onoki. He and his teacher were no match for Uchiha Madara at all. Madara maintained a contemptuous expression throughout and barely even looked at them directly.

Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju had transcended to a qualitative level. In front of such people, numbers became meaningless.

Annihilating a thousand‑ninja corps was nothing more than a matter of a few full‑power jutsu for them.

"Recall Resshi and have them temporarily stationed at the western border." After some thought, Ōnoki called for the Iwagakure ANBU and ordered.

"Also, have him send a squad to scout and confirm Hanyū Muzuki's condition—whether he's alive or dead, in good shape or severely wounded."

If Hanyū Muzuki was severely wounded, then Ōnoki would be willing to trade the Iwagakure forces in the Land of Grass for Muzuki's life.

If Konohagakure produced another Hashirama Senju, the threat to Iwagakure would be beyond what a force of two thousand ninja could compare to.

The prolonged peace without war during Hashirama Senju's tenure as Hokage was because Hashirama Senju wanted peace.

When he had a choice, Ōnoki didn't want to gamble on Muzuki's character—ninja like Hashirama Senju were far too rare.

"Also, activate the spies in the Land of Fire. I need the latest battle situation in Konohagakure, as well as the internal situation of the village." Ōnoki continued.

He still wanted to know if the Uchiha clan had run into trouble.

If Konohagakure fell into civil strife at this point, he might be able to use information on Muzuki to join forces with other ninja villages and besiege Konoha together.

There was a big difference between individual attacks and a true coordinated assault.

Right now they were also attacking Konohagakure, but that didn't mean they were allies—in fact, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also in a state of war.

If he had the chance, Ōnoki would not hesitate to stab Kumogakure hard.

Signing an alliance for a joint attack was different; there was no need to worry about exposing a weakness and being betrayed during the offensive.

Ōnoki felt the other major ninja villages probably didn't want Konoha to produce a second Hashirama Senju either.

Without Hashirama Senju, they could still be considered on par with each other; with Hashirama Senju, Konohagakure's actual strength would be that of a super-major village, not just a major one.

Land of Fire, Konohagakure.

The Hokage's office.

"Lord Third, this is intelligence just arrived from the Land of Grass front." The ANBU reported.

Hearing it was from the Land of Grass front, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a slight smile.

He thought it was likely good news, because Muzuki had recently gone to the Land of Grass front to support Jiraiya.

When he saw the specific contents of the intelligence, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned shocked, then serious.

Strictly speaking, it was indeed good news, but not the kind of good news he had imagined.

Thump, thump.

"Madara Uchiha…" Hiruzen Sarutobi squinted his eyes, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the wooden desk.

The last words and clues left by Danzo Shimura made him think that Madara Uchiha might have left an heir.

But according to the intelligence from the Land of Grass, the Uchiha ninja Muzuki killed was not an heir, but appeared to be Madara Uchiha himself.

Then, was the "Madara Uchiha" who caused trouble during Danzo Shimura's death the same person as the Madara Uchiha Muzuki killed?

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought they were very likely the same person.

Since Madara Uchiha had struck at Danzo Shimura, it was only natural for him to strike at Muzuki.

Now Muzuki could truly be called "Konoha's future"; if Muzuki were sacrificed, it would be an immense loss for the entire village.

As for whether the ninja Muzuki killed was truly the real Madara Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no way to judge.

Unlike Jiraiya, who had only heard of it, Hiruzen Sarutobi had even seen with his own eyes the devastation at the Valley of the End not long after the battle ended.

Logically, Madara Uchiha should not be alive.

But reality was what it was, and combined with Madara Uchiha's former power, Hiruzen Sarutobi increasingly felt that Hashirama Senju might have slipped up back then and never truly killed Madara Uchiha.

"If only I had been at the battle site."

Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized Madara Uchiha's chakra; if he had been there, he would certainly have been able to identify his identity.

"Have Jiraiya hold off on any rash moves for now, and send a reconnaissance squad to observe the Iwagakure forces' reactions." Hiruzen Sarutobi called the ANBU and ordered.

He very much wanted to see Madara Uchiha's corpse with his own eyes, but now was not a good time.

Having other ninja transport the corpse back to Konoha was not safe enough, and both Jiraiya and Muzuki were unable to leave for the moment.

If he transferred Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi worried something might happen to Muzuki; if he transferred Muzuki, the border defense line might suffer.

Due to Uchiha Madara's surprise attack, Iwa most likely already knows about Mu Yue's strength.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wants to know what choice Iwa will make. If Iwa retreats, he will recall Mu Yue.

If Iwa sends reinforcements to continue the war, Sarutobi Hiruzen will personally lead troops to support Mu Yue, striving to defeat Iwa once and for all.

Now they have a large number of Kiri prisoners in hand; Kirigakure will most likely agree to sign a peace treaty.

If it's just facing Iwagakure and Kumogakure at the same time, Konoha is not very weak now.

As days passed, the atmosphere of the ninja world suddenly became somewhat eerie.

The Kiri forces on the southeastern battlefield of the Land of Fire were defeated and captured; the Iwa forces on the Grass Country battlefield withdrew to the border near the Land of Earth.

Konoha, which was originally engulfed in war, suddenly became idle, with only the Kumogakure forces in the Land of Hot Water still engaged in a major battle against the ninja troops led by Orochimaru.

This left Sunagakure, which was eager to watch the drama, somewhat bewildered — why did the fighting suddenly stop?

Because Mu Yue resolved the southeastern battlefield too quickly, not only were other hidden villages unaware, even Kirigakure only learned that Yagura had been soundly defeated and captured when Konoha came to propose peace talks.

The Third Mizukage was extremely speechless. He had originally planned to use Wave Country as a hub to prepare a thousand-ninja reinforcement force for Yagura, but the reinforcements hadn't even fully arrived before Yagura silently disappeared.

The Third Mizukage didn't even know what caused Yagura's defeat, when previously he had defeated the ninja force led by Konoha's top brass.

Even though the Third Mizukage regarded Yagura as his successor, he still became very dissatisfied with Yagura this time.

Although Yagura was defeated last time, the losses were not especially great — aside from those few of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, it was just one jinchuriki who couldn't control his tailed beast well.

This time, however, most of the ninja force, including Yagura himself, was captured — it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a complete annihilation.

"What do you think about the peace talks proposed by Konoha?" The Third Mizukage asked as he looked at the Kiri higher-ups.

The Kiri higher-ups exchanged glances, and for a moment no one dared to speak; even Genji looked deep in thought.

There was no help for it — this peace treaty was truly a hot potato.

If they agreed, Kiri would not only be unable to take revenge, but also have to pay reparations to Konoha, which would be a great loss of face.

If they refused, Konoha had over a thousand Kiri prisoners.

These thousand ninja essentially covered the entire relationship network of Kirigakure. If they refused the peace talks and Konoha, desperate, directly killed all the prisoners, even if Kiri didn't erupt in a major internal rebellion, it would still be in chaos for a period of time.

Even setting aside other matters, these thousand ninja themselves were not a weak force.

The Third Mizukage was somewhat displeased. Just as he was about to say something, the door to the meeting room was knocked.

"Enter." The Third Mizukage said indifferently.

A Kiri Anbu entered the meeting room, quickly came to the Third Mizukage's side, and whispered: "Third-sama, the Iwa ninja dispatched by Onoki have arrived at our village."

"Iwa?" The Third Mizukage found it somewhat strange.

Although Kiri and Iwa were not at war now, the relationship between their two villages is not good.: 92xs