Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 43 Danzo! Did you collude with Iwagakure?
"Did the rogue ninja disguised as Iwagakure replace the scroll containing Hizashi's corpse with explosive tags?"

"The Root ninjas suddenly made their move, and Akimichi Tou and his group started fighting Troy from Kumogakure?"

"Wait, did the residual force of their battle just happen to release the humanoid monster sealed at the handover point?"

"What do you mean that the humanoid monster used unknown and bizarre abilities to kill nearly a hundred reinforcements from Troy and Kumogakure?"

Mitomon Homura rushed forward and snatched the scroll from Hiruzen's hand. As Hiruzen read the contents, his face gradually turned pale.

In the end, he was completely stunned, standing there motionless, wondering if he was dreaming.

He recognized each character individually, but the combination sounded so unfamiliar. Was this really the language of the ninja world?

boom.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked unsteadily back to his desk, and shakily sat down in a chair, holding onto the corner of the desk.

“A Magnet Release Troy who has long been famous in the ninja world, and nearly a hundred Cloud Village ninjas stationed on the border.” His voice was extremely hoarse. “Konoha cannot bear this blood debt.”

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura, who had been lost in thought, suddenly shivered and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen in a panic, blurting out, "Those people were clearly..."

"No one will believe it."

Before he could finish speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him, closing his eyes in pain, and said, "Apart from the few survivors from Akimichi Tou and us, no one would believe that those people died at the hands of some inexplicable monster."

That's Troy, the "Magnetic Release Ninja"!
Those are nearly a hundred Cloud Village ninja stationed on the border!

Those were nearly a hundred Cloud Village ninjas with families and loved ones!

They're all dead.

Now, who would believe Konoha's side of the story?
Even if there were other eyewitnesses who survived, who would believe they were genuine eyewitnesses?
Hidden Cloud Village?

Although Troy and nearly a hundred Cloud Village ninjas stationed on the border died, this gave Cloud Village a legitimate reason to declare war on Konoha. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning could not stop the hatred of the families of the victims!

Or is it Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village)?
From the very beginning, Iwagakure has been involved in this whole affair. Iwagakure is eager to see Konoha and Kumogakure both severely weakened, so that they can profit from the ensuing conflict.

and so……

"Go and gather the Jonin, hold a Jonin meeting, and make preparations."

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to age ten years in an instant, sitting hunched over in his chair with his eyes closed, his hoarse voice carrying an eerie calm: "This time, war is really coming."

"Yes."

The voice of the ANBU ninja kneeling in front of him trembled slightly. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he had seen the miserable and disheveled state of Akimichi Tou and the others.

The original team of more than ten people was reduced to only four or five, which clearly indicated that the handover with Kumogakure did not go smoothly and that a serious accident must have occurred.

This is probably no longer a matter of mere wrangling; this time, it's a real trigger for war.

Aside from ambitious individuals, warmongers, and those blinded by hatred, no one wants to face the brutal and bloody war again.

Click.

The ANBU ninja left, and Mitokado Homura came to his senses, clutching the scroll tightly in his hand, his face filled with gloom.

Just as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, as if he wanted to say something.

Tap...tap...tap...

As the soft sound of his cane hitting the ground reached him, Danzo Shimura pushed open the door and entered his office.

Noticing the deathly silence in the office, a faint smile appeared on his usually cold and hard face.

“Hiruzen,” Danzo Shimura said calmly, “I told you long ago, if they are determined to start a war, we can’t avoid it.”

"..." Mitokado Homura's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen's reaction.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't say anything, he just lowered his head and closed his eyes in silence.

After a long silence, he slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at his old friend in front of him.

"Danzo, Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled, seemingly trying to calm himself down, but several veins bulged on his forehead.

But still wary of something, his deep voice suppressed and hoarse as he asked, "Who authorized you to send Root members to accompany the escort team?"

"How dare you do this?!"

“Hiruzen.” Shimura Danzo stood in the shadows where the sun couldn’t reach, frowning. “This time it really has nothing to do with me. I only placed my men in the escort team as a precaution. Those three who attacked the Cloud Village ninja…”

Bang! !

Before he could continue, Hiruzen Sarutobi threw his pipe at Danzo's face, growling, "Didn't do anything? Do you even believe that yourself?!"

"Tell me! Did you collude with Iwagakure? Did the spies you sent out collude with Iwagakure? Tell me!"

A pipe stained with blood fell to the ground, and Danzo felt a sharp pain from his broken forehead. Upon hearing this, his cold expression changed instantly.

"I didn't!" He couldn't care less about mocking Hiruzen Sarutobi's miscalculation and quickly said, "You know me, everything I did was for..."

This time it really wasn't him. He clearly instructed Aburame Ryoma that if Kumogakure obediently returned, then it would be as if nothing had happened!

Moreover, the spies he sent to other villages were indeed there to gather intelligence.

"Get out!"

But Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzo's words with a low growl. Danzo opened his mouth as if to say something, but Homura Mitokado grabbed his arm and shook his head.

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

"Hiruzen, I'll go and inform the clan leaders of those ninja clans to write letters to Jiraiya and Tsunade, urging them to come back," Mitokado Homura said in a deep voice.

After saying that, he pulled Danzo, whose face was pale, toward 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 faced four opponents, Konoha was still able to win.

The only problem is that after the war, facing heavy casualties, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, will inevitably have to bear the main responsibility, and will definitely resign just like he did when he let Minato succeed him.

Click.

Danzo Shimura and Homura Mitokado both left, and Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair for a long time without moving.

At this moment, he was like a machine with a bright and shiny exterior, but the gears inside were rotten and creaking under the weight of the load, exuding an old and worn-out feel.

Even though Hyuga Hizashi had already been sacrificed, even though a solution had been found, even though a decision had been made, even though the shame had been sacrificed...

Why, how could it have turned out like this?!
After sitting motionless like a stone statue for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually calmed down.

Anger and regret are useless now; we must figure out what happened so that we might be able to find a way to salvage the situation.

There are still many unknowns regarding the details of this matter, and we need to ask Akimichi Toudou, Hinata Kumokawa, and the others who returned alive...

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled deeply, stood up, walked forward, bent down, and picked up the blood-stained pipe.

The figure disappeared from the office, turning into a blur as it swept across the rooftop towards Konoha Hospital.

(End of this chapter)