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

A small town on the border.

While gathering intelligence, the group, who were only staying briefly, keenly sensed the impending storm in the town.

"Senior White Fang, something's off about the atmosphere in this town."

Uchiha Aoen, who had just returned from outside, looked at Hatake Sakumo, who was sitting at the table deep in thought, and said in a deep voice.

Uchiha Itsukushima was wiping his ninja sword in the corner. With more experience, he spoke up when he heard Aoen's words.

"It's normal that something's not right; almost all the people who entered the town later were ninjas."

Uchiha Aoen was slightly taken aback, then quickly realized: "A wandering ninja?"

Uchiha Itsukushima nodded slightly: "Iwagakure is the village that most likes to drive around wandering ninjas, so it's not surprising that they would do this."

Major ninja villages often employ wandering ninjas, with Iwagakure being particularly fond of it. If you see a large number of wandering ninjas in the ninja world receiving the same request, there's basically no doubt that you should go directly to Iwagakure.

Just then, Hatake Sakumo, who had been deep in thought, spoke up, looking at Igarashi Yoka, who was telling Yakushi Nonou about the recent situation at the Konoha Orphanage.

"Isogen-kun, can you sense how many ninjas are nearby now?"

Isogen slightly turned his head: "Including those who are on their way from three kilometers away, there are a total of thirty-seven."

Those present remained calm.

It sounds like a lot, but there are differences between wandering ninjas.

Even someone as strong as Kakuzu could take on any one of the five great ninja villages' Kage single-handedly, while a weaker one might just happen to refine chakra by chance and dare to roam around with a sword.

"Hmm? A group of new recruits has arrived from five kilometers away. They look like elite ninjas from some major ninja village."

"Five Jonin-level chakra, the rest Chunin."

"This lineup doesn't look like they're chasing an ordinary spy," Uchiha Aoen muttered to himself.

The five great ninja villages have very few Jonin on the surface, and in fact, they are indeed very few.

However, the number of people with Jonin-level strength far exceeds the official number. Jonin are high-ranking officials in a ninja village, and their positions are limited. If Jonin were awarded to anyone simply for meeting the required strength, commoners would never have a chance to rise in society.

The ninja clan, whose bloodline, resources, and ninjutsu inheritance completely overwhelm the common people, will not sit idly by.

Sakumo Hatake is thinking.

Currently, our forces consist of two Jonin, one Special Jonin, and three Chunin. Apart from myself, all of them are Uchiha. Then there's Isogen Yuka, whose performance is very mysterious, as if he has never used his full strength.

However, considering that he seized the opportunity to instantly kill a Jonin with a bloodline limit, he can be considered a Jonin. So, the weakest person in the entire arena is actually Jiraiya's disciple, one of the Sannin. Although Yakushi Nonou is not good at direct combat, ninja battles are battles of intelligence.

The fact that she was able to travel throughout the ninja world for many years to gather intelligence for Konoha without dying or being crippled proves her strength.

Minato Namikaze was aware of his awkward position in the team and rarely expressed his opinions throughout the process.

It was rather awkward. I thought that since I had received training under Jiraiya-sensei, I would be able to put my skills to good use in this operation. However, my ideals were far from reality.

Iwagakure has gone mad for some reason, summoning so many wandering ninjas and ninjas from their own village.

He could usually handle wandering ninjas on his own, but the seasoned elite ninjas of Iwagakure were far beyond his current capabilities.

How is a fifty-stringed instrument achieved?

He looked at Isogen with great curiosity.

He wasn't jealous; he was simply curious about Isogen's remarkable improvement since leaving the Ninja Academy, and wondered if he had a special method to become stronger.

Just then, Sakumo Hatake's voice rang out.

"Be prepared, we could break out at any time tonight."

The experienced individuals nodded in silence.

Minato Namikaze couldn't help but ask, "Aren't we supposed to be finding the rogue ninja?"

Sakumo Hatake patiently explained, "This mission is basically impossible to complete. It's a setup, a setup against us."

Especially me.

Sakumo Hatake didn't say those words aloud.

Danzo's true intentions are obvious to everyone.

Although he is neither good at nor fond of political struggles, it is impossible for him to completely avoid the vortex.

Danzo's goal this time was clearly to make him back down.

Sakumo Hatake smiled bitterly to himself.

Hokage... It would be a lie for a Konoha ninja to say he didn't aspire to become Hokage, but given his personality, he would never insist on becoming Hokage if it might cause turmoil in the village.

Unfortunately, Danzo wouldn't believe it.

As for Danzo's intention to kill him with the help of those wandering ninjas and Iwagakure, Hatake Sakumo thought it was impossible.

If Isogen knew his inner thoughts, he would agree.

As a crucial force for Konoha in deterring other ninja villages, especially Sunagakure, Hatake Sakumo was an indispensable part of Konoha.

In the original story, after Sakumo Hatake's mission failed, the news spread throughout Konoha in the blink of an eye, and even the dogs of the Inuzuka family wouldn't believe there wasn't a conspiracy involved.

The missions carried out by ninjas are top secret, and the maximum extent of their information dissemination is limited to small areas. Missions that can be personally led by Konoha's White Fang are known only to the higher-ups.

While it's true that Konoha is the village that values ​​civilians the most among the five great ninja villages, it wouldn't be so lax as to allow civilians access to such important information.

Danzo's goal was to force Sakumo Hatake to withdraw from the Hokage nomination list, and Hiruzen Sarutobi tacitly approved of it all, after all, Danzo and he had been friends for many years and were practically inseparable.

No one expected that Sakumo Hatake would end up dying.

It's estimated that the ninja villages that received the news initially suspected it was a smokescreen put out by Konoha, but upon inquiring, they found out it was true.

Although they didn't know what Konoha was up to, Hatake Sakumo was one of the pillars of Konoha, and if this pillar fell, they would celebrate for three days and three nights.

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.

Outside the house, in the streets and alleys, a group of wandering ninjas with different appearances looked like hungry wolves who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights, their eyes fixed on the wooden house.

A wandering ninja with one eye blinded planned to quietly sneak onto the roof to observe the whole situation. As soon as he reached the roof, several pairs of sharp eyes looked over at him at the same time.

"..."

It seems that my peers share this idea.

"What do you think of it?" he asked.

Since we've all come here, we've all accepted the same commission, so working together is the way of survival for wandering ninjas.

"The other party used a transformation technique, so we can't tell where they came from."

"This display is intimidating," someone thought, feeling a sense of fear.

"Heh, so what if there are Jonin from a major ninja village among us? They might not be able to kill us all before they run out of chakra!"

Makes sense!

You'll lead the charge later.

Although everyone had doubts, wandering ninjas were a group of desperate people, and it was normal for them to grit their teeth and get to work when they had a mission with a high reward.

The reputation of the five great ninja villages is commendable, especially since Iwagakure is the one who provided the funding this time. It wouldn't be difficult for anyone with a keen eye to find out this. Iwagakure has extensive experience in hiring ninjas, and they are not afraid of being discarded after the work is done.

The world of ninjas is magical, filled with assassinations, murders, wars... all sorts of acts that disrupt order, but most ninjas value their reputation.

After all, if no one issues missions, what will the ninjas eat?

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.