Konoha High-ranking Officials Meeting

The Fourth Hokage is dead.

The Third Hokage, who served for decades and survived three Ninja World War, lived a long and healthy life. The Fourth Hokage, who had just taken office, suddenly died in peacetime.

The Fourth Hokage also possessed the Flying Thunder God and was known as the Number One Speed in the Ninja World. In everyone's eyes, Minato Namikaze should be immortal.

However, Minato Namikaze was just like Senju Tobirama back then; the Konoha ninja also thought it was impossible for Senju Tobirama battle.

Wasn't the Fourth Hokage the legendary Child of Prophecy? Does a deceased Child of Prophecy still count as Child of Prophecy?

The Ninja World's onlookers expressed their disbelief and incomprehension.

Why wasn't it the Third Hokage who died? The Third Hokage was the only one who couldn't use the Flying Thunder God, yet he was the one who lived to retirement.

"So the biggest weakness of the Flying Thunder God is bonds." This was the first thing Raikage Yotsuki A said after hearing the news.

Minato Namikaze died sealing the Nine-Tails, which reminded the Fourth Raikage of his father, the Third Raikage, who nearly lost his life trying to suppress the rampaging Eight-Tails.

"Yellow Flash, Bloody Pepper, they all died, you idiot big brother, should we go attack Konoha?" Killer B said while writing lyrics.

The Fourth Raikage, unusually, didn't attack Killer B directly, but instead said seriously, "No rush, let's wait for the Iwa ninja to make the first move."

"Huh?" Killer B looked at the Fourth Raikage with great surprise. What was wrong with his boss? Was this still the same older brother who only cared about muscles and knew how to recklessly charge around?

As if knowing what he was thinking, the Fourth Raikage flashed with lightning and punched Killer B in the head, making Killer B see stars.

However, the Fourth Raikage offered an explanation. "The newly appointed Fourth Tsuchikage of Iwagakure likes to let others take the lead while he reaps the benefits from behind. This time, I'll see what Iwagakure does first."

There was another person who shared the same thoughts as the Fourth Raikage: the Fourth Kazekage Rasa. It must be admitted that after so many years of fighting with Konoha, everyone was surprised to find that only the Iwa ninja had gained some advantages in recent years.

Who has caused the Iwa ninja to change their strategy in recent years?

This was a problem that no one had noticed before, but after Yichen became the Fourth Tsuchikage, everyone carefully analyzed Yichen resume and discovered that Yichen had been influencing the Iwa ninja's Strategic Direction for a long time.

The reason why the Iwa ninja has changed so much is all because of Yichen!

Therefore, both the Fourth Raikage and the Fourth Kazekage wanted to see Yichen's reaction first. As for the Fourth Mizukage, no one could predict his actions.

However, they waited and waited, but there was still no response.

For a whole month after the Nine-Tails Incident, Iwagakure remained completely silent.

It wasn't until a month later that they learned from some clues that the Elite Jonin of Iwa ninja had spent the past month studying and researching a batch of Ninjutsu together.

As for the origin of these Ninjutsu, I'm sorry, I can't say for sure.

It's hard to explain, but it clearly came from Konoha. The Iwa ninja definitely participated in the Nine-Tails' Rampage on Konoha. News came from Konoha recently that someone took advantage of the chaos to loot the homes of many Konoha ninja.

Rasa and A's first reaction was. "It must have been Yichen who infiltrated Konoha that night."

Rasa and Ai's second reaction was. "Just how many good things did Yichen get in Konoha?"

Rasa and A's third reaction was. "How did Yichen know that Konoha's Nine-Tails would break free of its seal? Could it be that Yichen orchestrated this Nine-Tails' Rampage?"

Rasa and A's fourth reaction was. "Has Yichen already colluded with the Uchiha Clan? We can't fall behind."

Damn it! No wonder the Iwa ninja village hasn't made a move; they've eaten their fill and are digesting. Then, both the Sunagakure and Kumogakure started to subvert the Uchiha Clan.

Although there is no evidence, various countries speculate that the Nine-Tails' Rampage on Konoha is likely related to Iwa ninja, and coincidentally, everyone has pinned the Yichen, who is known as the Fox of Stone.

Yichen was a little confused when he received the news. "What happened? I was perfectly fine, how come I'm being treated the same as the Pot King?"

Returning to Konoha, in the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Root leader Danzo, and two advisors with no real power Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were all sitting in front of the Fifth Hokage Tsunade.

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Tsunade, "Tsunade, the Anbu have been investigating the Nine-Tails' rampage for a month. Have they made any progress?"

Tsunade her head and said, "According to the Anbu's investigation, no suspicious members of the Uchiha Clan have been found."

Danzo slammed his cane heavily on the ground and said, "Fifth Hokage, on the night the Nine-Tails went berserk, the Root was besieging the Uchiha was attacked. The attackers came from outside and stormed back into the Uchiha Clan Compound after the Fourth Hokage had controlled the Nine-Tails."

"It was the Uchiha who released the Nine-Tails!" Danzo said with absolute certainty.

Tsunade wasn't afraid of Danzo. She slammed her fist heavily on the desk and said in a tone even more forceful than Danzo's, "You can't even confirm whether anyone entered the Uchiha Clan Compound, so how can you say that the Nine-Tails' rampage was caused by the Uchiha Clan? Besides, who knows how the Root members died?"

Danzo, Tsunade, and roared, "Tsunade, are you doubting me?"

Seeing this Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately stepped in to mediate. "Tsunade, Advisor Danzō, and his leader Root are all members of the village; they are all trustworthy."

"Danzo, it might not have been the Uchiha who killed Team Din. Don't forget the Iwa ninja."

Thanks to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the tense atmosphere in the office finally eased somewhat.

Utatane Koharu asked, "Fifth Hokage, has the Anbu received any concrete information related to the Iwa ninja?"

Tsunade her head and said, "Not yet, but something is very suspicious. When the Fourth Hokage was dealing with the Nine-Tails and I was dealing with the Seven-Tails, a battle took place near the Fourth Hokage's residence, and one side used a powerful Fire Release."

"I've confirmed it. None of our own people were at the Fourth Hokage's house at that time, and neither side in the battle were ours. Furthermore, it's clear that the Fourth Hokage's house had been infiltrated."

"Is it near the Fourth Hokage's house?" Mitokado Homura, somewhat troubled. Because Kushina was Jinchuriki, the Fourth Hokage's house was actually quite far from Konoha, and Konoha ninja rarely went there.

Without eyewitnesses, finding clues about the two sides in the conflict will likely be difficult.

"Can you confirm the identities of the two sides engaged in combat?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

Tsunade her head and said, "One side left only a trace of a Fire Release, while the other left no trace at all."

"Hmph, Fire Release, it must be the Uchiha." Danzo snorted coldly and made his conclusion immediately.

Tsunade was speechless. Her use of Fire Release was excellent. In the Warring States period, when Ninjutsu relied on family inheritance, it could barely be considered a hallmark of the Uchiha.

However, by this time in the era of ninja villages, if you randomly grab ten Elite Jonin in Konoha, six of them would know Fire Release.

Fire Release is no longer the defining characteristic of any particular ninja clan. Other ninja villages might have a slightly lower percentage, but not by much.

Tsunade didn't refute Danzo; she couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention. The others also Danzo's words; Danzo Uchiha Clan.

"Any news about the movements of the higher-ups in Iwa ninja?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, referring to Yichen, Ōnoki, and Ikura. Only these three Iwa ninja members had the power to unleash the Nine-Tails or send the Seven-Tails over Konoha.

If we consider that the Seven-Tails fell from the sky, then the other party should have the ability to fly, making Ikura less of a suspect. Considering their style of doing things, the first person that comes to mind for everyone present is Yichen.

Tsunade her head and said, "The Anbu's intelligence ninjas don't have direct intelligence." After saying that, Tsunade looked at Danzo.

Danzo frowned. His Root had been almost completely replaced in recent years, and the intelligence personnel had not been replenished in a timely manner. Their intelligence gathering on Iwagakure was not as good as it was before the Third Shinobi War. Gathering intelligence on the movements of Iwa ninja's high-ranking officials was no easy task.

Seeing Danzo's expression, Tsunade knew that he didn't have any useful information either, so she continued, "However, although the movements of the Iwa ninja Iwagakure are uncertain, the village gathered its strongest members for intensive training within a month after the Nine-Tails' rampage."

"On the night the Nine-Tails went berserk, many ninjas' homes in the eastern part of our village were robbed, and the bodies of many ninjas who died in that area were also looted."

"The Intelligence Division's analysis suggests that while it's uncertain whether the Iwa ninja were responsible for releasing the Nine-Tails or the Seven-Tails, they were definitely the Iwa ninja collecting the Ninjutsu Scroll."

"Another Iwa ninja?" Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "Tsunade, we need to focus on suppressing the Iwa ninja next."

"The village has suffered almost every major loss over the years because of the Iwa ninja. The cause of White Fang's death was the Iwa ninja. The defeat in the First Shinobi War against the Sunagakure Third Shinobi War was because the Iwa ninja handed over the Third Kazekage Puppet to the Sunagakure."

"Iwa ninja was later the first ninja village to withdraw from the Third Shinobi War, and the Land of Earth also surpassed the other three major powers economically, firmly becoming the second largest country after the Land of Fire."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took another drag of his cigarette and continued, "Jiraiya's death was also because of Iwa ninja, and the breakdown of our relationship with Mist ninja was also because of Iwa ninja."

"Furthermore, the breakdown in relations between the Uchiha Clan and us was also partly due to the involvement of the Iwa ninja. The Uchiha Clan child who went missing a few years ago should still be in Iwagakure."

"More importantly, during the Third Shinobi War and Fourth Shinobi War, we severely damaged the other three ninja villages multiple times, but the Iwagakure alone suffered almost no losses in these two major battles."

"In a few years, the Iwa ninja will recover from the losses it suffered during the Second Shinobi World War, but our four villages have been bleeding ever since. Compared to after the Second Shinobi War, our strength has basically not improved."

"Furthermore, the overall strength of the Iwa ninja has been steadily improving. According to intelligence, Medical Ninjutsu, Sealing Jutsu, Lightning Release, Genjutsu, and Combination Ninjutsu, which the Iwagakure was not originally good at, have all improved rapidly in recent years."

Hearing this, Tsunade couldn't help but frown. She hadn't expected the situation to have deteriorated to this extent. Although she had been back in the village for some time, she hadn't paid attention to this kind of information because she wasn't Hokage before. In Tsunade's mind, Iwa ninja was still that big, dumb ninja village that only knew Earth Release.

Finally Hiruzen Sarutobi looked around at everyone and said, "The most terrifying thing is that Yichen used Senjutsu in the First Shinobi War where he killed Jiraiya. Since the First Hokage, the Ninja World has seen a second Sage, but this person is not from Konoha, but from Iwagakure."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent. They hadn't sensed it before, but now they suddenly realized how critical Konoha's situation had become. Tsunade suddenly stood up and said to the four, "I'm going to visit the Uchiha Clan. Teacher, Homura -senpai, and Koharu- senpai, the three of you will come with me."

The Hokage's personal visit to the Uchiha Clan was a gesture of goodwill. Inviting the other three was to demonstrate the formality of the High-ranking officials and to give the Uchiha Clan a way to reintegrate into the village. As for why Danzo wasn't included, Tsunade didn't say, and no one guessed.