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

Yongze took the file bag, a bright smile spreading across his face, and said, "Yes, I understand."

The ANBU ninja nodded and withdrew.

“A plan…” Nagasawa tapped his fingers on the table, an interesting idea popping into his head.

Although he didn't know why Danzo suddenly changed his mind and betrayed him, he couldn't swallow this insult.

We must find a way to cause Danzo some trouble.

The Grass Ninja are quite strong; if they were to face off against the Root, they should be able to annoy Danzo for a while.

Nagasawa thought it was a good opportunity, since it wouldn't take him too much effort and would also annoy Danzo.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Rebuilding Konoha's Glory – Our Duty Is Undeniable

Leaf, root base.

Danzo frowned as he looked at the intelligence report, sensing something was amiss. He asked the Root ninja kneeling before him:

"Are you sure this information came from the Land of Grass? There aren't any errors?"

The Root ninja lowered his head and said, "This is indeed intelligence sent by our ninjas in the Land of Grass. We have already verified its authenticity."

Danzo was stunned for a moment, then burst out cursing, "Is the leader of the Grass Ninja idiot? They're asking for waivers of war reparations and they don't want them?"

Danzo was speechless. The last time he was this speechless was back then.

Does Kusanagi Shinobu have too much money? Give him more money, he won't complain.

Danzo remained silent, while Orochimaru's somewhat hoarse voice came from the side.

"Danzo, it seems your plan has run into some problems."

Danzo glanced at Orochimaru with some displeasure and said, "I did all of this so that you could become Hokage, and you're still gloating over it."

Orochimaru sneered and said nothing.

Did Danzo think he was an innocent three-year-old? There was never any affection between them, only interests.

Danzo supports him becoming Hokage, and Orochimaru will also provide Danzo with corresponding assistance, such as allowing Danzo to expand Root and increase Root's funding.

"None of that matters. As long as we can figure that out, the Hokage position will be within our grasp," Orochimaru said expressionlessly.

Danzo remained outwardly calm, but probed, "Have you made any new progress in your research?"

Orochimaru nodded and said, "That's right, but we're running low on test subjects. Could you bring over a few more?"

Danzo frowned slightly: "It's fine during wartime, but it's a bit troublesome to get too many test subjects now."

Orochimaru smiled and gave Danzo a meaningful look, saying, "It is a bit difficult, but I believe it should be a simple matter for you."

Danzo snorted coldly: "Experimental subjects are fine as long as our experiments are successful. Konoha will surely regain its former glory, and we will be remembered by history forever."

He will prove with facts that Tobirama-sensei's decision to make Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage was a mistake, and that Danzo Shimura was the most suitable candidate.

If he had been the one to become the Third Hokage, Konoha would definitely be stronger than it is now, and they wouldn't have had to win the war only to be forced to sue for peace.

To restore the glory of the old days, he felt it was his duty to the village of Tuanzang.

……

……

In the evening, Kakashi finished his second day of investigation. Today, he had used his taijutsu skills to strike up conversations with several genin from the grass ninja and gather information.

The results were somewhat different from those in the tavern; the grass ninjas who practiced diligently were more inclined towards the war faction than the ninjas who drank in the tavern.

This made Kakashi feel uneasy; it seemed that this Grass Ninja might actually grow stronger, posing a slight danger.

However, considering the level of the five major powers, it's all a matter of luck; the probability is extremely low.

Once upon a time, there was a small country that wanted to challenge the Five Great Nations, and even took action, triggering the Second Shinobi World War.

That country is the Land of Rain.

In order to gain more territory and shed its status as a small country, the Rain Country, believing itself to be strong enough, directly declared war on the Wind Country and the Fire Country.

Although the Land of Rain has Hanzo, who is known as a demigod, to support them in terms of high-end combat power, he is able to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

However, in terms of low- to mid-level combat strength, the Land of Rain quickly fell into a disadvantageous position when facing the ninjas of the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, ultimately leading to the Land of Rain's defeat.

Compared to the former Land of Rain, the current Land of Grass is not even as good as the Land of Rain, because the Grass Ninja does not have a strong person like Hanzo.

They failed even in the Land of Rain, let alone the Land of Grass now.

However, compared to other small ninja villages, Kakashi felt that the Grass Village was a bit dangerous.

On his way back, Kakashi happened to pass by the Grass Ninja Hospital. After hesitating for a while, he finally went into the hospital.

Investigating the medical standards of other ninja villages is also a task that the Anbu should undertake, Kakashi thought.

Upon entering the hospital, Kakashi, just like last time, pretended to be a visitor and went straight to the ward.

However, he didn't see Uzumaki Karin this time; they were just ordinary people receiving normal treatment.

This made Kakashi feel a little better, at least he could see what happened last time.

Come to think of it, it's not a state of war anymore, so the probability of ninjas getting injured is greatly reduced, and they are less likely to be seriously injured.

Kakashi then wandered around the hospital.

He wasn't just talking about investigating Kusagakure Hospital; he was actually going to do it.

As Kakashi passed by an empty hospital room, he saw a red figure. Uzumaki Karin was kneeling on the floor wiping the floor with a rag.

As if sensing Kakashi's gaze, Uzumaki Rinko turned around.

Upon seeing that it was the ninja who had helped her that morning, Uzumaki Karin quickly stood up and bowed to Kakashi, saying, "Lord Kakashi."

Kakashi paused for a moment, then regretted blurting out his name. He should have just picked one randomly; if Inuzuka Midori knew, she would definitely laugh at him for more than a week.

Kakashi coughed twice, pretending not to know anything, and asked, "So you're a cleaner at the hospital? That must be hard work. You should take a break."

Uzumaki Karin smiled and said, "Yes, that's right. Thank you for your concern."

For some reason, she was reluctant to tell the other person about her actual job at the hospital.

As a pure member of the Uzumaki clan, although she did not undergo any ninja training, she still possessed an innate and excellent sensory ability, and she could sense Kakashi's goodwill towards her.

If he heard that she was doing such inhumane work, acting as a human medical kit, it might cause him unnecessary trouble.

Kakashi fell silent upon hearing Karin's reply.

He didn't know how to evaluate the Whirlpool Clan member in front of him.

He hadn't expected the Grass Ninja to go so far.

Instead of treating the patient, she was forced to work as a cleaner instead of getting some proper rest.

"Then I won't disturb your work any longer," Kakashi said finally, preparing to leave, as the time for their reunion was approaching.

Uzumaki Karin nodded, then seemed to remember something and said with a smile, "My lord, my name is Uzumaki Karin."

Kakashi nodded and said seriously, "I've got it."

After leaving the hospital, Kakashi returned to the small hotel. Since he, Salt Water, and Inuzuka Midori were all staying there, Nagasawa simply changed the meeting place to this hotel.

Once everyone had arrived, Nagasawa took out a file folder and began to speak:

"Our mission is complete. Here we have information on the three Grass Ninja captured by Konoha, and even information on the Grass Ninja who died in battle."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Reality is More Illogical Than Fiction

Salt Water and the others were a bit dumbfounded. It was done already? They had only been in Kusanagi for a few days.

This is unacceptable. An S-rank infiltration and data-stealing mission would require at least a week of infiltration.

The information on the Dark Division was obtained so easily? Is this still the most confidential Dark Division?

“I used my position as the captain of the ANBU to persuade the leader of the Grass Ninja. Now he is willing to pay reparations to Konoha. And these documents are what he asked me to devise a way to deliver to Konoha,” Nagasawa explained simply about the source of the documents.

His words only made the three of them more confused.

They assumed that Nagasawa had painstakingly infiltrated the secret service and, amidst perilous circumstances, managed to find this confidential document.

It turned out that the leader of the Grass Ninja Clan personally delivered it to Nagasawa. What kind of magical plot is this? Even ninja novels wouldn't dare to write something like this.

Inuzuka Midori spoke up directly: "Is there something wrong with the leader of the Grass Ninja? How could he try to give his secrets to someone else and then let them blackmail him, and he even prepared the money?"

Nagasawa smiled and said, "So he is the leader of the Grass Ninja, while you are just an ordinary ninja. It's not that he's stupid, but that the two of you have different goals."

Konoha needed to maintain its prestige as one of the Five Great Nations, while Kusagakure needed time for stable development. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement; neither side wanted war.

"I don't really understand, but as long as the mission is completed, that's fine." Inuzuka Midori said with a happy expression.

I spent two days playing around on the streets and inexplicably completed an S-rank mission. It was incredibly satisfying.

She's serious about winning without even trying!

"The mission is complete. Shall we leave Kusagakure now?" Kakashi suddenly asked.

Inuzuka Midori gave Kakashi a strange look and said:

"Why not go back now that the mission is complete? Are you really going to cooperate with the Grass Ninja and then send the data back to me? That would be redundant. It's better to go back sooner to avoid any unexpected events."

Kakashi hesitated, unsure whether he should reveal the matter of Uzumaki Karin.

This is somewhat against regulations, because they are carrying out an S-class mission for the Dark Division and should not cause any unforeseen complications.

At this moment, Yongze smiled and said, "There's no rush to go back, there's still one more thing to do."

"I need you to disguise yourselves as Iwa ninja, and then sabotage Kusagakure, attacking the Kusagakure ANBU."

Saltwater asked in confusion, "Why do this? Frame the Iwa ninjas won't do us any good. The Kusanagi ninjas weren't allies of the Iwa ninjas to begin with."

Yongze smiled mysteriously and said, "You don't need to know so much, just do as I say. I will send a shadow clone to protect you."

Of course, he wouldn't say that he wanted to frame Root, draw hatred to Danzo, and annoy him.

After all, Root is nominally part of Konoha, so this can be considered internal strife.

"Squad Leader Nagasawa, I have something to report to you. Can we talk in private?" Kakashi finally spoke up.

Nagasawa thought for a moment, then called out Salt Water and Inuzuka Midori, and looked at Kakashi, saying, "Say what you need to say."