Self-Defense!

No matter how one looked at it, Sasori's plan to eliminate the Third Kazekage had basically been inseparable from poison. Otherwise, those puppets would have meant little against the Third Kazekage, who possessed the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai.

A powerhouse hailed as the pinnacle of his era had been silently taken out like that. Just thinking about it felt stifling and unfair.

And he had been killed by a rogue ninja from his own village. For a Kage to end up like that, the Third Kazekage had really outdone himself.

Although the Third Hokage's fate in the original story had not been much better than the Third Kazekage's, one should not forget what methods Orochimaru had used to fight him. By then, the Third Hokage had already become extremely old, and his condition had declined without limit.

Orochimaru had even used the Impure World Reincarnation to bring out the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, to assist him in battle. In the end, the Third Hokage died, but Orochimaru had not fared much better. That alone was enough for the Third Hokage to be proud of.

By comparison, the Third Kazekage's death was truly humiliating—though there would later be an even more humiliating Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

"It seems we truly cannot let down our guard. I believe we should send more people to the border." After considering it for a while, the Third Hokage sighed. "Although I regret the Third Kazekage's fate, Minister Uchiha Hikaru is right. Once Sunagakure's civilians learn the truth at a time like this, they will definitely put all kinds of pressure on Sunagakure's upper ranks. With the Daimyo involved as well, if Sunagakure's leadership wants to redirect everyone's attention, they can only set their sights on us."

"The Third Kazekage has