The phantom image of Hiruko disappeared in the air, and suddenly more than ten fireworks rose up and exploded in the air, revealing the symbols of various ninja villages.
Hongshi looked up and exclaimed, " Hinata, look! Fireworks!"
"Smack!"
Gyokucha slapped Hongshi on the back of the head. "You idiot, this is the retreat signal for all the villages!"
In the next ten minutes or so, the ninjas from various villages on the street saw their leader's signal and immediately left, leaving only a few behind.
Hongshi exclaimed, "Huh? Where is everyone?!"
Hinata activated her Byakugan, and in her field of vision, she saw a large number of ninjas leaving from all directions. " Hongshi-kun, they're all gone. This doesn't look good. Hongshi-kun! Look! That's the signal for Konoha's mobilization!"
Red fireworks rose from the direction of the Hokage's office, forming the Konoha Forehead Protector symbol in the air—a signal to gather all Konoha Ninja.
Gyokucha, " Hongshi, quickly take us there and see what happened!"
"All right..."
So, Hongshi took on the role of a mount, carrying the two of them... slowly making its way towards the Hokage's office.
Hinata unleashed two bursts of Lightning Release Chakra from her hands, precisely striking two pressure points on Hongshi's legs. " Hongshi-kun, you can use Thunderstorm Unrivaled!"
"Boom boom boom!"
Hongshi's speed suddenly increased, transforming into a black chariot that shot off, crushing the ground beneath its feet.
He attracted a lot of attention along the way, but his speed was still slow. Many ninjas passed by him, casting approving glances.
"Hey! Hongshi, your speed has improved!"
"Mom! I saw that big black rat again!"
"Oh, that one, he's a ninja named Hongshi."
Finally, the three members of the Hongshi Trio arrived at the playground just as Tsunade was about to speak.
Tsunade, no longer showing any signs of drunkenness, shouted boldly to the crowd, " Konoha ninjas! I declare! Konoha is now under martial law!"
"Martial law?"
The other ninjas who were patrolling Konoha earlier were unaware of what had happened in the council hall. They only knew that a phantom in the sky had declared war, and they were completely bewildered.
Tsunade continued, "The phantom in the sky just now was Hiruko, who, like me, was a disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is very powerful, so I will send out five teams to search for Hiruko's whereabouts from all directions."
Shikaku Nara quickly listed all twelve team members and stepped forward. "This is the search team. Later, the information about Hiruko will be handed over to the respective team leaders."
"The members of Team Kurenai Yuhi, Team Asuma, and Team Guy remain unchanged."
" Team Kakashi is short-handed, so we've added the Genin Gyokucha."
" Team 13 is understaffed. Due to other missions, the original captain Go Hyuga, has been replaced by Anbu member Dai. Additionally, Genin Hanabi Hyuga and Genin Konohamaru have joined the team."
Hongshi: " Lady Tsunade! I love you! Konoha, I love you!"
Shikaku Nara glanced at Hongshi: "Shut up!"
Naruto was furious. "What?! What about my Chunin Ninja Exams?! I need to become a Chunin!"
"Smack!"
"Hey! Sakura-chan! Why did you hit me?!"
" Naruto, shut up!"
Five members of the Anbu appeared and handed an encrypted scroll to each team leader.
"The scroll contains information about Hiruko! It's of utmost importance. Konoha is currently in a very disadvantageous position, and everyone present is one of Konoha's most trusted people. Therefore, we must find him."
The five search team leaders nodded and replied, "Yes, sir!"
After saying that, he led the group of Genin away.
Tsunade continued, " Hiruko betrayed Konoha after being discovered conducting forbidden research. He harbors resentment towards Konoha and deliberately provoked us during our village's inauguration ceremony, in which all the village leaders were present. Therefore, Konoha will be under martial law for the foreseeable future, and patrol duties will be doubled. All Jonin, please ensure the security of the borders."
"Yes!"
Shikaku Nara said, "Due to the special circumstances, the following arrangements have been made: all family members will form teams according to the instructions on the scroll and carry out their respective tasks."
In fact, Tobirama had proposed the various team formations a long time ago. Shikaku Nara, as Konoha's strategist, also used the power level division manual to simulate team formations, ensuring a balanced distribution of strength in each team in case of emergencies. Unexpectedly, it has now come in handy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, who were hiding in the shadows, gave Shikaku Nara an approving look when they saw that he had prepared the list so quickly.
Danzo, " Sarutobi, if you had placed Shikaku Nara in my Anbu back then, Konoha probably wouldn't have Orochimaru and Hiruko, those two cancers."
When the Anbu was first established, it lacked intellectual talent. Danzo wanted to recruit Danzo into his ranks, but Sarutobi strongly opposed it, and he ultimately failed.
Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke. " Danzo, you've suffered from your slow reaction time. I knew you'd pull this tactic. I warned him beforehand back then. Shikaku was already slated to be the next head of the Nara Clan. If you forcibly put him into the Anbu, aren't you trying to incite a rebellion by the Nara Clan?"
Danzo: "(°ー°) Sarutobi, you tricked me!"
Sarutobi chuckled, "Little brat, we're both Jonin now, why are we discussing this? But I have to say, Tsunade used the festival as an opportunity to probe the attitudes of various countries. Apart from the Sword Ninja and the Sand Ninja, the other ninja villages all harbor ulterior motives."
Danzo shook his head. "This idea wasn't Tsunade's. Tsunade is too ruthless; in politics, she'll only make trouble."
"Who is that? Shikaku?"
Danzo slowly said, " Shikaku's methods are based on righteous wisdom; he wouldn't resort to such underhanded tricks. It was that eight-armed Blade Kage's idea."
Although Danzo was no longer the nominal leader of Root, he still wielded real power, and the Anbu were under his control. He was well aware of most of what was happening in Konoha.
Sarutobi was quite surprised. "That young man named Kyōai? Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Danzo, "I'll let you suffer the consequences of being slow to react!"
Is it really meaningful for us to hurt each other like this?
"I fucking find it very interesting."
Tobirama: "So, this idea came from someone else. Hmm, no wonder Little Tsunade came up with such a brilliant plan. I see."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "(°ー°)... I think I heard the teacher's voice."
Danzo simply closed his eyes. "I think I heard it too."
Suddenly, Tobirama's spirit appeared behind them, coldly staring at them.
The two of them stiffly turned their heads, and when they saw Tobirama's face, they were almost scared out of their wits. "Tobirama- Teacher Tobirama! What are you doing here! Didn't Neji go out?!"
Tobirama sneered, "Hmph, how could a mere Sealing Jutsu possibly trap me? What you were saying just now was all true?"
As the inventor of Ninjutsu, Tobirama analyzed the seal of the Hongshi and was able to control part of his soul to break free from the seal, condense Chakra in soul form, and use the Spirit Transformation Technique to move freely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at Danzo: "Ask Danzo! He knows better than I do!"
Danzo was on the verge of tears. " Lord Tobirama, please let me explain."
"Okay, I'll listen to your explanation."
"Hey... Sarutobi, you'd better say something to help me out!"
"Oh! Teacher Tobirama, you two continue your conversation, I'm going on patrol!"
With that, Sarutobi in a flash, disappearing from the spot, his whereabouts unknown.
Danzo: " Sarutobi, you bastard!"