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

Chapter 9 Konoha Can't Afford to Gamble Anymore
Inside the Hokage Building, in an office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, eyes downcast and silent, puffing out smoke from his pipe.

The air was as stuffy as a clay pot under high pressure, making one want to smash the walls or open the lid to escape.

"Cough cough!"

The unbearable silence was broken only when Xiaochun, who was turning over in the dormitory, couldn't help but cough.

"Hiruzen, about this matter..."

Mitokado Homura breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Danzo who was stubbornly refusing to back down, and then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of him, advising, "This time, Danzo did indeed go a bit too far..."

"Conducting Wood Release experiments in secret, hoarding research results and Wood Release ninjas—isn't that going too far enough?"

Before Mitokado Homura could continue to defend Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted expressionlessly, "That's Wood Release! Don't tell me you don't understand what that means!"

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura's old face flushed slightly, and he looked helplessly at Shimura Danzo.

Yes, that's a Wood Release ninja.

Who would have thought that Danzo had become so audacious as to secretly harbor Wood Release ninjas?

If it weren't for the investigation into Orochimaru's defection, they wouldn't know that Wood Release had reappeared.

Danzo's current control over "Root" has even made Mitokado Homura somewhat uneasy.

"Root is the root of Konoha, the root of the Anbu, and my root. But now, they dare to conceal such crucial information from me, the Hokage. Does that mean..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, squinted at Danzo, and questioned, "Has it become an independent organization for some people to profit from?"

Upon hearing this, Danzo, who had been expressionless, said in a deep voice, "Everything I have done is for Konoha."

Hearing his old buddy's resounding response, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently exhaled a puff of smoke, his face shrouded in a hazy white mist, appearing unpredictable from Danzo's perspective.

"Hiruzen..."

Koharu, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but speak up.

"Enough." Hearing that they were going to plead for Danzo again, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand impatiently, signaling them to stop talking.

After Tobirama died due to a plot by the Hidden Cloud Village, he was appointed Hokage in a time of crisis.

But the "Hokage" position was different from his youthful fantasies. Upon taking office, he faced the pressure of war and the ninja clan, which shattered his illusions about the Hokage position.

Both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans initially treated him as someone who obeyed orders but not commands.

Fortunately, as Hokage, he had a sense of righteousness when vying for power, and in addition to the Sarutobi clan, he also had the support of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Therefore, he adopted a strategy of attacking one group and then recruiting another. With the assistance of Danzo and others, he used some special methods to put the two powerful ninja clans, Uchiha and Hyuga, into conflict.

Finally, he secured his position as Hokage, grasped the power that belonged to the Hokage, and placed his confidants in important departments.

The "Root" during Tobirama Senju's time was actually just the training department of the Dark Guard.

It wasn't until he gave Danzo control of "Root" that it gradually evolved into an intelligence organization in order to handle some dirty, clandestine matters that couldn't be handled under the guise of the Anbu, such as monitoring the ninja clans.

Danzo's "Root" was essentially equivalent to a secret squad. According to the secret service's structure, Danzo, as the squad leader, could only lead four squads, totaling seventeen people.

However, with Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentional or unintentional indulgence, "Root" continued to expand and grow stronger. Under Danzo's influence, its style of doing things became increasingly sinister, until now...

If the "Root" is allowed to continue developing in this way, it will become too big to handle and will completely degenerate into Danzo's personal armed organization.

Therefore, it is necessary to impose restrictions.

"Let's not talk about the Wood Release ninja 'A' anymore. I've already put him in the Anbu. Now there's something else."

Ignoring Danzo's resentful expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked intently at the three people in front of him and asked, "Information has come from the border that Kumogakure seems to be mobilizing its forces, and may be planning some kind of underhanded move."

"What do you think about this?"

Upon hearing this, both Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado frowned simultaneously. "Not again? How disgusting!"

Mitomon Yan frowned and said in a serious tone, "No matter what, we must not act rashly."

“Yan is right.” Koharu Utatane nodded. “No matter what they want to do, we just need to be on guard and not give them any reason to start a war!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained noncommittal, flicked his pipe, and looked at Danzo, asking, "What do you think?"

Danzo's gloomy eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, he said in a low, hoarse voice, "Of course, we should beat them until they feel bad!"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't say anything. He had a pipe in his mouth, took a deep drag, inhaled the smoke, held his breath, and finally exhaled.

Although the Third Shinobi World War has ended, the current situation in the shinobi world is far from stable.

The main reason is that Konoha is currently severely lacking in high-end combat power. First, Konoha's White Fang, who made a name for himself in the Second Shinobi World War, committed suicide. Then, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, died in the Nine-Tails' rampage.

The Third Shinobi World War had been fought on all sides, and the fighting force, which had suffered heavy casualties, had not yet recovered. In addition, many ninjas died in the Nine-Tails' rampage, which was instigated by the masked man. No matter how large and powerful Konoha was, it was beginning to feel the strain.

Anyone could see that Konoha was in a difficult situation of having no successors. Although Kumogakure and Iwagakure had been hurt by Konoha, they were still eager to seize such a rare opportunity.

Therefore, both sides have been probing the border of the Land of Fire. Almost every few months, a border conflict breaks out due to provocations from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and the number of injured people is increasing.

There was no other way; Konoha had consistently displayed a weak and easily bullied attitude, which greatly emboldened the arrogance of Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

Fortunately, the Third Shinobi World War had not ended for long, and the people of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth were still very war-weary. The Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Stone Village did not dare to defy the world and unilaterally declare war on Konoha without any reason.

However, all that's missing is a legitimate reason to escalate the conflict and start a war.

A "legitimate" reason to incite war among daimyo, nobles, and the common people.

Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to endure provocations time and time again precisely because he didn't want to give them that reason.

He really didn't dare to gamble.

Even Konoha can't afford to gamble anymore.

"call."

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and looked down at the intelligence report handed over by the Anbu.

The gradually aging face was shrouded in smoke, and even under the sunlight shining through the window, the expression on the face could not be seen for a moment.

"Iwagakure, Kumogakure..." After a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "Let's be patient for now. Gather a group of ninjas and head to the border to defend against Kumogakure."

Danzo frowned and subconsciously retorted, "You're only making those damn bastards even more arrogant!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him and said calmly, "In that case, send a group of people from 'my' roots to provide assistance at the border."

"What?" Danzo was stunned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Is there a problem?"

If any further problems arise, he will be removed from his position as the leader of the root.

Realizing this, Danzo's expression shifted between light and dark. He snorted coldly and turned away, saying resentfully, "Hmph, what problem could I possibly have? Anyway, that's your 'root'!"

After saying that, he turned to leave, but then suddenly stopped and said in a resentful tone, "Sarutobi, remember your choice today, you will definitely regret it!"

"Watch your attitude, Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi flicked his pipe and said in a deep voice, "Remember, I am the Hokage!"

Danzo's face twitched upon hearing this.

"Then be a good Hokage!" he gritted his teeth and hissed, grabbing the doorknob.

boom! !

(End of this chapter)