Chapter 144: The Lost Tower [25]
Chapter 144: The Lost Tower [25]
Feng Ye spent about half a day at the Leaf Village's forward camp, gaining some understanding of the war efforts and visiting wounded soldiers before departing for the village.
Ten days later
At the main gate of Konoha.
Gazing upon the familiar scenery, Feng Ye stretched his body and smiled.
It had been nearly two years since he left Konoha to participate in the Third Great Ninja War, and for him, it had been over five years in reality.
When he left, his strength was already considerable, but at that time, he had only opened the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates. He wasn't confident in his chances against any Kage-level opponent.
Both Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi posed a significant threat to him.
But...
After breaking through the fourth gate in the camp, his strength skyrocketed, propelling him into the Kage-level tier, making him an extremely formidable ninja even among Kages.
And then, with the fifth gate, the Lightning Release Secret Technique, and the time acceleration's multiplier increasing to five times... With all that behind him, he now feared no one!
The only remaining challenge in Konoha was Minato Namikaze, with his Flying Thunder God and Dead Demon Consuming Seal, who might pose some difficulty. But even that was relative.
With his current speed, Feng Ye could easily evade Minato's attacks, and at most, if Minato wanted to leave, he wouldn't be able to keep him there.
The only risk would be if Minato managed to mark him with the Flying Thunder God seal.
That would indeed be troublesome.
As he couldn't remove the seal with his current abilities, he wouldn't even be able to rest easy in his sleep, always on guard against Minato suddenly appearing to seal him.
However, it wouldn't be easy for Minato to mark him with the Flying Thunder God seal, either. As long as he stayed vigilant, at five times speed, Minato would hardly stand a chance.
"Lord Feng Ye."
The Konoha ninja guarding the gate had already sensed Feng Ye's presence and identified him through his chakra. He immediately bowed as Feng Ye approached.
The villagers' gazes were filled with respect as they looked at Feng Ye.
Despite his young age, Feng Ye was already a renowned hero in Konoha for slaying the Third Raikage and killing Hanzo of the Salamander.
"Mhm."
Feng Ye smiled and nodded at the ninja before walking into the village.
As a time traveler, he didn't feel a strong sense of belonging to Konoha, but it had been his home for many years, and he had never considered leaving.
Now, he had even more reason to stay. If the war ended and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo grew wary of his power, he wouldn't hesitate to take action and cleanse Konoha of their influence.
Of course...
If Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, he would likely eliminate the Elder Council soon after. Even if he spared Hiruzen out of respect for their past, he would undoubtedly consolidate all power and remove Hiruzen's influence, allowing him to 'retire' peacefully.
Either way, the outcome would be favorable.
This was the sense of ease that came with possessing strength.
"Oh, today's the opening of that shop."
As Feng Ye walked down the street, he suddenly stopped and looked toward a newly opened store with a sign that read "Ramen Ichiraku."
A smile appeared on Feng Ye's face as he made his way toward the shop. "Well then, let's see the power of the legendary 'Otsutsuki Ichiraku.'"
At the entrance of Ramen Ichiraku.
A long line had formed, and among those waiting, Feng Ye spotted several familiar faces, including his former classmates Inuzuka Kiba and Maito Gai.
"Eh... Big brother?"
Kakashi Hatake, also in the line, was surprised to see Feng Ye approaching from a distance. He did a double take, thinking he had mistaken someone else for Feng Ye, but soon realized it was indeed him.
Feng Ye nodded at Kakashi. "When did you get back?"
"A few days ago."
Kakashi responded listlessly.
A few months ago, he had become a special jonin.
At ten years old, he was the youngest special jonin in Konoha's history—at least until Feng Ye achieved the same rank at the same age.
But soon after his promotion, he learned of Feng Ye's solo raid on Amegakure, where he slew Hanzo and decimated the village. The news dealt a heavy blow to Kakashi.
They were only a year apart in age.
The gap between them had grown somewhat absurd!
Kakashi recalled their childhood spars. While he couldn't win against Feng Ye even then, he could at least manage a draw sometimes. He used to be confident that he would surpass Feng Ye one day, but now that confidence was fading fast.
Kiba Inuzuka, Maito Gai, and the others had fallen quiet by this point. Even the ever-enthusiastic Gai felt a weight upon him standing before Feng Ye.
Firstly, Feng Ye appeared to be around sixteen years old, much older than them, and secondly, and more importantly, his achievements were already well-known throughout Konoha.
The name Silver Flash had become a force to be reckoned with throughout the ninja world!
Despite being in the same class as Feng Ye, they instinctively felt a sense of distance and a gap in their ranks when facing him.
Just as Feng Ye and Kakashi were chatting casually, intending to see Kakashi's recent training progress and give him some pointers on his lightning-style ninjutsu...
Whoosh!
A ninja from the Anbu appeared out of thin air.
"Lord Feng Ye, Lord Hokage has a task for you."
In the past, the Anbu ninjas who came to find him were mostly cold and simply conveyed orders, but now it was different. They not only added the title 'Lord' but also spoke with a hint of respect in their tone.
"I understand," Feng Ye said, waving his hand at the Anbu ninja.
The ninja nodded and disappeared from sight.
Feng Ye turned back to Kakashi nonchalantly and continued answering his previous questions about lightning-style ninjutsu.
Kakashi watched as Feng Ye answered his queries and then sat back down in the ramen shop, hesitating slightly before asking, "Big brother... Lord Hokage is looking for you. Aren't you going to him?"
"I'll go after I finish eating. It's not urgent, and it's probably nothing important anyway." Feng Ye smiled casually.
Gai and the others sitting at the next table exchanged glances at Feng Ye's words. If it were them, they would have dropped everything and rushed to the Hokage's summons without a moment's delay.
Feng Ye was indeed no longer in the same league as them.
A moment later...
After devouring three large bowls of ramen, Feng Ye finally wiped his mouth in satisfaction and patted Kakashi's shoulder. "I don't have any money on me. You pay the bill, alright?"
Whoosh!
Feng Ye's figure disappeared, leaving Kakashi with a dejected look on his face.
...
In the Hokage's office...
Feng Ye walked in and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting behind his desk. "Lord Hokage, did you need me?"
"Yes," Hiruzen replied, unbothered by the fact that Feng Ye hadn't rushed to his summons. He put down the documents in his hands and explained, "One of our scouts reported the presence of a small town called Loulan in the desert. There seems to be an extremely powerful chakra presence in the town, deemed to be a significant threat...
"After further investigation, we learned that buried underground in that town is a powerful energy called the 'Dragon Vein.' This energy is so strong that it seems capable of warping space-time. Six years ago, someone appeared out of thin air and gradually took control of the town. If we don't deal with it, it could pose a grave threat... I was just considering who to send to handle this matter, and your return is most opportune. With you on it, I can rest easy."
As Hiruzen spoke, Feng Ye tilted his head slightly.
This sounded like the plot of 'The Lost Tower.'
Upon further thought, the timing seemed to match up as well, though he recalled that it was supposed to be Minato Namikaze who took on this task, not Hiruzen sending him.
"Dragon Vein... Hmm..."
As he muttered, Feng Ye felt a strange sense of familiarity. His intuition told him that he should go and investigate.
The Loulan Dragon Vein was said to involve the power to warp space-time, and he possessed the power of the Illusory Clock, which controlled time itself... Perhaps the Dragon Vein's energy could be of use to his clock!
With that in mind...
Feng Ye made his decision. "From what you've described, Lord Hokage, it does sound like a dangerous situation that needs to be addressed swiftly. In that case, I'll go and take care of it."
"Thank you," Hiruzen said with a nod, then found a file and handed it to Feng Ye.
(End of Chapter)
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