In their view, only by keeping Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds in the Leaf Village could one achieve true happiness.
The Village of Konoha would undoubtedly be the ultimate victor in this Fourth Shinobi World War.
Faced with such remarks, Qingshan Liuyun smiled and waved his hand.
"Alright! Go back and rest for two days. After that, everyone head to the battlefield in Kirigakure!"
"Yes!"
That evening, in Qingshan Liuyun's camp,
Aoyama Ryuun had just finished writing a message scroll and had someone deliver it to Tsunade, who was currently on the battlefield in Sunagakure.
Then the little girl, Kurenai, came over. Her face looked up at Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds with pure admiration.
"Brother Liuyun, you're the strongest ninja in the world now!"
"Haha! It's still early!"
The little girl's adoring gaze made Qingshan Liuyun smile warmly.
The setting sun cast its red glow, oblivious to the grandeur of the moment—but Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds understood. Whether it was the Sage of Six Paths, Kaguya Otsutsuki, or even members of the Otsutsuki clan on the moon, all these people were far stronger than him. He was still a long way from truly becoming the strongest ninja in the world.
Of course, for those legendary figures, there was obviously no chance to… yet Qingshan Liuyun believed that, with his cheat code, given enough time, he could surpass them.
"Brother Liuyun!"
"Um?"
The soft call made Qingshan Liuyun look over curiously. Kurenai's gaze was fixed on Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds.
"Brother Liuyun, I don't want to wait until the war is over. I want to be yours now!"
"…."
He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kurenai with some surprise.
"Have you thought this through?"
"Um!"
Soon, the entire ninja world knew that, under Aoyama Ryūun's leadership, Iwagakure had been defeated.
In Konoha, civilians cheered loudly.
"Great! We won!"
"Lord Golden Lion is invincible!"
"Lord Golden Lion is amazing!"
What they admired most was Aoyama Ryuun, who had led Konoha to victory over Iwagakure. At that moment, his reputation far surpassed even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
"Wow, Lord Aoyama Ryuun actually defeated Iwagakure!"
Among the crowd, Uchiha Mikoto, having received the news, sighed. Kushina, who had come with Mikoto, nodded in agreement.
"Indeed impressive, but…"
Kushina couldn't help glancing around. Over the past six months, although Minato Namikaze's exploits had been largely ignored, his reputation in Konoha had not improved at all. Even though he had been fighting desperately against Kumogakure, nobody cared.
But as soon as the news of Aoyama Ryuun broke, everyone seemed to forget about Minato Namikaze entirely. This gave Kushina a glimmer of hope.
"If Lord Ryuun were to speak up for Minato, then surely these people would stop blaming him!"
"Shinnai," Mikoto murmured.
It was frustrating, but seeing Kushina's hopeful eyes, he refrained from saying anything discouraging. No matter what, she was his best friend. Mikoto knew that Kushina had been trying for six months to find an opportunity to restore Minato Namikaze's reputation. Unfortunately, none of her attempts had worked.
Now, the existence of Aoyama Ryuun was Kushina's last hope.
"Xin Nai, I will always be with you!"
"Uh-huh!"
Kushina nodded, moved. Mikoto was her only true friend.
Inside the Hokage Building, after Hiruzen Sarutobi had rushed to the battlefield in Kirigakure, affairs at home were handled by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Watching civilians cheer for Qingshan Liuyun from the building, Xiaochun and Menyan frowned simultaneously.
"Isn't the reputation of 'Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds' a bit too overwhelming?"
"This is exactly what the people want! It's even more Naruto-like than Naruto itself!"
Their suspicion naturally grew.
"No, Qingshan Liuyun is arrogant and unruly. We can't let him have such a high reputation. We need to stop him!"
For those in higher positions, a loyal subordinate is far more valuable than a capable one. They needed a strong, obedient leader—but it was clear Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds were unlikely to obey.
"The war isn't over yet. Konoha still needs Green Mountains and Flowing Clouds!"
"Then let's wait until the battle is over!"
A cold glint flashed in Xiaochun's and Menyan's eyes simultaneously.
However, Menyan asked a question.
"Do you have any specific ideas?"
"No!"
"…."
"Although there's no other way, we are, after all, high-ranking officials in Konoha. Isn't dealing with a mere ninja a simple matter?"
"That's true!"
Their long-standing positions of power had led them to believe that having authority meant they could make decisions. Yet, in the future, Qingshan Liuyun would show them that, in the face of absolute power, authority is meaningless.
Meanwhile, at the Konoha camp in Sunagakure, ninjas cheered upon hearing of Iwagakure's defeat. After all, everyone was from Konoha, and any victory for the village was cause for celebration.
"He truly is my man!"
In the meeting room, Tsunade said this without hesitation.
"Tsunade, Ryuun-kun sent a message: 5.0!"
Just as Tsunade was overjoyed, Orochimaru walked in from outside, carrying a scroll—the very scroll that contained Aoyama Ryuun's message.
"Hmm? What did Liu Yun say?"
In this ninja world, the only thing likely to pique Tsunade's curiosity was anything related to Aoyama Ryūun. She ignored everything else.
"Mama!"
Seeing Tsunade's dismissive attitude, as if she couldn't be bothered to look, Kurenai spoke, prompting Tsunade to focus on the message.
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