“Is this truly the standard of a Konoha genin…?”
Bunya stared at the bodies of his men around him, his entire sense of reality threatening to shatter.
He glanced wildly left and right—but the boy who had so thoroughly crushed them was already gone without a trace.
Hah…
Three kilometers away, on a deserted street, Ryuu materialized using the Flying Raijin.
The moment he appeared, he leaned forward, gasping for breath.
That relentless barrage against Bunya and the others had taken a heavy toll—he had even been forced to pop a military ration pill midway through.
Even so, he had lacked the reserves to finish them all off.
It drove home just how thin his chakra still ran.
“Can’t take too many pills in a row… I’ve pushed my luck enough.
Time to lie low,” he decided.
With another silent shift, he returned straight to his room.
From now on, he would stay out of sight and let events unfold.
Even if Konoha fell to Iwagakure, it would mean nothing to him.
Though in truth, he knew perfectly well that Iwagakure stood no real chance of conquering the village.
Sooner or later, Konoha would rally and drive them back—only a matter of time.
And he was right.
The moment Hiruzen realized they had fallen for the ruse, he sent word to the front lines at once.
Minato returned instantly via the Flying Raijin; Shisui, the heads of the Ino‑Shika‑Cho clans, and all other key commanders followed soon after.
The invasion crumbled.
Ōnoki and his elite strike force were forced to flee in haste.
The main Iwagakure army in the Land of Grass pulled back in full retreat, all the way home.
When word spread, the entire village rejoiced.
Iwagakure had poured so much effort and resources into pushing their forces forward—now they were pulling back entirely.
The war was all but over.
And Konoha had won.
Ninjas and civilians alike were swept up in celebration.
Ryuu alone remained unmoved.
For one thing, he had only just arrived in this world and felt no deep loyalty to Konoha.
For another—he knew what came next.
Even once Iwagakure was gone, Kirigakure still waited in the wings.
None of that was his concern for now.
…
The Hokage’s Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his advisors—Mito Homura, Koharu Utatane—alongside Fugaku Uchiha, the clan heads of Ino‑Shika‑Cho, and all of Konoha’s senior leadership.
And of course, the old fox Danzō Shimura was there too.
“All Iwagakure forces have withdrawn fully to their own lands.
No further movements have been detected.”
“Our reports confirm their supply lines are exhausted.
The Land of Stone is furious and will not fund further fighting.”
“Our spies inside Iwagakure say calls for peace are growing louder by the day.”
“Unless something unexpected happens, they will likely sue for peace very soon to negotiate a formal end to hostilities.”
Nara Shikaku laid out each point clearly before the assembled leaders.
A murmur of approval ran through the room.
“Now more than ever we must remain vigilant,” Hiruzen said slowly.
“Shikaku—keep watch over every move they make.
Until ink is put to paper, we cannot relax.”
Shikaku and the others nodded in agreement.
After a few more matters were discussed, the meeting broke up.
Hiruzen remained behind.
He lit his pipe, puffed thoughtfully, and stepped out onto the balcony.
“Come forward.”
“I want you to launch a quiet investigation.
Find out if there is someone within Konoha whose true strength has been hidden—at minimum, elite jonin level.”
Hiruzen knew: on that day, every major fighter had been sent to the front.
Only Orochimaru and Danzō had remained behind—and neither of them could have humbled Ōnoki so thoroughly.
Someone else had acted.
But who in Konoha possessed such power?
…
With the invasion repelled, a fragile calm returned to the village.
Ryuu continued his shifts with the Military Police, using his patrol routes to check‑in at every notable location he could.
“System—check in here.”
One afternoon, he stopped outside the Konoha Archives and activated the system.
Ding!
Check‑in successful!
Reward granted: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
It was a formidable technique—yet one that demanded immense chakra.
With his current reserves, he doubted he could sustain more than two clones before collapsing.
It was practically designed for someone like Naruto, whose reserves were practically limitless.
“If I ever unlock the Sage Body through a check‑in, it will be useful.
Until then… it’s nothing more than a decoration,” he thought, and carried on with his patrol.
Once his duties ended, he headed to the training grounds as usual, where he and Might Guy drilled side by side.
And so the days passed: patrol, check‑in, train.
Six months slipped by in what felt like the blink of an eye.
“Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”