Iwagakure Declares War on Konoha, Danzo Suspended! Beset by Troubles Internal and External!

Namikaze Minato looked at the corpse of Hyuga Shin, his heart a complex mix of emotions.

Although Hyuga Shin's actions were extreme, they were a rebellion against the oppression of his clan...

And a struggle against the dark side of Konoha.

He tightened his grip on the documents in his hand.

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

Especially regarding the Nine-Tails...

Although Namikaze Minato had never experienced it himself, he knew that if Kushina Uzumaki were to die, he might very well follow her into death.

His love for Kushina was that profound.

If a Jinchuriki lost their Tailed Beast, the result was certain death.

If the Nine-Tails were to be cultivated into a war machine, it meant that Kushina Uzumaki would be forced onto the battlefield to kill...

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

Such a future was something Namikaze Minato would never allow!!

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

Uchiha Fugaku nodded at Namikaze Minato from a distance. He was well aware that one of his own clansmen, Obito Uchiha, had been taken in as a disciple by this man.

Furthermore, many signs indicated 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 who remain, we must carry on the will of the fallen! Hyuga Shin fulfilled his mission and opened a new chapter for the Hyuga Clan. He killed the Raikage and turned the tide of the situation; he is a hero! And we... we have our own missions as well!"

Namikaze Minato's tone was firmer than it had ever been.

The ninjas of the Hyuga Clan gathered around Hyuga Shin's body and looked toward Namikaze Minato.

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

Namikaze Minato nodded. "I will."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Namikaze Minato, then glanced at Uchiha Miya, who was lost in a state of manic, dazed laughter. He stepped forward and said, "Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Shin did so much for our Uchiha Clan; we will never forget this debt of gratitude... As for the matter of Danzo, who has taken root in the dark depths of Konoha, our Uchiha Clan will also support you with all our might to change Konoha together."

Namikaze Minato nodded. "With your support, I have great confidence... In truth, I have never had such a strong desire to become the Fourth Hokage as I do now, so that I may change all of this!"

Sunrise.

Kushina Uzumaki woke up naturally.

Following the aroma of food, she walked out of the room and saw Namikaze Minato had already prepared breakfast. However, he was sitting quietly, looking out the window. Sunlight fell upon his handsome face, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Understanding her lover, Kushina felt something was wrong; it was an extremely subtle difference.

After this night passed, it seemed something very important had happened, changing Namikaze Minato.

"Did something happen? Minato..." Kushina said softly.

"Hmm?" Namikaze Minato snapped out of his deep thoughts and looked at Kushina, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "You're awake. Come... let's eat breakfast."

Kushina was uncharacteristically obedient; she sat down and was fed by Namikaze Minato.

This morning.

Two pieces of news shocked everyone in Konoha, leaving them in disbelief.

The first piece of news: Last night, Hyuga Shin betrayed Konoha and his clan. He broke into the Hyuga Main Family compound and killed all members of the Main Family. Furthermore, he forcibly breached the base of Root, an organization under the Anbu, stole a large amount of intelligence, and attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage. In the end, he was killed on the spot by Namikaze Minato.

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

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

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

Everyone in Konoha was discussing it.

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

"How could this happen..."

"What happened?"

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

"They were kin of the same clan, yet they turned their blades against each other..."

Everyone was talking about it.

At this moment.

Inside the Hokage Office.

The new head of the Hyuga Clan, Hizashi Hyuga, had already visited to report the situation and express his loyalty to Konoha, though he noted that the Hyuga Clan would be holding a funeral in the coming days...

Danzo paced back and forth, fuming.

He had some injuries on his body and looked rather disheveled.

"Damn it! Damn it!! Where did those Root files go? This Hyuga Shin is even more naturally evil than the Uchiha Clan! I even spoke up for him before; is this how he repays me?"

"But then again!"

"Anyone who gets close to the Uchiha Clan is never any good to begin with!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was equally grim.

He stared at the declaration of war in his hands, his wrinkles bunching together.

The fantasy of a peace treaty... 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 of the Raikage's death; they intended to avenge the Raikage and make Konoha pay a painful price.

The war had not ended.

Instead, it had escalated to an unprecedented level.

Not only was Kumogakure going all-in to attack, but Iwagakure was also coming for Konoha...

And Iwagakure was incredibly strong.

Ōnoki, the tens of thousands of ninjas of Iwagakure, and the ninjas nurtured by the Stone Will were just as unyielding...

The mere thought of the current war situation gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a headache.

"Stop pacing!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the desk and snapped at Danzo, "Who gave you permission to capture members of the Senju Clan for your experiments! I had to swallow my pride and beg Namikaze Minato to keep his mouth shut!"

"This... I did this for Konoha! You know the power of Wood Release as well as I do, Monkey!" Danzo retorted anxiously.

"You wanted to turn the Nine-Tails into a weapon of war, you conducted human experiments on the Senju Clan, and you even dared to mess with the Uchiha Clan... Is there anything, anything at all, that you fucking wouldn't do!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed in a rage.

Hyuga Shin's annihilation of his own clan was still considered an internal family matter.

However, Hyuga Shin had charged into the Root base like a god of war, slaughtered everyone in sight, and made off with a massive amount of Root files—files that had now fallen into the hands of the Uchiha Clan and Namikaze Minato.

The Uchiha Clan had already filed a protest, demanding an explanation.

And this was happening at such a critical juncture in the war!

Namikaze Minato was an even more outstanding War Hero than Hyuga Shin, and he was the very definition of a loyalist. However, his love for Kushina was genuine; wanting to touch the Nine-Tails meant touching Kushina, and this had truly triggered Namikaze Minato's reverse scale!

The Uchiha Clan, Namikaze Minato—everyone was furious.

Furthermore, the matter of Wood Style was even more heaven-defying.

The Senju Clan held a lofty status in Konoha!

"You, step down from your position in Root! Your duties as a Hokage Advisor are also suspended! Get out of here and go home to stay!"

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

"I am the Hokage!"

Door: Bang!

Facing the mess of internal and external troubles at this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi collapsed into his chair, puffing on his pipe one drag after another without stopping!