Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

She only learned about the escalating rumors in the village after she sobered up, and after understanding the situation, she immediately went to the third generation.

In Konoha, the Hokage is the most prestigious person. If the Third Hokage were willing to stand up for Kirito at this time, the rumors, even if they still couldn't be stopped, certainly wouldn't be as serious as they are now.

"Calm down, Tsunade. Of course, I won't stand idly by regarding these rumors, and I will definitely stand up personally to refute them for Kirito. However, the situation in Konoha is really very bad right now. You should know about the protest letter, right? It's real."

The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade, whose face was full of anger, and said with a headache.

"So what? Kirito's situation is the most important thing to solve now. If Kirito continues to be slandered by those disgusting people in the village, it will not only make Kirito disappointed in Konoha, but also make his comrades who fought bloody battles against the enemy on the battlefield disappointed in Konoha."

If your comrades on the battlefield are disappointed in Konoha, do you think Konoha can withstand the pressure from other ninja villages? Can't you tell what's more important?"

Tsunade ignored the Third Hokage's complaints and continued to have him deal with Kirito's problems first.

She knew her teacher's personality all too well. Ever since he became Hokage, his ability to smooth things over had only grown stronger. If she didn't strike while the iron was hot and get the Third Hokage to deal with the rumors, he would definitely drag it out for days, or even more than ten days, before taking any action.

Since Kirito's reputation is meaningless to the Third Hokage, it would actually be very beneficial for him to continue to spread the rumors.

For the third generation, catching the spies who spread the rumors was more important than clearing Kirito's name.

Undoubtedly, the reason this rumor spread so quickly was not only due to the cooperation and instigation of certain scoundrels within the village, but also to the contributions of spies from other ninjas hidden in the village.

Therefore, this rumor presents a good opportunity to capture spies from other ninja villages.

However, in Tsunade's view, if the Third Hokage chose to do so, it would be a case of penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Kirito is now a hero of Konoha. If Konoha does something so unfair to Kirito, it will not only chill Kirito's heart, but also the hearts of the soldiers on the battlefield.

They risked their lives for Konoha, only to have their reputations ruined by rumors. This is an intolerable thing for any Konoha ninja who has risked their lives for the village.

When the Third Hokage heard Tsunade say this, he fell silent, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He understood Tsunade's words, of course.

However, if he really does what Tsunade said and stands up to endorse Kirito now, what will the Sarutobi clan think of him?

Regardless of whether the Sarutobi clan has lost control, their support was crucial to his becoming Hokage.

"Teacher, don't hesitate any longer. Could it be that this rumor is really being manipulated by the Sarutobi clan?"

Seeing that the Third Hokage was still hesitating, Tsunade questioned him coldly, staring intently into his eyes.

"Shut up! Do you know what you're saying?"

Upon hearing this, the third generation was immediately enraged and shouted loudly.

"Then what are you still hesitating about, teacher? As the head of the Sarutobi clan, by endorsing Kirito, can you not only clear the rumors that the Sarutobi clan is behind them?"

Tsunade went all out and retorted on the spot, refusing to back down.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage stared blankly at Tsunade, pointed at her with a trembling finger, and then showed deep weariness on his face.

My son is disobedient, and now even my sweet little girl is disobedient.

Nothing goes smoothly at all.

For a moment, the third generation felt extremely distressed and wished they could destroy everything.

He's really exhausted right now.

Being the Hokage was incredibly difficult for him.

"Teacher, a mistake is a mistake. If we keep indulging in mistakes, the consequences will only get worse. Danzo has already paid the price for his mistakes. I don't want you to do the same. Let's stop this mistake here. I beg you."

Seeing the Third Hokage's exhausted state, Tsunade felt a pang of pity and sighed.

"I see, you go out."

The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade, and seeing the disappointment and pain in her eyes, nodded.

Tsunade didn't leave; she watched the Third Hokage without saying a word.

She won't leave until she receives the most accurate answer from the third generation.

The Third Hokage felt a pang of pain in his heart upon seeing this. He understood Tsunade's meaning, but he hadn't expected that Tsunade's distrust of him had reached such a level.

The next moment, he formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone.

Fine, let him put an end to this rumor himself.

Little Cotton-padded Jacket is right. Mistakes should not be tolerated again and again. The Sarutobi clan does need to be disciplined and requires a major overhaul.

"A secret letter from the Third Generation Lord."

Suddenly, an ANBU ninja wearing a dog-head mask appeared and spoke to the Third Hokage in an anxious tone.

The Third Hokage immediately took the secret letter handed over by the Anbu ninja. Without avoiding Tsunade, he opened the scroll in front of her, then his expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Pass on my order: immediately dispatch two thousand more ninjas to the border of the Land of Rain to stand by."

"Ha~"

The ANBU ninja obeyed the order and then used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear.

"Teacher, what happened?"

Seeing the Third Hokage's anxious and grave expression, and noting that he had also sent additional troops to support the border of the Land of Rain, Tsunade realized that something serious had happened. Her expression turned serious as she asked him what was going on.

"The Hidden Clouds invade the Land of Rain."

The third generation took a deep breath and answered.

"what!"

Tsunade was immediately shocked, then a thoughtful expression appeared on her face as she began to ponder the reasons for the Cloud Village's invasion of the Rain Country.

However, she lacked sufficient information to deduce why the Hidden Cloud Village would suddenly invade the Land of Rain.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the invasion of the Land of Rain by the Hidden Clouds is definitely not good news for Konoha, because the Land of Rain is connected to Konoha, and the route taken by the Hidden Clouds to invade the Land of Rain is very close to that of the Land of Fire.

Furthermore, judging from their apparent strength, Amegakure is no match for Kumogakure, and defeat is only a matter of time.

Once the Hidden Cloud Village defeats the Hidden Rain Village, who will be its next target?

Upon this thought, Tsunade immediately thought of the protest letter and deduced in her mind: "The ultimate goal of Kumogakure is Konoha. The invasion of the Land of Rain is a preparation for the invasion of the Land of Fire."

"Tsunade, the Cloud Village is coming with great force. Their invasion of the Rain Country at this time is definitely not simple. I suspect they want to boost morale by defeating the Rain Village before attacking our Konoha. Or perhaps the invasion of the Rain Country is just a pretext to use as a route to invade the Fire Country. Our defenses on the border between the Fire Country and the Rain Country are relatively weak right now. I hope you can set off to provide support immediately. Also, tell Jiraiya to come back right away."

Before Tsunade could state her deduction, the Third Hokage solemnly gave her an order.

Tsunade knew the gravity of the situation, so she agreed without hesitation. However, she didn't leave immediately but instead turned her attention to the Third Hokage's shadow clone.

"Get to work immediately. I'll handle the rumors."

The third generation said with a cold face.

As soon as he finished speaking, he sent his shadow clone away.

Seeing that the Third Hokage's shadow clone had left, Tsunade had no reason to stay any longer and quickly left the Hokage Building, heading towards the hospital.

Before leaving Konoha, she needed to explain a few things.

At the same time, news of the Cloud Village's invasion of the Rain Country spread rapidly throughout Konoha, temporarily suppressing the rumors that were originally the hottest topic in Konoha.

Many people gloated over this, while others felt deeply worried.

In the underground headquarters of the new Root organization in Konoha, in the leader's office.

Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Sarutobi Takashi gathered here.

At this moment, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had anxious and serious expressions on their faces, as they were worried about the Cloud Village's invasion of the Land of Rain.

As advisors to the Hokage, the two naturally had an extraordinary sense of war. Upon hearing the news, they quickly realized that the Cloud Village's invasion of the Rain Country was likely not what it seemed, and that they probably wanted to launch an attack on Konoha after a major victory.

"The rumors must be stopped as soon as possible."

Mitokado Homura was the first to break the silence, staring sharply at Sarutobi Takashi.

"That's right. Sunagakure has been hurt badly by Konoha and doesn't dare to make any rash moves for the time being. If they want to resist the invasion of Kumogakure, they must call back their troops."

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, seconded the suggestion and explained her reasons.

Neither of them were blind or deaf. They would never believe that the rumors had nothing to do with the Sarutobi clan. The only person who could keep these underhanded actions from the Third Hokage was Sarutobi Takashi, the leader of the Anbu.

In order to obtain Danzo's legacy, they secretly contacted Sarutobi Takashi and successfully gained his support, whose interests were very much aligned with theirs. They then began to secretly try to make contact with the old Root.

It was precisely because of Ryu Sarutobi's cover that the new Root was able to secretly make contact with the old Root without the Third Hokage's knowledge.

Sarutobi Takashi didn't answer, he just stared coldly at the two of them.

"Kirito Tohsaka is now a key player on the battlefield. If he doesn't put in the effort, it will cause huge losses to Konoha. It's unwise to offend him now."

Seeing that Sarutobi Takashi did not answer, Mitokado Homura explained.

War is war, but internal strife is internal strife. Once war breaks out, the internal strife should be temporarily ended; this is the wisest choice.

“Our war with Sunagakure is not over yet. I think it’s good to keep Kirito Tohsaka on the battlefield in the Land of Wind. With him there, Sunagakure will not dare to make any rash moves. We can call Orochimaru and the other elites back now.”

Sarutobi Takashi disagreed with Mitokado Homura's words and expressed his own thoughts.

"You can't go against people's hearts. Kirito Tohsaka has a high reputation in the front-line ninja forces. You can't just focus your attention on him alone."

Upon hearing this, Xiaochun, who was turning over to her dorm, reminded her.

"Ryu, if you want to accomplish great things, it is foolish to go against the will of the people. Also, never forget the lesson of Danzo."

Mitokado then offered a reminder.

The two of them are now practically inseparable from Sarutobi Takashi; their fates are intertwined, so they don't want to see him become a liability.

Every step leaves a trace.

The Senju clan will eventually find out the truth behind this rumor. If Sarutobi Takashi doesn't stop soon, he will only leave more traces, allowing the Senju clan to discover the truth even faster.

Sarutobi Takashi might not be afraid of the Senju clan's decapitation tactics, but those two old guys are.

Their joint research with the former Root members on the Sharingan and Wood Release has only just begun. They haven't yet gained enough power to contend with the Senju clan. For now, it's enough to use rumors to tarnish Kirito Tohsaka's reputation.

You should stop when it's time to stop.

Sarutobi Takashi wasn't stupid; he was just unwilling to give up his revenge against the Senju clan.

But he eventually listened to what Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu said, and his cold expression softened. He nodded and said, "I know what to do. By the way, if Konoha really goes to war with Kumogakure this time, I want the Uchiha clan to be the main force. What do you think?"

"Of course not."

"You're playing with fire."

The next moment, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu objected one after the other.

Are you kidding me? Sending members of the Uchiha clan to the battlefield?