"I'm fine. Go check on Kakashi." After Guy finished speaking, Neji immediately signaled to Tenten to go tend to Kakashi.
In Team Guy, Tenten was undoubtedly the weakest, while Neji was the strongest and the most intelligent. His decision to send Tenten to care for Kakashi was also to remove her from the danger zone. Compared to where Kakashi was, their current position was much more dangerous.
Although both elite Jonin, Kakashi and Guy had lost their combat ability, sending Tenten to Kakashi's side would at least get her away from the immediate threat, even if only temporarily.
"That Daytime Tiger technique... it might be worth copying. I'll have to study the Eight Gates more closely if I get the chance." While Guy was talking with his students, Daniel was reflecting on the power of Guy's Daytime Tiger.
Compared to Guy, who needed to open the Seventh Gate and use intense chakra to enhance his body for that one powerful strike, Daniel believed that with proper mastery of the technique, he could replicate it. In terms of physical strength, even with the Seventh Gate open, Guy couldn't compare to Daniel.
Not to mention, for Guy, that technique was a one-time deal.
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you." As Daniel stood in silence, Guy slowly stood up, leaning on the shoulders of Lee and Neji. With a resolute look on his face, he took a step forward, his right hand thumb pressing against his heart.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee's face turned pale as he realized what Guy was about to do. He immediately tried to stop him but was held back by Guy.
"Lee," Neji called out, confused by Lee's reaction. Neji didn't fully understand the significance of Guy's actions, as he wasn't familiar with the Eight Gates. Being a practitioner of Gentle Fist, Neji wasn't well-versed in Strong Fist techniques.
But while Neji didn't know, Lee understood perfectly.
"He's going all out, opening the Gate of Death… Night Guy, the Emperor Guy!" Seeing Guy's actions, Daniel quickly moved, instantly appearing next to Sasuke, Zabuza, and Haku.
"Let's go." He addressed the three, who were still a bit stunned by the situation.
A man opening the Gate of Death could change everything. Guy had nearly ended the story with one kick in the original timeline. Although the Madara he fought at the time wasn't fully in Six Paths mode, his power far surpassed that of the First Hokage.
Faced with someone like Guy preparing to open the Gate of Death, Daniel would be a fool to stay and fight. He wasn't Uchiha Madara, who had a penchant for seeking out direct confrontations.
"Uh…" Guy, who was ready to fight to the death, watched in confusion as Daniel and his group calmly walked off into the distance. He stopped his actions, and as soon as Daniel and his companions disappeared into the forest, Guy collapsed.
Without the enemy and the will to fight to the death, Guy's injuries took over. The backlash from opening the Seventh Gate, combined with the physical trauma and the toll of preparing for the Eighth Gate, left Guy in terrible shape. However, his life wasn't in danger. He would likely need to spend some time recovering in the Leaf Village's hospital.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted in concern, rushing to support his teacher.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Despite his injuries, Guy managed to flash his trademark thumbs-up and a smile to reassure Lee.
"Bring Naruto out of the water. We need to leave now." While Daniel and Guy had been fighting, Naruto, who had been trapped in the water and had lost control, had eventually passed out from exhaustion. In his current state, even a berserk Naruto couldn't maintain more than two tails of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
"Kakashi, what exactly happened?" After relocating to a hidden valley, Guy, lying on the ground, asked Kakashi, who was also resting nearby. Naruto lay unconscious beside them.
"Sorry, this concerns classified information, and I need to report to the Third Hokage first," Kakashi replied.
Hearing this, Guy refrained from pressing further. Despite his easygoing personality, Guy knew that some secrets weren't meant to be shared freely.
The information Daniel had revealed was incredibly sensitive. Whether it was Sasuke's defection or Naruto's lineage, Kakashi had already instructed Sakura to keep quiet about it.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had been incredibly popular among the villagers, especially among the civilian ninjas. If Naruto's parentage and Sasuke's words spread within the village, it would cause a huge uproar.
Regardless of whether the Third Hokage had been involved in any wrongdoing, people would start to believe he had been.
As for the matter of his father, Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi didn't dare to think too deeply about it. The implications were too dire, and any investigation into that matter would bring more harm than good to the Leaf Village.
In the world of the Leaf Village, nothing was more important than the village itself.
"The Land of Fields is here, but that's the territory of the Sound Village. Its leader is quite mysterious, and not many know about them. But if they've managed to establish a ninja village, they must be quite powerful," Zabuza remarked as the group gathered in an inn in a nearby town, discussing their next move.
Few knew that the leader of the Sound Village was actually Orochimaru. It wasn't until the events of the Chunin Exams, when Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage, that his identity as the village's leader became known.
Had his identity been revealed earlier, the Sound Village would never have been allowed to participate in the Chunin Exams, as no ninja village would ever allow a village founded by an S-rank rogue ninja to enter their ranks. The Leaf Village would have been a laughingstock.
"Why are we heading to the Sound Village? Do you know who the leader is?" Zabuza asked after briefly summarizing the information he knew about the village.
"You're right. I do know who the leader is. In fact, they're a rather famous figure in the ninja world," Daniel said with a mysterious smile.
"Oh? Who is it?" Zabuza asked again.
"You'll find out soon enough. By the way, there's something I need to clarify. Lady Mei told you to stay with me, and I don't mind that. But since you've chosen to stick around, you should be aware of the rules."
"You figured it out?"
"It's obvious. Since you returned, you haven't once mentioned leaving. You've stayed by my side obediently, which isn't like you. The only logical explanation is that someone ordered you to do so. And in the Mist Village, the only one who could give you such an order is the Fifth Mizukage herself."
Daniel wasn't stupid. Zabuza's sudden shift in behavior had raised suspicions. Given all the sensitive information Daniel knew, Mei Terumi wouldn't have simply let it slide. If Zabuza had met with her, there was no way she would have ignored the situation.
Kakashi's earlier reaction was a prime example of how a village would respond to someone like Daniel. In the absence of a way to directly confront him, assigning someone to watch him was the best alternative.
Zabuza, much like Kakashi, held his village in high regard. His initial rebellion had been driven by a desire to reform the Mist Village, not destroy it.
"Fine," Zabuza said, nodding after Daniel had exposed the situation.
The "rules" Daniel referred to were straightforward, part of the code that existed in the ninja world: while traveling together as comrades, there could be no betrayal. It was like being part of the same pirate crew in the world of One Piece.
Even rogue ninjas, unless they were completely evil, typically had their own set of rules. For example, the Akatsuki, whose members were often coerced into joining by Pain, rarely saw internal betrayal.
Sasuke's Team Taka had Suigetsu constantly talking about betrayal, yet when Sasuke was in danger, Suigetsu always risked his life to save him. And when Sasuke was seriously injured, Suigetsu never considered finishing him off.
"Rain Village, Grass Village... Oh, right, Karin, Uzumaki Karin." As Daniel looked over a map of the ninja world that Zabuza had provided, his eyes landed on Grass Village, located next to Rain Village. That's when he remembered Karin.
"Almost forgot about that. Wait, let's head to Grass Village first before we go to the Sound Village." Now that he had remembered Karin, Daniel wasn't going to ignore her. Her tragic background and unique abilities were too valuable.
It wasn't just her healing abilities that interested Daniel—though her healing was impressive, his own healing capabilities far surpassed hers. What he valued most was her sensory abilities, specifically the Kagura Mind's Eye.
Her ability to detect chakra across a radius of tens of kilometers was on par with Daniel's use of advanced Observation Haki. In the original story, Team Taka's success was largely thanks to Karin's sensory abilities.
"Why are we going to Grass Village? If we're a team now, you should at least explain the plan," Zabuza said, still puzzled.
"We're going to save someone. Someone with a background similar to Haku's." This time, Daniel didn't hide the truth.
In the world of Naruto, knowing a lot of hidden information wasn't much of a concern for Daniel. Here, he had little to fear, thanks to
his overwhelming strength. He didn't need to be as cautious as he would in worlds like The Outcast or Hunter x Hunter.
"Alright, then let's go." When Daniel mentioned Haku, Zabuza's expression softened slightly. After his return to the Mist Village, Zabuza's demeanor had shifted somewhat. He was less cold-hearted than before.
"Kakashi, what happened? Who did you and Guy run into? Where is Sasuke?" In a private hospital room at the Leaf Village hospital, the Third Hokage stood before Kakashi, who had just been admitted after being brought back to the village.
Both elite Jonin, Kakashi and Guy, had returned with serious injuries. Naruto was unconscious, and Sasuke was missing. Hearing this news, the Third Hokage had rushed to see Kakashi immediately.
"I'm not sure who the man was, but he knew a lot of classified information." Kakashi recounted the events involving Daniel in detail, realizing only then that he hadn't learned Daniel's name.
Of course, Kakashi was no fool. While he gave a detailed account of Daniel's actions, he avoided mentioning anything about his father, Sakumo Hatake.
"Guy opened the Seventh Gate and still couldn't scratch him."
After hearing Kakashi's report, the Third Hokage walked to the window and stared out at the four Hokage faces carved into the mountain. After a long pause, he turned to Kakashi and asked, "So, that's how it appeared?"
"Yes."
Guy opening the Seventh Gate meant that he had reached Kage-level strength. For someone to be completely unscathed after facing such power, it was clear that Daniel was extraordinarily strong.
"I see. Rest up for now. Once Naruto wakes up, I'll deal with his situation." After giving his instructions, the Third Hokage left in a hurry.
While Daniel's strength was concerning, the Third Hokage wasn't too worried. The ninja world was full of powerful individuals, and even the Tailed Beasts were ultimately subdued by humans. If one person couldn't defeat an enemy, a group would be sent to overwhelm them.
The real problem was that Daniel not only possessed incredible strength but also held knowledge of many secrets. If those secrets were ever made public, the damage could be even greater than any physical threat.
"What? Sasuke betrayed the village?" While Naruto's parentage had been kept secret thanks to Kakashi's orders, Sasuke's betrayal had spread quickly throughout the Leaf, causing a stir among the village's ninjas.
As the last Uchiha in the village, Sasuke was well-known, and this was a matter that even Kakashi couldn't keep under wraps. After all, it wasn't just Kakashi and Sakura who had witnessed the event.
Team Guy had all seen Sasuke with his rogue ninja forehead protector. Even if Kakashi had a good relationship with Guy, it wasn't enough to keep this a secret, especially with Neji being part of the Hyuga clan.
Such important information had to be reported to the Hyuga clan, and Tenten's family also had a significant presence in the village. They owned the largest weapon shop in the Leaf.
Tenten's fighting style was something most ninjas couldn't replicate, as it required expensive tools and scrolls. This was why Konan of the Akatsuki was considered the wealthiest ninja in the world, largely due to her possession of six billion paper bombs.
Although Tenten wasn't as wealthy as Konan, she was still one of the richest individuals in the Leaf Village, on par with the Hyuga sisters and Ino from the Yamanaka clan.
Given their status, there was no way Kakashi could issue a gag order.
Besides, with Sasuke traveling around the ninja world openly wearing his rogue ninja forehead protector, his betrayal would soon be known regardless. If the Leaf tried to cover it up, it would only make them seem incompetent—unable to handle a rogue Genin.
If it had been an ordinary Genin, dealing with the situation would have been easy. But Sasuke's status complicated things. Even the Third Hokage was having a hard time deciding how to handle the situation.
"Grass Village is a place known for its diplomacy and research into the jutsu of other villages," Zabuza explained as they made their way toward Grass Village.
Among the Five Great Nations were several smaller countries. While the Great Nations could easily wipe them out, the balance of power between the Five Great Shinobi Villages allowed these smaller nations to survive.
That was the surface-level explanation, but in reality, the reasons for their continued existence were far more complex.
These smaller nations often became battlegrounds for conflicts between the larger villages. No one wanted their own land destroyed, so these smaller countries became convenient battlefields. Among them, the Rain Village was hit hardest, located in a prime position for battles between the Leaf, Sand, and Stone Villages.
Of the three Great Ninja Wars, two had used the Rain Village as the main battlefield.
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