After taking over the snake uncle's foundation, Sasuke came to surrender on his own initiative.

That day, Kakashi returned to the village exhausted and reported his work to the old Hokage.

But before he could catch his breath, the old Hokage gave him a warning.

"Oh my, isn't this our famous ANBU elite? How come he has also learned to run away?" The old Hokage looked at Kakashi and said seriously.

Kakashi felt so wronged. He had to leave his post to find his missing teammate Obito. However, he also understood that there was no way to explain this kind of thing, so he could only bear it silently.

"Alright, alright, stop playing pitiful." The old Hokage waved his hand, "You made a mistake this time, you must accept the punishment. From now on, your salary must be handed over to the village until you find Obito."

Kakashi felt bitter after hearing this. He didn't have much money to begin with, and now even eating became a problem.

"Also, where did you get those wood chips you found?" the old Hokage suddenly asked.

Kakashi was stunned and thought: Oh no, could it be that the old Hokage discovered something?

"Well, I picked these up by accident. I thought they were a little special, so I brought them back to study them."

"Oh? Is that really all?"

Kakashi looked at the old Hokage's suspicious eyes and couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. He knew that he couldn't keep this secret any longer, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

So he took a deep breath and said slowly:

"In fact, let's be honest. They are not ordinary wood residues, but Wood Release Ninjutsu from the First Hokage."

Hearing this, the old Hokage's face instantly turned livid. He knew that Wood Release Ninjutsu was an extremely valuable and mysterious secret book. If other people in the village knew about it, it would definitely cause an uproar.

"You don't mean to say that you accidentally discovered the Wood Release Ninjutsu of the First Hokage while tracking Obito?"

Kakashi nodded, "That's right, Hokage-sama. I accidentally found a stone tablet with the name of the first Hokage engraved on it in the forest, and a pile of wood residue next to it. I guess this should be the fragment of the Wood Release Ninjutsu left by the first Hokage."

The old Hokage frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Kakashi, this matter is very important, you must keep it secret. Even your best friend Minato cannot reveal a word."

Kakashi nodded heavily. He knew that he had the responsibility to protect the peace of the village and must not allow any dangerous factors to threaten the safety of the village.

"Well, now that you have found Obito, I will no longer pursue your previous mistakes." The old Hokage patted Kakashi's shoulder and said, "Congratulations, Kakashi, you have now been promoted to a member of the Konoha Jonin Group. The official notice will be announced next week."

Kakashi was filled with endless joy when he heard this. He knew that this not only meant an improvement in his status, but also represented the villagers' recognition of his strength.

However, he did not become complacent because of this, but instead strengthened his determination to protect the peace of the village. He knew that the road ahead was still long, and he needed to continue to work hard to become a truly strong man.

The land of grass,

A drizzle was falling from the sky, and the air was filled with a strong smell of dust. If you accidentally stepped on a stone in this place, you would be really unlucky.

In such a shabby place, the war between Konoha and Iwagakure was in full swing.

These two guys, one is the boss of Konoha, and the other is the eldest brother of Iwagakure, neither of them is willing to submit to the other, just like two fighting cocks, you glare at me and I glare at you, and neither of them is willing to back down.

In other words, the war between Konoha and Iwagakure is actually a fight between the old and new factions of Konoha for territory. The representatives of the new faction are three young and promising guys, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza. They are the rising stars of Konoha and are known as the "Pig, Deer, and Butterfly" combination. They are well-known and powerful.

Of these three people, one is from the Yamanaka family, good at sealing techniques; one is from the Nara family, good at shadow techniques; and one is from the Akimichi family, good at multiplication techniques. When the three of them join forces, they are simply invincible.

However, these three people also knew that although they were powerful, they were not qualified enough in the eyes of Konoha's high-level officials. Therefore, they could only work hard silently, hoping to stand out in this war and win the recognition of the high-level officials.

Just then, they heard shocking news: Now, all three of them were dumbfounded.

According to Yamanaka Inoichi's understanding, this should be Orochimaru defeating Sand Village, and then dealing with those troublemakers in Kumogakure. After all, Orochimaru is so arrogant, he will not be willing to be left behind.

"Hey, Haiyi, I think we should stop worrying about this matter. The people above must have their own considerations anyway. Besides, since that old man was able to beat Yunyin, it shows that he is still quite capable!" Shikaku comforted.

In fact, he knew clearly in his heart that this was actually a contest between the young people and the old hands. If Orochimaru was allowed to deal with Kumogakure, it would be in the overall interests of the village and would also enhance Orochimaru's reputation. Why not do it?

Unfortunately, the situation did not develop as they imagined. The top leaders did not seem to want Orochimaru to have a direct conflict with the people of Kumogakure, and instead let Minato Namikaze be the commander. This made the three of them very confused.

"Oh, forget it, let's not think too much and just get to work!" said Ding Zuo.

So, the three of them continued to move forward, looking for traces of the enemy. They knew that this war was not only a battle of their personal honor, but also a battle of life and death for the entire Konoha. They had to go all out to protect this home.

"Hahaha! If I tell you two this, you definitely won't believe it! It's so funny! Who would have thought? That kid, Minato, can be the leader of our village at such a young age, haha!" The person who spoke is the wise man of our Konoha Village, Shikaku.

"Oh my God, Shikaku, are you serious? That Minato kid? Is that true?" The two buddies sitting next to him, Haiyi and Ding Zuo, widened their eyes and looked incredulous after hearing what Shikaku said.

"Hey, don't you two disbelieve it! That Minato kid is easy to control just because he's young and doesn't have his own team! After we deal with Iwagakure, we'll send that Minato kid to Yu no Kuni to confront Kumogakure head-on. By then we'll basically be able to guess that the third brother is helping Minato lay the foundation to prepare to put down that Orochimaru guy!" Shikaku said, looking into the distance with his deep eyes, as if he had seen through everything.

Haiyi and Choza still found it hard to accept. The three of them were old acquaintances of Minato and they had a very close relationship. If Minato really became the fourth Hokage as Shikaku said, it would be unbearable!

But then again, if Minato really became the Fourth Hokage, he might just be a puppet pushed up by the Third Brother. At that time, the one who really has the final say in Konoha will probably be the Third Brother himself. This is really a headache! Haiyi and Choza shook their heads, really not wanting to think about it anymore.

"Hey, they're coming!" Shikaku suddenly raised his head and pointed ahead. Haiyi and Dingzuo quickly stopped and looked in the direction of Shikaku's finger.

I saw two figures walking towards me from a distance, one tall and one short, they were Minato and Kakashi.

"Shikaku, Haiyi, Dingzuo, it's been a long time since we last met!" Minato greeted everyone with a smile.

"Yes, Minato, you are now the famous Yellow Flash! That's amazing!" Shikaku looked at Minato's energetic face and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He really admired Minato.

"Hahaha, no, no, you all are my seniors, and I still have a lot to learn!" Kakashi also laughed.

"Um...Minato, we were discussing the S-level mission just now, it seems you missed it!" Shikaku said while touching his nose.

"Then...Minato, can you do it alone?" Shikaku asked hesitantly.

Minato nodded confidently: "Don't worry, I've already checked it out. As long as she doesn't interfere, I can be completely fine on my own. If anyone else goes, it will only be a burden and a waste of time."

Shikaku nodded helplessly, thinking that this was the difficulty of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Every time the speed was so fast, he always had to go out to fight, and there was no way he could bring other team members with him to coordinate any tactics. Moreover, today's task required him to wipe out all the supply points of Iwagakure in the Land of Grass in one go, so how could he care about the safety of others?

"Don't let that guy get away!"

The old man holding a megaphone shouted at the top of his voice. His name is Red Bean, a mouthpiece that makes the ninjas in the Sand Village tremble with fear. Looking forward, the figure running like a rabbit is our protagonist today - Kakuzu.

Kakuzu, a veteran who has been in the underground black market for many years, is well-known to everyone. His hobby is money, and he will do anything as long as there is money to be made. This is a valuable commodity, how can the people of Sand Village let him go?

"Hurry up and catch up!" Hongdou shouted again. The ninjas of Sand Village were like wolves chasing their prey, biting their horns tightly. Along the way, all kinds of hidden weapons rushed from behind, some threw darts, some threw fire bombs, and some directly buried bombs on the ground. With a bang, the whole forest trembled.

Kakuzu was so frightened by the scene that he stumbled and fell to the ground. He muttered to himself, "Why am I so unlucky? It's like sand stuck to the bottom of my shoes, and I can't get rid of it even if I shake it off?" When he thought of this, Kakuzu felt so frustrated.

How could the people of Sand Village swallow this? So they sent out a large number of elite ninjas, vowing to capture Kakuzu at all costs.

Kakuzu is no pushover. He has been working in the underground black market for many years and has acquired a lot of skills. His body can turn into a tentacle monster, and his mouth and back are full of tentacles. He also knows five kinds of chakra nature change ninjutsu. He is simply a monster.

Unfortunately, he only has two hearts left, and he is being chased by the Sand Village ninjas with nowhere to hide. He can only use his last trick and activate his strongest form.

At this moment, a young female ninja rushed over. Her name was Mei Terumi, and she was a new master of Sand Village. Her eyes flashed with determination, as if telling Kakuzu: "Don't even think about escaping!"

Kaku knew that this was the end. If he was caught by the Sand Village again, he would probably die. So he decided to give it a try and fight to the death with the Sand Village ninjas.

The battle was very fierce, and both sides tried their best. But as time went on, Kakuzu gradually lost his strength. Seeing this, Hongdou quickly ordered: "Everyone, work harder, don't let him get away!"

At this moment, a familiar figure suddenly appeared. He was Kakashi, Konoha's genius ninja. He looked at the scene in front of him, frowned slightly, and then said, "Are you guys going too far?"

Hongdou was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Who are you?"

Kakashi smiled and replied, "I'm a ninja from Konoha and a friend of Kakuzu."

Hearing this, Hongdou couldn't help but be a little surprised. He didn't expect that this seemingly ordinary young man was actually Kakuzu's friend. However, since the other party offered to help, he couldn't refuse. So he nodded and agreed.

With Kakashi's help, Kakuzu finally escaped from the siege of the Sand Ninja. He shook Kakashi's hand with gratitude and said excitedly: "Thank you for saving me, I will repay you in the future."