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"Did the Iwagakure ninjas disguise themselves as rogue ninjas and replace the scroll holding Hiashi's corpse with an explosive tag?"
"Root ninja suddenly intervened, and Akimichi Todo and Toroi from Kumogakure fought each other?"
"Wait, their battle accidentally unleashed a humanoid monster sealed at the rendezvous point?"
"What do you mean that humanoid monster killed Toroi and nearly a hundred allied ninjas from Kumogakure with an unknown and bizarre ability?"
Koharu Utatane rushed forward, snatching the scroll from Hiruzen's hands. As he read the contents, his face gradually paled.
By the end, he was utterly stunned, standing there like a statue, unsure if he was dreaming.
He recognized every word separately, but when put together, it all felt so unfamiliar. Was this really the language of the ninja world??
Bang.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stumbled back to his desk, shakily leaning against its edge as he sat down.
"A well-known magnet release user, Toroi, along with nearly a hundred stationed Kumogakure ninjas." His voice had become hoarse to the extreme, "This blood debt, Konoha cannot bear."
Upon hearing this, Koharu, who had been in a daze, suddenly shivered, looking at Hiruzen in panic and exclaiming, "But they are obviously…"
"No one will believe you."
Before he could finish his sentence, Hiruzen interrupted, shutting his eyes in pain. "Except for the surviving Akimichi Todo and the rest of us, no one would believe those people were killed by some inexplicable monster."
That was "Magnet Release Ninja" Toroi!
That was nearly a hundred Kumogakure ninjas stationed at the border!
That was nearly a hundred Kumogakure ninjas with families and loved ones!
They were all dead.
Now, who would believe Konoha's side of the story?
Let alone the fact that there were no other eyewitnesses left alive; even if there were, who would believe them to be real witnesses?
Kumogakure?
While Toroi and nearly a hundred Kumogakure ninjas had perished, this conveniently provided Kumogakure with a legitimate reason to declare war against Konoha, and the daimyo of the Land of Lightning could not prevent the resentment of the victims' families!
Or was it Iwagakure?
From the very beginning, Iwagakure had cast its shadow over this matter. They would be all too happy to see Konoha and Kumogakure inflict mutual destruction, ready to reap the benefits from their conflict!
So…
"Go gather the jōnin and convene a jōnin meeting. Prepare for what's to come."
Hiruzen seemed to age a decade in an instant, hunching over in his chair as he spoke in a hoarse voice with a strange calmness: "This time, war is truly coming."
"Yes."
The Anbu ninja kneeling before him trembled slightly. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he had witnessed Akimichi Todo and the others in a disheveled state.
What had started as a team of over ten was now down to four or five—clearly, the rendezvous with Kumogakure had not gone smoothly, and there had certainly been a serious accident along the way.
This time, they were dealing with a genuine spark that could ignite war.
Except for those ambitious, war-hungry individuals and those blinded by hatred, no one wanted to face the brutal bloodshed of war again.
Crack.
The Anbu ninja left, and Koharu snapped back to reality, clenching the scroll tightly, a dark shadow spreading across his face.
Just as he looked at Hiruzen to say something…
Tap… tap… tap…
With the sound of a cane gently tapping on the floor, Shimura Danzo pushed the door open and walked into the office.
Upon noticing the silence in the office, a hint of a smile appeared on his cold and hard face.
"Hiruzen," Danzo spoke calmly, "I told you long ago that if they are dead-set on starting a war, we cannot escape it."
"..."
Koharu's heart sank, and he instinctively looked at Hiruzen's reaction.
Hiruzen did not respond; he simply hung his head, closing his eyes in silence.
After a long pause, he slowly raised his head, his murky eyes locking onto his old friend.
"Danzo, oh Danzo…"
Hiruzen exhaled, seemingly trying to calm his emotions, but veins popped out on his forehead.
Yet he still hesitated, his deep voice constrained, rasping, "Who allowed you to send Root to accompany the escort team?"
"How dare you do this?!"
"Hiruzen," Danzo said, standing in the shadow where sunlight couldn't reach, frowning slightly, "This time, it truly has nothing to do with me. I placed my subordinates with the escort team just as a precaution. Those three who attacked the Kumogakure ninjas…"
Bang!!
Before he could continue, Hiruzen smashed his pipe at Danzo's face, shouting, "Did you do nothing? Do you even believe that yourself?!"
"Tell me! Are you colluding with Iwagakure or not? Did the spies you sent have any links with Iwagakure? Tell me!"
The pipe stained with a hint of blood fell to the ground as Danzo felt a sharp pain on his forehead from where it had struck. His cold face changed at Hiruzen's words.
"I did not!" He hurriedly interrupted, no longer caring about mocking Hiruzen's miscalculations, "You know me. Everything I do is for…"
This was truly not his doing. He had specifically instructed Oil Woman Ryoma that if Kumogakure returned honestly, it would be as if nothing happened!
Moreover, the spies he sent to other villages were genuinely there to gather intelligence.
"Get out!"
But Hiruzen's roar cut Danzo's words off again. Danzo's mouth opened, wanting to say something, but Koharu grabbed his arm and shook his head.
Hiruzen was genuinely angry this time. Now that he had openly accused him of colluding with the enemy, Hiruzen would not believe a word of Danzo's explanations.
"Hiruzen, I'll notify the clan leaders of the ninja clans, write to Jiraiya and Tsunade, urging them to return." Koharu said in a low voice.
With that, he pulled the grim-faced Danzo toward the door, pausing before leaving to glance at Hiruzen one last time. He spoke softly, "Don't worry too much, Hiruzen. It's just another war."
Even in the face of being outnumbered four to one, Konoha could still triumph.
The real issue was that after facing heavy casualties post-war, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as Hokage, would naturally have to bear the brunt of the responsibility. In the end, he would likely resign, just as he did when he appointed Minato as his successor.
Crack.
Danzo and Koharu left, and Hiruzen remained seated in his chair for a long time, unmoving.
At that moment, he was like a shiny exterior of a machine, but inside, the gears were rusted and worn, producing agonizing creaking sounds, exuding a sense of antiquity.
Having already sacrificed Hyuga Hiashi, having already found the way forward, having resolutely made all decisions, having even thrown away his pride…
Why? How could it have turned into this?!
After sitting in silence like a statue for a long time, Sarutobi Hiruzen gradually calmed down.
At this point, anger and regret were of no use; he needed to clarify what had happened. Perhaps he could still find a way to salvage the situation.
There were still many unknown details regarding this matter that required questioning the survivors, such as Akimichi Todo and Hyuga Kumo…
With that in mind, Hiruzen took a deep breath, stood up, and leaned over to pick up the blood-stained pipe.
His figure vanished from the office, morphing into a shadow that darted across the rooftop, heading toward the Konoha Hospital.
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