How Deep Was the Hokage's Cunning?

White Fang strode up to the headless corpse, glanced over it, then looked at the severed head.

"Captain!" Chen He came to White Fang's ear and quietly explained the situation.

"Hmm." White Fang nodded as he listened, then ordered, "Take the body back to base for a thorough autopsy." After speaking, he looked at Li Tong and pointed toward the distant woods. "Over there!"

Chen He arranged for the body to be taken away.

Li Tong followed White Fang along a path into the woods.

"You can find Rain Ninja spies in the village?" White Fang asked indifferently. Beneath his mask, his eyes were as still as an ancient well.

"Yes, Lord White Fang!" Li Tong replied at once. "As long as I see the person's face, I may be able to recall some related details. Besides, Rain Ninja from Amegakure are always quite distinctive. It's a brutal place, after all, and people who come from there tend to have something unusual about them!"

"Hmm." White Fang answered with a hum, then tilted his head to glance at Li Tong. "What if the spies came from another ninja village? Could you recognize them?"

Li Tong froze. Did White Fang think that highly of him?

Li Tong could indeed recognize spies from other ninja villages with ease, but that was thanks to the True Sight Eye. White Fang couldn't possibly know about that. Setting it aside, judging someone's identity by their behavior and mannerisms was an extremely difficult task!

Not impossible!

But it required exceptional powers of observation and analysis!

"That's hard to say." Li Tong paused. "Spies do share certain traits, but there's a high chance of mistaking someone for one. I can't guarantee anything."

"It doesn't matter. I was just asking," White Fang replied immediately.

The two continued along the path, venturing deeper into the woods.

"Lord White Fang, what did the Hokage say about Hyuga Anan?" Li Tong asked.

"Dead men tell no tales," White Fang replied coolly. "Hyuga Anan is dead, and there's no evidence on him that can implicate anyone else. His attempt to assassinate you may have been ordered by the Hyuga Clan's leadership, or it may have been his own idea. So this matter ends here!"

White Fang was clearly fobbing Li Tong off!

Li Tong could tell. White Fang's explanation made sense—dead men did tell no tales—but the Hyuga Clan was different from other clans. Its rules were exceptionally strict. Hyuga Anan would never have acted on his own without orders from above!

It was true that some people were worried. Compared to the Hyuga Clan, Li Tong was just an outsider. Even if the Hyuga Clan really killed him, the Hokage wouldn't do anything to them unless Anbu caught them red-handed.

"Still, the Hokage has already spoken with the Hyuga Clan leader," White Fang added suddenly. "The Hyuga Clan will show some restraint."

"Restraint? What does that mean?"

"Figure it out yourself."

Restraint could mean one of two things: either they would stop, or they would be more discreet. White Fang hadn't told Li Tong outright, but Li Tong could tell he was warning him.

"Lord White Fang, about the Surrender Acceptance Plan—what exactly is it?" Li Tong changed the subject.

"You're only the beginning!" White Fang glanced at him. "To recruit and win over prisoners, and take in missing-nin from other villages, Konoha has to show its sincerity. Those people must believe that Konoha is truly willing to accept them. And you... will be an example! A successful one. Only if you live well in Konoha and stay alive can we make progress."

"Then am I important or not?" That was what Li Tong really wanted to ask.

"Important, and not important!" White Fang replied. "You're important because you're a key part of the plan. You're not important because... we can replace you! You're not irreplaceable!"

"Fine..." Li Tong shrugged.

"If you find Rain Ninja spies in the village again, you can kill them directly if you're able. If you can't, ask the Anbu Ninja secretly protecting you for help." White Fang stopped and turned to look at Li Tong. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Remember, don't get greedy for credit. Some top scouts with a reputation are more than you can handle. Be careful!"

"I understand, Lord White Fang!"

"Take care of yourself!"

White Fang sighed, then vanished from Li Tong's side in a flash.

"What exactly does that guy mean?" Li Tong muttered. He glanced back toward Wild Lake, then hurried away.

Only after Li Tong had disappeared at the far end of the path—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

White Fang and Chen He appeared out of nowhere, one after the other, watching the direction Li Tong had gone.

"Captain, letting that kid kill Rain Ninja spies as he pleases seems unwise," Chen He said respectfully in a low voice. "If he kills the wrong person, it'll be a huge problem! And even spies among the Genin and Chunin may know little, but they still have some value..."

"An hour ago, several Jonin from the Hyuga Clan secretly left Konoha. They were carrying the latest Black Market invitation," White Fang said calmly.

"Oh?" Chen He was taken aback, unsure why White Fang had suddenly brought that up.

"This time, the Hyuga Clan is going to the Black Market on business. Aside from taking care of their usual affairs..." White Fang paused. "...they'll probably hire Black Market assassins to deal with the nuisance that is Li Tong."

"That..." Chen He was startled.

As far as he knew, only three clans in all of Konoha could get Black Market invitations: the two most powerful clans, the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan, and the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's clan, the Sarutobi Clan.

The Black Market was highly secretive, and the location changed every time it opened. Without an invitation, the chances of finding it were extremely slim.

Was the Hyuga Clan really going to the Black Market to hire assassins to deal with Li Tong?

Was it worth it?

Chen He found it hard to believe.

"Don't underestimate the Hyuga Clan's determination to kill Li Tong," White Fang said, as if reading Chen He's thoughts. "Hyuga Anan's death at Li Tong's hands has already spread through the village. If Li Tong doesn't die, it'll damage the Hyuga Clan's reputation!"

"But..." Chen He still didn't quite understand.

"Go. Keep a close eye on Li Tong," White Fang said, clearly unwilling to say more.

"Yes!" Chen He replied respectfully, formed Hand Seals, and vanished.

White Fang remained alone on the woodland path, standing with his hands behind his back as he looked at the distant sky.

Unlike Chen He, White Fang was even less able to understand Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was the Anbu Captain and Hiruzen Sarutobi's most trusted subordinate, yet he couldn't fathom what Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning.

It was the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi who had ordered the news of Li Tong killing Hyuga Anan to be deliberately spread.

He seemed to be trying to embarrass the Hyuga Clan on purpose. He was the one who had summoned the Hyuga Clan leader for a talk, and he was also the one who had warned the leader not to lay a hand on Li Tong in the village!

He was clearly forcing the Hyuga Clan to seek outside help to deal with the problem!

Just how deep was the Hokage's cunning...?

Hiruzen Sarutobi, hailed as the greatest Third in history, was someone White Fang could never see through!

"Good luck to you," White Fang sighed again, then vanished in a blur.

He had given Li Tong permission to kill foreign spies at will and asked whether Li Tong could recognize spies from other ninja villages, all in the hope that Li Tong could protect himself as best he could. His real goal wasn't to get Li Tong to kill spies, but to help him survive an assassination attempt by Black Market killers!