Danzo, I am the Hokage!

On the other side, after seeing Hayato and the group of children off, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. His brows furrowed, and he let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Today has truly been one storm after another; no sooner does one settle than another rises." His voice carried a trace of exhaustion and helplessness.

"You two remain here on guard. As soon as Asuma wakes up, send someone to notify me immediately." Hiruzen issued the order to the two Anbu members, his tone revealing an unquestionable authority.

The two Anbu members acknowledged the order. Once Hiruzen finished his instructions, he turned and left Konoha Hospital, his footsteps appearing somewhat heavy.

Returning to the Hokage Building, he picked up his familiar pipe, expertly packed it with tobacco, and took a deep draw after lighting it. Amidst the swirling smoke, his eyes grew deep and solemn.

As he puffed away, he replayed the series of events from the day in his mind: first, the suspected kidnapping and disappearance of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina, followed immediately by his son Asuma accidentally eating poisonous mushrooms.

It was enough to give him a splitting headache.

"Who exactly is behind this? And what is their objective?" Hiruzen muttered to himself, his brows locked in a frown, his eyes revealing determination and resolve. "No matter what, I must uncover the truth behind this matter!"

Not long after, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the Hokage's office, and a ninja rushed inside.

He knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and spoke respectfully: "Lord Hokage, a report from the front: Kushina's trail has been found, and other squads are rushing to provide support."

Hearing this good news, Hiruzen's spirits lifted. He stopped smoking, narrowed his eyes, and asked calmly, "Who did it?"

"Apologies, Lord Hokage. Because we only spotted the signal flare and have not yet linked up with the others, the specific details are not yet clear," the ninja replied truthfully.

Hearing this, Hiruzen nodded slightly, indicating he understood. Then, he decisively ordered: "Have all ninjas at the Chunin level or above who are not currently on missions in the village head out to provide support. We must ensure Kushina's safety—there can be no mistakes!"

The messenger ninja nodded in acknowledgment and hurried out of the Hokage's office.

However, Hiruzen's brow did not unfurl. He knew deep down that a greater conspiracy and crisis might be hidden behind this.

"Which village could have done this? What is their ultimate goal?" Hiruzen fell into deep thought once more, his eyes filled with resolve and vigilance. "No matter what, I cannot let the Hidden Leaf Village fall into danger!"

As night fell, the Konoha ninjas moved with great speed. Since the enemy had not yet left the borders of the Land of Fire, the two sides soon converged.

By late night, news finally arrived that Kushina had been successfully rescued. Minato arrived at the Hokage's office with several other ninjas to report the situation to Hiruzen.

"Minato, this time it is thanks to you that we found Kushina in time. You have performed a great service!" Hiruzen said, pipe in his mouth, his tone filled with relief and appreciation.

Minato responded modestly, "It is my duty, Lord Hokage."

"Then, who exactly was the enemy?" Hiruzen immediately pressed.

Minato pondered for a moment, a calm light flickering in his deep eyes, and said softly, "It was the Hidden Cloud Village."

Hearing this answer, Hiruzen's brows couldn't help but knit together. His eyes revealed a mix of gravity and anger: "The Cloud Village, they have quite the ambition!"

Hiruzen turned and paced back and forth in the office, contemplating a strategy. A moment later, he stopped and turned around, ordering, "Go and invite the three Konoha advisors. Tell them there is an important matter that needs to be discussed."

This could potentially trigger another great war, so it had to be handled with extreme caution.

Before long, the other three members of the Konoha F4 arrived at the Hokage Building.

Danzo pushed open the door to the Hokage's office directly, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

"Hiruzen, what do you need us for?"

In truth, he had already learned of the Jinchuriki's kidnapping through reports from his subordinates and had secretly dispatched his own men to track them.

But unfortunately, Minato had beaten him to it. Thinking of this, he cast a meaningful glance at Minato, who was currently standing behind Hiruzen.

You brat, you ruined my plans! Danzo cursed inwardly.

"Yes, it's so late; what major event could have happened?" Koharu asked from the side, her face full of confusion.

She was indeed unaware of the specific details; she held the title of advisor, but possessed little real power.

To put it simply, she and Homura were truly just advisors in name, capable only of talking.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Hiruzen signaled for the three to take their seats and spoke directly: "Today, Kushina was abducted."

As soon as the words fell, Homura and Koharu, who had just sat down, sprang back up, shouting in shock: "What? What did you say? Such a major incident actually occurred?"

Having been summoned so late, the two had prepared themselves for something significant, but they hadn't expected it to be something of this magnitude.

Who was Kushina? She was their Hidden Leaf's Jinchuriki! That was the equivalent of a nuclear weapon!

Now they were being told that their nuclear weapon had been targeted and abducted? How could they not be anxious?

As for Danzo, because he had known about the matter all along, he did not show much surprise.

His composure caught Hiruzen's attention. After giving Danzo a meaningful look, Hiruzen pressed his right hand downward, signaling the other two to sit.

"Fortunately, our people successfully located Kushina and rescued her," Hiruzen said, attempting to soothe them.

At these words, Koharu and Homura both let out a sigh of relief. However, Danzo simply asked calmly, "Who did it?" The question struck at the heart of the matter.

Hiruzen turned his head to look at Minato, nodding for him to speak. Minato repeated what he had told Hiruzen earlier: "Three Advisors, the ones who kidnapped Kushina were ninjas from the Cloud."

"Damn the Cloud! Are they trying to declare war on our Hidden Leaf?" Homura slammed his hand on the table in anger.

"Hiruzen, what is your intention? Are we going to war, or what?" Danzo asked, cutting straight to the point as always. Everyone's eyes turned toward Hiruzen.

The latter picked up his pipe, took a deep draw, and slowly exhaled the smoke: "I haven't decided yet; that is why I am seeking your opinions."

Once he finished speaking, it was time for the group to make a choice.

Minato wisely walked out of the Hokage's office; it was not convenient for him to be present for what followed.

The Konoha F4 fell into a tacit silence.

Homura, whose rationality returned to his brain after a brief moment, was the first to break the silence.

"Although I am very displeased with Cloud Village's actions this time, Hiruzen, we have only just experienced a great war. It is truly not the right time to provoke another conflict. If we were to start a major war now, I fear it would give other villages an opportunity to take advantage of us."

Koharu also nodded in agreement, chiming in, "Hidden Leaf Village truly needs to recuperate now; we lost a great deal of combat strength in the war that just passed."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, then turned his gaze toward Danzo: "What is your opinion, Danzo?"

Danzo crossed his arms over his chest and said in a calm, firm tone, "Even if we were to go to war, there is no way to resolve this incident at its source."

Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen's brow could not help but furrow: "What do you mean by that?"

Danzo finally revealed his true intentions.

"Hand the jinchuriki over to me, Hiruzen. I will train her into a powerful weapon for the village, and a situation like this will never happen again; I will protect her in secret."

"You have crossed the line, Danzo." Hiruzen's tone grew much heavier. "Kushina is not some weapon of Hidden Leaf Village; she is a ninja of Hidden Leaf Village, a part of Hidden Leaf Village, and our family."

"You are too naive, Hiruzen." Danzo retorted without backing down. "If things continue like this, sooner or later the jinchuriki will become uncontrollable, and perhaps one day she will do something to harm Hidden Leaf Village."

"I will not let such a thing happen," Hiruzen stated decisively.

Danzo stood up, turned around, and spoke coldly.

"You will regret this, Monkey."

"I am the Hokage, Danzo!"