Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

That explained it.

Since Heiyan left the Land of Fire with the Uzumaki clan, the Daimyo's Mansion had been continuously cutting Konoha's military expenditures for various reasons over the past six months.

At the same time, most missions within the Land of Fire were handed over to Sunagakure and Amegakure.

In response, Konoha proactively expressed willingness to reduce mission payments, hoping the Daimyo's Mansion would reconsider. But even so, the Daimyo's Mansion remained indifferent, clearly signaling their intent to sanction Konoha.

In recent months, most ninja in the village couldn't get any missions, and many people's lives had become harder day by day.

Heiyan frowned upon hearing this.

It seemed absurd that the Daimyo's Mansion was giving domestic missions to foreign ninja villages—wasn't this weakening themselves while strengthening their enemies?

In reality, the relationship between a country's Daimyo and its ninja village wasn't always harmonious.

In the original timeline, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind deeply disliked Sunagakure. Not only did they frequently cut funding, but also handed missions over to the Leaf Village instead.

Sunagakure, having no other options, had no choice but to ally with Orochimaru's Sound Village and launch an attack on the Leaf Village.

Unexpectedly, now the situation had flipped—Sunagakure was receiving strong support from the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Fire, growing stronger than ever, while Konoha found itself increasingly desperate.

As for the reason behind Konoha's sanctions...

Soon, rumors spread through the village claiming that Heiyan—the Hokage's advisor—had offended an envoy from the Daimyo's Mansion, prompting the Daimyo to grow deeply dissatisfied with Heiyan and the Uzumaki clan, eventually directing anger toward the entire Konoha.

Shortly afterward, some ninja anonymously wrote letters to the Hokage office demanding that Heiyan be removed from his position.

After all, during this difficult period of sanctions against the village, Heiyan—the so-called culprit—was nowhere to be found. This obvious dereliction of duty was unforgivable.

Eventually, as the Daimyo's sanctions grew, more and more people turned against Heiyan, creating a powerful wave of opposition.

Many ninja openly declared that as the Hokage's advisor, Heiyan had disregarded Konoha's interests solely for the benefit of the Uzumaki clan. Such selfish behavior violated Konoha's founding principles.

They not only demanded Heiyan's removal from office but also insisted he represent Konoha by personally apologizing to the Daimyo's Mansion and begging for forgiveness.

"Heiyan-sama," Azure Fox calmly analyzed, "according to our investigation, the backlash directed at you in the village likely originated from behind-the-scenes manipulation by the Daimyo's Mansion. Their goal is to cause internal conflict and division within Konoha until we finally submit. So please, don't let those idle rumors bother you."

"Exactly," White Elephant added. "There are still many people in the village who support you. Heiyan-sama is the Leaf Village's hero—we all believe in you."

Still, both warned Heiyan that once news of his return spread, it would surely rock the boat.

Previously, the Third Hokage had already decided to hold a meeting once Heiyan returned. Representatives from all major ninja clans in Konoha and all Jonin would attend, aiming to pool their wisdom and brainstorm ways to help Konoha overcome its current crisis.

At that time, once Heiyan attended the meeting, he would inevitably stand at the center of storm, facing heavy questioning and pressure.

After listening to their reports, Heiyan fell into slight contemplation before saying to them:

"I understand. You may rest first. Thank you for your hard work."

After they left, Heiyan calmly rose from his seat, turned off the office lights, and left the Hokage Tower with composure.

Apparently, even after hearing that he'd become the center of attention, Heiyan remained completely calm.

He went straight to the mountain behind Konoha, arriving at the familiar underground laboratory of Root.

Inside the laboratory, Orochimaru was immersed in his research as usual when suddenly he sensed something and looked up, only to find Heiyan standing there. He was startled for a moment but soon recovered, smiling as he spoke:

"Heiyan, you're back."

"Orochi, long time no see. Where is my Hero Water?"

Heiyan greeted him briefly, without any unnecessary words, directly asking while extending his hand.

Orochimaru was taken aback, but quickly regained his composure. He turned around and carefully retrieved a gourd filled with Hero Water from a nearby safe, then handed it to Heiyan.

"Sorry, although I've done my best, I still couldn't separate all the toxins. However, considering your extraordinary physical constitution, Heiyan, it should be absolutely fine."

Orochimaru flattered respectfully.

"Good."

Heiyan took the gourd, shook it slightly, then immediately performed the Reverse Summoning technique and vanished from the spot.

He had arrived in an instant — and disappeared just as quickly.

Orochimaru stared at the empty space where Heiyan had just been, suddenly revealing an amused smile.

In his opinion, no matter how powerful Heiyan might be, if he failed to resolve the current crisis Konoha faced, he would surely have to step down.

He was especially curious to see how Heiyan would respond during the upcoming Konoha meeting when confronted by numerous shinobi's attacks.

Maybe this time, he could finally see Heiyan looking embarrassed.

Thinking about this, Orochimaru couldn't help feeling excited with anticipation.

Shikkotsu Forest.

The full moon shone high overhead, bathing the land in a serene glow of pure silver light.

"Puff!"

As a cloud of white smoke dissipated, Heiyan emerged from it, returning here again.

His eyes immediately caught sight of the colossal tree belonging to the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. Half a year had passed since his last visit, and now it had grown to a hundred meters tall, even more luxuriant than its prime days, and still showing signs of continuous growth.

At this rate, it might truly rely on Shikkotsu Forest's natural energy to evolve into a second God Tree.

Heiyan lightly leapt forward, landing atop a tree trunk dozens of meters high, gazing into the distance.

He noticed three giant figures battling each other under the moonlight. He recognized both Saiken the Six-Tails and Chomei the Seven-Tails—one battling on land, the other flying high above.

Facing these two Tailed Beasts in fierce combat was a wooden giant arhat. His eyes blazed with a fierce golden-yellow hue, like the wrathful Vajra (guardian deities) of ancient temples, and massive dragons woven from deadly Wood Release techniques coiled around him, exuding immense majesty.

This colossal wooden golem was locked in battle with two Tailed Beasts at once, yet it held its own without showing any signs of disadvantage.

Standing atop the golem's head, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, her golden hair flowing in the night breeze. She wore the red mountain-patterned armor gifted by Heiyan, which accentuated her perfect figure. The cape bearing the emblem of the Senju Clan fluttered noisily behind her in the wind.

She looked like a true Valkyrie.

Heiyan noticed the Sage facial markings—just like his own—appear on Tsunade's face.

It seemed she had successfully attained Sage Mode.

"Lord Heiyan."

At that moment, a small slug slid down from a branch and settled onto Heiyan's shoulder. Through the Sage Slug, he learned that Tsunade was merely using the Tailed Beasts to practice her Wood Release Sage Art, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Hn."

Heiyan gave a quiet nod, murmuring in response. Truthfully, he could already tell that with her current strength, Tsunade was dealing with the two Tailed Beasts with room to spare.

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