Escape From Konoha

The early morning fog has not completely dispersed, and the flames have already filled the battlefield.

The sounds of weapons breaking through the air, the explosions caused by ninjutsu, and the hoarse roars of ninjas all filled the battlefield.

Kunai, shuriken, and ninja swords were scattered everywhere, stuck in the soil, and stuck on human corpses. The tangy smell of blood made people nauseous, and the earth was dyed red.

The battle lasted from morning to afternoon. Dark clouds swept in from the distant sky, and cold rain fell, and the air became deserted.

The rain fell on the four-year-old Itachi without mercy.

That immature body appeared out of place on the battlefield, and the young mind was shocked by the scene before him.

Drenched in the cold rain, I stared blankly at what was happening in front of me.

There are countless potholes on the battlefield. Even if the rain falls, hot black smoke still rises from the potholes and rises into the sky.

The cruel scenes, blood and human mutilations, were clearly reflected in Itachi's eyes.

After taking a closer look, he saw that among the fallen corpses around him, no matter whether they were Konoha ninjas or Kumogakure ninjas, none of them had peaceful faces.

Twisted in pain, stiff in twisting, the body becomes cold.

The person standing next to Itachi is his father, Uchiha Fugaku.

The current leader of Konoha's wealthy Uchiha clan, he is a powerful ninja who can easily control the Blood Succession Limited Sharingan.

Father Fugaku's face lost the warmth and gentleness of the past, only endless seriousness.

Although Itachi extravagantly hoped that he could throw himself into his father's arms and find a harbor of family affection that he could rely on to forget all the tragic things that happened in front of him.

However, Fugaku didn't act on Itachi's ideas.

She didn't give him any support and just said coldly:

"This is war, the war of ninjas."

war……

Itachi didn't know what war was before.

Until now, he seemed to understand what war was like.

The fighting Konoha and Kumogakure ninjas have nothing to do with their own will. The ninjas on both sides died in pain and misery, struggling on the edge of hell.

The pain and despair of the corpse were the same no matter which ninja side it was.

Itachi could deeply feel that for every corpse that fell on the ground, they didn't want to die. But they died anyway, dying in agony.

Why did it become like this?

Because the war happened.

Itachi regretted that he should have refused when his father Fugaku asked him to come to the battlefield to experience the real world.

He instinctively refused to see such a scene.

He clenched his small fists and fell into an indescribable emotional whirlpool. He didn't know the reason or why he had this feeling of disgust. He just felt a sense of suffocation welling up in his heart, and his chest was so tight that he couldn't breathe.

"war……"

It seemed that he heard Itachi's trembling and weak murmur. Fugaku's voice covered the surrounding wind and rain and rang clearly in Itachi's ears.

"All kinds of meaningless battles and killings between strangers. This is the world of ninjas. It is also a world cursed by war. You are going to live in this kind of world. The purpose of bringing you here is to show you Know clearly what the reality of this world is.”

These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Itachi's young heart with great ferocity.

The 'reality' in Fugaku's words, the reality of ninjas, the reality of a world cursed by war, were simply incomprehensible to the four-year-old Itachi.

Even though Fugaku said, let him see the reality of the world.

However, Itachi didn't want to see such a thing.

I could only desperately hold back my fear and hold back my tears.

"Remember all this well. We ninjas live to fight. Because you are not only a member of Konoha, but also an outstanding ninja who will inherit the name of Uchiha. Itachi, you are a smart boy, you will definitely understand of."

No, I don't understand. Itachi was breathing hard and wanted to speak loudly to Fugaku, but he was afraid of his father's reproachful and disappointed eyes, so he had to hold back.

The silent terror made Itachi afraid to close his eyes, wanting to forget everything he had just seen.

As a result, the more I forget such a scene, the clearer I remember it in my mind.

Blood, twisted corpses and expressions of despair.

When he opened his eyes again, everything in front of him had not changed. It was still a living hell that was still fresh in Itachi's memory.

And he, Uchiha Itachi, will live in such a hellish world.

But Itachi rejected such a world in his heart. The way to solve problems through fighting and disputes was wrong. He could not endure such a world silently.

In the future, I definitely don’t want to live in such a world.

Then, there is only one way in front of us - to change everything.

This world must change.

◎

Kumogakure's offensive was extremely fierce, but with ninjas like Yellow Flash on Konoha's side, no matter how ferocious Kumogakure's attack was, they could not approach the Land of Fire.

This stalemate continued until June, when things took a new turn.

That is, Kumogakure retreated without a fight, withdrew his troops from the Country of Yu and returned to the Country of Thunder, leaving the Konoha ninjas guarding the border of the Country of Fire stunned for a moment.

Kumogakure's retreat was very strange. Before the retreat, no one was sent to sign an armistice agreement, nor was there any prelude. Although Kumogakure's movements were greatly restricted due to the yellow flash, Konoha was also uncomfortable.

If the stalemate continues, it is still unclear who will win.

However, Kumogakure suddenly retreated.

Whether they really planned to cease the war or make a strategic retreat made Konoha feel extremely strange.

However, from Yunyin, there seems to be an interesting rumor, that is, many ninjas in Yunyin are afraid of the power of the yellow flash, and their morale is seriously low. Related to retreat.

The decision to retreat was finally made recently. However, due to face issues, he adopted the strategy of retreating without a fight and did not directly admit that he was afraid of Konoha, or that he was afraid of the power of the yellow flash.

As long as the battle does not produce a real result, Kumogakure will not be considered a failure.

Although his behavior is a bit rogue, it is not difficult to see that Kumogakure is afraid of the yellow flash.

Even in Tang Kingdom, there were many rumors that Yun Yin was afraid of the strength of the yellow flash, and in order to preserve his last dignity, he wished to withdraw from the battlefield without signing an armistice agreement.

This kind of rumor seems very unscrupulous, and there is no definite evidence, but after carefully thinking about Yellow Flash's outstanding performance on the battlefield in the past two years, and Yunyin's side has not clarified it, as if tacitly, many people are convinced that it is not true. suspect.

The Konoha ninjas who fought against Kumogakure on the front line also agreed with this statement.

Whether it is the end of the Hidden Rock Battlefield or the Hidden Cloud Battlefield, defeating a large number of Hidden Cloud elite ninjas headed by the fourth generation of Raikage in succession made Konoha regain the disadvantage in the Hidden Cloud Battlefield and quickly gained the upper hand, all of which have yellow flashes figure.

And it accounted for the largest proportion of the task, almost single-handedly turning the tide and suppressing the voices of the enemies.

If Kumogakure retreated without a fight because of the yellow flash, it would make perfect sense and would be the most acceptable reason for Konoha.

Because, Yellow Flash's record is really too dazzling.

The biggest contributor to ending the war was none other than him.

Shuimen also got the news of Yunyin's retreat in the camp. There were curiosity, respect, admiration, and blessings from all around, but no matter what it was, they didn't rush forward.

Although he is a member of the Konoha ninja, he has very good relationships with many people.

But when Minato thought about it, there really weren't many people who could talk to each other.

No matter how dazzling your performance is, this is where your own limitations and limits are locked.

Minato gathered his emotions and walked out of the camp.

Because Kumogakure's movements were uncertain, he needed to have the highest mobility to go over and confirm the authenticity.

Following Minato was the only subordinate he could trust - Hatake Kakashi.

The combination of genius and genius must be a topic that others can talk about.

Because this mission was just a patrol, not a battle, Kakashi was also called over.

Moreover, Kakashi is good at swordsmanship and lightning escape, so he is very suitable for fighting against the Kumogakure ninja.

Once there is a battle with the Kumogakure ninja, Kakashi's performance is definitely better than that of many Konoha jounin, and he has a bright future.

Following Minato, Kakashi also observed the surrounding atmosphere, and saw a familiar young figure among them - Itachi Uchiha.

The youngest participant in the camp was only four years old.

Not even a ninja.

What on earth is the Uchiha leader going to do when he brings such a child here?

The eyes that the other party looked at were no longer innocent and curious, but had other meanings, as if they were chasing something and became heavy.

Kakashi withdrew his gaze and followed Minato out of the camp. When he got outside, he began to follow the footsteps of Kumogakure's troops and figure out the specific movements of Kumogakure.

Whether they really intend to cease the war or are plotting some conspiracy, these are all things that need to be determined.

◎

The exploration mission lasted three days in total.

Minato and Kakashi were sure of one thing, that is, Kumogakure really planned to retreat.

There is no Yunyin ninja in the country of Tang. The two even sneaked into the border of the country of Thunder and conducted inspections. They found that there are only regular border garrison troops on the border of the country of Thunder. Most of the ninjas of Yunyin have confirmed to return to Yunyin Village.

Send this important information back to Commander Akimichi, and then announce it to every Konoha ninja in the camp. At the same time, he also sends a letter to Konoha to convey the findings of Minato and Kakashi smoothly.

After all, the final decision still depends on the decision of the top management.

However, with Yunyin's attitude of retreating without a fight, he probably wouldn't be able to start a fight.

As for whether Kumogakure really intends to cease the war, it is unknown, so he cannot completely relax his guard.

The news of Yunyin's retreat was quickly passed back to Konoha, and Konoha's senior management, headed by the third Hokage Hiruzaru Sarutobi, quickly held a meeting and made a reasonable discussion on this matter.

After all, the power of Yun Yin is different from that of other villages. Yun Yin is the only ninja village in the ninja world that has perfect skills in controlling tailed beasts. The power of tailed beasts is maturely used in wars, and the pressure brought to Konoha is naturally not the rest. Ninja Village can be compared.

Therefore, Hiruza Sarutobi of the Third Hokage selected two Jōnin and five Chunin from his direct subordinates to form a mission to go to Yun Yin, wanting to know what Yun Yin's intention for this sudden retreat was.

Whether to continue the war or choose peace talks.

However, after the mission returned from Kumogakure, the news they received was that Kumokakure's words were vague and he did not give a clear answer. He neither negotiated nor fought, which made Konoha's senior officials feel baffled.

Among them, the Konoha radicals headed by Danzo proposed a direct attack on the Kingdom of Thunder. No matter what the other party's conspiracies were, they could simply overwhelm the other party to avoid a comeback later.

However, this proposal was rejected by the Third Hokage. Without knowing the situation, rashly fighting Kumogakure would only increase the damage.

In fact, Konoha fought against Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure successively, and the battle damage was already very serious.

From the beginning of the Third Ninja War to the present, at least thousands of ninjas in Konoha have died on the battlefield.

If the war damage continues to increase, it will easily lead to new problems. The focus should be on recuperation and cultivating a new generation of ninjas, rather than prolonging the war.

No matter what, the current stable situation is exactly what the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen wants to see, and it is also what most Konoha ninjas want to see.

Many ninjas have already become war-weary, and compared to Kumogakure, Konoha's fighting morale is not much higher.

However, due to Yun Yin's ambiguous "truce" method, Hizan, who is Hokage, did not completely relax his vigilance, and asked Akimichi Tekkaze to lead two thousand Konoha ninjas to stay on the border between the country of fire and the country of soup to prevent Kumogakure left and came back, hitting Konoha with a carbine.

There were also some ninjas who were quietly transferred back to Konoha Village from the front lines, including the yellow flashing Namikaze Minato, and Konoha's youngest Jonin Hatake Kakashi.

◎

The strange movements of Konoha and Kumogakure were naturally noticed by various countries.

But regarding Kumogakure's abnormal retreat behavior, the shinobi villages from all over the world also expressed confusion and confusion.

As a third party, they naturally hope that the battle between Konoha and Kumogakure will continue to be stalemate and increase the ninja's battle losses.

Especially Konoha, they hope that Konoha will suffer greater losses than Kumogakure.

Because of the rise of Yellow Flash, they are both opponents and are under equal pressure.

Even though many ninjas didn't see it with their own eyes, those real achievements couldn't lie.

In addition to the Sannin in Konoha, there are also ninjas in the new generation who can stand alone, and they are even more intimidating than the Sannin.

If you encounter a yellow flash during a mission, you can abandon the mission without being punished. There is only one person in the ninja world who has received this honor.

Once targeted, it is absolutely impossible to escape.

The enemy's harsh winter.

Various rumors about yellow flash are spreading in the ninja world, and the trend is getting stronger and stronger.

Konoha did not comment on this. Many Konoha ninjas felt that it was an honor to have such a ninja born in their village.

"What exactly does Kumogakure want to do?"

Shiraishi, who was in charge of the Demon Country, naturally received news of the battlefield between Konoha and Kumogakure, and was puzzled by Kumogakure's unusual and unreasonable behavior.

Because there was no prelude when this happened, and Kumogakure's sudden retreat made people feel very confused.

Shiraishi, like the rest of the ninja villages in the five major countries, hopes that the battle between Yun Yin and Konoha can continue forever, and in the final statistics, the number of battle damage will be increased. It doesn't matter who wins or loses.

That way, the Demon Country will face less pressure in the ninja world in the future.

The personnel of Ziyuanhua Pharmaceutical Company in Yunyin Village did not find any useful information, and everything was sealed tightly.

The so-called guesses are analysis results based on intelligence.

However, no useful information has been sent back now, and Shiraishi is also in the dark, unable to know what the top brass of Kumogakure is doing.

If Kumogakure withdraws from the battlefield without signing an armistice agreement, it would be better to accumulate strength secretly, and then give Konoha a counterattack.

Of course, it is also possible that he is really afraid of the yellow flash's reputation and withdraws from the battlefield in this way to save himself some dignity.

However, no matter what it is, Konoha has now completely released the shackles caused by the war.

Shiraishi knew exactly what to do next.

The election of the Fourth Hokage continued to maintain a stable situation between the ninja and civilian factions, and...seriously dealt with some rebellious ninjas that could endanger the safety of the village.

According to Shiraishi's estimation, in October this year, Konoha will be able to recover from the war and take formal action against the three of them.

For Konoha, Uchiha and Hyuga Ninja's collective defection is also the first time in the world. The matter is so serious that there is zero tolerance for Konoha's seriousness.

It was only because of the sudden outbreak of the war before that this incident was suppressed. Once the war is over, Konoha will definitely search the three of them from the whole ninja world.

"No, we have to find something to keep Konoha busy."

Before Konoha was dragged down by the war, Shiraishi felt very relaxed. Now that Konoha is free from the war, Shiraishi feels that the pressure on his shoulders seems to be greater than imagined.

◎

Kakashi naturally doesn't know about Shiraishi's troubles.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care. Anyway, the ship will be straightened out when it reaches the bridge. His only task now is to continue to advance to higher positions.

In terms of job level, jounin is actually not low, but the gap between jounin and jounin is actually very big.

Kakashi knew very well that he was currently just a jounin with the title of jounin and some strength. He was no different from most jounin. The few differences are that he is young and talented, and he has a teacher-student and direct superior-subordinate relationship with the recently famous Yellow Flash.

Therefore, logically, Kakashi hopes that Minato can become the Fourth Hokage.

Because only Minato, who does not have many close followers, becomes the Fourth Hokage, can he approach the core of Konoha as quickly as possible.

He is not only a student and subordinate of Minato, but also a confidant of the Third Hokage, a spy of the root leader Danzo, and has an entangled relationship with three S-class defected ninjas.

Neither double agent nor triple agent can accurately describe him. It should be said that he is a quadruple agent.

Kakashi ignored these things.

A week has passed since I returned to Konoha from the Country of Yu.

Today is a special day - a mourning session.

As a member of Konoha's Jonin, Kakashi naturally went to the Ninja Cemetery to attend this mourning meeting to mourn the thousands of Konoha ninjas who died in the war.

Konoha suffered heavy losses in this war. Although Kakashi has not calculated it, he can roughly estimate that the number of existing ninjas in Konoha may not exceed 10,000. Nearly one-third of them died on the battlefield. ninja.

The casualty figures were even more horrific than those of the Second Ninja War.

Kakashi came to the Ninja Cemetery, where rows of graves were built neatly.

All the ninjas who have died in Konoha so far will be buried here.

Including his father Hatake Sakumo and Konoha White Fang, they are also buried here.

But many ninja graves are empty because the bodies are so mutilated that the complete bodies can no longer be found.

The Third Hokage and other high-level officials also participated in this mourning ceremony, as did Danzo and two advisors. Inadvertently, Danzo and Kakashi's eyes met, as if to confirm the fact that they were a team.

Kakashi quickly walked aside expressionlessly and stood in the crowd as if nothing had happened, mourning the dead Konoha heroes.

The funeral lasted about an hour and ended.

Many people left one after another. After Kakashi mourned, he walked to the grave of his father Hatake Sakumo and stared at it for a while. When he was about to go back, he saw that two people had not left the ninja cemetery.

Orochimaru, one of the three ninjas, and Itachi Uchiha, whom he met several times on the battlefield of Yuno Country.

One is a powerful ninja who is famous in the ninja world, and the other is an unknown child who is not even a ninja.

"What is the meaning of life?"

Itachi's mutterings to himself spread through the air, wondering about something.

"There is no point in lamenting the dead. Life has value only while it is alive."

Orochimaru found it a bit funny that a four-year-old child asked such a question, which made him feel amused.

So I explained my point of view as an education to this boy of the Uchiha clan.

"While alive?"

Itachi glanced at Orochimaru in confusion.

This man, who exudes a cold aura all over his body, has a pale face and snake-like vertical pupils.

Itachi looked at him without fear, with an inquiring look in his eyes.

Orochimaru glanced at Itachi thoughtfully.

This child seems a little different. he thought to himself.

Ordinary children would have been frightened to tears and hid aside when he stared at them like this.

And... is this exploring the meaning of life with him?

After discussing with a four-year-old child, Orochimaru always felt that something was not quite right.

However, seeing Itachi's serious eyes full of curiosity, Orochimaru's eyes softened and he answered him with a smile:

"Yes. To me, if life has meaning, that meaning lies in eternal life."

After saying that, Orochimaru left without any hesitation.

Before leaving, he cast a vague glance at Kakashi.

Itachi stared at Orochimaru's leaving figure, thinking seriously on his immature face, thinking about Orochimaru's answer just now.

Kakashi on the other side noticed the look in Orochimaru's eyes before leaving, which was an invitation for him to come over and be a guest.

Does this mean you want me to become a five-face spy? Kakashi felt sarcastic to himself.

As long as they are geniuses, everyone wants to come and get a piece of the pie.

(PS: Speaking of which, when did Orochimaru defect?)