Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Sakumo Hatake remained silent, his eyes fixed on the Grim Reaper, as if he would immediately kill Ryoko Uzumaki, who had summoned the Grim Reaper, if the Grim Reaper made any rash move.

But just as Ryoko Uzumaki said, the Grim Reaper did not make any further moves, but simply hovered quietly in mid-air between the two of them.

Seeing that the Grim Reaper had not yet taken any action, Hatake Sakumo finally confirmed that what Uzumaki Ryoko said was true, as well as the authenticity of the sealing scroll before him.

"This organization is really something else. There must be a powerful ninja behind them who is proficient in sealing techniques. They can even create a contract sealing technique that uses the Grim Reaper as a witness."

Sakumo Hatake turned his attention back to the scroll, becoming increasingly wary of the power behind Ryoko Uzumaki.

But he didn't have time to delve into the power behind Ryoko Uzumaki. He remained silent for a moment, then touched his index finger and wrote his real name on the scroll.

After writing his name down, Hatake Sakumo instantly realized that he was being targeted by Death again, and then a piercing pain appeared in his body.

But the pain disappeared in just a moment.

"So you are the White Fang of Konoha. I've heard so much about you."

Ryoko Uzumaki exclaimed in surprise when she saw the name that Sakumo Hatake had written on the scroll.

"You can say it now."

Sakumo Hatake was uninterested in Ryoko Uzumaki's flattery and said coldly.

This Death Contract is too sinister; all he wants now is to get the information and leave as soon as possible.

"of course."

Ryoko Uzumaki said with a smile, and then shared what she knew about the source of Sunagakure's unexplained funds.

As Ryoko Uzumaki revealed more and more information, Sakumo Hatake's expression grew increasingly serious.

……

That evening, in a hot spring inn in the town, the White Fang team gathered in one room to discuss matters.

"That's roughly the outline of the mission. Do you have any questions?"

Sakumo Hatake said with a serious expression.

After returning from the mysterious intelligence organization, he pondered for a long time before finally deciding to share all the information he had painstakingly obtained with Kirito and the other two.

For example, this mission is likely to encounter the obstruction of the Third Kazekage, the top power of Sunagakure, as well as an attack by many elite Sunagakure ninjas. If the mission fails, the chance of escape is very low.

"We've only been on this mission for less than a month, isn't it a bit too much of an overestimation of us for the Third Generation to assign us such a task?"

After listening to Hatake Sakumo's explanation of the new mission, Chizuru stared at him with a frosty expression and said...

Are you kidding me? Sending the White Fang Squad deep into Sunagakure to assassinate a major Sunagakure patron who is likely under the protection of the Kazekage? Is that something the White Fang Squad is capable of doing right now?

Even if they succeeded, would they still be alive to leave?

Once the Kazekage is assassinated, the rest of them will inevitably face a relentless pursuit from the Sand Village, a relentless chase that will not end in peace.

The reason why the White Fang Squad has been able to evade the pursuit of Sunagakure so far is largely due to their skillful use of guerrilla tactics. They never stay in one place for long. Now, sending them to actively intrude into the enemy's headquarters is completely abandoning their advantages to fight the enemy.

Meanwhile, the shadow clones she sent out during the day had learned about the recent events in Konoha from some of her clansmen in town, and realized that this mission was likely a conspiracy.

Chizuru is an excellent ninja, but she is not one who would willingly throw her life away; at least, Konoha at present is not worth her dying for.

She was unwilling to take on a mission that was clearly suicidal.

"Is this mission difficult? It's just about killing someone in Sunagakure. Kirito has the Spirit Transformation Technique, so he can easily infiltrate Sunagakure and kill the target. All we need to do is protect Kirito's physical body. Besides, Kirito has the Suzaku Puppet, so even if we fail the mission, we can leave safely."

Rope Tree, however, was quite carefree and completely unaware of how difficult the task was. Instead, he spoke with great excitement.

Sakumo Hatake just said that if his White Fang Squad can complete this mission, they will become heroes who end the war between Konoha and Sunagakure.

If he accomplishes this, he will definitely take another big step forward in becoming Hokage.

"Hmph, you think you're so smart. The information that Kirito knows the Spirit Transformation Technique has already been leaked. Sunagakure saw this information and knew it. Wouldn't they have been on guard against Kirito's Spirit Transformation Technique? You make it sound so easy. What you just said was basically asking Kirito to risk his life to test whether Sunagakure has a way to counter the Spirit Transformation Technique. What an idiot."

Upon hearing Nawaki's words, Chizuru immediately rebuked him angrily, glaring at Nawaki with her Sharingan.

Nawaki was taken aback by Chizuru's strong reaction. He was instinctively angry, but his anger vanished upon hearing Chizuru's words, replaced by a guilty and ashamed expression.

He hadn't really thought that far ahead. If what Chizuru said was true, then his suggestion was putting his good friend Kirito in danger.

The thought that his good brother might be killed by him made Nawaki immediately apologize to Kirito with a guilty conscience: "I'm sorry, Kirito, I didn't think it through. Don't mind me, I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know, but I didn't take it to heart."

Kirito said with a smile, easily defusing the unpleasantness.

Then, he turned to look at Hatake Sakumo and asked, "Hakegi-sensei, what are your thoughts? The task that the Third Hokage has assigned us this time is undeniably difficult. If what you just said is true, this task is clearly beyond our capabilities. Moreover, let alone success, the information we currently have is very limited, making it impossible to complete in a short period of time."

Rasa's Magnet Release: Gold Sand is an absolute top secret within Sunagakure. Only a few core high-ranking members know about it. Konoha is completely unaware that the source of Sunagakure's unexplained funds is Rasa.

The information that Hatake Sakumo obtained from Uzumaki Ryoko was actually given to him by Uzumaki Ryoko. The information did not mention that Rasa was the big spender. It only stated that Rasa was a Magnet Release ninja who had awakened Magnet Release: Gold Sand and that he was currently under the protection of the Third Kazekage.

The reason Kirito didn't want to use Ryoko Uzumaki to tell Sakumo Hatake the complete information was that he hoped Sakumo Hatake would back down and not let the White Fang Squad carry out such a dangerous mission.

It's true that he's now highly skilled and daring, especially with his Lightning Release reaching level 5 and mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique. He's fully confident that even if he's exposed in Sunagakure, he can still escape.

However, the situation is different for Nawaki and Chizuru. The two lack strong escape methods, and if they fall into enemy encirclement in Sunagakure, they will definitely die.

Seeing that Chizuru and Kirito were reluctant to carry out the new mission, Sakumo Hatake sighed inwardly, then said expressionlessly, "The mission must be carried out, but..."

Chapter 185: Storm Release

"The mission must be completed, but the three of you do not need to carry it out. I will complete it alone."

Sakumo Hatake said calmly.

Kirito, Chizuru, and Nawaki all showed surprised expressions when they heard that Hatake Sakumo was going to complete this mission alone.

They had considered that Sakumo Hatake would force them to carry out this mission together, but they never expected that he would choose to shoulder everything alone.

After all, they had only spent a little over a week with Hatake Sakumo. Although they had fought together many times, their relationship had not yet reached the level of life-and-death friendship.

Because the danger they encountered was not a danger at all to Sakumo Hatake. In the ninja world, if he wanted to leave, basically no one could stop him.

Kirito and his two companions were speechless for a moment when they saw that Sakumo Hatake had chosen to carry out this extremely dangerous mission alone, and they all gave Sakumo Hatake complicated looks.

Nawaki is a Konoha ninja with a pure Will of Fire, and his beliefs do not allow him to ignore the danger his comrades are in.

He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and decisively stepped forward, saying loudly, "No, we are a team, and I, Shengshu, am not someone who is afraid of death. Count me in for this mission."

When Kirito heard what Nawaki said, a look of admiration flashed in his eyes.

While Rope Tree may not have been entirely reliable during this mission, and sometimes his impulsiveness made him a burden and caused unnecessary trouble, his character is commendable.

This willingness to risk one's life to help others is undoubtedly a dazzling display of humanity, and it is also the best manifestation of Rope Tree's personal charm.

Kirito's willingness to protect Nawaki is partly due to his desire to avoid upsetting his teacher and Tsunade, but Nawaki's precious qualities are also a very important reason.

Nawaki is like a little sun; with him around, Konoha will have hope, and people's hearts will be united.

“That’s right. We are a ninja team. Since the Third Hokage gave us this mission, Hatake-sensei shouldn’t have to take it all on alone. Count me in for this mission too. If I complete this mission, I will definitely become a great hero of Konoha.”

Kirito raised his hand and said with a smile.

"Hmph, the Uchiha clan is never afraid of death. I just felt that this mission was unreasonable for us, not that I wouldn't carry it out."

Chizuru said coldly, raising her hand somewhat awkwardly.

Sakumo Hatake was deeply moved by the choices Kirito and the other two made. He became even more convinced that his well-considered decision was correct. The three children before him were all outstanding and deserved his life to protect and nurture their growth.

He took a deep breath and said in a deliberately cold tone, "This task is not something that you three kids can complete. The three of you following me will only become a burden to me, especially you, Rope Tree. You're always clumsy and easily make mistakes, which will only cause unnecessary trouble."

"How could you talk like that, Mr. Hatake? I misjudged you."

Nawaki, having been hit where it hurt by Sakumo Hatake, immediately spoke angrily.

He admitted that he was the weakest member of the team, and because of him, the White Fang Squad had attracted a lot of trouble. However, he did not want this to happen, and he had been working very hard to improve his strength and make contributions in missions.

Moreover, he had just kindly tried to help Hatake Sakumo, but he didn't expect to be so disliked by Hatake Sakumo. He was quite disappointed and left angrily.

Upon seeing this, Kirito immediately and silently activated his telepathic communication technique, instructing Chizuru to keep an eye on Nawaki and prevent him from being alone with anything.

Chizuru heard Kirito's telepathic message and saw the pleading look in his eyes. She snorted coldly and reluctantly went to chase after Nawaki.

Soon, only Sakumo Hatake and Kirito remained in the room.

"Teacher Hatake, you deliberately drove Nawaki away, and I sent Chizuru away. Now it's just the two of us here. How about we have a frank discussion?"

After Chizuru left the room, Kirito spoke to Sakumo Hatake with a serious expression on his face.

He and Hatake Sakumo were well aware of how dangerous this mission was. Hatake Sakumo wanted to complete the mission alone, and while there was a possibility of success, there was a greater chance of failure, and he might even die.

Therefore, if Sakumo Hatake wants to complete his mission successfully, he needs a reliable helper.

After much thought, Kirito concluded that among the White Fang Squad, only he was capable of providing effective assistance to Hatake Sakumo, because he possessed the Spirit Transformation Technique, had excellent reconnaissance abilities, and now had mastered the Lightning Transformation Technique, making him an outstanding escaper. He could be considered the best scout.

Finally, his personal strength is also exceptionally strong, enabling him to share the burden of Sakumo Hatake during missions.

"Kirito, this mission is very dangerous. You are indeed a very good helper, but I don't want you to participate in this operation. This mission feels very strange to me. You are a smart kid, and you should understand that this mission is unusual."

Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo gave Kirito a deep look and sighed.

Regarding the recent events in Konoha, as soon as he returned to the battlefield camp, members of the Anbu came to him and told him about the mysterious Kage-level powerhouse who killed Danzo, as well as the Third Hokage's wish for him to take over as the new head of Root.

Sakumo Hatake was not interested in politics, and even had no desire to become Hokage. He only wanted to be a sword, a sword to eliminate all crises for Konoha, but that did not mean he was ignorant of politics.

He was a Kage-level shinobi in Konoha. Even if his strength was not quite as great as the Third Hokage's, it was still about the same.

Naturally, he often encountered many kind-hearted people.

Because of these kind-hearted people, he suffered a lot of injustices in silence, but it was also thanks to these kind-hearted people that he understood the filth and darkness within Konoha.

Over the years, he has been able to remain aloof from politics thanks to his strong power.

As an observer, he sometimes had a clearer understanding of the current situation in Konoha than those in power.

Danzo's death was clearly a result of an internal power struggle within Konoha.

The two sides in this game should be the Senju clan and the Third Generation.

Recalling what the White Fang Squad had encountered before, he quickly realized that this was Danzo's conspiracy, but he wasn't sure if the Third Hokage was behind it.

He was one of the people who knew about the cursed seal that Danzo had placed on him by the Third Hokage.

Therefore, it's hard for him not to believe that Danzo was instructed by the Third Hokage to frame Nawaki.

The Senju clan must have taken the risk of killing Danzo after learning that Danzo had framed Nawaki, as a warning to those within Konoha who also wanted Nawaki dead.

Hatake Sakumo was well aware of the importance of Rope Tree. He was the hope for the revival of the Senju clan and the seed for the resurgence of Konoha's Wood Release. If he died, the Senju clan would most likely decline.