Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

“I also think Kurosawa is more suitable. Young people are energetic and ambitious. He definitely wants to advance further in Sunagakure. Moreover, he is now talking to Konoha as a representative of surrender. So he can basically only stand on Konoha’s side in the future. Even if he has his own little schemes, as long as our interests are aligned, we are not afraid that he will not cooperate with us.”

Mitokado Homura also had a strong desire for control, and he also chose Kurosawa as their agent in Sunagakure.

After the two spoke, the third generation still did not directly state his choice, but looked at Momoka to see her opinion.

Seeing this, Momoka shook her head and said, "Kurosago is certainly easier to control than Sand Cloud, but who can predict the future? The situation in the ninja world is changing very fast now, unlike before. I believe that only what we have in our hands is the best. Choosing Kurosago is for long-term planning, but how long do you think it will take for Sand Village to truly be of one mind with us?"

Sha Yun is different. Not only is he a spineless coward, but he also holds a high position in Sunagakure. Once Chiyo dies, he will be the highest-ranking person in Sunagakure. Only if he makes a promise to us in Sunagakure will we in Konoha have a great chance to gain substantial benefits.

In the long run and in the present, that is the difference between black sand and sand clouds.

The three generations understood what Momoka meant and fell silent, beginning to consider the pros and cons.

“Momoka is right. The situation in the ninja world has changed too much. Konoha is in a difficult situation and must be replenished from other places as soon as possible. I personally prefer to choose Sand Cloud, but we can keep Kurosawa as a backup for the time being.”

A moment later, the third generation made a decision.

His words were partly motivated by public good and partly by personal gain. Konoha's financial situation was indeed not good. Although they received a large number of requests, the problem was that most of the capable ninjas were sent to the battlefield, and no one was available to do the work.

Therefore, in order to alleviate the financial pressure, Konoha urgently needs to obtain financial support from other places.

Sunagakure is indeed poor, but this is only in comparison to major ninja villages like Konoha. If Konoha could receive a financial boost from Sunagakure, its financial pressure would definitely be greatly alleviated.

If Konoha could bring over that Magnet Release ninja named Rasa later, that would be even better.

As for his personal motives, he desperately needs to produce impressive achievements to enhance his prestige in Konoha. As the Hokage, it's unacceptable for his prestige to be lower than that of a younger generation. He must reverse this situation to prepare for a series of subsequent plans.

Dealing with the hidden dangers within the Anbu and the Sarutobi clan is imperative, and for this, he needs new forces.

While his family was important, Konoha was the treasure he valued most. Konoha could not decline under his leadership; on the contrary, he wanted to witness Konoha regain its status as the dominant force in the ninja world under his guidance.

All three generations stood up to support Momoka's opinion, and Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado naturally couldn't go against the third generation, so they acquiesced to the third generation's decision.

Thus, a plan to blackmail Sunagakure was completed.

……

Because Kirito, a butterfly with a great influence, is flapping his wings so vigorously, many people are destined to have trouble sleeping tonight.

For example, Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, is currently looking at a newly delivered urgent intelligence report with a worried expression. The report states that Sunagakure is likely to surrender to Konoha.

"These guys who grew up eating sandstorms are really good at changing their tune. They've already given up so quickly. One Kage just died, and now a whole bunch of spineless cowards have appeared. It seems that most of the tough guys in Sunagakure are dead."

Onoki angrily threw the intelligence report in his hand to the ground, then stomped on it several times, cursing the people of Sunagakure for being shameless and spineless.

Huang Tu was also in Tu Ying's office at this time. Seeing his father like this, he was not good with words and did not know how to comfort him. He could only look to his wife, Hong Tu, for help.

Hongtu noticed her husband's pleading look and glared at him with some disdain.

The Tsuchikage is angry right now; asking her to comfort him would only provoke him further.

But seeing her husband's frequent pleading looks, she had no choice but to step forward and comfort him:

"Lord Tsuchikage, please calm down. The situation in Sunagakure is indeed very bad. The death of the Third Kazekage must have been a great shock to Sunagakure. In Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage should be the biggest martial arts ninja. Now that he has fallen, it is not surprising that many spineless people will emerge."

But Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure is still alive. She is the leader of the martial arts faction and currently Sunagakure's only Kage-level shinobi. With her alive, Sunagakure will remain the same Sunagakure that is tough on Konoha.

Onoki was well aware of Kurotsuchi's words, but what he was worried about now was that Chiyo might not be able to return to Sunagakure, because she was currently in Konoha's headquarters. If Konoha were to shamelessly take advantage of the situation and attack Chiyo, she would definitely be in grave danger.

"Lord Tsuchikage, you must be worried about Chiyo's safety right now. If you're worried that Konoha will attack Chiyo, why don't we, the Hidden Stone Village, step in to mediate the war between Konoha and Sunagakure and facilitate peace talks between them? Even if we fail, we can still send a signal to Konoha and Sunagakure that we, the Hidden Stone Village, support Sunagakure. We can have the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Mist Village work together with us, the Hidden Stone Village."

Seeing that Onoki remained silent and still frowning, Kurotsuchi continued speaking.

Upon hearing his daughter-in-law's suggestion, Onoki's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He turned to look at Kurotsuchi and asked, "Are you confident that this will prevent Konoha from taking action against Chiyo?"

"I'm not sure either. If Konoha really has no shame and attacks Chiyo, there's nothing we Iwagakure can do. We can't help a fire that's already in the air. But at least we're showing our stance, which should make Konoha back down. I estimate that Konoha, which prides itself on being the number one ninja village, still has some sense of shame. If it were those savage bastards from Kumogakure, they would have already attacked Chiyo."

Hongtu shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"I understand, let me think about it."

Onoki sighed, then lowered his head in thought.

He quickly made a decision; he decided to try the red soil method, as a last resort.

"Lord Tsuchikage, if Konoha lets Chiyo leave, we must prepare to provide support now. Even if Konoha lets Chiyo leave, they will definitely not give up hunting her down, and the force they send to hunt her down will be very strong. If we don't go to support her, she will most likely be dead."

After receiving Onoki's order, Kurotsuchi gave a reminder.

Upon hearing that someone was to be sent to rescue Chiyo, Onoki's slightly relaxed brows furrowed again. Expressing his stance was one thing, but sending someone to provide support was another. The former required almost no cost, but the latter was different; if one was not careful, the invested capital could be lost entirely.

And the one who went to rescue was Chiyo, that old woman from Sunagakure. What kind of nonsense is this?

That wretched old woman from Sunagakure has caused Iwagakure no end of trouble over the years. Now they're being asked to rescue an enemy, and they might even get a free ride. The thought of it makes him feel terrible.

"Lord Tsuchikage, Konoha is currently very powerful, and Kirito Tohsaka will only grow stronger in the future. If Sunagakure falls now, it may even side with Konoha. Then we Iwagakure will have a hard time in the future, since we, Sunagakure and Konoha, are only separated by the Land of Rain."

Seeing that Onoki was hesitant about supporting Chiyo, Akatsuchi expressed his concerns.

The death of the Third Kazekage not only shocked the people of Sunagakure, but also shocked her, a high-ranking member of Iwagakure, and even gave rise to a sense of fear.

The news that a Kage of a major ninja village had died, and at the hands of an 11-year-old ninja, was truly horrifying.

Kirito Tohsaka was only 11 years old when he was able to do such an amazing thing. What would he be like in the future? She couldn't help but think about this question.

Based on the information she had gathered about Kirito Tohsaka in recent days, she believed that he was very dangerous and an ambitious young man, as evidenced by the fact that he had not taken any extreme actions despite his reputation being slandered.

Later, he became the frontline commander-in-chief, officially intervening in Konoha's military and rising to the top ranks of Konoha.

Judging from the current situation, his actions against Sunagakure and the killing of the Third Kazekage were likely a way of showing others that underhanded tactics would not bring him down, and that he remains a respected hero of Konoha.

Indeed, this was the case. Once the news of Kirito Tohsaka killing the Third Kazekage spread throughout Konoha, public opinion about him would immediately change.

As long as such a person doesn't die, it's only a matter of time before he takes control of Konoha. What will he do once he has control of Konoha?

After much thought, she concluded that there was likely only one answer: to lead Konoha to dominate the ninja world.

And Iwagakure is one of the obstacles to Konoha's dominance of the ninja world.

By then, will Iwagakure really be able to rebel against Konoha?

The problems that Kurotsuchi saw, how could Onoki, the leader of Iwagakure, not see them? He just had a psychological hurdle he couldn't overcome; in his heart, he actually hoped that Chiyo would die.

If he didn't know tonight that Sunagakure might surrender to Konoha, he would be happy to watch Chiyo die at Konoha's hands, and then he could justifiably send troops to invade the Land of Wind and seize the oasis in the north of the Land of Wind.

But unfortunately not if.

He hadn't expected Sunagakure to soften so quickly; the Third Kazekage had just died, and voices of surrender were already emerging within the village.

Peace talks and surrender are two different things. In the former, both sides are equal, while in the latter, it is completely one-sided. Once Sunagakure surrenders to Konoha, Konoha will definitely gain a lot of benefits from Sunagakure and strengthen itself.

With the war over, Konoha was able to recuperate and reap numerous benefits. Given Konoha's resources, the troops lost in the war are expected to be replenished quickly, and may even surpass previous losses.

A peaceful Konoha is not what Iwagakure wants to see, and they certainly don't want Sunagakure to fall and become Konoha's pawns in their fight against Iwagakure.

"Damn it, that damned old puppet woman, you Sand Village people are all useless trash."

Ōnoki was not swayed by personal emotions. He rationally chose what was in Iwagakure's best interest, and then shouted angrily.

Next, he asked Kurotsuchi to prepare for supporting Chiyo, and also asked Kurotsuchi to inform Kumogakure of the plan to support Chiyo.

They can't be left to bear the brunt of being taken advantage of and taking risks all by themselves.

"Lord Tsuchikage, there's been a new development in the Land of Rain. A ninja force of unknown origin has entered the Land of Rain. There are quite a few of them, over a thousand, and each one of them is quite strong. They helped the Rain Ninja repel the Cloud Village's all-out attack on Amegakure."

After Hongtu left, Huangtu hesitated for a moment and stammered.

He had been in charge of intelligence work in the Land of Rain, and not long ago, he received the latest news about the Land of Rain from his subordinates.

However, compared to the defeat of Sunagakure and the death of the Third Kazekage, Amegakure's victory over a probing attack by Kumogakure with the help of an unknown ninja force was far less significant, so he didn't rush to report it to his father.

Now that his father has dealt with the situation in Sunagakure, it's time for him to tell him the news.

"What! Rain Village has sent reinforcements!"

Onoki was surprised when he heard the news.

……

Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, at the Cloud Village headquarters, seven or eight kilometers outside Amegakure, the Third Raikage was roaring in the command center: "Can anyone tell me where this ninja force came from? So many powerful ninjas have suddenly appeared on the battlefield. What are the reconnaissance department people doing?"

In order to defeat Amegakure as soon as possible, he transferred more troops from Kumogakure and other places to the Land of Rain, and also transferred his son, a Kage-level fighter, to keep an eye on Hattori Masanari.

The result of this was that the Cloud Village swept through the battlefield with unstoppable momentum. In just two days, they reached the Rain Village, practically besieging it.

He originally intended to crush Amegakure in one fell swoop today, but unexpectedly a highly powerful ninja force suddenly appeared on the flank of the battlefield, causing today's attack to be thwarted, resulting in failure and the loss of many manpower.

"I'm so sorry, Boss, I confess. Execute me, but I beg to die on the battlefield."

The head of the investigation department, looking ashamed, said that he did not shirk responsibility and took all the blame upon himself.

"Your request has been approved. From now on, you are a member of the Vanguard Squad. However, you do not need to report for duty yet. I need you to tell me the information about that ninja unit now."

When the Third Raikage saw that the head of the Investigation Department was taking the blame, he stopped criticizing him and asked with a cold face.

"The enemy came from the nearby river. They were very deep in the water, which is why they were able to avoid the senses of our sensory ninjas. When we launched a full-scale attack on Amegakure, they came out to ambush us, which is why we suffered heavy losses in Kumogakure."

According to our people, these guys are likely those despicable island ninjas, some of whom used the Hozuki clan's water transformation technique.

The head of the investigation department, who had been stripped of his position, said through gritted teeth.

Chapter 225: The Power Comparison Between Kumogakure and Konoha, Tsunade's Dilemma

"What?! It's those bastards from Kirigakure!"

The Third Raikage was a man who trusted his subordinates, and when he heard the head of the Investigation Department say this, his anger flared up even more.

The Hidden Cloud Village is located in the northeastern part of the continent, far from the center. Over the years, due to its banditry, the Hidden Cloud Village has had deep conflicts with various forces in the ninja world. The reason it has not been destroyed is because of its own strength and its poverty.

If the Land of Wind, where Sunagakure is located, could not develop due to a severe lack of water resources, then the Land of Clouds could not develop simply because it lacked various resources. The Land of Lightning's terrain is mountainous, and these are all resource-poor mountain ranges.

Because their own country was poor in resources, the Hidden Cloud Village had no choice but to plunder in order to develop and strengthen themselves. They not only plundered resources, but also seized people, bloodline limits, and ninjutsu. They would take anything of value.

Therefore, the small countries surrounding the Land of Lightning are all having a hard time.

However, over the years, the Cloud Village has repeatedly suffered setbacks at the hands of the Mist Village.

The Land of Lightning is not lacking in wise people. They realized that their local resources were insufficient and that simply plundering neighboring countries was not a permanent solution and would inevitably arouse public outrage sooner or later. So they turned their attention to the ocean.

Compared to the mainland, the ocean is equally rich in resources and is a treasure trove that has not yet been extensively developed.

Moreover, there are numerous overseas islands, and perhaps one of them is a resource-rich island that can meet the development needs of the Land of Lightning.

Finally, their banditry expanded to the sea.

Thanks to the suggestions of insightful individuals, the shipping industry quickly became one of the pillar industries of the Land of Lightning, bringing substantial profits to the country.