Iwagakure Backs Down

Given Rasa's already sour mood, one can easily imagine how he would react upon receiving Konoha's request to send troops.

Rasa tossed aside the letter from Konoha that was so crude it would be better to use it to wipe his backside, and focused on hunting down the group of audacious individuals who dared to steal the Tailed Beast.

This was a normal action, but in Ōnoki's eyes, it was a signal that Rasa was responding to Konoha's call.

After all, Rasa certainly couldn't openly declare that the Sunagakure's Tailed Beast had been stolen, that his own people were hunting down the culprit, and that they should continue their standoff and leave him alone.

Therefore, it's understandable that Ōnoki would think that Rasa really wanted to send troops.

"This kid has good courage, no less than the Fourth Hokage."

Sitting in his chair, Ōnoki felt a little melancholy. Why was it that Konoha always seemed to have someone who could turn the tide at crucial moments?

This is an opportunity not to be taken advantage of; the brat from the Shimura Clan is clearly not afraid of going to war with Iwagakure.

Therefore, this large-scale confrontation, which attracted the attention of the entire Shinobi World, ended with Iwagakure's retreat.

After witnessing the departure of the Iwagakure ninja from Kusagakure, Fugaku Uchiha's expression clearly showed some disappointment.

They thought this time they could have a real fight with the Stone Ninja, which would reduce the villagers' gossip about the Uchiha ninja's defection.

As a result, that coward Ōnoki actually withdrew his troops.

Looking at the somewhat apprehensive officials from the Land of Grass standing not far away, Fugaku gave what he considered a friendly smile.

The Stone Ninja withdrew, but Konoha had no intention of doing so.

A group of ninjas from the Internal Affairs Department have quietly arrived in a relatively prosperous town in the Land of Grass and have identified several nobles as their targets.

The next day, news of the massacre of nobles in the Land of Land of Grass spread throughout the country.

Fugaku stepped forward at the opportune moment, saying that the reason for this bandit uprising was the confrontation between Konoha and Iwagakure.

In the spirit of a great power, Konoha is willing to provide protection for the security of the Land of Grass.

Then, regardless of whether the officials of the Land of Grass were willing or not, he directly established several strongholds within the Land of Grass and stationed Konoha Ninja there.

Upon receiving the news, Ōnoki slammed his fist on the table in annoyance, but he still covered his hands, tacitly approving of Konoha's actions.

There was no way to deal with it; they couldn't even handle Konoha from Ōnoki, let alone with the entire Sunagakure following behind him.

Ōnoki really wanted to ask Rasa what benefits Konoha had given Sunagakure that made them willingly support him from behind the scenes.

Rasa: I (Sunagakure's swear words) am truly wronged!

The success of Konoha's operation has plunged the Daimyo's Mansion into a deep dilemma.

Although Konoha forced Iwagakure to retreat, adding much glory to the daimyo's reputation, the latter's dishonest behavior made it impossible for him to willingly praise them.

If this were during the reign of the Third Hokage, the daimyo should have sent officials to offer condolences and also increased the budget.

But now...

Even if the killing of those nobles had nothing to do with Konoha, those officials from the Hyuga Main Family would not agree to the daimyo doing so.

In the end, the Daimyo's Mansion only sent a perfunctory letter of praise, commending the Konoha Ninja, and then nothing more.

Does Kazashiro care?

He doesn't care.

What he cared more about were the tangible benefits he could obtain from the Land of Grass.

The commercial value inherent in this is far more substantial than the military funds provided by the Daimyo's Mansion.

"Acting Hokage, Fugutake Tonbo has come to pay her respects."

A young man arrived at the Hokage Building.

Kazashiro, who was directing Itachi to handle paperwork, suddenly looked up when he heard that familiar voice.

This was the first time he had met the other person since returning to the village and becoming the Acting Hokage.

Fugutake Tonbo was also filled with emotion. The last time they met, they were still captain and teammate. He never expected that when they met again, the other party would become the Hokage who controlled the entire Konoha Village.

Yes, the word "agent" cannot be omitted.

We all enrolled at the same time, so why am I still just an ordinary Chunin while the other person has already become the village leader?

"What, are you dissatisfied with the work of the Internal Affairs Department?"

Looking at the somewhat uneasy Fugutake Tonbo, Kazashiro joked.

"Not at all, I am very satisfied with the work of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs Department. I am here today because of the code I encountered last time."

Fugutake Tonbo quickly waved its hand, explaining its purpose.

Skipping over the self-aggrandizing analysis process, what Kazashiro ultimately saw was the coordinates of an address within the Land of Fire.

"Coordinates?"

Kazashiro was somewhat puzzled as to why the Uzumaki Clan would use the Sarutobi Clan's code to mark a certain location within the Land of Fire.

"Yes, I suspect there might be something buried beneath the coordinates. I am willing to lead the Internal Affairs Department's field team to investigate."

Fugutake Tonbo volunteered, hoping to make a name for himself through this operation and perhaps even become a Special Jonin.

Kazashiro did not agree to the other party's request.

Who knows what's buried beneath this ancient coordinate from the Warring States period? If it's related to the Uzumaki Clan, it easily evokes thoughts of a seal.

If it's a treasure, that's fine, but what if what's inside is some strange being that the Sarutobi Clan can't handle?

"Thank you for your hard work on this analysis. As for what exactly is at the coordinates, we need to study the plan carefully before taking action."

With a righteous and awe-inspiring expression, Kazashiro used a very noble and righteous reason to trick Fugutake Tonbo into leaving the house, and then reached for the ninja tool belt placed next to the cabinet at his feet.

"Teacher..."

Itachi's face was full of sorrow, and he saw through Kazashiro's true thoughts at a glance.

What's all this talk about careful research and needing a plan? It's obvious this guy's just tired of staying in the Hokage Building and wants to take this opportunity to go out and explore.

"Ahem, Itachi, you must understand that this matter concerns the Warring States period, and we cannot be careless. I will only feel at ease if Kage Level figure intervenes."

"Then why don't you go find the Lord Third? He's a member of the Sarutobi Clan; you'll probably get the answer you want soon."

Itachi said irritably.

"How am I supposed to handle this? No, there's no need to bother Teacher Sarutobi with this kind of thing. I can handle it myself. Anyway, I'll leave the paperwork for the next few days to you. Bye-bye."

As Kazashiro spoke, he pushed open the window of the room.

He had just stretched out one leg when he suddenly remembered something and pulled it back in.

"Shadow Clone Technique"

After a puff of smoke cleared, one of Kazashiro's Shadow Clone was left inside the room.

"See how good I am to you? I was afraid you'd be lonely, so I even left you a Shadow Clone. Now it's up to you to talk to Shisui and Yamato, Gana~"

After explaining all this, Kazashiro jumped out of the window without hesitation. After dodging the patrolmen from the Ministry of the Internal Affairs Department and the ninjas guarding the gate, he began searching for the path to the coordinates.