Kyōichi, Konoha’s Life Mentor

Kirigakure.

Yagura had returned once again.

He often came to the village, but the reasons for his recent visits were the most absurd.

The first time was due to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen being annihilated, and this time it was due to a threat, forcing him to return to discuss the matter of surrender.

He didn't seek out the Mizukage.

The Sandaime Mizukage was gravely ill. It had already been difficult for him to hold on before, and now he hadn't fully made up his mind. Yagura decided to consult someone else first—

Elder Gengetsu.

"Yagura, what brings you this time? The matter of reconciliation is still under discussion by the elders. We need a few more days."

"There's no time left."

"What?"

Elder Motoi froze for a moment, failing to grasp Yagura's meaning at first.

But then—

He quickly realized.

something new must have happened on the front lines. Otherwise, Yagura wouldn't be so urgent.

"What happened?"

"Kanda Kyōichi brought people to force our surrender. Also, Orochimaru has left Konoha."

Yagura briefly shared the two pieces of information.

Kanda Kyōichi…

Leading a force to demand surrender? and even Orochimaru has left Konoha?!

Gengetsu was stunned for a few seconds. Konoha had been unusually bold this year, completely different from their usual style.

However.

Thinking further—under their past approach, how could they appoint a 16- or 17-year-old child as a battlefield commander? With the Sandaime Hokage's temperament, he probably couldn't sleep at night after making such a decision.

The old man was confident that he understood Sarutobi Hiruzen well. He felt that Hiruzen would never make such a bold decision.

After much deliberation, Gengetsu asked, "Do we have anyone inside Konoha?"

He regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth.

Sure enough.

Yagura gave him a look as if he were an idiot.

As a village elder, Gengetsu held considerable authority. In fact, during this period, he and Yagura had jointly handled the Mizukage's duties. He shouldn't have made such a basic mistake.

But the words had slipped out too easily.

Of course, Konoha had no Kirigakure spies—otherwise, they wouldn't be guessing blindly here.

He thought about it again and felt a headache coming on.

Konoha's confidence was overwhelming. This was a clear ultimatum: either provide an answer or face war.

"I believe the village must take a stance. If we're going to fight, we should mobilize the Kaguya, Hōzuki and Yuki clans and give Konoha a real battle. If not, we should reconcile. Dragging this out… is pointless."

After much contemplation, Yagura finally voiced his thoughts.

"Go on."

Gengetsu was old, but he wasn't senile.

He could tell that Yagura leaned more toward the latter option, and Yagura must have his reasons—Yagura only looked young; he wasn't actually a child.

"I can't gauge Kanda Kyōichi's strength."

Yagura said, "The first time we clashed was during the incident with Hōzuki Chikage. I never expected Chikage to be subdued so quickly—I merely felt his hiding spot wasn't secure."

"The second time was when he came to ambush us…"

Yagura rambled on, detailing the specifics of both encounters and his own psychological shifts. He included many analyses and thoughts that he hadn't mentioned in the elder council before.

Gengetsu's expression grew increasingly grave.

But then—

When Yagura described the recent clash, Gengetsu's face stiffened entirely.

"This time, we don't know the exact details, but that man has mastered the Hidden Mist Technique and the Silent Killing Technique. His chakra reserves are enormous. Seven or eight of our chūnin used the technique together, but they were completely overshadowed by one person."

"His mastery of Silent Killing Technique is profound: utterly silent, speed reaching the extreme. Slaughtering our jōnin in the mist was as easy as flipping a palm."

As Yagura described the situation, for some reason, Gengetsu's mind conjured up the image of a certain man.

The familiarity was overwhelming!

His mouth twitched as he asked, "So, this person is highly skilled in water release, swordsmanship, genjutsu, and taijutsu? His aptitude is so high that he mastered techniques obtained mere days ago?"

"Konoha has its own assassination techniques. Though slightly different, their essence is the same. He likely already had deep foundational knowledge of assassination and mist techniques."

This was the most plausible explanation Yagura could think of.

Aside from assassination techniques, he believed he could also master the Hidden Mist Technique.

The Hidden Mist Technique itself was simple, only C-rank in difficulty. What he couldn't match was Kyōichi's enormous chakra reserves, far exceeding those of an ordinary person.

Gengetsu naturally understood.

After a long pause, he asked, "What do you propose?"

"Have the elders immediately approve reconciliation with Konoha. Negotiate to get back the the remaining swordsmen, along with the six swords. Request Konoha not to spread the Hidden Mist Technique."

Yagura had already made up his mind.

They were currently too constrained by Konoha. They had no leverage for bargaining—not to mention, if the Hidden Mist Technique were made public, Kirigakure would be in serious trouble.

This was their bread and butter!

"They probably won't agree. After all, these clans want to benefit from the war."

"If they don't agree, then let them solve the problem, or we'll deal with them."

Yagura's tone was icy.

Gengetsu had a headache.

The difference between Kirigakure and Konoha was that, although both had many clans, the power of the clans in Kirigakure was much greater.

Kirigakure's clans—especially the Kaguya and Yuki—held immense power, often ignoring village orders.

In fact.

Their compounds weren't even within Kirigakure! 

Other clans had similar issues. 

Compared to them, the Hōzuki clan was relatively obedient and loyal.

If they followed Yagura's plan…

Many would die.

At this moment, Gengetsu could empathize with the Sandaime Hokage.

This was truly a dilemma.

Damned if you act, damned if you don't.

"I'll force an answer from them by today. These old bones still command some respect."

"Thank you, Elder Gengetsu!"

Gengetsu nodded lightly and summoned aides.

That "respect"—

The clan elders would have to give it, whether they wanted to or not!

…

"The Hidden Mist Technique, not bad. We've gained another bargaining chip."

"That's all for now."

Kyōichi laid out their bargaining chips before Orochimaru and Yamanaka Inoichi.

Inoichi was pondering what benefits to demand, while Orochimaru thought for a second or two before looking up and asking, "Your idea is to have Kirigakure send troops against Kumogakure, right?"

"That's one of my thoughts."

Kyōichi didn't deny it. He did have that idea.

Orochimaru looked at the map for a few seconds and then said, "That's not advisable. It's not a condition we should propose."

"Oh?"

Kyōichi frowned, sensing a crucial point but failing to grasp it.

Inoichi, however, understood.

He smiled and said, "Kyōichi-sama, you might not know Kirigakure well. In this village, the influence of the clans is even greater than in Konoha. The Mizukage doesn't dictate everything."

The clans?

Kyōichi's mind flashed with insight.

He got it.

It's like Sun Quan's Eastern Wu!

He immediately understood and said, "You mean, the clans in Kirigakure didn't gain anything from us, so they'll pressure the village to seek benefits from Kumogakure?"

"Something like that."

Orochimaru nodded.

"But how do we ensure they won't backstab us later?"

Inoichi interjected.

Personally, he agreed more with Kyōichi's view—having Kirigakure immediately fight Kumogakure would keep both sides too busy to bother the Land of Fire.

But if Left unchecked, Kirigakure might turn against Konoha.

"That's not difficult. Kirigakure's weaknesses are obvious."

Kyōichi fully understood.

In Konoha's current state, if the Mizukage and the influential elders were all dead, and the Hōzuki and Yuki clans were incited to rebel, Yagura wouldn't be able to suppress them.

Even if he did, the Land of Water would be too weakened for war.

"Leave negotiations to me."

Orochimaru chuckled softly. "What are your demands? Although the clans will push back, we can at least avoid proposing it directly. We'll still need to make some concessions."

"We can't return Samehada, Kiba, and Kubikiribōchō. Return the rest."

Kyōichi said.

"Agreed."

Orochimaru didn't hesitate.

The terms were flexible enough for profit.

Kyōichi was also reassured.

Orochimaru's skills here far surpassed his own.

He also proposed severing Kirigakure's communications. Both Inoichi and Orochimaru agreed—even suggesting deploying the Yamashiro clan's crows. Though weak in combat, their surveillance prowess dwarfed messenger animals.

After the discussion concluded.

Kyōichi found that he had gained another reward, rated as "average," which was an increase in proficiency for the Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave…

It must be from Yagura.

He didn't mind.

If the leek was willingly offering something, he'd take it as a free gift.

Additionally.

Lately, the camp's training in Silent Assassination and Hidden Mist had grown lax.

Although Kyōichi had already mastered the Hidden Mist Technique and the Silent Killing Technique and didn't need the proficiency points, that was no excuse for everyone else's laziness!

Did the chūnin and jōnin think they didn't need to practice?

He brought this up with Inoichi.

Soon, around Mount Nagano, everyone was diligently practicing again.

Kyōichi was pleased and casually pointed out a few details.

It wasn't that he wanted the rewards; he genuinely wanted everyone to become stronger.

The most enthusiastic was Gekkō Kazahana.

Even before Kyōichi's "encouragement," he had been practicing diligently. Now, he sought guidance humbly, disregarding his tokubetsu jōnin status.

The reason was simple—

The Silent Killing Technique and the Hidden Mist Technique perfectly suited the Gekkō clan!

The northern and northwestern fronts were already engaged in fierce battles, but the eastern front remained eerily peaceful. This state lasted for three days.

On the fourth day, Kirigakure sent envoys.

As previously agreed, Kyōichi delegated the negotiations to Orochimaru.

Yagura was baffled.

He had prepared himself to negotiate and communicate with Kyōichi, even planning how to respond. But in the end, it wasn't Kyōichi he met—it was Orochimaru.

It felt like punching air.

Soon, he experienced how tricky Orochimaru could be. Every sentence struck at Kirigakure's vulnerabilities, leaving Yagura unnerved—if Konoha really acted on these threats, Kirigakure would be in chaos.

The key was, after some thought, he realized Konoha could actually do it.

Intel indicated Konoha's Namikaze Minato possessed terrifying speed. Combined with Kyōichi's power, even a healthy Mizukage and Gengetsu might not be able to win.

Under this pressure, Yagura conceded ground.

Although he fought hard, the truth was, everything he gained was what Orochimaru was already willing to give, such as the return of the swordmen and their three swords.

It wasn't that Kyōichi and Orochimaru were being generous. Without these people, Kirigakure wouldn't dare provoke Kumogakure.

Yagura, holding back his frustration, said after the negotiations, "I'd like to meet Kanda Kyōichi."