In Konoha: I will spread the will of conquest throughout the ninja world.

Leaf.

The days have been especially comfortable for Hiruzen Sarutobi, who has been neglecting to throw tobacco into the trash can lately.

They were enjoying themselves immensely, puffing out clouds of smoke.

"Ahem!"

The member of the secret service wearing a rabbit mask nearly choked to death as he entered the room, his vision filled with a white blur, as if he were in a mountain rain and mist.

"Lord Hokage, there is a secret message."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured to another person in the office—Yokaku Nara, the current Jonin squad leader.

Nara opened the secret letter, and his brows furrowed slightly as he read the information on the letter.

"Two ten-person teams from Iwagakure have crossed the Land of Grass and arrived at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire. Do they intend to enter the Land of Fire?"

Now that the war is over, ninjas still need to eat. Although relations between the five great nations remain tense, ordinary missions such as escorting caravans do not prohibit ninjas from other villages from entering their own countries.

One of the main reasons the Ninja World War broke out was that each village was vying for more mission slots, since the resources needed to train a qualified ninja couldn't just appear out of thin air.

"It shouldn't be. Onoki isn't that reckless." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head slightly.

Iwagakure was one of the participants in the Second Shinobi World War. Konoha and Iwagakure fought fiercely in the Land of Rain, suffering huge losses. It was reasonable for them to carry out normal commissioned missions. However, sending a combat team of twenty people directly into the Land of Fire was an attempt to provoke a conflict.

Moreover, that is the border area between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

With the Land of Rain shattered as the main battlefield, Hanzo was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it. If another group of Iwagakure ninjas arrived at this time, with his strength, Onoki wouldn't be able to find any fault with leaving them all in the Land of Rain.

In the ninja world, the strong are respected. If someone is killed, they can only blame themselves for not being skilled enough. Otherwise, would an old man like Onoki have to fight against a powerful demigod of the ninja world?

Hanzo might not be able to kill Onoki, but he could reduce Iwagakure to only having Onoki and a few other powerful ninjas.

"Wouldn't the simultaneous appearance of White Fang, a Jonin of the Uchiha clan, and a ninja from Iwagakure provoke Hanzo's hostility?" Nara frowned deeply, then dismissed the idea after a moment.

"No, probably not. He knew that everyone needed to recuperate not long after the war ended."

He knew that Sakumo Hatake was leading a team to carry out a mission near the Land of Rain, but he was not worried about the team that had set off on the mission.

It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome of a training match between the Hokage and Sakumo Hatake would be uncertain, especially considering Sakumo Hatake's exceptional strength and his special ability to attack people.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also confused about what Onoki was trying to do.

The missions carried out by ninjas are top secrets known only to a select few. To learn more, one usually has to wait for the ninjas to return and report.

But he did not receive the secret letter from Hatake Sakumo.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Jiraiya is still in the Land of Rain. Send someone to deliver a message to him to investigate and assist in completing the mission if necessary."

He gets angry whenever Jiraiya is mentioned.

During the final stages of the war, he ran off to the Land of Rain and didn't come back. If we hadn't called him back to take on disciples last time, he would probably still be out there. Even so, after taking on Minato Namikaze, he taught him for a while before running off again.

However, he has assigned Minato Namikaze a learning task this time, and he will come back to check the results after a period of time, so he can be considered somewhat like a teacher.

A ninja leaving the territory without orders is considered a defection!

Meanwhile, at the roots.

Danzo was shrouded in shadow, his cold aura blending seamlessly with the dark and gloomy Root base.

"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki left Iwagakure and reached his destination, but the Kirigakure ninja encountered the Hyuga clan on the way and were attracted by the Byakugan, thus failing to reach the designated location."

Danzo Shimura's remaining eyes revealed disdain: "A bunch of fishermen who've never seen the world."

From Konoha's perspective, which is privileged, he naturally looks down on other ninja villages.

The Root ninja knelt with his head bowed. Danzo had no intention of punishing him. It was normal for problems to arise during a mission; even the God of Shinobi couldn't have a perfect mission every time.

Most importantly, every Root ninja is an elite, and the losses during the war were too great. Unless Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly fills the gap, he won't be able to live a carefree life until Root returns to its peak.

"Continue with the mission," Danzo said.

"Do everything possible to bring the Four-Tails Jinchuriki into battle against Sakumo Hatake, and find an opportunity to eliminate the Jinchuriki!"

Danzo Shimura's eyes flashed with ruthlessness.

As for the potential consequences of killing the Jinchūriki of Iwagakure.

At that time, Iwagakure will lack a powerful fighter, and Konoha may also lack one, but Konoha, with its deep foundation, can afford to lose this.

Taking this opportunity, eliminate Hatake Sakumo, a strong candidate for the next Hokage, and take Yakushi Nonou away to command the remaining songs of the fifty strings. If you're lucky, you might even get a few pairs of Sharingan, one of which is a three-tomoe Sharingan!

Get more in one fell swoop.

Thinking of the fifty strings of Yu Ge, he had to admit that he had misjudged him before.

He was originally thought to be just an orphan with some talent, but he never expected that he was a genius whose talent was so great that Hiruzen Sarutobi refused his request.

In his view, there are two types of geniuses.

One type of genius that Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to take away was those he would generally give up if the genius didn't have a strong will of fire; another type of genius that Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to give away was those like Minato Namikaze and Yoka Igogen.

The latter, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would guard him closely and resolutely prevent him from touching him.

Not to mention that Yuuka Isogakure is a talented person who can freely enter and leave the Senju mansion and interact with Mito Uzumaki. No one in the Inuzuka family would believe that he hadn't received training in the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.

Danzo's face suddenly darkened.

I'm reminded of some jerk who spread those rumors.

"Heh, Hiruzen, if you hadn't had someone withdraw beforehand, I wouldn't have found this opportunity."

Danzo sneered inwardly.

I told you you'd regret it, Hiruzen!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Not long after, in a secluded wooden house within the Land of Rain.

"Chakra training... Hmm? Wait a minute."

The educational session was paused. Jiraiya opened the secret letter sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi and raised an eyebrow.

"Is Iwagakure about to start a new conflict?"

Since it concerns the village, no one has ever dared to be negligent.

Moreover...

He glanced back at the red-haired boy who was talking to his companion.

Yes, we absolutely cannot let the people of Iwagakure disrupt the order of the Land of Rain.

This concerns the future of peace in the ninja world, and the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku will not allow it!

"Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, I'm going out for a bit. You stay here and continue your training. Don't leave without permission," Jiraiya instructed the three children.

Before her transformation into a cool, melancholic, and aloof older sister figure, Konan opened her clear eyes with a worried expression: "Jiraiya-sensei, is another war about to break out?"

This was the first time Jiraiya had been so serious since he started teaching them.

"Not really, it's just a bit troublesome." Jiraiya shook his head slightly.

While he may lack political acumen, he can see that at this stage, all the villages are recuperating and accumulating strength. Even if Iwagakure were to launch a war, it would take at least ten years.

That old man Onoki isn't senile. He just suffered a great loss in the Land of Rain, so why would he put the battlefield there again?

This is the current deterrent power of a demigod in the ninja world.

He single-handedly earned the Land of Rain the right to stand tall in front of the Great Ninja Village, forcing the war to end prematurely.

After all, while the poison of the salamander isn't incurable, those who can cure it are extremely rare in the ninja world. They couldn't possibly maintain the medical capabilities needed to sustain a large-scale battle, even if they worked themselves to death.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.