Sure enough, Jiraiya’s tone carried a hint of anger next.
"But... the aning conveyed from the old man leans more towards conservatism."
He couldn’t help but take another gulp of wine, speaking with dissatisfaction.
"His idea is to quit while we’re ahead, use Kitsuchi and so prisoners to exchange for a portion of supplies and monetary compensation from Iwagakure, while also making them promise not to invade the Land of Fire’s border within a certain period... just letting them off so lightly!"
Jiraiya’s hand holding the wine flask tightened slightly.
"We clearly have the absolute advantage. We could clearly strive for more, even end this front. But the old man... he’s always worried that pushing too hard will provoke a fiercer counterattack, worried other villages will profit from the conflict, blindly seeking stability."
"This is simply... it’s like winning a fight and then having to put on a smiling face yourself."
Sora understood clearly. This was very much Sarutobi Hiruzen.
In the original story, Konoha clearly didn’t suffer losses in many wars, even gained advantages, but often chose compromise at the negotiation table in the end, glorified as ’for the sake of overall peace.’
This strategy might have maintained surface stability, but it also invisibly fueled the ambitions of other villages, consuming Konoha’s own foundation and sharpness.
’Will of Fire. Sotis it seems more like an excuse for appeasent.’
Regarding Sarutobi Hiruzen’s approach, aside from finding it sowhat foolish, Sora didn’t feel much anger.
"The Hokage has his own considerations."
Sora replied indifferently.
Jiraiya looked at him, seeming to want to see sothing on his face, but in the end just shook his head helplessly and finished the wine in the flask.
"Never mind, let’s not talk about these troubleso matters. The negotiations are still haggling, but the small-scale clashes on the frontlines haven’t stopped. Those Iwagakure guys probably want to gain more chips before the negotiation results co out, or... cause us so trouble."
"You just got back, rest first. I’ll notify you if there are any missions."
After saying this, Jiraiya stood up and left, carrying the sll of alcohol.
...
Sowhere in the hilly area bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, shouts of killing and the explosive sounds of ninjutsu were incessant.
A Konoha squad and an Iwagakure squad encountered each other, imdiately engaging in intense battle.
The Iwagakure side clearly held a slight advantage in numbers and coordination, gradually suppressing the Konoha squad.
Just as the Konoha ninja were struggling to hold on...
"ROAR...!!!"
A tiger’s roar that shook the mountains and forests suddenly ca from the flank.
Accompanying this roar full of majesty, a powerful sense of oppression, almost tangible, enveloped the battlefield.
On the hillside at the flank, a giant white tiger, standing over five ters tall at the shoulder, its body pure white with only a dark king’s pattern on its forehead, stood like a mountain.
However, this was only the beginning.
Under the hopeful gazes of the Konoha ninja and the horrified stares of the Iwagakure ninja, the body of that giant white tiger began to swell madly at a visible speed.
Five ters, ten ters, twenty ters, thirty ters...
In the blink of an eye, a super-giant white tiger, its shoulder height exceeding fifty ters, its body length over a hundred ters, appeared like a pure white mountain range, lying across the edge of the battlefield.
The shadow it cast instantly covered most of the battlefield.
On the broad back of the white tiger, like a plaza, stood a Konoha Anbu mber wearing an animal mask, with a nimble figure.
Compared to the behemoth beneath her feet, she seed so small, but her upright posture and imposing aura made her impossible to ignore.
Although her face couldn’t be seen clearly, that familiar figure and chakra, Sora recognized at a glance. Night Owl.
"It’s ’Baihu.’ Lady Baihu Night Owl is here."
A Konoha Chunin who was struggling to hold on shouted in surprise, his originally sowhat despairing face instantly filled with hope and fervor.
"Baihu?"
Sora, hidden in the treetops not far away, twitched the corner of his mouth slightly upon hearing this clearly feminine form of address.
The white tiger is male~. Does Baihu refer to Night Owl or the white tiger?
But it seems Night Owl and the white tiger have already made a formidable reputation on the battlefield, with such a unique title.
"Baihu, let’s go." Night Owl’s clear, cold voice sounded.
"ROAR...!"
The fully giant white tiger let out another roar, shaking so weaker ninja until their ears and noses bled, making them unsteady on their feet.
Its tiger paw, like a giant battering ram, lifted, then pressed down seemingly lightly.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!
The earth shook and the mountains trembled.
With just one press, several Iwagakure ninja who had been trying to form a defensive formation, along with the ground they were on, instantly disappeared, leaving only a deep, bottomless giant claw-print crater.
The huge tiger tail swept horizontally, the hurricane it raised sent over a dozen Iwagakure ninja who couldn’t dodge in ti flying into the sky, screaming as they fell into the distant forest, fate unknown.
"Wind Release, Vacuum Serial Waves."
Standing on the tiger’s back, Night Owl ford hand seals. Dozens of giant wind blades, far exceeding normal in power and similarly enlarged countless tis in scale, whistled out.
Like the sickle of death, they accurately cut towards those Iwagakure ninja, completely shattering their last will to resist.
The white tiger’s crushing physical attacks, coordinated with Night Owl’s battlefield-covering, astonishingly powerful Wind Release ninjutsu.
One person and one tiger, with just one charge and a few simple actions, completely routed this Iwagakure squad that had originally held the advantage.
The surviving Iwagakure ninja were scared out of their wits, no longer able to muster any will to resist, fleeing for their lives.
"Baihu. Baihu."
The rescued Konoha ninja let out sky-shaking cheers, their gazes towards the figure standing on the giant white tiger’s back filled with imnse awe.
In the treetops, Sora took all of this in, feeling quite gratified.
Night Owl’s strength improvent was evident. Whether it was chakra amount or mastery over Wind Release, it far exceeded before. Clearly, she had undergone considerable tempering during this period.
What surprised him even more was Baihu’s change.
This gigantification ability clearly exceeded the scope of ordinary summoning beasts. It seed the Azure Dragon blood within it combined with its own potential had produced an unexpected positive mutation.
It wasn’t just the size. More importantly was the kind of majesty like a natural disaster it exuded now, completely different from the little creature that was on its last breath back then.
’It seems Night Owl has raised it very well. The between them has also reached a new height.’
The corner of Sora’s mouth lifted slightly. His gaze once again fell on the super-giant white tiger below the mountain, like a pure white mountain range.
Baihu...
This title both reflected Night Owl’s female identity and bestowed upon this powerful duo a unique sense of beauty and majesty.
But Sora rembered that long ago, when he decided to raise this white tiger, he had thought of a na for it. A na originating from ancient legend, symbolizing the supre title that ruled the mountains and forests, awing all beasts.
Looking down at the huge figure below, like a white mountain, whose re presence was enough to awe the battlefield, Sora felt it was ti.
It had grown to the point where it could bear the weight and aning of this na.
’Mountain Lord...’
Sora silently recited these two words in his heart, feeling Baihu’s vast, nature-incarnate aura and majesty, feeling it more and more fitting.
From now on, the white tiger shall have its true na, which is. Mountain Lord.
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