The Stone Village Declares War on Konoha, Danzo Suspended! Besieged from Within and Without!

Namikaze Minato looked at Hyuga Shin's corpse, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Although Hyuga Shin's actions had been extreme,

they had been a rebellion against the oppression of his clan...

as well as a struggle against Konoha's dark side.

He clenched the documents in his hand.

They felt heavy. The crimes of Root and Danzo recorded within made him realize that Konoha's reform could no longer be delayed.

Especially when it came to the Nine-Tails...

Although Namikaze Minato had never experienced such a thing,

if Kushina Uzumaki died, he might well die with her.

His love for Kushina ran that deep.

If a Jinchuriki lost their tailed beast, death was inevitable.

If the Nine-Tails were to be cultivated into a war machine, that would mean Kushina Uzumaki would have to set foot on the battlefield and slaughter others...

If that happened, the happy smile would disappear from Kushina Uzumaki's face.

Namikaze Minato would never allow such a future!!

Namikaze Minato looked toward the Hyuga clansmen and the members of the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Fugaku nodded at Namikaze Minato from a distance. He knew very well that one of his clansmen, Obito Uchiha, had been taken in as this man's student.

Moreover, many signs showed that Namikaze Minato held no prejudice against the Uchiha Clan.

"Everyone... please accept my condolences. Hyuga Shin's death will not be in vain. As those still alive, we must shoulder the dead man's will! Hyuga Shin fulfilled his mission and opened a new chapter for the Hyuga Clan. He killed the Raikage and turned the situation around. He was a hero! And we... have our own mission as well!"

Namikaze Minato's tone was firmer than ever.

The Hyuga ninjas gathered around Hyuga Shin's corpse and looked toward Namikaze Minato.

"Lord Namikaze Minato, we will follow Lord Hyuga Shin's dying wish... We are willing to obey your command. We hope you can lead us toward a new future!"

Namikaze Minato nodded. "I will."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Namikaze Minato, then at Uchiha Miya, who had fallen into madness and was giggling foolishly. He stepped forward and said, "Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Shin has done so much for our Uchiha Clan. We will never forget this kindness... As for Danzo, who has sunk roots into the depths of Konoha's darkness, our Uchiha Clan will also support you with all our strength. Together, we will change Konoha."

Namikaze Minato nodded. "With your support, I am very confident... In fact, I have never had such a strong desire to become the Fourth Hokage and change all of this!"

Sunrise.

Kushina Uzumaki woke naturally.

Following the aroma of food, she walked out of the room and saw that Namikaze Minato had already prepared breakfast. He was sitting quietly, however, gazing out the window as sunlight fell across his handsome face. No one knew what he was thinking about.

As someone who understood her lover, Kushina sensed that something was wrong. It was an extremely subtle difference.

Something important seemed to have happened during the night, changing Namikaze Minato.

"Did something happen, Minato...?" Kushina asked softly.

"Hm?" Namikaze Minato came back to himself and looked at Kushina. A gentle smile appeared on his face. "You're awake. Come... eat breakfast."

Kushina was more obedient than ever. She sat down, then let Namikaze Minato feed her.

That morning,

two pieces of news shocked everyone in Konoha beyond belief.

The first piece of news: Last night, Hyuga Shin had betrayed Konoha and his clan, stormed the Hyuga Main Family compound, and killed every member of the Hyuga Main Family. He had also forced his way into the Root base, stolen a large amount of intelligence, and attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage, only to be killed on the spot by Namikaze Minato.

The second piece of news: Iwagakure had officially declared war on Konoha!

At the same time, the alliance between Iwagakure and Kumogakure had not broken apart.

The end of the war that everyone in Konoha had been looking forward to vanished like a bubble in an instant.

Everyone in Konoha was discussing it.

"Hyuga Shin? He... wasn't he the hero who killed Raikage A?"

"How could this happen..."

"What happened?"

"The Main Family and the Branch Family... sigh."

"They were fellow clansmen from the same family, yet they turned their blades against each other..."

Everyone was talking.

At that moment,

inside the Hokage Office,

the new clan head of the Hyuga Clan, Hizashi Hyuga, had already come to report the situation and express his loyalty to Konoha. However, over the next few days, the Hyuga Clan would have to hold a funeral...

Danzo was pacing furiously.

He was slightly injured and looked rather disheveled.

"Damn it! Damn it!! Where did all those Root documents go? This Hyuga Shin was even more Naturally Evil than the Uchiha Clan! I even spoke up for him before, and this is how he repays me!"

"But then again!"

"Anyone who gets close to members of the Uchiha Clan is no good in the first place!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was ugly as well.

He was looking at the Declaration of War in his hand, his wrinkles bunching together.

His hopes of negotiating peace... had been completely shattered.

Kumogakure had also sent a Declaration of War. In it, they stated that they would never abandon the war just because the Raikage had died. They would avenge the Raikage and make Konoha pay a terrible price.

The war had not only failed to end.

It had also escalated to an unprecedented degree.

Not only was Kumogakure coming to attack with everything it had, but Iwagakure was coming to strike Konoha as well...

Iwagakure was extremely powerful.

Ōnoki, tens of thousands of Iwagakure ninjas, and the ninjas raised under the Stone Will were all exceptionally tenacious...

Hiruzen Sarutobi got a headache whenever he thought about the current state of the war.

"Stop pacing!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table and berated Danzo. "Who allowed you to capture members of the Senju Clan for research without permission? I had to swallow my pride and damn near beg Namikaze Minato to agree not to expose it!"

"Th-this was also for Konoha! You know the power of Wood Style, Monkey!" Danzo panicked.

"You want to turn the Nine-Tails into a war weapon, conduct human experiments by capturing members of the Senju Clan, and even make a move against the Uchiha Clan... You, you, you damn it, is there anything you aren't willing to do?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed furiously.

Hyuga Shin wiping out the Hyuga Main Family was still an internal clan matter.

But Hyuga Shin had charged into the Root base like a god of war, slaughtered his way through it, and taken out a large amount of Root intelligence. That intelligence had fallen into the hands of the Uchiha Clan and Namikaze Minato.

The Uchiha Clan had already lodged a protest and demanded an explanation.

And now, this was a critical moment in the war!

Namikaze Minato was an even more outstanding War Hero than Hyuga Shin, and an absolute member of the Hokage's inner circle. But his love for Kushina was genuine. Moving against the Nine-Tails meant moving against Kushina, and that had truly touched Namikaze Minato's reverse scale!

Both the Uchiha Clan and Namikaze Minato were furious.

And the matter of Wood Style was even more outrageous.

The Senju Clan held a lofty position in Konoha!

"You are dismissed from your position in Root! Your duties as Hokage Advisor are suspended as well! Go home and stay there!"

"You... You will regret this! Hiruzen!"

"I am the Hokage!"

The door slammed shut!

Faced with this disastrous situation, with enemies both within and without, Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped into his chair and took drag after drag from his pipe.