Naruto evolution system

Chapter 114: Gaining Insight

Land of Fire.

A dense forest.

Baishi's figure appeared silently, marking his fourth use of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

While his current range extended up to 100 kilometers, the distances between his marked points weren't always convenient. Many were much shorter, and since the marks were placed long ago, they didn't form a straight line.

As a result, after four teleportations, he was still within the Land of Fire.

"I really need to improve [Spatial Awareness Enhancement] soon. This is getting tedious," he muttered.

Spreading his senses, Baishi locked onto the next mark and prepared to teleport again.

But then, something caught his attention. He froze mid-motion, his ears attuning to a faint sound.

Clang, clang—

The subtle clash of metal echoed through the forest.

"A skirmish? About a kilometer away... Should I take a look?"

After a moment's thought, he decided to investigate. The distance wasn't far, and curiosity got the better of him.

"I guess being nosy is part of human nature," he chuckled to himself before vanishing into the trees.

---

Elsewhere.

Deep within the forest, along a narrow trail, a convoy escorted by about twenty Konoha ninja clashed with dozens of Cloud shinobi.

The battle was brutal and without words—every attack aimed to kill.

Kunai, shuriken, and other weapons flew through the air, accompanied by the deafening explosions of paper bombs. Ninjutsu from both sides filled the battlefield, creating a chaotic scene.

It was clear this was a meticulously planned ambush. The Konoha forces quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

No one noticed when a new figure appeared on the scene.

Standing on a high tree branch, Baishi silently observed the battle below, showing no intention of intervening.

His gaze lingered on the convoy for a moment before he murmured, "So the war's broken out again, huh?"

He noticed the convoy carried various war supplies and had taken this obscure path to remain undetected.

Unfortunately, they'd still been ambushed by the Cloud shinobi.

After watching for a while and growing bored, Baishi prepared to leave.

But just then, a figure appeared on the battlefield.

Golden hair. A handsome face. It was none other than the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

The moment Minato arrived, he took in the situation at a glance.

Without hesitation, he hurled his signature kunai and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to eliminate several Cloud shinobi, rescuing several Konoha ninja from danger.

"Lord Fourth!"

The morale of the surviving Konoha forces surged as they shouted in relief and excitement.

In stark contrast, the Cloud shinobi lost their fighting spirit upon witnessing Minato's efficiency and deadliness.

"Retreat!" one of them ordered, and the group quickly fled into the depths of the forest.

Minato moved to pursue but suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked up, his gaze landing on the spot where Baishi had been observing.

But by then, Baishi was already gone.

"Lord Fourth, what's wrong?" a Konoha ninja asked, noticing Minato had halted.

"It's nothing," Minato replied, shaking his head and choosing not to share his discovery.

He had sensed someone there moments earlier, but now the presence was gone. The ability to vanish so seamlessly under his nose narrowed the possibilities to only two people: Baishi or Uchiha Obito.

The thought of Obito brought a pang of sorrow to Minato's heart. He still struggled to comprehend how his former student had become so consumed by hatred and devoid of compassion.

"Hopefully, Kakashi can reach him," Minato murmured.

Indeed, Minato had informed Kakashi of Obito's survival, believing that his remaining student could help Obito rediscover himself.

Thus, Kakashi embarked on a path not unlike the one Naruto would one day take in his efforts to bring Sasuke back.

---

Baishi, unaware of Minato's thoughts, had already used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave.

---

Land of Fire.

Eastern border.

In a small town, Baishi appeared quietly.

Feeling the sudden presence behind him, Kiumaru Ichiro instinctively prepared to attack, but a hand clamped firmly on his shoulder, immobilizing him.

"It's me," Baishi said calmly, releasing his grip.

Hearing the familiar voice, Ichiro turned and greeted Baishi with a respectful bow. "My lord!"

Baishi waved a hand dismissively. "Find us a quiet place."

After a brief moment of thought, Ichiro nodded and gestured for Baishi to follow. "This way, my lord."

The two soon arrived at a secluded inn.

---

Inside the Room.

Seated at a table, Baishi sipped his tea leisurely before finally breaking the silence.

"Tell me about any major events in the ninja world recently," he said.

Baishi had come to Ichiro to gather information. The earlier battle between Konoha and the Cloud had made him realize something significant must have occurred during his two months of seclusion.

Otherwise, Konoha wouldn't be transporting war supplies along hidden paths, nor would the Cloud expend so much effort on an ambush—especially one that warranted Minato's personal intervention.

Before he had claimed the Nine-Tails, Baishi had relocated Ichiro and several others into the Land of Fire as part of a mobile support network.

Now serving as bounty hunters, they gathered intelligence from the underworld on his behalf.

"Yes, my lord," Ichiro began. "About a month ago, the war between Konoha and the Cloud reignited."

"What?!"

Though Baishi had expected something major, this news still shocked him.

He quickly regained his composure. While this conflict hadn't occurred in his memories from his previous life, it wasn't entirely surprising.

After all, the Cloud hadn't signed a peace treaty with Konoha until several years later—and even then, they stirred up trouble that ultimately led to the death of Hyuga Hizashi.

With the Nine-Tails now in his possession, Konoha had lost its greatest deterrent. The Cloud seizing the opportunity to strike made sense.

Baishi's mind drifted to the earlier encounter with the Fourth Raikage.

As he had suspected, the Raikage's goal was the Nine-Tails. If the Cloud had succeeded in taking the beast, the current skirmish would undoubtedly have escalated into full-scale war.

But they had underestimated Baishi's strength.

"Does this mean I've saved Konoha again?" he mused with a wry smile, dismissing the thought as quickly as it came.

"Continue," Baishi instructed.

"Yes, my lord," Ichiro replied, proceeding to recount every significant event that had transpired in the ninja world recently.

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(End of Chapter)

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