038 Chain Reaction, and a Long-Awaited Walk with Danzo

Konoha's hard-line response to Kumogakure also drew the attention and discussion of the other hidden villages.

Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, hovered in the air with a deep frown.

"Kumogakure appears to have suffered damage. That is confirmed intelligence from our scouts."

"But with that Barbarian acting like this, I can't tell what's real and what isn't..."

Much like the Third Raikage, his son, Kitsuchi, stood beside him.

Though Ōnoki was small in stature, Kitsuchi was broad and stout, an exceptionally large man.

"Father, will war break out?" Kitsuchi asked in a low voice.

"Can't you make your own judgment?" Ōnoki shot Kitsuchi an irritated glance.

In terms of Chakra reserves and mastery of Earth Release, his son was beyond reproach.

But his personality was far too rigid—one might even call him simple and honest.

That was by no means a flattering description for a village's Kage.

Thus, Ōnoki was faintly worried about Iwagakure's future. Though the village held an advantage in numbers among the major hidden villages...

It had no one truly outstanding!

Even though Kitsuchi was his son, Ōnoki would not let him succeed him for that reason alone.

Back then, his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, had taught him Dust Release—not because of blood ties...

"I don't know, Father," Kitsuchi said without annoyance, merely waiting quietly for orders.

"Sigh!" Ōnoki shook his head. "There won't be a war..."

He then explained the reasoning to Kitsuchi, which was more or less the same as what the Third Raikage and the Fourth Raikage had discussed.

As long as the Third Raikage had not gone mad, he would not keep pressing Konoha. Instead, he would give both sides a way out.

Kitsuchi nodded in sudden understanding.

Ōnoki rolled his eyes. He truly had no idea what to do with his son.

He was suited to be a perfect executor, but he had no talent whatsoever for making decisions.

"But we need to make our stance known..."

"We'll give Hiruzen Sarutobi a boost and fiercely condemn Kumogakure, exposing all their schemes to covet Kekkei Genkai."

"The blood feud between us and Kumogakure leaves no possibility of reconciliation. Taking this chance to ruin Kumogakure's reputation will be useful one way or another."

At the very least, it could reduce the chance of Kumogakure allying with other hidden villages should another war begin.

"Konoha has changed as well."

Ōnoki's gaze darkened. "Has Hiruzen Sarutobi finally come to his senses? I thought he would try to explain himself..."

"What a headache!"

Iwagakure had naturally coveted Konoha's Kekkei Genkai, secret techniques, and the fertile land of the Land of Fire for a long time.

Or rather, every hidden village did...

It was only because the lingering prestige of the First and Second Hokage remained that those ambitions had been suppressed. After the Second Shinobi World War, however, they inevitably resurfaced...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's forceful response seemed to be a warning against such thoughts as well.

"Kitsuchi, how are Roshi and Han doing now?"

"Roshi is still traveling the shinobi world. Han is in the village."

Ōnoki said gravely, "Tell Roshi that the village has tolerated him so that he can master the power of the Tailed Beast. If he cannot do so, then he can wait for punishment!"

Roshi and Han were Iwagakure's two great Jinchuriki. One possessed the Four-Tails, while the other possessed the Five-Tails.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's change also made Ōnoki wary.

When the Hokage became hard-line, the effects would spread in a chain...

The same was true for Sunagakure.

The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and Ebizo came to the same conclusion.

They would support Konoha's hard-line response toward Kumogakure, and their stance had to be resolute. Ideally, they would fan the flames and worsen the situation between Konoha and Kumogakure.

As Konoha's opponent in the previous Shinobi World War...

Sunagakure did not want Konoha to become more hard-line. But since it had already happened, they could only hope Konoha would make enemies of multiple powers.

Otherwise, if a hard-line Konoha grew strong and war broke out again...

It was unlikely to show mercy to Sunagakure, its former enemy.

Meanwhile, in Kirigakure...

The Third Mizukage gave a cold smile.

He had spent twenty years negotiating with Kirigakure's various Kekkei Genkai Ninja Clans, yet had achieved no favorable result. Instead, their conflict had only intensified.

The Third Mizukage had already decided to launch a great purge.

Power that could not be controlled should be crushed by him, the Mizukage!

"Good. Use the further deterioration of the Shinobi World's situation as a pretext. Claim that we need to raise the village's combat strength, and make these ninja clans fight among themselves!"

The Third Mizukage slowly clenched his fist. "Whoever opposes me dies!"

"Kirigakure doesn't need so many voices!"

"The plan shall be called Bloody Mist Village..."

On an isolated island in the Shinobi World, the Mizukage sealed off the village and prepared to launch a real-life battle royale.

Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were inspecting the village, checking on the Patrol Force's formation.

Even Shimura Danzō, who had been looking for faults, had to admit that Hatake Sakumo had done a fine job.

The hidden sentries changed every day, while the positions selected for the visible sentries were also being adjusted.

The combination of Inuzuka Clan, Aburame, and Uchiha—Shimura Danzō had personally tried to approach them, only to have those seasoned veterans discover his trail...

It was not that Shimura Danzō was weak. It was simply that this combined reconnaissance setup of scents, insects, and semi-x-ray vision...

Unless one possessed an extremely special jutsu, it was nothing less than dimensional suppression.

Shimura Danzō walked shoulder to shoulder with Hiruzen Sarutobi, feeling somewhat sentimental. It had been a long time since the two of them had discussed village affairs while strolling through the village like this.

"The only shortcoming is that there aren't enough Byakugan users. There's only Hizashi," Hiruzen Sarutobi commented with relative satisfaction.

"Hiruzen, should I make Hyuga Tenzo submit?"

Shimura Danzō's ears twitched. "Leave it to me. This is what I'm good at."

Wasn't he just a member of the Hyuga Main Branch?

Given the village's current situation, Shimura Danzō could come up with nine different methods just by slapping his forehead!

"You should rest for now..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head with an amused smile. "Danzō, do you think I can't use those methods of yours? Perhaps you think that if you do it, my reputation as Lord Hokage will remain cleaner..."

"But that's actually beside the point."

Shimura Danzō asked in confusion, "Then what matters?"

"Even if you do it and serve as a buffer, the nature of it won't change."

Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject. "The Hyuga Main Branch is, after all, part of the village. They've gone to war crying and shouting, and shed blood for the village."

"If you use methods meant for enemies on them, you may gain temporary benefits, but the damage it brings will be even greater."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a bag of rice balls. "Hungry? Eat while you listen. Your sister-in-law made these. They taste pretty good..."

Shimura Danzō accepted them reflexively, feeling a little dazed.

What was this about?

Were they really that close?

Well... actually, they had been. They had...

"Treat the ninja in the village as 'people.' That is the core advantage we need to put into practice."

"In the Shinobi World, only Konoha possesses the inheritance of the Will of Fire, as well as the organizational structure and resources to truly carry it out."

"High-pressure rule and cruel coercion can naturally bring short-term gains. I won't deny that."

"But we must take the long view. We must understand that we are fighting a silent war—building Konoha's spontaneous cohesion while weakening the cohesion of our enemies."

"Of course, when it comes to those who pose a substantive threat to the village, I will show no mercy!"

"With the other Hidden Villages as comparisons, even if we are not far ahead, we can still achieve twice the result with half the effort... Besides, this is also our duty as the higher-ups."

Hiruzen Sarutobi bumped Shimura Danzō's shoulder, just as he had when they were still teenagers decades ago.

"Killing people isn't difficult. What we need to do is strike at their hearts... Don't you agree?"

Shimura Danzō chewed the rice ball in his mouth and silently nodded.

Teaching me these advanced Hokage ways of thinking again?

Hiruzen, you really are impossible...

At that moment.

The veterans of another Patrol Force unit spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi from afar.

They shouted excitedly, "Lord Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi answered them with a smile. He took a few steps forward and waved. "Have you eaten breakfast? Come try my family's cooking..."

Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's back and took a deep breath.

He would not be left behind.

And he would not admit defeat!

But deep down, Shimura Danzō quietly made a decision...

When the day came that he became Hokage, he would allow a few extra pages to be added when compiling textbooks about Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Let Konoha's children learn a little more about him...

Some explanations regarding the setting. Readers who do not care can skip this; it will not affect the story.

Every generation of Raikage was called "A," and the Third Raikage and Fourth Raikage had no actual names, so one was called the Third Raikage and the other the Fourth Raikage, simply to distinguish them.

The setting never mentioned that they belonged to the Yotsuki Clan either. In the original work's Yotsuki Clan databook entry, there was only one person: a random minor character from the Turtle Island arc.

Next is the Bloody Mist Village.

This was a classic misconception. The policy had nothing to do with Obito Uchiha's later actions; even before he turned dark, Kirigakure had already called itself the Bloody Mist Village.

As for whether he made it worse, that was a matter of opinion~