Hidden Sand, Hidden Rain: Playing dumb to blindside Konoha!
Two days later, in Konoha.
The Hokage Building, offices.
"... Since he didn't attend the wedding, do you think the former general of the Land of Night really has health problems, as rumored?"
Hiruzen summoned En and Koharu.
Konoha naturally sent representatives to attend the wedding of the princess of the Land of Night, and also brought a valuable gift.
The Konoha delegation also had a special purpose in this mission to the Land of Night: to probe the health of the First Shogun of the Land of Night.
In fact, rumors about the health problems of the First Shogun of the Land of Night are not recent; some whispers have been circulating for the past two years.
He retired in his early fifties and entered the Heavenly Dao Palace. He rarely showed his face after retirement. Usually, only his wives and concubines, as well as his special female agents, went out.
Even if the Land of Night doesn't explain anything, it's still inevitable that outsiders will have all sorts of ideas.
Especially at his daughter's wedding, the First Shogun of the Land of Night surprisingly did not show up, but instead had his legal wife represent him.
This doesn't seem unusual at all.
"There's no concrete information on this yet, but judging from his women, they all look very young... they're probably still in good health."
Yan was not very confident in speaking.
As Hokage Advisor, he has his own exclusive intelligence channels, but according to his sources, information on this matter is very scarce, and most of it is unrealistic speculation.
"My thoughts are the same as Yan's. Although some Ninjutsu and drugs can help people maintain their youth... the physical condition of those women is clearly not quite right."
Koharu frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
She's in her thirties, but looks like a girl in her twenties.
This is because she used some special Medical Ninjutsu to make her appearance and body look younger.
However, this youthfulness is only superficial; the traces of time are still undeniable.
But the women of the Land of Night are different. They maintain their youthful state as if they have truly frozen time at that stage, with no signs of 'aging' or 'decay' in their bodies.
Moreover, this method is not applied to just one or two people, but rather the whole system tends towards this peculiar change.
Even these women are like this; just looking at a small part of it, one can imagine what kind of miraculous methods that retired First Shogun must have possessed. It's impossible that he didn't modify and strengthen his own body.
As Medical Ninja, Koharu knew very well that the more skilled Medical Ninja was, the more likely they were to undergo special modifications to their own bodies.
This is a strange, common ailment that Medical Ninja inevitably develop after reaching a certain level.
"If that's the case, it'll be a bit troublesome. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao Palace is too heavily guarded; no matter how many Anbu we send, we won't be able to infiltrate it. We know too little about that place."
Hiruzen sighed.
The stronger the Land of Night becomes, the greater the pressure he faces as Hokage.
In fact, after witnessing the incredible methods the highest levels of the Land of Night used to maintain their youth over the years, and considering that the fates of the veterans of the Land of Night who retired with the First Shogun to the Heavenly Dao Palace are still unknown, he had a very frightening suspicion in his mind.
The guess was just too shocking, so he kept it to himself and didn't even reveal it to Danzo.
If that's the case, then the Heavenly Dao Palace is far too terrifying.
That place must not be allowed to continue to exist; it must be destroyed!
However, this is still a probing phase. Before the situation is clear, as the Hokage, he must consider the bigger picture and not act rashly.
"Let's not talk about the Land of Night anymore. The relations between the major powers are very tense right now. Iwagakure and Hidden Mist Village are locked in a fierce battle, and Hidden Sand Village and Hidden Rain Village will probably be next. What do you think Konoha should do next?"
Hiruzen glanced at En and Koharu.
"Just observe the situation and take precautions."
Yan adjusted his glasses, feeling that it was best for Konoha to maintain the status quo and try not to interfere in the conflicts of other countries.
After all, no matter how good other countries' products are, they can't compare to those of the Land of Fire. There's no need to stir up trouble.
"Send Danzo to scout the situation first, see if he can make contact with Hanzo of Hidden Rain Village. If Hidden Rain Village runs into trouble, Hidden Sand Village will definitely use the Land of Rain as a springboard to attack us again. We must take precautions."
While Koharu believes in being conservative, she can also take the initiative in some areas and cause some trouble for Hidden Sand Village.
This poor, powerful nation has always coveted Konoha and the Land of Fire.
If it weren't for Hanzo's unexpected intervention, which shielded Konoha from a bullet, Hidden Sand Village would most likely have resumed its petty theft activities against the Land of Fire.
"Okay, let's contact Hanzo first."
Hiruzen in agreement.
Clearly, he thought Koharu's idea was better than Yan's passive observation: to nip the danger in the bud and prevent Hidden Sand Village from being completely free of its own resources.
Therefore, adjusting policies to support the war Hidden Rain Village and Hidden Sand Village is a good idea.
Just like how the Land of Night supported Iwagakure and started this war with the Land of Water.
They could also try to imitate this, letting the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Rain Village fight like dogs, thus avoiding getting blood splattered all over Konoha.
Just then, a figure flashed into the office through the window; it was a Konoha Anbu member whose Ninja Outfit was slightly Konoha.
His slightly disheveled appearance surprised the three people in the Hiruzen.
Before Hiruzen speak, the Konoha Anbu, who had returned weary from his journey, immediately handed over a sealed scroll and spoke urgently, breathless:
"Lord Hokage, an urgent report from the southwest: over a thousand elite Hidden Sand Village troops have crossed the Land of Rivers and are advancing into the Land of Fire. The southwestern border forces request reinforcements!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the three people in the office immediately changed color, losing all their composure.
Hiruzen took the intelligence scroll handed to him by the Anbu and opened it to scan it.
The above content is more detailed, but the general content is consistent with what the Anbu said: Hidden Sand Village dispatched more than a thousand elite ninjas to cross the Land of Rivers and launch an attack on the southwest of the Land of Fire.
The person leading the group was none other than the Third Kazekage of Hidden Sand Village.
Hiruzen was a little confused. Wasn't Hidden Sand Village currently in a standoff with Hidden Rain Village? How come they suddenly bypassed the Land of Rain and directly attacked the Land of Fire?
However, Hiruzen was no fool. In just a moment, he figured out the intricacies of the situation, and his face suddenly darkened.
The standoff between the sandstorm and the rain was fake, as was the conflict between Hanzo and the Third Kazekage; the only real thing was the mobilization of troops and supplies to start a war.
However, their target wasn't each other, but the Land of Fire!
Those two bastards tricked him!
Yan and Koharu quickly understood the intricacies of the situation, their expressions turning serious.
"It's too late to warn Danzo to be careful of Hidden Rain Village, but there are already a large number of ninja stationed near the border of Hidden Rain Village, and with Torifu personally overseeing the situation, I believe we can hold off Hidden Rain Village's attack."
The most important thing now is to deal with Hidden Sand Village. Hiruzen, let me and Koharu go there. The Jonin troops on the southwestern border can't stop the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release."
Yan volunteered to go to the southwestern front with Koharu to resist the Hidden Sand Village.
Compared to Hidden Rain Village, Hidden Sand Village is the real threat.
"No need. You'll be in charge of coordination in the village. If anything happens, discuss it with Shikamon. I'll personally handle the Kazekage; we can't let the war reach the Land of Fire's homeland."
Hiruzen solemnly rejected Yan's proposal.
He believed in Yan and Koharu's abilities, but with their combined strength, they could at most hold their own against the Third Kazekage, and wouldn't be able to truly solve the problem.
After making the arrangements, Hiruzen didn't even have time to hold a meeting. He only took a squad of Anbu and urgently dispatched 300 ninja as the vanguard for this support mission, and hurriedly rushed towards the southwest of the Land of Fire.
(I remember the official guidebook mentioned that Utatane Koharu was Medical Ninja, and Mitokado Homura had strength comparable to the Hokage, although she didn't show much of it.)