The Old Fox and the Little Fox

Chapter 18: The Old Fox and the Little Fox [Seeking Recommendation Tickets]

Little did everyone know that Toneri's attention was actually on this.

However, the Third Hokage was worthy of being the Third Hokage, bringing things back on track.

"Young man, your name is Toneri, right? I am Konoha's Third Hokage. You don't have to worry about your safety anymore. You are safe now!

If possible, could you tell me about your experiences during this time, especially the Sealing Jutsu on your stomach, and the origin of the Tailed Beast within you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi put away his pipe and said to Toneri with a smile, squinting his eyes.

Just looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression gave off the feeling of a friendly old grandpa.

A genial aura washed over them!

Toneri's heart tightened slightly.

He's encountered someone with stronger power!

Immediately, Toneri put on a look of utter misery and helplessness on his face.

He recounted his experiences in detail, embellishing along the way.

He started from when he became the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, how he coincidentally embarked on the road back to the Land of Fire, and then how he encountered that ninja at the Border of the Land of Fire, and how they fought.

In short, the general situation was unchanged, only "slightly" modified in the middle!

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others confirmed that the Tailed Beast on Toneri was the Two-Tails!

They knew that Kumogakure had two Tailed Beasts, and they also knew that Toneri had a Tailed Beast, they just weren't sure which one it was.

"I see.

So, Toneri, you are originally a resident of our Land of Fire, but you had to leave your home to carry out a special mission, and now you've finally returned home!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down directly by Toneri's sickbed and said with a smile.

Toneri knew that despite Hiruzen Sarutobi's current good-grandfatherly demeanor, he was actually contemplating Toneri's fate.

The only advantage he had now was that he was a native of the Land of Fire, and that Root should have his records, which was why Hiruzen Sarutobi knew his name.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was a controversial figure, and Toneri didn't fully understand the specifics, he was absolutely devoted to Konoha, even to the point of sacrificing his own life.

His famous saying, the Will of Fire...

"Where there are people who wield the ninja, the fire will keep burning. The shadow of the fire will cover the village, and a new sprout will sprout from the ashes."

This was the philosophy he had upheld since becoming Hokage.

Therefore, even though Toneri possessed the highly controversial Two-Tails, his identity as a native of the Land of Fire was an element that Hiruzen Sarutobi had to consider.

Coupled with the fact that Danzo's words did hold some truth.

Although Kumogakure was still an ally of Konoha, they had not given Konoha any warning when they prepared to attack the Land of Earth. This was also a point.

Even a single word would have sufficed.

However, they remained silent.

They were treating Konoha as a shield, using Konoha's restraining influence in the Land of Rain to launch an attack on the Land of Earth and seize territory.

Then, what was the purpose of seizing land?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a fool.

Furthermore, upon seeing the Sealing Jutsu formation on Toneri's stomach, he recognized the sealing jutsu and understood where it came from.

The incident that occurred back then was the most helpless and powerless event of his tenure as Hokage. Even now, he would find himself replaying various thoughts in his mind before falling asleep every night.

If he had made a decisive move back then, the outcome might have been different.

This was also one of the reasons why Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated about how to settle Toneri.

But the most important and impactful factor was the Tailed Beast itself!

As the Shinobi World Professor, who had made a name for himself on the battlefield, he had naturally witnessed the devastating destruction caused by Tailed Beasts when they were unleashed on the battlefield.

For ordinary ninja, the number of tails was meaningless; they were beyond their ability to handle anyway.

Tailed Beasts were battlefield meat grinders.

Their only drawback was that Tailed Beasts appearing on the battlefield were often uncontrollable.

They harmed not only the enemy but also their own side.

But this seemingly clever little fellow before him possessed a subtle ability to control Tailed Beasts!

This was what truly captivated him!

After all, their Konoha possessed the Nine-Tails fox, the strongest of all Tailed Beasts!

Even to seal the Nine-Tails and perfectly contain the Tailed Beast to become a qualified Jinchūriki, the Uzumaki Clan, who were almost wiped out, with their powerful bodies, vast amounts of Chakra, and formidable Sealing Jutsu, were the most suitable candidates.

And this little fellow, at first glance, didn't seem to possess any particular special traits. In fact, the sealing jutsu formation seemed incredibly inferior to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He was able to endure the journey from the Land of Lightning to Konoha, and after teetering on the brink of rampage, he was able to recover!

If that little girl could also control the Nine-Tails as well as this little fellow before him...

The Shinobi World is not at peace.

Even though the Second Shinobi World War is nearing its end, Hiruzen Sarutobi can clearly feel that the conflicts between the ninja villages will not be resolved by this war; they might even become more severe!

The reason the war is ending now is simply because all parties have suffered too greatly, coupled with the compromise of Hanzo of the Salamander, the Shinobi Hero, forcing a halt.

But once the major ninja villages recover their strength, these conflicts will inevitably resurface!

Therefore, as the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi must always be prepared, and the Nine-Tails, the strongest Tailed Beast, is part of his preparations.

Furthermore, as a Shinobi Hero, he too must bow to time; at over forty years old, his strength has already begun to decline.

Konoha occupies the most fertile land in the entire Ninja World and enjoys the most abundant resources, making it an inevitable target of envy.

The battlefield of the Fourth War...

"Mhm, Uncle, who are you? Where am I now?" Toneri nodded obediently, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes devoid of any impurities.

What pure eyes these are...

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, then turned to glare at his old friend.

To place the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on such a pure child, to use such a young child as a spy in another country... it was truly...

Too cruel!

He forgot, who had tacitly agreed to this at the time...

Noticing Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, Shimura Danzō didn't understand what he meant for a moment.

However, as an old friend, he could roughly guess the decision his old friend had made.

After all, Tailed Beasts are quite valuable, aren't they?

And it could also weaken Kumogakure's strength.

He figured Third Raikage A must still be furious right now, losing the Two-Tails for a mere piece of land in the Land of Earth was hardly worth it.

From what Toneri had just recounted, and from the investigation results provided by the Anbu and Root after learning the situation, Kumogakure should not know that their Two-Tails had ended up on Toneri by chance.

They also had no proof that Toneri was in Konoha, so as long as this secret was kept, there shouldn't be any immediate problems.

After all, Kumogakure was also severely wounded.

Coupled with Iwagakure licking its wounds, they would surely despise the Kumogakure Ninja who had ambushed them from behind far more than Konoha.

Of course, if the matter were exposed, Hiruzen Sarutobi also had his own plans.

When the critical moment truly arrived, for the sake of Konoha, nothing could not be sacrificed, not even himself.

Everything was for Konoha!

For Konoha, which could sprout new shoots after the light shone upon it!

"Little Toneri, you are currently in Konohagakure.

It is very safe here. If you wish, you can live here forever from now on, and this will become your new home!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, reaching out to gently pat Toneri's head.

It's also a cage.

Toneri silently added in his heart, maintaining a calm expression on the surface, nodding obediently.

"Hiruzen..." Danzō stepped forward, wanting to speak.

But before he could utter a word, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped him with a hand.

"Little Toneri, you just woke up. Please rest well and recover. We won't disturb you any further," Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and said to Toneri.

"Okay!" Toneri seemed very obedient and nodded in agreement.

After all, even if he wanted to leave now, he couldn't.

This was Konoha. Let alone leaving, he probably couldn't even walk out of this medical building.

Even unleashing the full power of the Two-Tails wouldn't be enough to defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi alone, who was currently at the tail end of his prime.

Moreover, Konoha had more than just Hiruzen Sarutobi as a powerhouse.

You all say Jin Mu's chapters are short, but I actually have around 2,500 characters per chapter. This is the limit Jin Mu can achieve during the new book period, otherwise, I'll suffer from word count issues like my last book!

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