Refusing to Save a Life

Of course, that is how he put it.

Unless he was facing a life-or-death crisis, Shiraishi Yoshijo would absolutely never summon his Ninja Butterfly.

Although he didn't believe the nonsense that the Ninja Butterfly were his reincarnated kin, he wouldn't go so far as to use these creatures, which lived and died alongside his clansmen, as cannon fodder.

In the end, he still needed to leave himself a memento.

With this power, Shiraishi Yoshijo truly felt that the Hokage was nothing special.

As for Danzo, just as Shiraishi Eizawa had said, what was a Danzo who wasn't even the Hokage?

Shiraishi Yoshijo finally understood why Danzo had gone to such great lengths to provoke and prolong the war.

Without external warfare, it was simply impossible to keep these ninja clans under his thumb.

Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't know if someone like him had ever truly existed in the history of Konoha.

But he was living here now.

Even if Konoha really went to war, he wouldn't be foolish enough to lead those ninja clans onto the battlefield.

Of course, if those ninja clans wanted to go to the battlefield themselves, he wouldn't stop them.

For every person who possessed the Will of Fire who died, his future path of defection would become one step safer.

He even felt that rather than letting such people die on the battlefield, it would be better for them to die in the internal strife of Konoha.

If he weren't afraid of his intentions being discovered, he would have long since incited those ninja clans to fight against Hiruzen Sarutobi and his faction.

Because Shiraishi Yoshijo was in the Anbu, those ninja clans were all very well-behaved right now.

Without them causing trouble, Hiruzen Sarutobi's policies and orders were becoming increasingly smooth within Konoha, and his prestige was growing daily.

He had now completely shaken off the influence of the First and Second Hokage, truly becoming a Hokage in name and deed.

Shiraishi Yoshijo had nothing to say about this; Hiruzen Sarutobi had pulled him out from the shadow of Danzo when he was weak, and these were things Hiruzen Sarutobi deserved.

It was merely a transaction.

Therefore, he felt no gratitude toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He didn't even feel any gratitude toward the ninja clans that supported him.

Each took what they needed, nothing more.

In any case, he was just a selfish guy.

If he really had to speak of gratitude, the Takemoto Clan made his feelings increasingly complicated.

They had money when he needed money, and people when he needed people; as long as the Takemoto Clan had it, they were never stingy with him.

He wasn't truly cold-hearted.

Over these past few years, his relationship with the Takemoto Clan had grown deeper and deeper.

He had even thought about what impact his defection would have on their clan, and whether he could properly handle the aftermath.

He would not defect lightly until he had thought these things through clearly.

After all, humans were social animals, and he had changed unconsciously.

Shiraishi Yoshijo noticed his own changes, but emotions were not something one could just discard at will.

Moreover, the dying request of Shiraishi Eizawa to take good care of those clansmen was something Shiraishi Yoshijo had always tried his best to fulfill.

Pensions for clansmen who died in battle were sent out every year, and he would double them for those who faced financial difficulties.

If anyone was in urgent need of money and found him, he would certainly give it to them.

There were more ninjas in the clan now, and he had given them everything without hesitation, except for his secret techniques.

Sometimes, he would even personally guide the training of his clansmen.

In short, in the eyes of others, he had already become a qualified clan leader.

Of course, doing these things could not change his selfish nature, nor could it change his determination to defect from Konoha.

The longer he lived in Konoha, the more suffocated he felt.

His defection plan had been revised again and again, and now it was unrecognizable and full of holes.

The Will of Fire and his own will were like a spear and a shield, their conflict growing more severe and difficult to reconcile.

As for a solution, he hadn't thought of one yet.

He only knew that it wasn't a problem that could be solved by the growth of power.

A loud noise from the distance suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

The four of them looked at each other and stood up simultaneously.

Hanari used Earth Style to erase all traces of them having been there.

Hatake Sakumo looked into the distance, frowning as he said, "It is very likely that our people have been discovered by the Rain Ninja and are currently in battle. Let's go take a look."

The four of them began to move toward the direction of the sound, and Shiraishi Yoshijo released his Summoning Butterfly while on the move.

About five minutes later, the Summoning Butterfly flew back, and the four of them stopped in a clearing.

Shiraishi Yoshijo clicked his tongue; talk about bad luck.

"It looks like Danzo's squad is being hunted. I don't think we should go over there. Anyone capable of hunting down Danzo is likely Hanzo of the Salamander."

Hatake Sakumo said irritably, "Are you planning to stand by and watch them die?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm just thinking that if we go over, Danzo will likely use us as cannon fodder to cover his escape. Captain, that possibility is extremely high."

A hint of a smile flashed in Hanari's eyes as she asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Better them than us. We can just sneak over, throw a few shuriken, and call it a day."

Hatake Sakumo drew the short blade from his back and stared at him expressionlessly.

Shiraishi Yoshijo decisively backed down.

Hatake Sakumo was truly strong right now; he couldn't possibly beat him without revealing his hidden trump cards.

And even if he played all his cards, he still couldn't kill Hatake Sakumo.

He had lost count of how many times the short blade of the White Fang of Konoha had been pressed against his throat.

"I get it. One mile ahead, Danzo has a dozen men, and there are over forty Rain Ninja hunting them."

Only then did the four of them continue on their way.

They caught up with Danzo's squad in a dense forest.

Danzo's squad was already surrounded by the Rain Ninja.

Hatake Sakumo led them forward, intending to charge in and link up with Danzo, but Shiraishi Yoshijo quickly pulled him back.

"Captain, there's really no need to link up with Danzo. In case—"

There was no need to finish the sentence; the others understood what he meant.

Just as he had said earlier, Danzo might very well do exactly that.

Hatake Sakumo drew his short blade once again and stared at him expressionlessly.

Shiraishi Yoshijo: "..."

Truly, Brother Sakumo is a man of few words and ruthless actions.

"I am the captain. Follow behind me and provide cover while I charge in."

Hatake Sakumo took the lead, his short blade proving indestructible; almost no Rain Ninja could withstand a single blow from him.

After he killed five Rain Ninja in a row, the strange commotion on the flank finally alerted the rest of the Rain Ninja.

"It's Konoha reinforcements! Quick, kill them!"

A barrage of shuriken attached with Explosive Tags was fired wildly at them.

Hanari began weaving hand signs.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Four earthen walls rose up, shielding them within.

The sound of the Explosive Tags detonating was continuous.

When the noise began to fade, a figure charged out of the smoke, brandishing a short blade that whipped up a whirlwind of death.

Shincho followed closely behind.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Hanari also rushed out.

"Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

Shiraishi Yoshijo stayed at the very back, tossing shuriken with Explosive Tags to just go through the motions.

This was their squad's combat formation; Shiraishi Yoshijo was always in the safest position, as he was, after all, a medical ninja.

The commotion of them breaking through the Rain Ninja's encirclement was quickly noticed by Danzo's squad.

Without needing an order from Danzo, his Root subordinates coordinated and launched a fierce counterattack.

Three minutes later, the two squads converged.

When Shiraishi Yoshijo saw Danzo, he almost couldn't help but laugh out loud, but fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so no one noticed his strange reaction.

Danzo looked truly miserable; one hand was covering his eye, and his face and body were covered in blood.

It had to be said, Danzo was indeed a ruthless man; even injured like this, he stood perfectly steady.

Hatake Sakumo stepped forward two paces and asked, "Lord Danzo, what happened here?"

"My informant among the Rain Ninja was exposed, and we were ambushed by Hanzo of the Salamander."

Danzo's voice was filled with venom; he clearly hated Hanzo to the bone.

Hatake Sakumo sighed and looked toward Shiraishi Yoshijo, signaling him to treat Danzo's wounds.

Shiraishi Yoshijo shrugged his shoulders, and the green light characteristic of medical ninjutsu lit up on his hands.

"Lord Danzō, you don't look so good. Do you need a medical ninja like me to treat you?"

He had originally not intended to treat Danzō, but unfortunately, Hatake Sakumo was the captain, so he had no choice but to obey orders.

Danzō stared at him with his one remaining eye, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I'll trouble you."

Is this really that Shimura Danzō?

To think he would actually say something like that to him.

It seems the injuries are truly severe; if nothing goes wrong, that eye is likely already blind, and the bandage-version of Danzō will be officially coming online soon.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's lips curled into a smile as he stepped forward to treat the wounds on his body.

He deliberately slowed down the speed of his healing.

The longer he hurts, the better; it's not like he's the one in pain.

After they regrouped, the movements of the Rain Ninja became very strange.

Not only did they not launch an attack, but they actually began to retreat.

This gave them a rare chance to catch their breath.

While Shiraishi Yoshijo was treating Danzō, he kept observing the surrounding environment.

He suddenly felt the ground shaking slightly.

A moment later, the shaking began to grow violent.

A massive Salamander burst forth from beneath the earth.

Standing atop the head of the Salamander was a person.

The demigod of the ninja world, Hanzo of the Salamander.