Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Kirito's story of easily turning the tables on a special Jonin-level assassin was leaked by someone and quickly became known to all the major forces in the ninja world. His reputation as a genius of Konoha grew even stronger, attracting the attention of all the major forces in the ninja world.

Yamanaka Kumo, an elite Jonin of the Yamanaka clan, unexpectedly received a mysterious gift and then mysteriously disappeared in Konoha.

Mito Uzumaki was targeted in a meticulously planned assassination attempt by Sunagakure, but the attempt failed. As a result, Sunagakure lost an elite Jonin-level spy, who was said to be a high-ranking member of Konoha's intelligence department.

Kado, a former bankrupt shipping merchant, was able to rise again with the support of a high-ranking nobleman in the Land of Waves. He established a pharmaceutical company called Higanbana in the Land of Waves, with its headquarters located in the permanently neutral Kingdom of Ghosts. The various medicines produced by his company were favored by people from all countries because of their high quality and low price.

An organization called Night was secretly established in the Land of Waves and began to quietly grow and expand there, its tentacles extending to surrounding countries.

A high-ranking nobleman from the Land of Fire was assassinated, which alarmed the daimyo of the Land of Fire. The daimyo ordered the Konoha ninja to do everything in their power to find the murderer. Later, evidence of the nobleman's extensive corruption and treasonous intentions was revealed. The daimyo was furious, and the assassination case was eventually dropped.

Furthermore, goods belonging to several major merchant guilds in the Land of Waves were repeatedly robbed by unknown pirates during transport, resulting in heavy losses.

And many other things.

However, for Kirito, all the ups and downs of the outside world seemed to have nothing to do with him. In the eyes of others, he remained in the ivory tower of the medical team, constantly honing his medical ninjutsu. He lived a secluded life, oblivious to the world around him.

Now he is a qualified user of the Palm Healing Technique, and he has been officially assigned to work at the hospital, becoming a true medical ninja.

One month later, in the morning, Kirito was using Healing Palm Technique to treat a ninja with a severe arm injury in his small clinic when a sudden, excited shout came from outside: "Listen up, everyone! Amegakure has lost! We have won!"

After the shouts were heard, the news quickly spread throughout the hospital, and everyone cheered and shouted slogans such as "Long live Konoha," "We have won," and "Long live the Hokage."

"Dr. Kirito, did you hear that? We won! That's great! Now that we've defeated Amegakure, we can go all out against Sunagakure. With the support of such powerful ninjas as the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, we'll definitely be able to defeat Sunagakure very quickly."

The ninja who was receiving treatment from Kirito was equally excited and couldn't help but chat with him.

"Ah, that's really great. I hope the war will end soon. But for now, you'd better stay still."

Kirito said with a smile, then gently applied pressure to the patient's wound, instantly causing the patient to grimace in pain and become docile again.

The war ended.

This was certainly good news, and Kirito agreed. However, he didn't have much hope that Konoha would be able to defeat Sunagakure soon after the battle in the Land of Rain ended.

How could Sand Village compare to the insignificant Rain Village?

This ninja village, built amidst the wind and sand, possesses immense war potential. The ninjas born from it are incredibly resilient, and it also possesses the Tailed Beasts, a nuclear weapon in the ninja world, whose ferocity far surpasses that of Amegakure.

Moreover, Sunagakure is currently led by the Third Kazekage, a Kage-level powerhouse known as the strongest Kazekage, and is assisted by two other Kage-level powerhouses, Chiyo and Ebizo. Sunagakure is now basically united and is at its peak.

If Konoha wants to defeat Sunagakure like this, it will have to pay a price several times, or even ten times, greater than what it paid on the battlefield in the Land of Rain to achieve its long-cherished wish.

In short, the shadow of war is far from over Konoha.

While the entire village of Konoha was celebrating their victory, a meeting of Konoha's highest decision-making body was being held in the office of Konoha's supreme leader.

"Hiruzen, how could you possibly agree to such an outrageous request? How can you face the many compatriots who died on the battlefield in the Land of Rain?"

One of the Hokage's advisors, Senju Momoka, blushed with anger and pointed her finger at the Third Hokage's nose, cursing loudly.

Konoha won the war against Amegakure, but it was a false victory. Konoha did not obtain the war reparations it deserved from Amegakure.

The reason for all of this was that Konoha's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, decided to agree to Amegakure's demand for surrender without compensation.

He actually agreed to such an outrageous and unreasonable request.

As a relatively moderate militant compared to Danzo, Momoka stated that she could neither understand nor accept such a demand for surrender.

“Momoka, this is a last resort. If Hiruzen doesn’t agree, Hanzo will definitely continue to let Amegakure fight. The Land of Rain is a quagmire now. We’ve been stuck in it for too long. If we don’t stop the damage, we’ll only suffer more losses.”

Mitokado advised.

"Indeed, fighting on two fronts is too much for Konoha. The logistics are already struggling to keep up, and there is a shortage of supplies on the battlefield. We must end the battle in the Land of Rain as soon as possible so that Konoha can catch its breath."

Moreover, the Land of Rain is merely a buffer zone for Konoha, and Amegakure doesn't have anything of value to offer. It would be better to agree to this condition and end the war in the Land of Rain as soon as possible.

We are at a disadvantage in our battle against Sunagakure, both in terms of direct combat and intelligence. We must end the battle in the Land of Rain as soon as possible to free up our troops stationed there and send them to reinforce the battle in the Land of Wind.

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, also chimed in with her advice.

“I understand what you’re saying, but how are you going to explain this to the many compatriots who died? Is their sacrifice only enough to bring about this false victory? Do you think the compatriots who fought bloody battles against the enemy on the battlefield of the Land of Rain would agree to this request?”

We can accept surrender, but we absolutely cannot accept this unreasonable surrender. Have you not considered how other ninja villages will view us if we agree to such outrageous surrender demands? In the future, even small ninja villages might dare to challenge the prestige of Konoha.”

Tao Hua argued forcefully and refused to back down an inch.

"Momoka, now is not the time to act rashly. If we lose the war against Sunagakure, that will be a disaster for Konoha. Compared to winning against Sunagakure, losing a little money and honor is nothing. Don't worry, I will take full responsibility for this."

The Third Hokage spoke in an unquestionable tone, displaying the authority of the Hokage for the first time in front of Momoka.

"I disagree, I absolutely disagree."

Upon hearing this, Tao Hua's expression changed, but she still insisted on her own opinion.

Upon seeing this, the third generation sighed inwardly and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for his old comrade-in-arms, Danzo.

If Danzo were here, he would certainly have strongly opposed it at first, but he would never have been as irrational as Momoka, and in the end he would have chosen to compromise for the sake of the overall situation.

He began to feel that it was a mistake to agree to Mito's compromise terms and make Momoka a Hokage advisor.

"Since there is a disagreement, let's decide by vote."

The third generation decisively used the voting system as a powerful tool to shut Momoka up.

According to convention, the Hokage has two votes in a resolution, and his proposal will only be rejected if all three Hokage advisors oppose him.

Momoka, of course, understood the Third Hokage's purpose, and immediately trembled with anger. With a face full of grief and indignation, she shouted at the Third Hokage, "Hiruzen, you will regret this."

"I am the Hokage."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage immediately blurted out those words without thinking.

Chapter 76: Konoha F3

With the vote in hand, and with the help of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Momoka couldn't change anything no matter how much she disagreed. She could only slam the door and leave in anger, wanting to avoid seeing or hearing about it.

"Hmph, this woman's temper is as stubborn as ever. If all the ninjas in Konoha were as unreasonable as her, they would have been finished long ago. Hiruzen, you shouldn't have made her the Hokage's advisor in the first place."

After Tao Hua left, Xiao Chun turned to her room and sneered.

She had the strongest opinion about Momoka becoming a Hokage advisor, but unfortunately, due to the circumstances at the time, she could only remain silent.

But things are different now. Mito is about to pass away, and the Senju clan has lost its biggest backer. It's hard to say whether Momoka can hold onto her position as Hokage's advisor.

"Don't say that, Xiaochun. Taohua's intentions are good. She's right. This decision will definitely cause a lot of opposition from the martial arts faction in the village. Their voices should not be underestimated. Taohua is now one of the representatives of the martial arts faction, and she is also a member of the Thousand Hands clan. If she can help us appease these martial arts factions, then the pressure on our side will be much less."

Mitokado Hō disagreed with Utatane Koharu's point of view.

He didn't actually agree with this outrageous demand for surrender, but he had no choice but to do so for the sake of the overall situation.

Once upon a time, he was also a radical Konoha ninja.

"Alright, this matter is settled. Even if Momoka disagrees, she can't change the situation. Lady Mito is a reasonable person, and she will definitely step in to persuade Momoka after she finds out about this. Our next focus is on discussing how to deal with Sunagakure."

The third generation looked displeased towards the door, then turned to his two old classmates and said...

“Indeed, Momoka should listen to Lady Mito’s words. In that case, the pressure from those martial arts ninjas will be much less. As for Sunagakure, once the battle in the Land of Rain is completely over, we must give them a heavy blow. Otherwise, these mud-legged bastards who grew up eating yellow sand will think that Konoha is easy to bully.”

When Mitokado Homura heard the Third Hokage say this, a smile appeared on his face, and he sneered.

The reason why Konoha suffered repeated defeats and was at a disadvantage on the battlefield in the Land of Wind was largely because Konoha had to allocate a large number of its troops to the battlefield in the Land of Rain, making it impossible to concentrate most of its forces to deal with Sunagakure. Otherwise, with Konoha's strength, how could Sunagakure have been allowed to run rampant?

"The defeat on the battlefield in the Land of Wind was certainly related to the fact that some of Konoha's forces were diverted to the battlefield in the Land of Rain, but the failure in intelligence was also key. Hiruzen, we must pay attention to the battlefield behind enemy lines. The conditions in Sunagakure are far inferior to ours. If we can disrupt their supply lines, it will definitely speed up our victory."

Koharu, who was in the same room as Homura Mitokado, was not optimistic. After a moment of contemplation, she expressed her concerns.

Mitokado Homura and the Third Generation both fell silent, naturally understanding the unspoken meaning in Koharu Utatane's words.

When it comes to infiltrating enemy lines and carrying out sabotage, if we're talking about who in Konoha is best at it, then Danzo is undoubtedly the one.

Before Danzo stepped down, he did just that, and the results were quite good. It was because of the Root organization he led that they carried out sabotage behind enemy lines by any means and provided a lot of useful intelligence that Konoha was able to fight Sunagakure to a standstill and not be at a disadvantage.

However, since Danzo stepped down, Konoha's intelligence and behind-enemy-lines operations have fallen into a slump, leading to a series of defeats in Konoha's battles against Sunagakure recently.

"Xiaochun's suggestion is very good. I will consider this issue and will order someone to handle it as soon as possible. Let's talk about the personnel arrangements after the end of the Rain Country battlefield."

After much deliberation, the Third Hokage decided that it was inappropriate to allow Danzo to regain power at this time, so he decided to postpone the matter and change the subject.

With Lord Mito still alive, allowing Danzo to return would be far too much of a challenge to the Senju, Uchiha, and other ninja clans in the village, plunging the village into panic and internal strife.

It's best to keep Danzo, this vicious dog, in a cage for now.

Upon hearing this, Koharu, who was in the tucked-up room, immediately understood what the Third Generation meant. She snorted coldly and said nothing more.

She was well aware of the Third Hokage's concerns, and now was indeed not a good time to release Danzo.

But understanding is one thing, being unhappy is another. She is currently very unhappy with the third generation's perfunctory attitude.

What are the considerations, and what will be addressed as soon as possible?

If this were so easy to resolve, she wouldn't have brought it up.

Didn't she know the power at the hands of the Third Hokage? Apart from the Sarutobi clan's ninjas, the only ones he could freely command were the Anbu ninjas under his command.

She didn't consider the Sarutobi clan ninjas; as for why, she knew perfectly well.

As for the ninjas in the Anbu, their numbers are extremely limited. Just using them to monitor the situation in the village leaves very few people. And if you include those who go out to hunt down rogue ninjas, it's practically impossible to spare enough manpower for intelligence gathering and behind-enemy-lines operations.

She really didn't know how to evaluate the Third Hokage, who left the power of the Root unused and wouldn't let anyone else take over that power.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

"Ahem, once the battle in the Land of Rain is over, the ninjas there will be temporarily recalled in batches to recuperate for a while. The climate in the Land of Rain is very unfriendly to us Konoha ninjas, and many of them have fallen ill."

Mitomon coughed a few times to ease the atmosphere and then shared his thoughts.

"This is a good suggestion. They do need to rest and recuperate for a while, and they have returned with a great victory, so various rewards need to be arranged."

The third generation nodded, echoing Mitokado Homura's suggestion.

“I agree with the proposal, but Hiruzen, what’s wrong with your good apprentice? He’s an important fighting force in the village, but instead of coming back to recuperate, receive the treatment of a hero, and go back to work, he went to take care of orphans in the enemy country. Doesn’t that count as aiding the enemy?”

"Turn to bed," Xiaochun said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the third generation was immediately displeased and didn't know how to respond.

Orochimaru was the one who had the problem before, now it's Jiraiya's turn.

The two disciples he trained were indeed outstanding, but they were not steady enough in their actions. Because of what Orochimaru had done before, it was basically impossible for him to become Hokage. He had originally wanted to support Jiraiya to become Hokage, but he turned out to be another troublesome one.

It seems that Tsunade is indeed the best and most reassuring daughter to him.

Although his disciple was a troublesome person, he still had to protect him. He absolutely could not allow Jiraiya to suffer such a huge stain as Orochimaru.

So, the Third Hokage decisively used the tactic of changing the subject again: "I will handle Jiraiya's matter. I will definitely not let him continue to act recklessly. Let's continue to discuss the arrangements for the important personnel after the battle in the Land of Rain."