If it weren't for the fact that he and Ruri made such a big scene, with too many witnesses and grudges that couldn't be settled, this defection might not even be acknowledged as a 'Renegade Ninja' incident and would only circulate secretly within.
Therefore, the defection list only includes him and Ruri.
Being classified as an S-Class Renegade Ninja indicates a high level of danger.
Ayane, a branch member of the Hyuga Clan and a defector from the Uchiha Race, were all deliberately omitted.
"As expected of the Hokage... does it mean they don't want to escalate things on their side as well?"
A shared tacit understanding between both sides.
It must be said that this was also part of Hakushi's consideration.
Konoha is preoccupied with the war and lacks the spare power to pursue them.
Meanwhile, on their side, they also need to minimize their presence as much as possible; at least during this stage, they cannot act openly and must operate secretly.
The thoughts of that Hokage, Hakushi could somewhat understand.
Stabilizing the village's situation and overcoming the current wartime difficulties is his top priority, rather than allocating forces to deal with the dangerous renegades.
"Never mind Konoha for a moment, would other villages covet the power of the Sharingan?"
Insect Man voiced his concern.
Even though a lot of key information was removed, Ruri's Sharingan might still arouse some people's greed.
"They might have some ideas, but where would they get the intel from?"
Hakushi countered.
Insect Man thought about how the wanted list only had crimes and rankings, along with basic information, with all crucial parts omitted.
Hakushi continued, "Although Ruri and I defected, our ninja techniques and combat styles are core secrets of the village, and even with an Alliance Country, there wouldn't be any intel sharing."
As for pursuits from other villages, Hakushi did not care at all.
After this event, the intel about them will be classified as top-secret in Konoha, only accessible to the Hokage and other high-ranking personnel and their trusted aides.
Konoha has already labeled him and Ruri as S-Class Renegade Ninjas, which indicates their formidable strength and... danger.
For foreign village ninjas trying to pursue, they would first need to ascertain their whereabouts, then send ninja squads to probe and gather intel on abilities, entailing a significant expenditure of time, energy, funds, and potential personnel losses.
For a chance to acquire the Sharingan that wasn't even certain, they would have to make such enormous sacrifices, which would be unrewarding.
This is also why foreign village ninjas dislike dealing with renegades from other villages.
"I see."
"How are the arrangements over there?"
"The Uchiha and Hyuga personnel have already been transferred in batches. If nothing goes wrong, they should arrive safely in the Land of Demons by the morning after tomorrow."
Insect Man replied.
Hakushi nodded. With Ruri and Ayane accompanying the whole journey, even if the Five Kage personally came, they might not gain an advantage, so he wasn't worried about the safety on the way.
"We should hasten our transfer here as well. Even though I can predict some moves, we cannot afford to fully let our guard down. Deploy more smoke bombs; whether or not Konoha has dispatched pursuit teams, the follow-up work shouldn't be neglected."
"Yes."
Just as Insect Man was about to leave, the ground fluctuated, and the Earth General emerged from the floor.
It handed a letter to Hakushi, then continued its concealment.
"Whose letter is it?"
Insect Man was a bit curious.
"Someone I planted in the Konoha Hospital. Perhaps there's an important report to deliver."
Hakushi answered, opening the letter to read its contents.
Seeing Hakushi's face change considerably, Insect Man grew nervous, suspecting a major upheaval in Konoha that would affect them.
"What happened?"
"Namikaze Minato isn't dead."
Hakushi's expression turned eerily quiet.
"Namikaze Minato?"
"A rather troublesome Konoha Ninja, I originally thought he was dead."
Hakushi squinted. What is going on? How could he not be dead?
The Shadow Blade of the Shadow Dancer definitely pierced the opponent's heart back then; even if Tsunade herself performed surgery, it should have been impossible to save someone under such dire circumstances.
Hakushi was well aware of Konoha's medical level, and such injuries could already be deemed fatal.
Continuing to read, Hakushi finally understood what had happened.
"Mount Myoboku..."
He muttered these three words.
"Mount Myoboku?"
Hakushi contemplated for a moment and issued a perplexing order:
"Allocate some personnel to gather books on ancient history, particularly those concerning Immortals and related legends, with an emphasis on collecting these."