Naruto: From Fake to Real, Deceiving the Ninja World.

"So far, what Yun Chuan has shown is a courage, wisdom and sense of responsibility for the village that far exceed his age, rather than ambition and threats."

"Unless there is conclusive evidence that he will harm Konoha, he is the Fifth Hokage recognized by Konoha and deserves our unwavering support and trust!"

“And you should understand,” Jiraiya stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, “that having you, an experienced Hokage, personally lead the exploration of the dungeon is the safest and most suitable choice.”

"But because of your baseless suspicions, because of your fear and wariness of Yun Chuan, you have given up on your duties as an advisor."

"The reason I feel disappointed is that the Hokage cannot trust his comrades."

The last sentence struck Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart like a heavy hammer, draining all the color from his face.

Could it be that I was really wrong?

Am I being too suspicious and losing the courage to trust?

The thought had barely formed when it was forcefully suppressed by an even stronger stubbornness deep within him.

No! That's not right! I know Danzo too well; he must have obtained the Caged Bird Seal!

"I will find the evidence." Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly raised his head. "I'm going to find Danzo and confront him face to face. Knowing his personality, as soon as I ask him, he will definitely..."

"and then?"

A cold and impatient voice interrupted him without any mercy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly turned his head to look at Tsunade, who had spoken.

She crossed her arms and stared straight at him: "Even if your suspicions are true, even if Danzo frankly admits to you that he controlled Hyuga Kumokawa."

Tsunade paused for a moment, then said, word by word, "And then?"

"Jiraiya and I will help you temporarily subdue Hyuga Kumokawa, depriving Danzo of the opportunity to control him. So, what's next..."

Her gaze was fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi's frozen face as she asked, "Can you bring yourself to kill Danzo on the spot and eliminate this threat forever?"

"Or, you and Jiraiya can restrain Hyuga Kumokawa, and I can go and kill that old man."

"I could do it, but would you allow it?"

"No, you won't allow it." A mocking smile appeared on Tsunade's face. "You'll definitely stop me, won't you?"

Upon hearing this soul-searching question, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have all his strength drained away instantly, opening his mouth to say, "I..."

He could only utter a meaningless single sound; all subsequent words were stuck there, and he couldn't utter a single word. A deep sense of powerlessness swept over him.

Yeah, what then?

Even if the worst-case scenario comes true, what can he do?

What else could he do besides completely break ties with Danzo and expose the hidden festering wounds of Konoha to the public, causing even greater turmoil?

Kill Danzo?

If he could truly make that decision, if his methods were truly that ruthless and merciless...

So, many years ago, when Danzo failed to assassinate him, Shimura Danzo had already disappeared from the world. How could he possibly be alive today?

Without a doubt, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't do it.

The days when I studied and fought alongside my teacher with Danzo, Koharu, and En in my youth...

The trust they placed in each other on the battlefield, and Danzo's obsessive yet blood-shedding nature...

Scenes from the past uncontrollably flooded my mind.

The older people get, the more nostalgic they become.

Those years we spent together are like heavy chains, wrapped around my heart layer by layer.

With each additional year of life, another chain is added, and so does the amount of caution.

In youth, one can act swiftly and decisively, for there are few worries, and the only goal in sight is the one ahead.

But at his age, looking back, all he sees are old friends and memories, and every choice he makes seems to tear apart a piece of the past.

As a result, one's heart inevitably becomes softer and softer.

Perhaps one can still be ruthless towards the enemy.

However, for a "comrade" with whom one has known for decades and whose relationship is intertwined with grievances...

The rights and wrongs, friendships and resentments between them have accumulated over many years, and have long been a tangled mess.

How could he possibly bring himself to actually wield the sword against Danzo?

This "kindness" and "indecisiveness" became the biggest shackles binding him, making him no longer rational and calm.

This made him indecisive when he should have been making calm judgments, which became Danzo's reliance to repeatedly challenge his bottom line and damage Konoha's interests.

Seeing the undisguised struggle and eventual dejection on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, Tsunade already knew his answer.

"Hmph." Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle, unsure whether she was laughing at Hiruzen Sarutobi's weakness or at the sliver of hope she still held for him.

They are in their prime, full of vigor, and their actions are based on a balance between immediate advantages and disadvantages and future development.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Third Hokage, he has truly grown old, his steps already slowed down by the long passage of time and heavy memories.

Without further hesitation, Tsunade didn't even bother to look at him again, and walked past Hiruzen Sarutobi with a blank expression.

Jiraiya gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep look, his eyes filled with complex emotions, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh.

“Old man…” he said, “I understand your concerns. If Danzo and Unkawa are really up to no good in the dark and harming the village’s interests, I will be the first to not let them off the hook.”

"But now, we can't let doubts cause us to put the cart before the horse or throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let's give him more trust."

After saying that, Jiraiya patted Hiruzen Sarutobi on the shoulder and walked past him.

But at that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's hoarse voice came from behind.

“Whatever you think…” he said in a low voice, “what if my suspicions come true?”

"What if everything Hinata Kumokawa has done is ultimately paving the way for some far more terrifying purpose that we haven't yet discovered?"

"He's too strong."

"He's so strong that no one can stop him."

“If he chooses to do something to Konoha, I cannot bear the consequences, and Konoha cannot bear the consequences either.”

“So…” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tone became increasingly calm and composed, “I will definitely keep a close eye on him.”

Jiraiya paused, turned his head slightly, and glanced at the figure behind him.

"Aren't you tired?" He shook his head and said helplessly, "At this age, wouldn't it be better to just enjoy your retirement?"

"Hyuga Kumokawa is the child of prophecy."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiraiya disappeared into the forest, leaving only Hiruzen Sarutobi standing there, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun.

Chapter 353 Who is he?

Swish!

In the dense forest at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.

Several figures moved silently among the branches of the trees like ghosts. The light and shadow in the forest were dappled, and only the slightly swaying branches and leaves after they passed could be barely seen.

This was the elite squad that Konoha had sent to explore the underground palace in the Land of Hot Springs.

Leading the group was Jiraiya, followed closely by Kakashi Hatake, who wore a mask and was responsible for coordinating the team's pace and formation.

In the middle of the group, Sarutobi Asuma had an unlit cigarette in his mouth, with Yuhi Kurenai beside him, while Shizune, the medical ninja, was in a relatively protected position within the group.

Besides the four, there was also Genma Shiranui, who had a senbon needle in his mouth, and Hayate Gekko, who looked sickly.

One of the Legendary Sannin, two Jonin, a special Jonin skilled in genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and reconnaissance techniques, and a group of Chunin...

This team is capable of handling almost any situation; its roster is truly impressive.

but……

"Cough! Cough!" Another suppressed cough came from the group, breaking the few natural sounds in the forest.

Genma Shiranui turned his head slightly and looked at Hayate Gekko beside him.

Moonlight Gale's face was pale, with an unhealthy bluish-gray tinge, and his breathing seemed somewhat rapid.

He looked as if he might collapse at any moment because he couldn't catch his breath.

"Hey, Gale, I said..."

Genma Shiranui glanced at him a few times, the senbon he was holding moved as he spoke, and asked in a low voice, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Why do you look even weaker than before?"

"Hasn't Xi Yan already been sent to Daming Prefecture to perform a guard duty? Logically speaking, now that no one is 'torturing' you anymore, you should be able to catch your breath a bit more, right?"

Upon hearing this, Moonlight Gale rolled his eyes at Genji, about to retort, but was interrupted by a series of coughs: "Cough! Cough! Huff..."

He finally caught his breath, a strange flush rising on his pale face from the cough, and said in a hoarse voice, "Mind your own business... cough!"

"This is an old problem of mine, it has nothing to do with whether Xiyan is here or not."

Actually, he was lying.

His illness had indeed worsened, but he didn't know why.

The reason he coughs is because of qi deficiency and yin deficiency, which means insufficient qi and blood.

After a hospital examination, it was found that his condition had not worsened, but he didn't know why he looked even sicker.

"I think you are..."

Genma Shiranui wanted to tease Hayate Gekko a few more times, but then he saw Jiraiya at the front of the group suddenly raise his right arm and clench his fist to signal everyone to be quiet.

Upon seeing this, Genma Shiranui immediately shut his mouth, his languid expression instantly replaced by vigilance.

rustle……

They walked through the dense forest, the warm sunlight shining on them, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

The border of the Land of Hot Springs is now in sight.

However, the sight that came into view made everyone gasp for breath.

In my memory, the area that should have been the port in front of me was now just a huge, almost circular area, completely out of place with its surroundings.

Years have passed, and the wind and rain have allowed the weeds to grow tenaciously. The once barren land is now covered with lush weeds and low shrubs, a verdant landscape.

However, a huge subsidence area with irregular spiral edges is still clearly visible, making it impossible to completely heal this scar on the earth.

In the center of this subsidence area, a huge pit still stands out, with accumulated water forming a dark pond.

Unlike the surrounding tall forests, this area is only covered with low weeds, shrubs and a few shallow-rooted, fast-growing tree species; there are no towering trees at all.

Because the intact soil structure deep enough below the surface has been completely destroyed, it is no longer possible to provide a root system for large trees to take root.

All of this indicates that an unimaginable force once forcibly carved away a piece of this place.

"This..." Sarutobi Asuma's voice was hoarse, "Is this the trace left by that 'monster' from back then, as mentioned in the intelligence?"

As a Jonin and the son of the Third Hokage, he naturally knew more secrets than others.

Among them was the incident where a group of ninjas from Kumogakure and Konoha disappeared here, along with the entire border port of the Land of Hot Water.

Everyone assumed that the battle between Kumogakure and Konoha was the cause of all this, but Sarutobi Asuma knew that was not the case.

It was a humanoid "monster" who created all of this with just one technique.

"Yes." Kakashi Hatake, who had experienced it firsthand, nodded and exhaled a breath of stale air. "I didn't expect that even after so many years, it would still be so obvious..."

"What do you mean?" Kurenai Yuhi, unaware of the truth, was stunned for a moment, then looked at the vast depression in disbelief and said, "This entire terrain was created by one person?"

"Permanently altered the landscape and ecology here..." Genma Shiranui's throat bobbed. "Really? What kind of person could leave such marks?"

"Hmph." The pig in Shizune's arms squirmed and made soft, uneasy whimpering noises.

Jiraiya stood at the very front, his expression grave as he surveyed the area.

As a ninja who had traveled far and wide and had seen much, he knew better than anyone else.

What terrifying power would be needed to create such a dramatic change in the terrain, which remains striking even after years of natural restoration?

The most famous example is the Valley of the End, created by the battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha.

This is something that no ordinary S-rank ninjutsu can achieve.

Therefore, in addition to exploring the underground palace, he actually had another mission during this operation.