On the night of the Nine-Tails, I shattered the Tailed Beast Ball with a single punch.

The leader of the Grass Ninja hesitated. Kizuki was right. Although it seemed that Danzo was thinking of them this time, was that really the case?

What a joke it is that a Konoha ninja would worry about the affairs of the Kusagakure ninja.

“As the puppet chosen by the Third Hokage, Minato Namikaze will inevitably continue to implement the Third Hokage’s lenient policies. Even after the Third Hokage dies, we will be facing an incompetent Hokage,” Nagasawa said, pressing his advantage.

The leader of the Grass Ninja looked at Nagasawa and ultimately decided that Danzo was unreliable and that they should trust Kizuki's words.

After all, Kozuki is a member of the Grass Village and a beneficiary of its interests, so he has no reason to do anything detrimental to the Grass Village. Danzo, on the other hand, may not be so inclined to do so.

The leader of the Grass Ninja nodded and asked, "So, Kizuki, what are your thoughts?"

Nagasawa raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Of course, didn't they say that Konoha ninjas would come to steal the data from the ANBU team we sent?"

Not only can we not hide the information to prevent them from finding it, but we should also make it appear as if the information could be easily stolen by them—specifically, the information on that ninja team.

The captain of the secret service analyzed:

"Indeed, this is a good idea. It will make Konoha look down on us even more. In addition, we will also pay compensation. At that time, Konoha will definitely think that we are an incompetent and spineless ninja village."

At the same time, we thwarted Danzo Shimura's ambitions, allowing Minato Namikaze to remain firmly in his position as puppet Hokage.

Nagasawa's gaze softened as he looked at the Anbu Captain-Commander. "Teammate, are you also a Konoha ninja?"

Actually, you can't blame the Captain-Commander for being brainless. How could someone who has become the Captain-Commander of the Anbu be brainless? It's just a matter of information asymmetry. Besides, Minato really does look like a puppet Hokage right now.

Even Nagasawa, who knew everything, had this feeling, let alone the Kusa ninja who only knew some superficial information.

The leader of the Grass Ninja nodded and instructed, "Then I'll leave this matter to you, Kizuki. I'll send someone to give you the information on that team of ninjas tomorrow."

During the mission, you temporarily have the authority to reassign the other three squads. Also, be careful not to let the Konoha ninjas discover our Grass Ninja's true secrets.

Yongze smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, leader, I will definitely complete the mission perfectly, and I will not let the real secrets be leaked."

There's no one else who goes to such lengths to carry out infiltration missions. The enemy leader personally delivers the necessary information to him. Nagasawa wonders, who else can do that?

Nagasawa estimated that if he continued to lie low, becoming the leader of the Grass Ninja would not be a dream.

However, he is bound to Konoha, not Kusagakure. Even if the leader of Kusagakure were to give up his position to him, he might not be happy about it.

The other three squad leaders looked at Yongze with envy. He had the authority to use the other squads' authority, even if it was only temporary. It was clear that he was being groomed to be a squad leader.

After the meeting, the leader of the Grass Ninja met with the two Root ninjas again.

The leader of the Grass Ninja said coldly, "We will take good care of any ninjas who come to steal the data. You can go back now."

The two Root ninjas were somewhat confused.

Not long ago, the leader of the Grass Ninja was very enthusiastic. Why has he suddenly become so cold after leaving?

The Root ninja frowned and said, "Don't underestimate the Konoha ninjas you sent. They are Konoha's ANBU, the elite of Konoha's ninjas, and they are not comparable to your Grass Ninja ANBU."

The leader of the Grass Ninja sneered inwardly. Even a Root ninja dared to mock the Grass Ninja's Anbu to his face. Just as Kizuki had said, Shimura Danzo was the true enemy of the Grass Ninja.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who has already lost his will to fight, and Minato Namikaze, the puppet, are the better choices for the Grass Ninja. With them as Hokage, the Grass Ninja can develop more peacefully.

If a small amount of compensation would provide enough time for safe development, then the leader of the Grass Ninja would rather pay the compensation.

He believed that under his leadership, the Grass Ninja would grow rapidly and eventually find an opportunity in the war to reach or even surpass the Five Great Nations.

Although he was somewhat angry, the leader of the Grass Ninja did not show it. He simply said expressionlessly, "There's no need for you Root members to worry about that. I trust our Grass Ninja's Anbu."

Although he harbored lofty ambitions, the leader of the Grass Ninja knew that he still had to consider Konoha's feelings for the time being and could not give Konoha an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

The Root ninjas felt that the Grass Ninja leader was mentally unstable and simply unreasonable.

They traveled all the way from the Land of Fire to the Land of Grass to help them, but the other side didn't even appreciate it.

The Root ninja thought for a moment and explained, "You don't need to worry that we will harm the Grass Ninja. If Konoha wants to deal with the Grass Ninja, it doesn't need to be this complicated."

"We from Root are truly only here to help your Grass Ninja, to spare them the suffering of war and reparations."

The Grass Ninja leader's face darkened. Although it was true, this was too arrogant. If the Hokage himself told him that he could endure, how could two lowly Root ninjas be so arrogant?

The Grass Ninja leader unleashed his full power, his powerful killing intent enveloping the two Root ninjas, and said in a low voice:

"Although the Grass Ninja is weak, it's not your place to criticize them. We appreciate the kindness of Root and will repay it in the future. Go back now and don't make me repeat myself."

The two Root ninjas looked grim, whether intimidated by the Grass Ninja leader's imposing presence or angered by his attitude, it was unclear.

In the end, the two Root ninjas said nothing and left the Grass Village as instructed by the Grass Ninja leader.

In the ninja world, strength is paramount. Since the leader of the Grass Ninja is powerful, they naturally cannot resist. Even if they die here, Danzo might not necessarily stand up for them.

They all knew that their leader treated them as pawns of a certain value, and Danzo would certainly not fall out with an entire ninja village for the sake of two ordinary Root members.

Because it's not worth it. Even if it's just a small ninja village, it's still a ninja village with a large number of ninjas.

However, Danzo will definitely extort a lot of money and then intimidate him.

However, he wasn't avenging his subordinates; it was purely out of self-interest.

Chapter Twenty-One: Counterattack Against Danzo

Early in the morning, Kakashi stepped out of the small inn. There were still few people on the street. The autumn wind, carrying a hint of winter, made the pedestrians shiver and regret not wearing an extra layer when they came out.

However, the autumn wind carrying the chill of winter did not affect Kakashi, because although he was young, he was a ninja after all, with a strong physique and chakra.

Kakashi, disguised as an ordinary Grass Ninja, is tasked today to investigate the Grass Ninja's attitude towards war.

Yesterday he went to the tavern and the hospital. Today, Kakashi plans to try his luck at ninja training grounds or similar places.

Such surveys cannot be based on a single instance; the survey population must be expanded.

The problem is that Kakashi isn't quite sure what the situation is like in the Grass Ninja village. Does it have training grounds like in Konoha, or can they just train anywhere they want?

If it's the latter, then he might have a tough day and need to spend time searching.

Compared to gathering information at a tavern, this is much more difficult. At a tavern, you can just listen quietly, but today he has to take the initiative to strike up a conversation and guide the topic.

Fortunately, the peace treaty is currently in the state of the Explosive Fire Ninja World, so it's not surprising that he brought it up.

On a chilly autumn morning, Kakashi unexpectedly spotted a red figure on the street. It was a survivor of the Uzumaki clan he had met at the hospital the day before.

Kakashi frowned slightly; she seemed to be entangled by some drunkards on the street.

Uzumaki Karin looked at the man walking unsteadily in front of her, her voice tinged with a sob: "Please stop bothering me. If we don't go to the hospital soon, Dr. Inoue will scold us again."

But the drunkard seemed to have selectively ignored him, still swaying from side to side and blocking Whirlpool Flower Ling's path, mumbling:

"What's wrong with coming to have a drink with me? You don't think I'm already drunk, do you? Let me tell you, I'm far from drunk."

Kakashi looked around. Some pedestrians seemed not to have seen what was happening and continued walking as usual, while others looked interested and watched with great interest.

Clearly, no one wanted to stand up for this outsider.

Kakashi walked up to the drunkard expressionlessly and said, "Do you want to die? How dare you block my way."

Upon seeing Kakashi's Kusanagi headband, the drunkard was immediately startled and took several steps back, then quickly apologized:

"I'm sorry, Ninja Master. I was drunk and confused, and I accidentally blocked your way."

Kakashi sneered inwardly, "You're selectively getting drunk."

Kakashi snapped, "You know that, so why aren't you getting out of here? If you delay the mission, you'll be dead for sure!"

"Yes, yes, I'll get lost right away." The drunkard immediately slipped away, moving as fast as if he were sprinting in a 100-meter race, completely unlike the man who had been swaying as he walked just moments before.

The drunkard, as he fled, cursed inwardly, "What bad luck I have today. I had heard that a beautiful red-haired woman had come to the village."

He thought he might be able to take advantage of the fact that the other party was helpless, but he ended up running into a ninja on the road. What bad luck! That hateful red-haired woman!

Kakashi glanced around, and instantly the onlookers all seemed to be in a hurry, quickening their pace.

Hana looked at Kakashi with gratitude and said, "Ninja Master, thank you. What's your name?"

Kakashi thought for a moment and then said, "Me? My name is Kakadon."

"I'll definitely thank you properly when I have time, but I really have something to do right now." Hana waved goodbye to Kakashi and continued walking towards the hospital.

Kakashi watched Hana's departing figure, feeling a pang of unease.

You know, yesterday a so-called ninja bit her arm so hard, yet she didn't seem to direct her hatred towards the ninja's identity.

'It doesn't matter what, just go and carry out the mission. Kakashi, Minato-sensei and Nagasawa-sensei have been so good to you, you can't let them down.' Kakashi encouraged himself inwardly.

After hesitating for a while, Kakashi finally headed towards the hospital. It was on the way, just on the way. Maybe there was a training ground next to the hospital.

……

……

In the morning, after waking up and washing up, Yongze went out for breakfast before leisurely heading to the Anbu.

If you ask why they can be so relaxed, the answer is that the mission is about to be completed, and the enemy leader is personally helping them.

As he passed the entrance to the Anbu, news of his impressive performance at the hands of the Grass Ninja leader seemed to have spread throughout the Anbu. Even the two Anbu guards at the gate called out to Lord Morishita louder than usual.

Walking into the unfamiliar office, Yongze sat down and glanced around. There was nothing extra; the documents must not have been delivered yet.

Yongze wasn't in a hurry; he even started dealing with some documents that he was in charge of as the squad leader.

It mainly involves issuing some covert missions.

Nagasawa was just getting a feel for life as the team leader.

However, since he was not the real Kizuki, his knowledge of the squad's ANBU was basically limited to data, so he assigned tasks based on his first impression of the name.

"Sakata Gintoki, just looking at the name gives off a vibe of a useless middle-aged man. Reward: a long-duration A-rank mission. Work hard."

"Momosuke, that name brings back some unpleasant memories. Let's just give him a separate S-rank mission. Young people should get some training."

With a cheerful mood, Nagasawa quickly finished processing all the documents that Kizuki needed to handle.

He did this without any burden; the Grass Ninja wanted Konoha to get bogged down in war and suffer a great loss of strength.

Now that he is tied to Konoha, Konoha's prosperity or decline is closely related to his strength. If the Grass Ninja wants Konoha to decline, then they want him to suffer, and that makes them his enemies.

Why would he feel guilty about causing trouble and losses to the enemy?

If he hadn't been somewhat capable, he probably would have died at the hands of those four grass ninja during that mission to retrieve peace information.

Those grass ninjas wouldn't feel any psychological burden killing him.

Just as Nagasawa was lamenting the cruelty of the ninja world, a knock sounded at the door. An ANBU member entered, carrying a file folder, and respectfully said:

"Lord Muzuki, this is the information the leader gave you. He said to remember to send it to him for a look once the plan is finalized."