The Pacifist Hanzo!

After dining with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, Kizaru strolled all the way back to the Shimura Clan estate.

As Kizaru knocked, the main gate of the Shimura estate was opened.

The one who opened the door was Namikaze Minato, who had been adopted by Danzo a year ago and had officially moved into the Shimura estate.

Speaking of Danzo adopting Minato, there had been a small interlude in the process.

After Danzo had grown closer to Minato, he took the initiative to find him on a dark and windy night and proposed adopting him as his foster son.

Minato, after some hesitation and contemplation, agreed to Danzo's request.

However, he set one condition: he refused to change his name.

It wasn't that Minato had some ancient family background to revive; rather, the name was given to him by the Third Hokage after he was taken in by Konoha as a war orphan.

Precisely because of this, Minato, who dreamed of becoming the future Hokage, was unwilling to change his name.

Regarding this condition, Danzo naturally refused at first and was quite unhappy, feeling as though some old geezer was constantly sabotaging him.

When Kizaru learned of this, he took the initiative to find Danzo and, with just one sentence, changed his mind.

"Uncle, what you want is Minato's heart and his person, not a surname!"

It was this very sentence from Kizaru that made Danzo change his mind, let go of his inner conflict, and agree to Minato's condition, officially adopting him.

"Brother Kizaru, you're back!" Seeing Kizaru outside the door, Minato smiled happily.

Immediately after, Minato's nose twitched; he caught the scent of alcohol and frowned.

"You've been drinking again? Foster Father is still waiting for you. If he smells the alcohol, he'll be angry!"

"Just a little!" Kizaru smiled, raised his hand, and skillfully gestured a "C" shape.

Like an adult, Minato sighed and said to Kizaru, "I'll ask Keiko-san to make you some hangover soup. Drink the soup and sober up before you go see Foster Father!"

Reaching out, Kizaru pressed down on Minato's head and rubbed it gently, laughing, "Don't worry, he can't beat me!"

???

With his head full of question marks, Minato felt that his way of thinking and Brother Kizaru's were in two completely different worlds.

Rubbing the yellow hair felt good, and Kizaru retracted his right hand with satisfaction.

With his hands in his pockets, ignoring Minato who was busy fixing his hair behind him, Kizaru walked toward Danzo's residence.

"Brother Kizaru! You..." After fixing his hair, Minato looked at Kizaru's back and called out while chasing after him.

"It's getting late, go back and rest!" Kizaru raised his right hand to stop Minato from speaking and said lazily.

"Fine, alright!" Standing in place, Minato could only watch helplessly as Kizaru walked away.

Bidding farewell to Minato and crossing the courtyard, Kizaru walked unhurriedly to Danzo's residence.

Danzo, who was sitting on a stone bench in the garden with his eyes closed to rest, heard Kizaru's footsteps.

"Uncle, why aren't you asleep yet?" Leaning against the door frame of the courtyard entrance, Kizaru looked at Danzo with a smile.

Although they were dozens of meters apart, the sharp-nosed Danzo still caught the faint scent of alcohol.

His brow furrowed, and Danzo prepared to lecture him.

"Have you forgotten the Three Prohibitions of Shinobi?"

"Shinobi this, shinobi that—it's such a hassle! Why don't you let me resign and retire?" Kizaru said with a smile, not taking Danzo's lecture to heart at all.

"You..." Danzo was blocked by Kizaru's words; he was furious but helpless!

Left with no choice, Danzo had to change the subject.

"The ninja who attacked you today has confessed. Just as I expected, it was indeed a ninja from Kumogakure."

"Kumogakure again?" Kizaru slightly restrained his smile. "This is the second time already; how terrifying."

"What are your thoughts?" Danzo stared at Kizaru and asked calmly.

"Being attacked every day is quite a troublesome affair," Kizaru rubbed the back of his head, looked up at the moon in the sky, and put on a distressed look.

"How about we just wipe them all out?"

The tone shifted, and Kizaru looked back at Danzo, his smile devoid of any emotion.

Analyzing the possibilities seriously in his mind, Danzo lowered his head in thought for a long time before looking up again.

"Now is not the right time. Hanzo of the Land of Rain has been too quiet lately. I have a premonition that that fellow is about to pull off something big!"

Compared to the old enemy Kumogakure, the newly risen Hanzo of the Land of Rain was the true thorn in the side of Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi!

It was indeed something big!

Understanding the plot of the Second Shinobi World War in the anime, Kizaru guessed the major event that Hanzo was about to trigger, which would shock the entire shinobi world.

As for this event—it wasn't necessarily huge, but it wasn't small either. It was simply that in a very short period, Hanzo, representing the Land of Rain, declared war on the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Iron almost simultaneously, igniting the Second Shinobi World War!

Eh! Kizaru always felt this move by Hanzo was so familiar; it felt like something he had read about in history books.

In any case, Hanzo's actions left many in the shinobi world dumbfounded.

Among the Five Great Nations, even the most reckless Raikage would feel inferior if he met Hanzo!

Did Hanzo have some hidden confidence or a trump card to declare war on three nations at once?

Facts proved he did not, or rather, Hanzo's confidence was his own strength and his sheer audacity!

So why did Hanzo provoke the war? It was simple: he was a pacifist with grand ideals.

Speaking of which, Kizaru couldn't help but complain—nearly half of the villains in this Shinobi World were pacifists! It was truly absurd!

Hanzo's philosophy of peace was utterly impossible to realize.

His idea was simple: he believed the Shinobi World was chaotic, filled with slaughter and war, because of the unequal distribution of resources between nations.

Actually, up to this point, there was nothing wrong with Hanzo's thinking.

But when it came to the specific solution for ending war, the method Hanzo proposed showed exactly what it meant to be brazenly entitled!

The solution Hanzo proposed was extremely crude and simplistic.

He believed that since war was caused by unfair distribution, the Great Nations simply needed to cede territory and resources to the smaller nations, making the strength and resources between countries equal—that was all!

Upon hearing this proposal, Hiruzen would turn into Danzo; Danzo would want to kill someone; the Second Hokage would be angered back to life; and the First Hokage would just laugh!

Carrying such unreliable thoughts and having hit many walls in his youth, Hanzo gradually developed a new perspective.

Since the Great Nations were unwilling to give, then as a small nation, I will just take it by force!

With his ideology becoming radicalized, Hanzo unified the ninja forces of the Land of Rain, became their leader, and began plotting to realize his ideals one day.

And that day was fast approaching.

Precisely because of this, considering Hanzo's recent abnormal behavior, Danzo dared not agree to the plan Kizaru had just proposed.

However, with Kumogakure attempting to assassinate his precious nephew twice in a row, Danzo's personality would not allow him to endure it.

"Hiruzen and I have decided that you will lead an elite squad to carry out a retaliatory strike!" Looking at Kizaru, Danzo stated his plan.

"Lead a team? That sounds like such a hassle! Why don't I just go alone?" Kizaru replied, frowning.

"Rest assured, the members assigned to you are the most elite ninjas in the village!" Knowing what was on Kizaru's mind, Danzo explained.

"Is that so? Then I'll be sure to look forward to it!" His brow relaxed, and Kizaru said with a smile.