Naruto: Fooling the Ninja World, I'm Hailed as a Savior

"Rogue Hidden Stone ninjas disguised themselves and replaced the scroll containing Hiashi's body with explosive tags?"

"Root ninjas suddenly attacked, and Akimichi Doto's team got into a fight with Toroi of the Hidden Cloud Village?"

"Wait, their battle's residual power just happened to release a humanoid monster sealed at the handover point?"

"What do you mean that humanoid monster used unknown, bizarre abilities to kill Toroi and nearly a hundred Hidden Cloud reinforcements?"

Mito Kadon quickly stepped forward, grabbing the scroll from Hiruzen's hand. As he read the contents, his face gradually paled.

In the end, he was completely stunned, standing foolishly in place, wondering if he was dreaming.

He knew every word individually, but combined, they felt so alien. Was this still the language of the shinobi world?

Thump.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked unsteadily back to his desk, shakily supporting himself on the corner of the table as he sat down. "Toroi, a Magnet Release ninja famous throughout the shinobi world, and nearly a hundred Hidden Cloud ninjas stationed at the border." His voice was utterly hoarse. "Konoha cannot bear this blood debt."

Hearing this, Mito Kadon, who had been lost in thought, suddenly shivered, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi in a panic and blurting out, "Those people clearly were…"

"No one will believe it."

Before he could finish, Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him, closing his eyes in pain. "Aside from Akimichi Doto and the few others who survived, and us, no one will believe that those people died at the hands of some inexplicable monster."

That was "Magnet Release Ninja" Toroi! That was nearly a hundred Hidden Cloud ninjas stationed at the border! That was nearly a hundred Hidden Cloud ninjas with families! All of them died.

Now, who would believe Konoha's side of the story? Let alone the fact that no other witnesses survived the scene, even if there were witnesses, who would believe they were genuine witnesses? The Hidden Cloud Village? Although Toroi and nearly a hundred Hidden Cloud ninjas stationed at the border died, this precisely gave the Hidden Cloud Village a legitimate reason to declare war on Konoha! The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning couldn't stop the hatred of those victims' families!

Or the Hidden Stone Village? This matter has had the shadow of the Hidden Stone Village from the very beginning.

The Hidden Stone Village would love to see Konoha and Hidden Cloud both suffer heavy losses, so they can swoop in like the fisherman profiting from the clam and the snipe!

Therefore…

"Go summon the jōnin, convene a jōnin meeting, and prepare."

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have aged a dozen years in an instant. He sat hunched in his chair with his eyes closed, his hoarse voice strangely calm. "This time, war, it's truly coming."

"Yes."

The Anbu ninja kneeling before him also had a slightly trembling voice. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he had seen the tragic and disheveled state of Akimichi Doto and the others.

The original team of over ten people was now only four or five, clearly indicating that the handover with the Hidden Cloud Village did not go smoothly, and a very serious accident must have occurred in between.

It was probably no longer a situation that could be smoothed over; this time, it was a genuine fuse igniting a war.

Except for ambitious individuals, warmongers, and those blinded by hatred, no one wanted to face the cruel and bloody war again.

Click.

The Anbu ninja left. Mito Kadon snapped back to reality, clenching the scroll tightly in his hand, his face shrouded in gloom. Just as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, about to say something,

Tap… tap… tap…

With the gentle sound of a cane hitting the ground, Shimura Danzō pushed open the door and entered the office. Noticing the deathly silence in the office, a faint smile actually appeared on his stern face.

"Hiruzen," Shimura Danzō said indifferently, "I told you long ago, if they are determined to start a war, we cannot avoid it."

"..."

Mito Kadon's heart immediately sank. He instinctively looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction. Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing, merely bowing his head, eyes closed in silence. After a long silence, he slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at his old friend.

"Danzō, ah, Danzō…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled, seemingly trying to calm himself, but several veins popped out on his forehead. Yet, still mindful of something, his low voice was suppressed, hoarsely asking, "Who allowed you to send Root to accompany the escort team?"

"How dare you do something like that?!"

"Hiruzen." Shimura Danzō stood in the shadow untouched by the sun, frowning. "This time, it truly has nothing to do with me. I placed my subordinates in the escort team merely as a precaution. Those three who attacked the Hidden Cloud ninjas…"

Bang!!

Before he could continue, Hiruzen Sarutobi flung his pipe, hitting Danzō's face, and roared, "Didn't do anything?! Do you even believe that?! Tell me! Did you ever collude with the Hidden Stone Village?! Did those spies you sent out ever collude with the Hidden Stone Village?! Tell me!"

The blood-stained pipe fell to the ground. A sharp pain shot through Danzō's bruised forehead.

Hearing these words, his cold expression immediately changed. "I did not!" He no longer cared about mocking Hiruzen Sarutobi's miscalculation and quickly said, "You know me. Everything I do is for…" This time, it truly wasn't him.

He had clearly instructed Aburame Ryoma that if the Hidden Cloud Village returned peacefully, it would be as if nothing happened! Moreover, the spies he sent to other villages were genuinely for intelligence gathering.

"Get out!"

But Hiruzen Sarutobi's low roar once again interrupted Danzō's words. Shimura Danzō opened his mouth, still wanting to say something, but Mito Kadon pulled his arm and shook his head.

Hiruzen was truly angry this time, even uttering words about colluding with foreign enemies. Now, no matter how Danzō explained, Hiruzen wouldn't believe a single word.

"Hiruzen, I'll go notify the clan heads of the ninja clans and write letters to Jiraiya and Tsunade, asking them to return," Mito Kadon said grimly.

With that, he pulled the grim-faced Danzō towards the door. Before leaving, he took one last look at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said softly, "Don't worry too much, Hiruzen. It's just another war."

Even in a situation where they were outnumbered four to one, Konoha had still emerged victorious.

The only problem was that after the war, facing heavy casualties, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, would inevitably have to bear the main responsibility and would then resign, just as he had once let Minato succeed him.

Click.

Shimura Danzō and Mito Kadon both left. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair, unmoving for a long time.

At this moment, he was like a machine with a polished exterior, but whose internal gears were actually decayed and rotten, emitting groaning sounds under immense strain, carrying the scent of old age.

He had sacrificed Hyuga Hiashi, found a way to break the deadlock, made every decision, and even swallowed his pride…

Why, how, had it come to this?

Sitting like a stone statue for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually calmed down. Anger and regret were useless now.

He had to figure out exactly what happened, and perhaps find some way to salvage the situation.

There were still many unknown details about the incident that needed to be clarified by questioning Akimichi Doto, Hyuga Kawa, and the others who had returned alive…

At this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, stood up, and bent down to pick up the blood-stained pipe.

His figure vanished from the office, becoming an afterimage that swept across the rooftops towards Konoha Hospital.

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