No, we cannot contact Xiao.
Just when Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura thought that Hiruzen Sarutobi was finally going to make up his mind to fight back at all costs, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shook his head and said something that surprised them.
His voice regained its composure, but beneath that composure lay a chilling coldness more terrifying than madness.
Pain's target is the Tailed Beast, he aims to overthrow the entire world. Letting Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down again, his eyes as dark as an abyss. "Besides, what makes you think that Uchiha Gen'yō, who treated even the Fourth Kazekage and the One-Tail Shukaku like pets, would take a mere Pain seriously?"
This rhetorical question left the two advisors speechless.
yes.
They were all driven to the brink of despair, instinctively trying to grasp at any straw, forgetting that even that straw would be just as vulnerable in the face of a real tsunami.
"What should we do? Hiruzen, just tell me!" Utatane Koharu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Are we really going to sit here and watch him build that damned Sky City, and then wipe us off the map like he's crushing an insect?"
Of course not. Hiruzen Sarutobi crossed his fingers and placed them on the table, his gaze sweeping over his two old friends.
We cannot rely on external forces. Especially in times like these, we must have faith in our own strength.
"Our own strength?" Mitokado Homura frowned. "What strength do we have left? The Anbu have suffered heavy losses, the Jonin supply, and we're barely managing to keep the village running!"
"No, we still have..." A complex light flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. "We still have Danzo's most precious legacy."
Danzo?
The two advisors were stunned.
Though the roots are destroyed, the seeds remain. Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was extremely low, like a whisper from hell, "Over the years, Danzo has planted countless pawns inside and outside the village. Some of them, even I, and he himself, have almost forgotten. These people are our last trump card."
You mean...? Utatane Koharu, instantly understood.
That's right. Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips curled into a sinister smile Danzo of Danzo's. "No matter how powerful Divine Kingdom is, it is ultimately built on the ground. It needs resources, it needs trade, it needs interaction with the outside world. As long as there is interaction, there will be gaps for infiltration."
We don't need to start a war; that would be like throwing an egg against a rock.
What we need to do now is pull back our fists. Not to surrender, but to strike more precisely and fatally!
Send out our most elite spies, utilize all available resources, and spare no expense to infiltrate the heart of the Uchiha!
"I don't need them to cause destruction. I just need them to bring back one thing," Uchiha Hiruzen Sarutobi said, enunciating each word clearly, "The energy core structure of the Uchiha military factory, and the weakness of their floating city!"
Even gods bleed if their weaknesses are found.
However, his plan was immediately dampened by Utatane Koharu.
"Too slow! Hiruzen, this is too slow!" she shrieked. "By the time your men infiltrate and relay the information, it'll be too late! Uchiha Gen'yō's floating city will probably have already smashed through the Hokage Rock! We don't have time!"
I agree with Koharu's opinion. Mitokado Homura's expression was also extremely solemn. "What we need is a swift and decisive strike, not this kind of slow and drawn-out effort that could take years! Hiruzen, your hesitation and lukewarm approach have already harmed Konoha once. Do you want to do it a second time?"
"Shut up! "Hiruzen Sarutobi was once again stung by this, and he stood up abruptly, glaring at them with bloodshot eyes.
His mind was uncontrollably flashing back to scenes that caused him unbearable pain.
Back then, he watched helplessly as his most prized disciple, Orochimaru, defected, but out of a moment's reluctance, he didn't kill him, which led to Orochimaru becoming a major threat to Konoha for decades to come.
Later, due to his suspicion of the Uchiha and his arrogance regarding power, he missed countless opportunities for reconciliation, ultimately forcing out a monster capable of overturning the Shinobi World.
His so-called "Will of Fire," which was revered as the golden rule, proved to be a complete joke in the face of harsh reality.
Warmth and waiting cannot bring peace.
In return, they only received a stronger and more unbridled enemy.
I... Hiruzen Sarutobi his mouth, wanting to refute, but found himself unable to utter a single word.
Yes, what did he do right in his life?
Just as he lost his composure, the office door was suddenly pushed open again.
This time, it was a samurai wearing the insignia of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire who rushed in.
The samurai didn't even Hiruzen Sarutobi; he simply threw a scroll sealed with gold thread onto the Hokage's desk, his tone filled with undisguised arrogance and accusation.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, receives the order!
The Daimyo's Mansion hereby inquires: As the strongest armed force in the Land of Fire, why did Konoha Ninja Village stand idly by while the Uchiha Clan split the country and declared themselves king? Why did it condone the submission Uchiha Gen'yō clan by other rulers, completely disregarding the dignity of the Land of Fire?
The Daimyo hereby orders you to provide a reasonable explanation within three days! And to immediately dispatch troops to subdue the Uchiha rebels!
If a satisfactory response cannot be provided within three days, the Daimyo Prefecture will reassess the value of Konoha's existence and consider cutting its annual budget by 90%!
Ninety percent!
This isn't just a reduction; it's like directly removing Konoha's dragon bone!
Without funding, what will the ninjas eat? How will they buy weapons and equipment? They can't even maintain their intelligence network!
Konoha will be completely paralyzed in an instant!
This is outrageous! Mitokado Homura was trembling with rage.
The samurai didn't even glance at him, only coldly staring at the pale-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi, and scoffed disdainfully, "The message has been delivered. Third Hokage, you'd better watch yourself."
After saying that, he turned around and Earth Flow out.
An unprecedented humiliation!
The daimyo's questioning was like the heaviest iron hammer, slamming into Hiruzen Sarutobi's already overburdened heart.
Pressure comes from military pressure from an external Divine Kingdom.
Resentment stems from the doubts and resentment of the villagers themselves.
Now, even their former biggest backer has ruthlessly stabbed them in the back.
It's over... it's really over.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the gleaming, ironic scroll on the table, a strange gurgling sound suddenly escaped his throat.
He clutched his clothes tightly at his chest, his face turning from deathly pale to purplish in an instant.
Anger, frustration, fear, despair!
At that moment, countless negative emotions surged into his brain like a reversed flow of blood.
puff!
A mouthful of scarlet blood gushed from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth, turning into a cloud of blood mist in mid-air before scattering onto the daimyo's scroll of accountability.
Hiruzen!
Lord Hokage!
Amidst the terrified screams of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, the Third Hokage, once hailed as the Professor of Ninjutsu and who had ruled Konoha for decades, rolled his eyes back and fell straight backward, crashing heavily onto the cold floor.
At this moment, the curtain was completely drawn on the twilight of Konoha.
However, with Hiruzen Sarutobi fallen, the dark toxins hidden deep within Konoha, like maggots clinging to bones, began to grow and spread wildly as they were no longer suppressed!
A hysterical and frenzied counterattack against the Uchiha Divine Kingdom is quietly brewing in the darkness!