Lord God: "Σ() Why did it suddenly jump to Volume 3? Please give me a reasonable explanation."
"I'm fucking stuck!"
Lord God: "Perfect."
Konoha - Hokage's Office
Neji sat in the Hokage's seat, while Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shimura Danzō stood in a row opposite him, not daring to breathe.
Neji put on a sour face. " Monkey, Danzo, I'll let it slide for now for the time being after you two have made such a mess of Konoha, but you managed to get caught when you were sent to gather intelligence? Are you two really that weak?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, at Tobirama's instruction, went to spy on neighboring countries. However, when they arrived in the Land of Rivers, they discovered Ainz, who was also conducting reconnaissance Land of Rivers. They were discovered without warning and after a brief exchange, the two withdrew.
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed twice. "This... you should ask Danzo; he knows more than I do."
Danzo: "(°ー°) Because I... sneezed."
Tobirama: "(°ー°) Are you serious?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Ainz's Ninjutsu: "That guy named Ainz seems to be proficient in all types of Ninjutsu, including Space-Time Ninjutsu. Due to a lack of information, Danzo and I temporarily withdrew."
"Bang!"
Tobirama slammed his fist on Tobirama table. "You left without gathering any information at all?"
Danzo wiped his sweat. "We do have some information. This guy named Ainz is tall, wears a skull mask, and carries a golden cane. He's probably a ninja from the Nuclear Ninja Village, but he's not particularly strong."
At this moment, Wei Zi, who was using Water Glide at sea, Ainz: "Tch, that's because they saw you had the Yin Seal of your true forms that they weren't taking it seriously."
Tobirama frowned. " Nuclear Ninja Village?"
Tsunade then spoke up, " Nuclear Ninja Village is a newly established ninja village located in the Land of Spring. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu questioned a kid from Nuclear Ninja Village at the village entrance before, but they didn't get any useful information besides Chakra tools."
Tobirama, then said, "Hmm. Something feels off. Bring me the reports on Homura and Koharu later."
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya: "Grandfather, how's the situation in the Land of Grass?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō also became interested, Jiraiya's solemn expression gave them an ominous premonition.
Tobirama frowned. "My guess was right. There are a large number of ninjas from other villages lurking among the ninjas and civilians seeking refuge. Although we discovered this from the beginning, we led them towards Kusagakure in order to obtain more information. After arriving at Kusagakure, we found that the Kusagakure had been completely destroyed and that a large number of Takigakure ninjas were lying in ambush there."
Tsunade was startled. " Takigakure? How did they get involved?"
Jiraiya said, "After we defeated them, Inoichi Yamanaka used his mental Ninjutsu to gather information and discovered an even more terrifying fact."
Shimura Danzō suddenly realized that this matter was not so simple. "Could other countries be involved?"
Tobirama nodded. " Takigakure alone wouldn't dare attack Konoha Ninja. With further spiritual probing, it's very likely that Takigakure has already formed an alliance with Iwagakure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi in surprise, " Ōnoki of Both Scales! That old man!"
Shimura Danzō slowly said, " Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure planned to cross the Land of Grass and launch a large-scale invasion of Konoha, but was stopped by Minato Namikaze's team. Unexpectedly, they still harbor such ambitions, taking advantage of Orochimaru's attempt to break into Konoha from within..."
Tobirama grabbed a book and slammed it across Danzo's face. "You have the nerve to say that! Where the hell were you when Orochimaru attacked Konoha?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Heh heh! Got beaten up, huh? Serves you right."
Tsunade, Jiraiya: "(°ー°)... Don't speak."
Shimura Danzō awkwardly scratched his head.
The reason Tobirama had Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō work together was twofold: first, to allow them to overcome their differences and rediscover their old chemistry during a difficult mission; and second, to have Hiruzen Sarutobi keep Danzo in check and prevent him from rebelling again.
Tobirama stood up. "Let me first make a worst-case scenario. If Iwagakure really tries to take this opportunity to invade Konoha, as they have done before, what would be the consequences? Little Tsuna, you tell me."
Tsunade's usual boldness vanished when facing Tobirama, replaced by extreme restraint. "Yes... yes! I feel we can't jump to conclusions too quickly. The relationship between the major powers is enough to affect the balance of the Shinobi World, so I think we should gather more intelligence and only prepare for war."
Tobirama smiled slightly, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi: " Monkey, what do you think?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and straightened up. "I think we should resolve this through communication, after all, peace is hard-won."
Tobirama sighed, "Sigh, no wonder Konoha is like this. You're all wrong. We should... Oh? Sakura's here. Little Tsuna, find some time to discuss a good strategy with those two gatekeepers and then come back to tell me."
Having said that, Tobirama stood up, pointing at Danzo as he walked out the door. "(╬д╬) You, you, you... you've disappointed me so much!"
Sakura, who was about to knock on the door, suddenly saw it open by itself. "Oh, Neji, you're here too."
Neji had regained control of his body. Upon seeing Sakura, he immediately hugged Sakura, tears streaming down his face. " Sakura-chan! Tell me where the Hongshi is! I have something to tell him, I can't take it... (_) Hmph, it's alright, she's just a child who can't take hardship. Looks like tonight's training will have to be doubled."
Before Neji could finish speaking, Tobirama regained control of his body, muttering to himself as he walked away, "Hmph, you think you can take my body with your meager spiritual power? You're a hundred years too early!"
Sakura coughed twice and walked into the Hokage's office, where she saw Tsunade and the others standing there with worried expressions. "Hokage -Lord Hokage... what's wrong?"
Tsunade was still thinking of a foolproof plan, so she had no energy left. Head bowed, she said, "Ah, Sakura, what is it?"
Sakura closed the door. "Someone wants to see you."
" Little Tsuna, why do you look so listless?"
The seal on Sakura's hand lit up, and Hashirama's soul flew out, hands on hips, laughing heartily.
Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then looked up in disbelief. "Grand... Grandfather!"
Hashirama stroked his Hashirama: "Oh, you've grown up too, hahaha. How about it, have your gambling skills improved?"
Jiraiya hadn't expected the First to fly out like that. " Lord Hashirama, Tsunade is just like you, she always loses at gambling, she's practically bankrupted Konoha."
Then Jiraiya saw Tsunade's white fist. "Shut up!"
"Boom!"
Jiraiya crashed through the wall of the Hokage's office and flew out, leaving a trail of blood in the air. " Tsunade, I was wrong!!!"
Hashirama and Tsunade talked for an hour before ending their conversation, which consisted entirely of trivial gambling techniques.
Hiruzen Sarutobi whispered to Danzo, "Hey, Danzo, I think we could easily beat Tsunade and Lord Hashirama."
Danzo nodded in agreement. "That's right, we can't let them touch the village's money. We need to add fifteen more locks, otherwise we won't last a month."
"Fifteen days would be a stretch."
"Oh, Lord Hashirama! Lady Tsunade! Why are you talking about such boring things? Alright, Lord Hashirama, I need to get down to business!"
Sakura controlled the seal, recalling Hashirama. Before leaving, she said, " Little Tsuna, don't let Tobirama's serious demeanor fool you. He actually cares about you a lot! He did all this for you, he's just too shy to admit it."
Tsunade sat up straight, and after a moment of awkward silence, said, "Ahem, Sakura, just say what's on your mind. I need to go teach Ino Ninjutsu later."
Sakura slowly said, " Lady Tsunade, when I was on a mission in the Land of Rivers..."
Sakura recounts the entire process of carrying out the mission at the Katabami Gold Mine, as well as Kyōai's plea for help.
Tsunade her hand, said, "Hmm, should we call for help?"
Danzo then spoke up, " Fifth Hokage, this is an opportunity."
Although Danzo many evil deeds, he was, after all, an elder, and his insights were quite valuable. " Danzo, do you have any suggestions?"
Danzo dared not let Sakura, who was possessed by the First, leave. "The establishment of a ninja village in the Land of Rivers is a great thing for our Land of Fire and even Konoha. The Land of Rivers is located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, serving as a buffer zone between the two countries. If the Land of Rivers allies with us, we will have time to react and prepare should the Land of Wind launch an attack."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also agreed, "That's right, and the Land of Rivers produces many rare ores. Forming an alliance with them would be very beneficial to us."
Tsunade thought for a moment, "Yes, that's right. If we can help them before their ninja village is established, the bond we build will be the strongest."
Danzo continued, "However, given the changing circumstances in various countries, it's not advisable for us to send too many people, otherwise we will be criticized by other nations."
Sakura was overjoyed to receive a positive answer from Tsunade: "Then, Lady Tsunade, who should we send?"
Tsunade: " Konoha is short-handed right now. Jiraiya has to train Naruto, and Hongshi has many teaching assignments. Your Wood Release also needs to be trained in Konoha. The only people we can send are Shino Aburame and Choji Akimichi."
" Shino and Choji are quite reliable, but can they really manage on their own?"
Tsunade confirmed again. "That's right. After you arrive, have that brat Naruto come back immediately. Rock Lee will also stay there with you. Three of us from Konoha will be sent."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "There are three of them, which is a bit few, but their combat strength should be sufficient. In Lord Tobirama's combat strength ranking manual, Rock Lee and Shino Aburame are ranked in the lower middle, while Choji Akimichi is ranked in the upper lower. It's quite fair. If we can gain more practical combat experience in the Land of Rivers, it will be very worthwhile."
Shimura Danzō thought a bit further ahead, "The news that the Land of Rivers has entrusted the Nuclear Ninja Village with the task of suppressing the border rebels should soon reach the Land of Wind. We can take this opportunity to observe their attitude, and at the same time, we can also obtain more information from that guy named Ainz."
Tsunade said, "It's decided then. Sakura, go and call that samurai named Kyōai."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
Thus, the response from the Land of Rivers to their request for help was to send reinforcements.