Escape From Konoha

October.

Kumogakure in the northeast seems to be ready to start the war again. Although there is not enough evidence, the northeastern border of the Fire Country has indeed been a bit unpeaceful recently.

Regarding this, Minato just paid attention to it and put it aside for the time being. Now is not the time to deal with Kumogakure.

In May, Kumogakure withdrew from the battlefield in Yuno Country without signing an armistice agreement. No matter how you look at it, there is a lot to be said for it.

Now even if Kumogakure makes a comeback, Minato won't be surprised.

However, Kumogakure was obviously intimidated by his power, and he just kept harassing him with small movements, testing Konoha's limits.

With the Hokage's power still unstable, Minato had no choice but to turn a blind eye to Kumogakure's actions.

He couldn't guess what the Third Hokage would do.

Although he has been removed from the position of Hokage, he still holds the most important power in the hands of Hokage - ANBU.

This made Minato worried and helpless.

If it weren't for the delay in forming the ANBU, he could have been tougher on Kumogakure's actions.

Konoha cannot be said to be suffering from internal or external troubles at the moment, but internal troubles are certain.

When he was still a Jōnin of Konoha, he would see the village from the perspective of a Jōnin. At that time, due to the limitations of his vision, he could not see the true situation of the entire Konoha.

It was only after he became Hokage that Minato realized that the worries within Konoha were far more difficult than he imagined.

There has always been a crisis of trust in Uchiha, and the Hyuga clan is also in harmony with the top management because of the defection a few years ago, but secretly there may be a crack.

Especially the current leader of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hizashi, has a calm personality. Minato tried several times but could not get any useful information from him. He also did not know what the current attitude of the Hyuga clan leader towards the top management of Konoha was.

I want to win over the other party, but I don’t know how to deal with it.

Except for the head of the Hyuga clan, the other elders of the Hyuga clan are very close to the retired Sandai and other senior officials.

This unbreakable deadlock has existed since he became Hokage.

Nara Shikaku, who came to seek refuge, only gave him one suggestion: first minimize the post-war impact on Konoha, do a good job in post-war reconstruction and pensions, and then gather the power of the Anbu to open up the third generation of Sarutobi. Cut off the dragnet laid out.

Because compared to the retired Third Hokage, Minato has justifiable righteousness. Although he will appear very weak in the early stage, as long as he gets through this period of weakness, he can lead to transformation.

This is why after tripping Danzo, the Third Hokage placed more and more restrictions on them, because the Third Hokage was also under considerable pressure and did not appear to be as comfortable as at the beginning.

It just depends on which side can't bear it first.

Minato agrees with one thing about Shikaku's suggestion, gathering the power of ANBU is the top priority.

Only by gathering the ANBU can he, the Hokage, avoid becoming a blind man and gradually gain power.

Boom boom.

There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Minato picked up the seal and stamped a red seal on a document, then picked up the tea cup to drink water, only to find that the tea in the tea cup had cooled down for a long time.

Not only the tea, but also the bento sitting aside was cold and I didn't even take a bite.

If Kushina found out, she would probably complain again.

There is nothing he can do about it, because there is no one under him to use it. He is busy for a long time every day and rarely has free time.

It should be much better once the ANBU formation work improves. However, Minato didn't have high expectations for this kind of improvement.

Kakashi pushed the door in, closed the door automatically, walked to Minato's desk, and placed a stack of prepared mission reports on the desk.

"Hokage-sama, this is the mission report for this mission to the Land of Snow."

"Thank you for your hard work, Kakashi."

Minato nodded. Kakashi had been away from Konoha for a while. Calculating the time, if everything went well, he would be back around this time.

If it weren't for the generous reward given by this mission, Minato would not want to get involved in such a mission involving the politics of another country.

Firstly, it was because he had no one available.

Secondly, arbitrarily intervening in the politics of other countries can easily cause international disputes.

The third reason is that the Kingdom of Snow is too far away from the Kingdom of Fire. Once any problem occurs, it is beyond our reach to correct the leak.

"The mission went well."

"Yes. Princess Fenghua Koyuki has been successfully rescued and placed in a safe place by me. Later, she was adopted by Fenghua Koyuki's close associates. I have no idea what they will do next."

Kakashi replied calmly.

"Just bring the people out, and their whereabouts after that will have nothing to do with us in Konoha."

Minato nodded in agreement.

"I also made some summaries about the Ghost Kingdom during the mission and asked the Hokage to take a look."

"I'll look at it later."

Minato put Kakashi's mission report aside. He had too many things to do now. The Kingdom of Oni was too far away from the Kingdom of Fire, so it didn't matter if he put it aside for the time being.

"I'll give you a week's vacation. After the vacation, you can return to ANBU work."

"yes."

Because the previous vacation was ruined, Minato was dedicated to supplying Kakashi during this week.

Kakashi walked out of the Hokage's office in a happy mood.

After working hard for a while, I can finally take a good rest for a few days.

Even though he was a ninja, he was almost a little autistic after a series of heavy tasks.

Minato watched Kakashi leave, secretly regretting that he had no one available now, and wished he could divide Kakashi into several to use.

But this can only be thought about, he is not so short-sighted.

His job now is to ignore any disturbances from the outside world and concentrate on cultivating his confidants.

When the time comes, Kakashi should have fully grown up by then. Minato will also need to think carefully about whether Kakashi will be assigned to the position of deputy minister or minister of the ANBU.

◎

At dusk, the sunlight is no longer so strong.

Itachi once again came to the mausoleum park where the ninjas were buried, thinking about the meaning of life.

Even if he learned the answer from Orochimaru, one of the three ninjas, that day, it was only Orochimaru's answer, not the answer he wanted.

After standing here for a long time, Itachi took a breath, shook his head, and left.

On the way back, Itachi saw a group of children playing ninja games on the river bank.

"Hey, you are Uchiha Itachi, do you want to come over and play with me?"

The person who ran over to talk to him was a girl of the same age with long black hair and a mole under her eye.

Itachi recognized her, she was from the Uchiha clan like him, and her name was Uchiha Izumi.

"No, I want to go home."

Itachi replied calmly and did not agree.

It's not that I'm cold, or that I hate the other person, but that I have extremely important things to do.

From before, Itachi found that he could not fit in with these people.

These peers would never think about the issues they were thinking about.

When he thinks about the meaning of death and life, war and peace, they only think about what games to play.

Although the high-level elder Sifang told him that if he wanted to achieve his dream of world peace, he should look more at the people around him, but Itachi now felt that being with these people was just a waste of time.

You can't learn anything valuable from these people.

Perhaps, geniuses are all aloof, and it is natural for them to be isolated.

These people have no value that must be observed.

Itachi came to his own conclusion.

Just as Itachi was about to leave, several boys ran over and pointed at Itachi angrily: "Hey, you guy, you are too arrogant."

The reason they were angry was not Itachi's rejection.

It was the arrogant attitude clearly written on the other person's face that made them very disgusted.

"I'm going home to eat and then practice shuriken."

Itachi didn't get angry and answered calmly.

But his attitude was very cold in the eyes of others.

"Then practice shuriken with us, we can do it too!"

The children picked up stones from the roadside and threw them at Itachi.

Although it is not a fatal position, it will be very painful if hit on the body, and you will be injured.

Itachi avoided it without even thinking.

He looked at these people with calm eyes, watching their childish and ridiculous actions.

"hateful!"

This angered them even more, and they picked up more stones and threw them at Itachi.

Itachi didn't want to waste his life here, so he grabbed a stone flying towards him, turned around and threw it back.

All the stones that flew towards Itachi hit back at strange angles, and one of them hit the back of a child's hand, causing him to scream in pain.

Those children looked at Itachi like he was a monster, and ran away without saying anything harsh.

Only Izumi Uchiha stared blankly at Itachi's leaving figure.

Life has fights, and then hurt, and pain. Itachi thought about everything that had just happened.

In his opinion, the actions of those peers were ridiculous.

They won't think about the value and meaning of their lives at all, and will only cause unnecessary fights out of boredom.

So, there is no point in observing these people.

He must work hard to become stronger, become Hokage, and then bring peace to the world. There is no time to waste on this.

◎

"I'm back."

Itachi took off his shoes at the door and walked down the hall.

"You're back, Itachi, dinner will be ready soon."

Mother Uchiha Mikoto said as Itachi passed by the kitchen.

Itachi saw that his mother Uchiha Mikoto's belly was getting bigger day by day, and a life was being gestated in it.

Will it be the younger brother... or the younger sister? Itachi thought expectantly.

Apart from training to become stronger, this was the only thing that Itachi was looking forward to the most.

"Are you going to practice alone today too?"

Uchiha Mikoto asked.

"Um."

The extremely mature tone of voice that sounded like an adult made Uchiha Mikoto worry in her eyes, but she wanted to say something but finally stopped herself.

In fact, she hoped that Itachi could play with children of the same age instead of spending boring training time alone.

But this kind of thing was rejected by his husband Fugaku.

Fugaku believes that Itachi is a special child, and educating Itachi using ordinary methods will only waste Itachi's talent.

Itachi walked towards his room. When passing by the study, a loud noise suddenly came from inside:

"Why is the fourth generation not the captain, but that Namikaze Minato? Obviously during the war, we Uchiha also made great contributions. The enemies who died at the hands of the captain were no worse than the Sannin!"

The fierce and dissatisfied voice stopped Itachi in his tracks.

The Yondaime? The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, has been in office for several months, and now he is talking about this kind of thing. This person is just simply dissatisfied.

"Although this matter has passed, it was really annoying when the Fourth Hokage was elected a few months ago. Apart from Namikaze Minato, the only candidate was Orochimaru. Is this looking down on us Uchiha?"

As an Uchiha who made great contributions to Konoha during the Third Ninja War, clan leader Uchiha Fugaku is also a famous and powerful ninja in Konoha. In terms of strength, he is no worse than the three ninjas, and he has the support of the entire clan behind him. As a result, during the election of the Fourth Hokage, there was not even a single nomination.

This incident has made the Uchiha very angry until now.

"No wonder Liuli left in the first place. Those people at the top are really..."

"Hey! Liuli's incident has nothing to do with the senior management. She obviously had a conflict with the Sifang elders. Don't attribute this matter to the senior management. Besides, it was her own choice to leave the family."

Fugaku's calm voice sounded.

Liuli? Uchiha Ruri?

Itachi heard this name more than once, from his father's mouth, from the retired Sifang elder, and now he heard it mentioned by other clan members.

But what does it mean to leave? Itachi discovered that within Uchiha, there seemed to be some major events in the past that had been deliberately concealed.

Moreover, is the family dissatisfied with the village?

Even through a wall, Itachi could clearly feel the intense smell of gunpowder in the room.

"In this case, the higher-ups should also give us Uchiha preferential treatment. Why did we sacrifice so many clansmen, only to get comfort in the end? Looking at Inorakacho, Aburame's families, each and every one of them has received real benefits. , let’s not talk about ANBU quota, land resources... Why are we the Uchiha the only ones with nothing? Did those clan members who died on the battlefield sacrifice their lives in vain? "

Such a question left Fugaku in the room speechless.

"The village has not forgotten Uchiha, but the village has not buffered from the war yet. The Sandaime promised that after the village recovers, he will give us Uchiha enough land, and the guard building will also be moved to the center of the village."

"Really?"

The person who spoke was a little unconvinced.

"This is what the Sandaime promised me personally. It is absolutely true. Please be patient for a little longer. The clan is in an embarrassing situation in the village now. The only way out is to endure it."

Fugaku said in a firm tone.

"Okay, let's trust them again. However, don't put your eggs in one basket. The third generation is old after all. We should also have appropriate contact with the fourth generation and make bets on both sides to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"I know this matter very well. I am also the leader of the Uchiha clan after all, and I understand the stakes. Just trust me with the future of Uchiha."

Fugaku sounded confident.

He didn't take the Sandaime's promise seriously. Betting on both Hokages was the most correct way for Uchiha.

The Fourth Hokage has been determined to be powerless, so Uchiha can just fight for the Fifth Hokage.

Itachi left the corridor. What he just heard was too exciting for him.

But Itachi understood that the others inside might not have discovered his eavesdropping, but his father, Fugaku, must have discovered his eavesdropping.

Even if Itachi suppressed his aura, he would not be self-righteous and think that he could hide it from his father.

However, letting him eavesdrop on this without stopping him may be a test from his father.

His father Fugaku told him more than once that he must bring glory to the family.

Back in his room, Itachi kept thinking about what he had just overheard, thinking about how he would appease his tribe if he were his father.

◎

November, late.

Just as Konoha fell into a new round of internal fighting, the military of the Kingdom of Demons began to gather troops in unknown secrets.

There were only a hundred combatants assembled, including three jounin and the remaining chuunin and genin.

There is no record of the identities of these people in the systems of the five major countries. Even if these people are placed in the Country of Snow, they will not attract anyone's attention.

The two people taking the lead are Shiraishi and Ayane, a total of one hundred and two people, dealing with the wind and waves that control the country of snow.

After two months, the affairs of the Kingdom of Ghosts were properly handled, and the information of the Kingdom of Snow had to be collected in advance, so a little time was wasted. It was only now that I took the time to assist Fenghua Xiaoxue in taking back the Kingdom of Snow.

"Well, is it really enough to have just this few people? Although Snow Country is a small country, there are hundreds of ninjas."

Asama Santao, who was originally the valet of Kazuka Hayayuki, a famous figure in the Land of Snow, is now the valet of Kazuka Koyuki. He seems worried that Shiraishi has only assembled a 100-strong ninja force.

That was a ninja force of several hundred people. Taking only a hundred people there would be underestimating the enemy.

"Don't worry too much, Sandafu. You can question my strength, but you know Ayane's reputation. The fourth generation Raikage who can suppress Kumogakure head-on will not have a problem against a thousand ninjas by himself. "

Shiraishi said with a smile, signaling the third husband not to be too nervous.

In fact, he and Ayane personally led a team of a hundred people there, and they paid enough attention to the storm.

The third wife was speechless.

I still feel it’s not very safe.

Shiraishi ignored it. For ordinary people, it is indeed difficult to judge the strength of a ninja.

Therefore, he did not laugh at the third wife's idea.

Anyway, when the time comes, the third wife will understand. No matter how much explanation is given at this time, it will not dispel all the concerns in his heart.

"Okay, third husband, I believe my father, he will not joke about this kind of thing."

Fenghua Xiaoxue was also a little nervous, but her face still showed calmness.

What she received since childhood was not an ordinary princess education.

Because she is the only child of her father Fenghua Hayuki, she is being trained as a future monarch, and her education method is different from that of ordinary princesses.

At all times, we must maintain the elegance and calmness of a king.

Even death is the same.

Third wife: "..."

I don't know if it's an illusion, but I always feel that Her Royal Highness is getting more and more skilled at calling people father.

It feels like all the princess' moral integrity is gone.

At the beginning, I was a little shy and embarrassed, but now I can say this without blushing or out of breath.

In a sense, Her Royal Highness the Princess has also grown a lot.

"So, just think of it as an outing."

Shiraishi also came over and patted San Taifu on the shoulder.

The third husband thinks that Shiraishi is too optimistic and underestimates the enemy. No matter what, this time he returns to the country of snow, he has to deal with the extremely powerful wind and waves, and it cannot be as easy as an outing.

This is a war that determines the fate of a country, not a child's play!

◎

Marching into the Snow Country, it was naturally impossible to make a big fanfare and tell other countries in the ninja world that the Demon Country was going to use troops against the Snow Country.

That way, nothing will be gained except causing unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, let the accompanying ninjas put on other ninja costumes so as not to leave any clues to others.

Even Shiraishi and Ayane wore hooded black coats to cover their bodies. Their mission is to secretly control the Kingdom of Snow and tie the Kingdom of Snow to the chariot of the Kingdom of Demons, not to tell the ninja world now.

Although Shiraishi also felt that it was too easy to decide the fate of a country with just such a few people.

But the power of a ninja cannot be judged by common sense.

For this battle, he investigated the Kingdom of Snow for two months and explored all the trump cards of Feng Hua Furu Tao before he decided to use troops at this time.

As long as Fenghua Furudao is defeated, Fenghua Xiaoxue will naturally inherit the position of the great name of the Snow Country.

Those officials who take advantage of the power of the storm will also make the most correct choice when the time comes.

The Kingdom of Ghosts is adjacent to the Kingdom of Snow. Just follow the official road directly to Fenghua Castle, the capital of the Kingdom of Snow.

Fenghua City is a majestic city built on the mountainside. The scattered white snow makes Fenghua City even more picturesque.

The attack time was chosen at midnight.

At this time, every household in Fenghua City has turned off their lights to rest, making it easier to move around.

The goal is very clear. The castle in the city where the famous names of the past dynasties lived in Fenghua City, where Fenghua Raging Tao lives.

In the castle, in addition to ordinary soldiers, there were a large number of snow ninjas wearing chakra armor, patrolling around the castle.

Under the cover of the dark night, Shiraishi and Ayane led everyone to the giant gate of the castle.

"Your Excellency Baishi, let's find a place to discuss it first. This city gate weighs at least a thousand kilograms and uses special building materials. Even explosives cannot blow it open. It is definitely not something that human flesh and blood can open."

The third husband carefully reminded Shiraishi that he should find a safe place to discuss at this time, otherwise he would definitely be surrounded by the enemy, which would be very detrimental to the battle.

"No need, we have already dug a hidden secret passage here in advance."

Shiraishi turned his head and glanced at San Taifu.

"Secret passages?"

The third husband was stunned, he did not expect that the other party was so well prepared.

"Ayane, do it."

Shiraishi ordered Ayane next to him.

Ayane walked out of the team and pressed her palms against the cold and heavy city gate. A large amount of chakra began to accumulate in her palms, and then it was released instantly through the pores in her palms.

boom!

The huge city gate, which weighed thousands of kilograms, instantly fell to the ground like tattered rags. Not a single piece fell to the ground. There was no obstacle in front of it, revealing a wide road leading to the interior of the castle.

"It's a very convenient secret passage, Mr. Santafu. Before our people arrive, this secret passage will never be discovered by the enemy."

"..."

The third husband admitted that he underestimated the power of ninjas.

Is this really something humans can do?

He felt that he should reshape his understanding of ninjas to keep up with this rapidly developing era.

"Besides, as the true king of the Kingdom of Snow, there is no reason to sneak into your own territory. Don't you think so, Xiaoxue?"

Shiraishi touched Xiaoxue's head and smiled meaningfully.

"Um."

Xiaoxue nodded heavily, feeling that Shiraishi's palm was very warm.