This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 37 Danzo and Sarutobi's Worries

Let's go back two days.

Leaf.

Danzo walked into the Hokage's office with a document in his hand.

Sarutobi was discussing something with a Jonin when Danzo came in. He gave him a few words of advice and then told him to leave.

Watching the Jonin leave, Sarutobi lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke, saying, "I heard you've been traveling to other countries. What brings you here today?"

"I've obtained some important information, and I feel it's necessary for you to know it." Danzo tossed the file onto his desk. "It's about a genius puppeteer who has recently risen to prominence in Sunagakure."

A genius puppeteer?

Sarutobi glanced at Danzo with a puzzled look, then opened the envelope and took out a thick stack of documents.

The first thing that catches the eye is a photo of a boy.

He had short, reddish-brown hair, dark eyes, handsome features, and a faint smile on his face. Next to him was a note with the boy's information.

Name: Ryuji Ayaki

Age: 15

Sex: Male

Ninja Rank: Jonin

Belong...

Sarutobi glanced at it briefly, then looked up at Danzo. "Ryuji Ayaki, the puppeteer known as one of the Twin Stars of Sunagakure. Didn't we already see his information?"

Although he didn't gradually rise to fame like Minato Namikaze, Ryuji's extraordinary talent from a young age was praised by everyone in Sunagakure.

After becoming a ninja, his zero-failure-rate mission record made many clients remember his name.

As the Hokage, Sarutobi had long been paying attention to this genius boy.

They even know something about his life and deeds.

He graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of eight, became a Chunin at ten, and a Jonin at fifteen, making him a true genius.

Even in Konoha, they are among the best.

Danzo calmly replied, "The information you're following is outdated. We have the latest news about him."

"Even if there's new information, you don't need to specifically show it to me!"

While the geniuses of each ninja village are worth noting, there is no need to keep an eye on them all the time.

The major ninja villages protect their geniuses very closely, making it difficult to keep track of their movements.

And what good is being a genius?

Aside from figures like the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha who transcend worldly concerns, individual people are insignificant compared to ninja villages.

As the Hokage, it's more important for him to care about the development of the village.

"If it weren't information so important that you, as Hokage, absolutely needed to know it, would I have brought it to you on my own?" Danzo said irritably.

"...That's true." Sarutobi stared at Danzo for a moment, then continued to look through the documents in his hand.

I skimmed through the previous pages, but when I saw the last two pages with the words "The Four Great Ninja Villages launched a surprise attack on Sunagakure," I focused on them and looked at them carefully.

The Third Kazekage has gone missing, and a large number of Sunagakure ninja have gone out to investigate, leaving the village's defenses vulnerable.

The Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Stone Village, Hidden Rain Village, and Hidden Grass Village joined forces to launch a surprise attack on Hidden Sand Village while the Third Kazekage was returning and the ninjas who had gone out to investigate had not yet returned.

Ten thousand ninja from the Allied Shinobi Forces launched a frontal assault on the Sand Village's main gate, while nearly a hundred ninjas infiltrated the village to sabotage it, attempting to draw the enemy's defenses away and launch a coordinated attack from within.

But everything was stopped by the Sand Village Jonin, "Ryuji Ayaki".

He easily defeated ten elite ninjas, with only one enemy escaping.

Later, on the main battlefield, three cannon shots repelled the enemy...

Seeing this, Sarutobi put down the documents, looked up at Danzo, and said, "Are you trying to make fun of me?"

News of the four great ninja villages' surprise attack on Sunagakure had spread in the past few days, and he was naturally aware of it.

They even knew that Sunagakure had won an overwhelming victory.

However, one person fighting ten elite ninjas... well, even one person fighting twenty isn't impossible.

It mainly depends on the level of the enemy's elite.

If it were a regular elite Chunin, Minato would have done it countless times.

However, the ten elites listed in the report were all renowned Jonin in the ninja world, the kind that even ordinary Kage-level ninjas couldn't easily defeat.

Even if ten such masters attacked together, he and Danzo working together wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat them.

However, he was defeated by a rising star from Sunagakure.

It was still an overwhelming victory.

Just how strong is this rising star?

Is it another Madara Uchiha or the First Hokage?

Even more outrageous was their participation in the subsequent direct warfare, where they repelled the enemy with just three cannon shots.

This must be a Tailed Beast Ball!

Otherwise, how could we have repelled the enemy with just three cannon shots when the disparity in strength between us and the enemy was so great?

Even though Sarutobi knew Danzo's attitude was serious and unsmiling, he still suspected that Danzo was just trying to amuse himself.

"I know what you're thinking, but it shouldn't be like that..." Danzo paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts, before continuing, "The report says that Ryuji Ayaki used extremely powerful artillery weapons, not only on the front lines but also inside the village."

"You mean?"

"It's just as you guessed." Danzo and Sarutobi were childhood friends, classmates, and teammates. He understood Sarutobi's thoughts very well. Even if Sarutobi didn't say anything, just a glance was enough for him to understand what was on Danzo's mind.

Therefore, he explained: "Ryuuji Ayaki may be very strong, but she is not as powerful as you might imagine. She only achieved her impressive feats because of that weapon."

"That's certainly possible."

Sarutobi nodded slightly, then asked with a puzzled look, "But such a powerful weapon must consume a lot of chakra. Your report says he used four shots in a row and is preparing to fire a fifth... This is troublesome, but not a big deal."

Given the situation in Sunagakure at the time, the fact that they were able to scare off the combined forces of the four villages must mean they were wary of the weapon's power; in other words, five shots were far from its limit.

In such a crucial battle, Sunagakure would casually choose to launch such a powerful attack. For them, such an attack is not a lifeline that can only be used a few times, but an ace that can completely turn the tide of battle.

That's what the Allied Shinobi Forces thought at the time, and that's what their comrades from Sunagakure thought too.

Those who weren't present at the scene and only drew conclusions through investigation could only think this way.

That's why I came to see you alone.

Both Danzo and Sarutobi had very serious expressions on their faces.

Although Sunagakure and Konoha formed an alliance after the Second Shinobi World War.

But both of them knew that alliances were meant to be torn up.

Especially Sunagakure... Due to geographical location and environmental limitations, if they want to develop, they must seize the territory of the Land of Rivers, which will inevitably make them enemies of Konoha.

Otherwise, they would be stuck following Konoha around as lackeys for the rest of their lives.

A person's ambition will swell as their strength increases; no one wants to be a subordinate forever.

With such a strategic weapon, coupled with this overwhelming victory against four opponents... Sunagakure is very likely to succeed.

No, not just very likely, but definitely.

They will surely feel that their strength has become unstoppable, and thus launch an attack on the Land of Rivers.

(End of this chapter)