Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

The Konoha members around Mitokado Homura stared blankly at this learned and eloquent advisor, wondering what he was up to. What business was it of his that Sunagakure and Kirigakure were fighting? If they were fighting, he could just cheer them on from the sidelines. Why was he meddling in other people's business?

Are you worried we can't protect you if a fight breaks out? (⊙_⊙)

If Mitokado Homura knew what his underlings were thinking, he'd really say, "You guys are no match for me. Didn't you see the white light on Onoki's hand...?"

"Everyone, Consultant Menyan is right. Consultant Chiyo, today is... uh, your son's big day. I think Chief Hozuki just lost control of his emotions for a moment. Fighting and killing will only hurt the harmony."

The leader of the Azabu clan from Kumogakure also came out to advise them, saying that among the major villages present, Kumogakure had the fewest people. If a fight really broke out here, with all sorts of random ninjutsu being thrown around, they would suffer a huge loss.

The Cloud Ninja are all modern-day LeBron James, but they can't compete with sheer numbers. Their large physiques make them easy targets, and not everyone has the formidable defense of their Raikage...

"Hmph! I lost my composure today. I wish Consultant Chiyo and her son and daughter-in-law a long and happy marriage. I have other matters to attend to in the village, so I'll take my leave now!"

After assessing the numerical disparity between the two sides, the leader of the Hozuki clan, with the Mitokado Homura and the Azabu clan leaders standing on two staircases, seemed to be suddenly enlightened, instantly waking up and pretending to think for 0.003 seconds before immediately abandoning his unrealistic dream.

He's not afraid of dying!

There are deaths that are as light as a feather, and deaths that are as precipitous as Mount Tai. If someone were killed on their home turf, who knows if the Mizukage would drape his grave with the village flag, or if he'd be buried alongside his brother in the cemetery...

...

"Tch! You talk a good game, but you're still a coward. Onoki, I'm rooting for you! When you get back, give him a piece of your mind!"

Shinto gave the Hozuki clan leader's retreating figure a disdainful look before raising an eyebrow at Onoki, who was clearly thinking something but was definitely up to no good.

He couldn't hear Onoki's thoughts, but seeing Onoki's eyes constantly darting around, he knew that this cunning guy was definitely up to something again. He just didn't know who would be the scapegoat this time.

Hmm... based on Mitokado Homura's opening performance just now, his target was most likely Konoha. His mental attack was incredibly powerful, even more so than his greatsword attack...

"Hmph! I, Onoki, have always been upright and honest; I would never do such underhanded things!"

Onoki's words instantly elevated his image; if his eyes hadn't been darting around, Masato might have almost believed it!

.....

Aside from the Sunagakure people who were having a great time drinking, the representatives from the other villages weren't in the mood for the banquet. Even though they were very hungry, they didn't touch the delicious food on the table. Chiyo was a famous Poison Master, and they wouldn't dare to eat this stuff without trying it with silver needles first. However, they had a lot of money on them, but they couldn't buy silver needles. So after exchanging a few perfunctory words, they left with their own people.

"Hiccup...! I'm telling you, I have a feeling something's definitely going to happen to the Hozuki clan!"

Masato, who was having his former underlings drink a few cups of horse urine with him, burped and said to his former underlings with a drunken look on his face.

"Captain, you want to take them out? No need for you to do it, we'll go now!"

The underling who had only been drinking with his former boss but hadn't actually drunk any himself heard what his boss said. Not wanting to just stand by and watch his former boss drink, he thought his boss was planning to ambush some Mist Ninjas and immediately volunteered!

Damn it, their secret service members hold important positions and are not allowed to drink alcohol year-round. Now, their former boss has dragged them here to watch him drink. They're feeling incredibly uncomfortable. If they weren't afraid of getting hammered, they would have already run away.

"What? I want to kill them? You can eat shit, but you can't say whatever you want. That's why I've been around for five years and almost became the boss, while you guys are still underlings. You need to pay more attention to the little details! Mada! Was Onoki the first one to leave?"

After Shinto finished teaching his underlings a lesson, he asked Mada, who was now the head of Sunagawa's guards. Mada could be said to have followed in his father's footsteps. Sunagawa had let him leave the Anbu after he had worked with Shinto for two years and gained some seniority. After all, it was not suitable for him to stay in the Anbu because he was not quick-witted. He could just follow Sunagawa around and stand guard. At least he didn't have to use his brain.

"...I didn't notice, but now that you mention it, it seems to be true."

Mada recalled that his gaze had been fixed on his boss, the Kazekage, the entire time. Who knew if Onoki was the first to leave? But this time he was clever enough to think that if the captain said so, then it must be...

"You guys debuted relatively late, so you don't know. Don't let Onoki's current appearance, like a hot-tempered old man, fool you. This guy is actually quite cunning. When the Kirigakure ninja left, I noticed his eyes darting around; he was clearly up to no good. Plus, you all saw what happened when he arrived. He was practically beaten to a pulp by Konoha's Mitokado Homura. Although revenge is a dish best served cold, when it comes to Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi, making Onoki wait even one more day is unbearable..."

With his eyes slightly narrowed and looking like he was about to collapse, Masato explained methodically.

"Konoha? Captain, didn't you say something bad was going to happen to Kirigakure? What does this have to do with Konoha? (⊙_⊙)?"

"Hmm...! It doesn't seem like it would do Ōnoki any good by killing the Mist Ninja, does it?"

Mada, whose mind wasn't quick-witted, counted on his fingers as if the relationships were a bit confusing. He couldn't keep up and asked with a bewildered look. The few underlings around him were also completely baffled; not only could Mada not figure it out, but they couldn't either.

"Sigh...! You were right to leave the Anbu. And you guys, tomorrow give Uncle Luo Zhen a report and come work for me. I'll give each of you a squad leader position or something. You guys have no future in the Anbu!"

"This is a huge deal! It won't benefit Onoki himself by killing these Mist ninja, but he can frame Konoha! Besides, Senju Koma was killed by Mist ninja, so Konoha has a motive for revenge! And didn't you see White Fang is here too? If Onoki is quick and efficient, making those Mist ninja look like they were stabbed to death, with White Fang's assassination skills, killing them would be easier than drinking water. Mist Village will easily suspect Konoha. The Hozuki clan leader died on his way back; think about it, Mist Village will definitely retaliate. Even if there's no war, there will be plenty of back-and-forth assassinations!"

152. Danzo also planned to do the same.

"All in! This leader is really cunning!"

After hearing Masato's explanation, the underlings all realized that it was true that a leader couldn't do without a good brain; all leaders were cunning old foxes!

...

"Any news from the civil engineering side?"

In a low-key yet luxurious room in Sunagakure, Onoki, who hadn't dared to eat anything all night and was suffering terribly while watching the Sunagakure ninja devour large amounts of meat, ordered a bowl of ramen and ate it ravenly. At the same time, he asked the little brother next to him who was watching him eat the ramen with great interest.

"...Lord Tsuchiki just sent word that the Mist Ninja have just finished eating and left Sunagakure..."

The underlings swallowed hard and replied, "If the boss doesn't eat, then of course they won't either. Besides, we haven't eaten anything since we brought over several trucks during the day, and the underlings are already dizzy with hunger. But the boss is preparing to do something big, so they don't have time to stop and eat."

"That bastard Mitokado Homura... Notify the Civil Engineering Department to hurry up and make it look like Sakuya is the one doing the work!"

Onoki was furious at the thought of being sprayed like a dog by Mitokado Haru during the day.

Just like Shinto thought, his original plan was to wait for the people from Konoha to leave Sunagakure and then lead a group to ambush him, preferably killing Mitokado Homura, this cultured man, to vent his anger. However, when the people from Kirigakure left, a brilliant idea flashed into his mind, and he came up with a perfect plan to shift the blame.

Honestly, ambushing the Konoha gang wasn't a good plan. After all, Konoha's White Fang was in there. Even if his marksmanship was accurate and he could take down Mitokado Homura with one shot, his underlings couldn't fly and would only be able to get wiped out by White Fang. This was definitely not a good idea for Onoki, who loved his soldiers dearly. However, he just couldn't swallow the humiliation of being publicly berated by Mitokado Homura.

However, seeing the Hozuki clan leader leaving with his underlings gave him a glimmer of inspiration. It was undeniable that Senju Konohamaru died at the hands of the Kirigakure ninja. And if those Kirigakure ninja died at the hands of Sakumo Hatake, that would also be reasonable. If the Hozuki clan leader died at the hands of Konoha's Sakumo Hatake, Kirigakure certainly wouldn't let it go so easily. After all, the current Mizukage was put to power by the Hozuki clan. If they didn't give the Hozuki clan an explanation, it would be difficult to say whether the Mizukage could remain in his position without their support.

As for getting Konoha to hand over White Fang, that's even more impossible. Who is White Fang? He's the head of Konoha's Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi's right-hand man. Regardless of whether White Fang accomplished it or not, Hiruzen Sarutobi definitely won't hand him over. And then... if, just in case... the two sides start fighting...

After Ōnoki finished imagining that scene, he immediately ordered his leader, Tsuchiki, one of the few red-robed men in the village, to quietly follow and await his orders. Although the head of the Hozuki clan had a lot of prestige and was the older brother of Hozuki Gengetsu, his strength was several times that of Tobirama Senju compared to Hozuki Gengetsu. If it weren't for Hozuki Gengetsu, no one would know who he was.

So having Tu Mu as the quasi-shadow to lead the team is more than enough. If he, as the boss, has to do everything, what's the point of having subordinates?

...

"What? Danzo, you're planning to kill the Mist Ninja and give the weapons to the Iwa Ninja?! σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Meanwhile, in Konoha, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Danzo, one of Konoha's half-skys, was making the same plans as Onoki. When he told his two friends about his plan, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu ate several pounds of food, enough for dinner.

"Hmph! I received information that Onoki began preparing to research the Tailed Beasts several years ago, hoping to use their power to enhance their military strength. However, he was delayed by the Four-Tails and Five-Tails incident. In recent years, without the burden of Sunagakure's debts, Iwagakure has developed quite rapidly. Onoki has started to bring up the old matter again. If he really succeeds in his research, Konoha will be the first to suffer. Back then, Brother Koma got into trouble because the Land of Water was researching the Tailed Beasts, so this is a good opportunity to let them fight like dogs!"

Danzo spoke with a firm and resolute voice, his eyes unwavering.

In all honesty, Danzo did not have any selfish motives in doing this; it was entirely for the sake of Konoha and to avenge Tsunade's father.

He did want to become Hokage, that's true, but his starting point was also love for the village. However, his love was more extreme than Hiruzen Sarutobi's. As long as it was beneficial to the village, he was willing to do it in his own way. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi knew it was an opportunity for the other side to fight amongst themselves, he wouldn't use such a despicable tactic. After all, he was the Hokage, and with the Uchiha clan being unqualified, he was the image representative of Konoha. Sunshine, tall, and majestic have always been the image Konoha has maintained for many years. How could he possibly do such a treacherous thing?

This is something that Konoha Root excels at...

"But what if someone finds out..."

The two friends were also persuaded by Danzo, not because of the Tailed Beasts research. Even their great scientist teacher couldn't figure out such a high-level scientific research project, let alone those mediocre people from Kirigakure and Iwagakure.

They were tempted because Tsunade's father, their older brother Koma, had died at the hands of Kirigakure ninja. To curry favor with Mito-sama and secure a position on the advisory board, they were determined to avenge him. Even their ally, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was tempted. Previously, Kirigakure's geographical location, separated from Konoha by the sea, made it extremely difficult to infiltrate and eliminate any important figures. Their White Fang had too many shining qualities; he was the protagonist wherever he went. Sending him to Kirigakure for assassinations was unrealistic. If the village spies didn't see the Anbu chief go home for a day, the next day all the villages would know that White Fang had gone off to assassinate someone again...

This time, being able to take down a high-ranking member of Kirigakure, who was also the head of the Hozuki clan, is a feat that can be proudly displayed in front of Lady Mito.

"Don't worry, it was someone from my root who took action. Only the three of us know about this, and it won't be discovered by anyone else."

Danzo confidently patted his chest, assuring everyone that while his men might not be able to kill a Kage-level ninja, they could easily take down even those Kirigakure ninja who were not even considered Kage-level. In terms of sheer numbers, his Root clan could shred those Kirigakure ninja into dust. As a powerful figure in Konoha, when did he ever go out without hundreds of underlings following him? This time, he was only being discreet because he had just knelt before Lord Mito and dared not act so openly. He only had his underlings secretly follow him from the shadows.

153. White Teeth, you're into this kind of thing now?

"Lord Kazekage! Something terrible has happened! The entire Kirigakure village has been slaughtered not far from the village! And... so many people are dead!!"

Just as Sunagawa and several high-ranking officials were drinking and dancing enthusiastically, a henchman from the Dark Guard rushed in. Seeing that everyone present was either a big shot or a colleague, he didn't hide anything and spoke up.

"puff!"

"What happened? Let's go check it out!"

Sunagawa instantly sobered up, stopped singing and dancing, and led Haizo and the others to follow.

The death of the Hozuki clan leader on their territory is a big deal or a small one. If the fight had started in the main hall, he would have died. The three giants of Konoha, Nara, Sakumo Hatake, Azaburo, and Onoki—all prominent figures—would have been present and could have stopped the Hozuki clan leader from causing trouble and courting death. In that case, his death would have been pointless, and Kirigakure wouldn't have said anything.

But the Mist Ninja were killed on their way out of the Land of Wind, so there must be something there.

"Captain, that's incredible! Those guys really were killed!"

When Masato's underlings heard the news, they showered him with flattery and admiration.

"Stop talking nonsense, Masato, you go and see for yourself who did this."

Before Masato could enjoy himself for long, Senju said to him with a grim expression, "Are you kidding me? Don't you know today is her son's wedding day? To draw blood on such a day is disrespectful to her."

"Roger that!"

Shinto stood up, shook his slightly dizzy head, and followed with his underlings. He originally wanted to tell Chiyo that it must have been Onoki who did it, but then he remembered that there didn't seem to be many people from Kirigakure this time.

What was with that ANBU operative saying a lot of people died? (⊙_⊙)?

.....

"Wow! What a scene! The army has been here. Oh? Everyone's here. Looks like it's a dark and stormy night for murder. No one will be able to sleep tonight!"

The crime scene was indeed not far from the village, only about two or three kilometers away. When Shinto arrived with his underlings, he finally understood what the underling in the ANBU meant by saying that many people had died.

There were corpses lying everywhere, at least a hundred or so without counting. Apart from the leader of the Hozuki clan and his thirty-odd underlings, the rest of them were all wearing masks and dressed in black without any markings, so it was impossible to tell who they were. And coincidentally, the three big bosses of Konoha, Azabu Big Head of Kumogakure and Onoki were all there, making it look like a late-night meeting.

"Judging from the traces left at the scene and the wounds on the corpses of the Mist Ninja, almost all of them were fatal with a single strike, and the wounds were not very deep, but they were precisely aimed at vital organs. I think you can explain this, White Fang, who is a master of short blades at the scene."

Fire!

Before Shinto could finish his opening remarks, Onoki, barely suppressing his heartache, couldn't wait to fire at Hatake Sakumo, who was standing next to Nara's big head.

Although the other corpses coincidentally all wore masks and black outfits, ten of them were his underlings. When Mizuki returned, he was also covered in injuries, and he thought something had happened. But it turned out that nothing had happened; instead, Tsuchiki told him that another group was making the same plan. Mizuki and his group had just killed the Mist Ninja when the other group immediately attacked them. Moreover, the other group was numerous and seemed like emotionless tools, recklessly fighting for them. If the other group hadn't been so numerous and lacked any other distinguishing features, Mizuki and his group wouldn't have gone.

However, losing ten men was a huge blow to Onoki, who had brought his bodyguards and elite ANBU soldiers to compete with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

To ensure his underling's death had value, the plan had to continue. So, once everyone was present, Onoki immediately confronted Hatake Sakumo, inwardly praising Tsuchiki for having some artistic talent and being quite convincing in his disguise.

The corpse of the Mist Ninja was clearly killed by a single, fatal blow with a short blade.

"What? White Fang, you took care of these guys? When did you get into this kind of thing? (⊙_⊙)?"

As soon as Onoki finished speaking, everyone turned to look at Hatake Sakumo, who was standing next to Nara Big Head with a bewildered expression. Onoki's analysis was reasonable. There were many people with short swords present, but it seemed that only White Fang could kill so many Mist Ninjas using the same method.

Even Shinto, who had been rivals with Hatake Sakumo for many years, was completely bewildered. He had genuinely believed that it was Onoki who did it, but after hearing Onoki's analysis, and considering that the wounds on the Kirigakure ninja were almost all fatal with a single strike, the swift and precise technique was indeed very much like White Fang's. However, he was more curious about when the usually straightforward White Fang had also learned to play tricks and schemes.

Could it be that he was infected by spending too much time with a gentlemanly swordsman like Hiruzen Sarutobi?

"...I didn't kill him. ヽ(ー_ー)ノ"

Sakumo Hatake, speechless at the guy's tone, thought, "Why do words sound so different coming from this guy's mouth? What do you mean by 'playing this tune'? I'm perfectly upright, playing this tune my ass..." ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

"Who else could it be but you? Senju Koma died at the hands of the Mist Ninja. It's normal for you to want to avenge Senju Koma by killing the Mist Ninja. All the evidence points to you now. Killing the Mist Ninja at the gates of Sunagakure and framing Sunagakure, what a brilliant move!"