Quiet. Utterly quiet.
At this moment, the Hokage's Office had fallen completely silent after Earth Dog finished his account.
In Rinto's own view, infiltrating Kumogakure was not all that difficult. But to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, it was like a thunderclap out of a clear sky.
More than a week ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already received intelligence regarding the unrest in Kumogakure.
However, those Dark Children were merely civilians, and the information they gathered was extremely limited.
That made the entire matter seem hazy and confusing.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell by instinct that Rinto was behind the disturbances;
he had never expected the guy to pull off such an outrageous stunt behind the scenes. It was enough to scare anyone half to death.
A week ago, the intelligence Hiruzen Sarutobi received was:
Temple of Wind and Thunder in southern Kumogakure appeared to have been attacked;
the day after the incident, Kumogakure mobilized ninja on a massive scale. Their exact movements were unclear, but enormous Chakra fluctuations came from the south, and a Tailed Beast Ball exploded high in the sky.
Afterward, the Raikage issued an order for full alert.
At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought Rinto's infiltration had failed;
though he was a ninja rather than a professional spy, he knew that infiltration and long-term undercover work were best carried out without a sound.
But after hearing Earth Dog's account, he realized just how wrong he had been.
A ninja's infiltration and a spy's undercover work.
Though both were helpless measures taken when strength alone could not crush the enemy;
though both involved stealing intelligence and weakening the enemy's living forces;
the difference between them was greater than the difference between a human and a dog.
According to Earth Dog's account, Rinto had first used intelligence to select a