I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 180: Target — Iwagakure’s Baldy Eliminated

"The Raikage clearly puts great effort into training his subordinates. Samui's judgment was absolutely spot-on. As you can see, Mei Terumi is sighing in disappointment."

"She seems genuinely frustrated about letting her opponent get away!"

"Uh..." What do you mean the Raikage puts great effort into training?

It sounded like a compliment, but somehow it didn't sit right at all.

And more than that...

This voice—unfamiliar, yet oddly familiar. It had obviously been disguised, but if he heard the original tone, he'd definitely recognize it...

A racked his brain, searching for the source of the voice.

Then he looked up—and saw Tsunade above.

And it clicked.

That bastard.

It had to be Orochimaru, right?

No doubt about it!

Damn it...

No wonder the comment felt off. "The Raikage's training"—Samui was still in school when he wasn't even the Raikage yet! That praise wasn't for him—it was for his old man!

He took a deep breath, tamping down the rising fury in his chest.

These two...

Were clearly tag-teaming to make fun of him.

But...

He couldn't lose his temper. He couldn't let it get to him!

His father's advice echoed again and again in his mind. After several deep breaths, he finally suppressed the urge to shatter the glass in front of him, gradually calming himself.

"Raikage-sama, please don't get upset!"

"There's nothing to be upset about. Forcing the opponent to use Lava Release with just a single chase—Samui did an excellent job."

A's tone was calm and collected.

Yagura was slightly stunned. This is the Raikage from the intelligence reports?

Something didn't add up!

He was taken aback for a moment, then a silent alarm sounded in his heart.

Just as Kyoichi had said earlier—

If every Kumo-nin learned this kind of calm and composure, they'd become truly terrifying. Because in terms of internal unity, Kumogakure far surpassed any of the other Hidden Villages.

And now, even someone as famously hotheaded as the Fourth Raikage was showing restraint...

This is bad!

They'd need to stop relying on their old tactics against the Kumo. If they didn't adjust, they were going to suffer big time.

However...

He turned his attention back to the screen and couldn't help but speak up. "Can't Konoha show something of its own? Are we just going to watch our teams all day?"

"Yagura, watch your tone. Konoha has always operated with fairness and transparency," Tsunade said, narrowing her eyes.

If it were any other day, she'd have already decked this shorty.

But right now...

She had to mind her manners.

So instead, Tsunade gave a light tap—and a slug on her back crawled up her shoulder.

"Show the overhead view."

"Yes, ma'am!"

In truth, Kyoichi and Orochimaru had already seen everything clearly from the inside feed. Before Tsunade even said the word, Orochimaru had already started adjusting the footage for them.

And the next moment—

Four simultaneous camera feeds appeared, each one focused on a different Konoha team.

Shisui, Asuma, Genma Shiranui, and Aoba Yamashiro were each leading a team, weaving swiftly through the forest. All of them were moving fast and with clear purpose.

"Everyone's questioning Konoha's transparency, so I'm showing the footage now. The reason we didn't broadcast it before is simple—they hadn't engaged the enemy at all. The moment they entered, they immediately scattered."

Yagura hesitated for a moment, then chose not to argue further—

He could already feel the hostility in Tsunade's gaze.

However...

"Excuse me," Chūkichi raised his hand. "Why do they seem to know exactly where their enemies are?"

"You're a jōnin. You should already know about Konoha's reconnaissance methods. This sort of thing doesn't need explaining, does it?" Kyoichi replied flatly.

Then he added, "Konoha isn't targeting anyone in particular. But if anyone feels targeted—well... just assume I am targeting you."

The unspoken message—

Yeah, I'm targeting you. What're you gonna do about it?

Of course...

Speaking too bluntly would be disrespectful.

Parasitic insects, various summoned beasts, and the like—they're not banned, just like puppets. Every village has a few, though none quite as formidable as those from Konohagakure.

So...

If you keep questioning this, it just makes you look like an amateur.

Everyone tactfully fell silent.

The two screens quickly switched scenes, briefly showing several squads of ninja being eliminated—most of them from smaller villages.

But...

A team from one of the major villages was about to go down!

The view shifted—Yugito and her two Kumogakure teammates were dashing at full speed through the forest. It appeared there were no enemy ninja ahead.

But then—

Yugito suddenly leapt forward, accelerating dramatically. In the blink of an eye, she flash-stepped to a steep slope up ahead.

Then—

Lightning Release: Ground Walk!

Crackling lightning surged across the terrain, and three Iwa-nin burst out from underground.

"No wonder they call her the Flower of the Clouds! Such incredible speed! Viewers may not know this, but her squad has been chasing their targets from the starting point all the way here— and they've finally caught up!"

"Her taijutsu is flawless! That incredible flexibility lets her pull off seemingly impossible moves! And... has anyone noticed? Her fingernails are extremely sharp..."

No Tailed Beast powers here.

But Yugito had modified her fingernails—sharpened and honed to points. Even barehanded, with her teammates' Lightning Release support, they posed a serious threat.

This was efficient, intelligent use of the body.

In a single exchange—

Under the cover of her allies' Lightning Release, the Iwa-nin's defensive techniques failed. Then—

A claw strike slashed through.

Two Iwa-nin took wounds to the neck. Not deep, but enough to draw blood.

Kitsuchi stood up, visibly tense.

Thank goodness Yugito didn't use a mist technique. If she had used real weapons instead of bare claws, those two Iwa-nin might've been dead after that single encounter.

This girl...

Even without a Tailed Beast, she was terrifying.

"Yugito is not one to underestimate!"

But...

Only Iwagakure was worried.

The other villages knew the backstory: in the last war, Ōnoki had betrayed Kumogakure and wore down the Third Raikage until he died. So Kumogakure entered this Chūnin Exam with one goal—settle the score with Iwagakure.

And Iwagakure had sent quite a few participants.

As long as the Iwa-nin were still around, and the others didn't get in Kumogakure's way, there wouldn't be much of a problem. Even if others ran into Kumo squads, they wouldn't be met with such brutal aggression.

In just a few exchanges, Yugito had all three Iwa-nin critically injured. One after another, they fired their signal flares.

Forfeit!

Yugito was visibly dissatisfied—her hand was already around one ninja's throat. Just one more second and she could've crushed his windpipe. But—

Someone appeared.

"Yugito, he's forfeited. Please let him go."

"Hmph. Useless trash."

Yugito released her grip.

She knew who the voice belonged to—

The man many villages now called Konoha's Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Kumogakure's great nemesis. Even during the war, neither A nor B could match his speed. She didn't think she was any faster.

"Iwagakure team forfeits. All three eliminated!"

A wave of gasps rippled through the audience, peppered with excited cheers.

These nobles...

They paid good money to see real shinobi battles. This fight alone made them feel the exam was well worth the ticket price.

As for Iwagakure?

No one cared how they felt. But in truth, Kitsuchi wasn't angry—he just let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Individually, Iwa-nin were already at a disadvantage.

He'd said it before:

If you can't win, forfeit without hesitation.

There's no shame in that—

Certainly less shame than getting captured and forcing the village to pay a ransom.

With both him and Roshi around to anchor the team, the genin had nothing to fear.

Yes...

That's exactly what Kitsuchi had told them.

So now, the Iwa-nin were surrendering cleanly. And not just here—elsewhere too, wherever Kumo-nin encountered Iwa-nin, they were ruthlessly pursued, with no holding back.

There were losses, of course.

But Kumo was still overwhelming Iwa at every turn. After all, Lightning Release counters Earth Release, and most Iwa-nin were pretty one-dimensional...

They simply couldn't fight back...

"Raikage-sama, by the exam rules, if you keep this up, there won't be many promotions in the end. Is it really worth it?"

"Heh. We of Kumogakure aren't here for ranks—we're here to settle a score. You Iwa lot better pray you don't cross paths with us."

A sneer tugged at A's lips.

Targeting Iwagakure wasn't just his personal grudge—it was the collective will of the entire village.

That was the strength of Kumogakure—

Their unity of purpose. When it came to key battles, they moved as one.

Outside, Ebizō felt like he was watching a surreal drama.

He had thought Sunagakure would be the ones to suffer most in this Chūnin Exam.

But now? Not even close.

With Kumogakure rampaging like this, Iwagakure's chances of surviving into the third zone looked slim.

The worst part?

Kumogakure had its own issues.

They'd spent so much time chasing down targets that they missed out on key opportunities to scavenge gear and supplies in the first zone. By the time the second and third zones came around, Kumo teams might start running low on stamina and equipment.

At that point, the power gap wouldn't be so wide.

Of course...

Kumo still had an edge over Iwa. Not every team was playing that recklessly. Samui's team, for example, hadn't been seen since their first encounter.

Even Yugito had gone quiet again.

Clearly, they were scavenging and conserving strength.

Fierce— but calculating.

"Kumogakure's got some real gems coming up in this generation!"

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