From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 171 Danzo: The advantage is mine. My ass!

It was late at night, and a torrential downpour was in full swing.

Dark, thick clouds, like pythons, coiled above Konohagakure.

Countless bolts of lightning, as thick as buckets, crisscrossed, rolling like mythical dragons in the churning black clouds, emitting deafening roars.

A powerful storm approached from afar, bringing with it thousands of tons of torrential rain, like a demon stirring up waves and arriving in droves.

The streets were deserted, and torrential rain and fierce winds raged, causing the wooden houses to creak and the windows to rattle and bang.

Since the declaration of wartime, the once-open gates of Konoha are now tightly locked. The ninjas guarding the gates can only barely shelter from the rain in their guard posts, constantly grumbling about this damned weather and missing the hot meals at home.

In the pouring rain, the wind whipped the raindrops like a whip, and on the straight road outside the door, in the dim light of a flash of lightning, a figure could be vaguely seen.

"who is it?"

The ninja squinted, trying to make out the figure through the thick rain.

Soon, as the figure rapidly approached, the gatekeeper ninja, with his exceptional eyesight, recognized the person despite being more than ten meters away in the pouring rain. But the instant he recognized them, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened in fear: "It's Lord Ryuma and Lord Fugaku?!"

He was a member of the Roots, so naturally he knew these two people.

However, what truly sent chills down his spine and made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar was why the two people who should have been on the front lines against the Cloud Ninja had suddenly appeared here.

Having carried someone on his back and run continuously for several hours, Aburame Ryoma was now at his physical and mental limit, and he had only managed to keep going through this time through sheer willpower.

The gatekeeper ninja immediately went to meet him, but before he could ask what had happened, he was once again shocked by what he saw.

Fugaku Uchiha's right arm was severed at the root. Although he had received emergency bandaging to stop the bleeding, his face was ashen, his breath was faint, and his lips were purple, as if he were about to die at any moment.

Such severe injuries, coupled with the fact that the two people who should have been on the front lines of the Cloud Ninja were now outside the gates of Konoha, caused an extremely terrifying thought to completely take over the minds of the gate-guarding ninjas.

"Is it difficult?"

The gatekeeper ninja, soaked by the torrential rain, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"Frontline troops suffered a crushing defeat and were completely annihilated by the Cloud Ninja!"

Ryoma Aburame, barely managing to stay calm, relayed the information to him: "The Raikage, leading a small force of elites and Jinchuriki, has broken through Mount Kikyo. Quickly, report to Lord Danzo and make sure everyone is prepared!"

After saying that, his vision went black and he fainted.

All frontline troops wiped out?

The Raikage led his elite troops and Jinchuriki to break through the Kikyo Mountain defenses.
In just two sentences, the gatekeeper ninja's first reaction was, "Are you sure this isn't a joke?"
Looking at the unconscious Aburame Ryoma on the ground and the critically injured Uchiha Fugaku, he finally realized that today was not April Fool's Day and that it was all real. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Boom!

A clap of thunder startled the gatekeeper ninja, who had been lost in the downpour, awakening him from a cold sweat.

What a big deal!

It takes at most one day to travel from the Kikyō Mountain defense line to Konoha.

In other words, the Raikage's elite troops and Jinchuriki could appear at the very gates of Konoha at any moment!
The gatekeeper ninja dared not delay for a moment. Chakra erupted from the soles of his feet as he sprinted through the storm, pulling out a scroll from his robes and unleashing the 'ninjutsu' within.

Whoosh—pop! A burst of fiery red fireworks pierced the night, blooming in the sky above Konoha, which was shrouded in dark clouds.

Brilliant fireworks burst forth, countless fiery red meteors streaked across the sky, illuminating most of the night. The deafening roar even drowned out the thunder, waking countless people from their sleep.

Sitting inside the Hokage Building, Danzo, who had been busy all day, had just put down the intelligence regarding the three-way battle between Iwa, Kirigakure, and Suna.

Orochimaru successfully blocked the attack from the Iwa ninja and created a stalemate with Onoki.

Minato Namikaze displayed overwhelming power against the Mist Ninja, forcing the Mistkage into a series of defeats. It seems the war will end soon.

Although the Sand Village forces were forced to retreat under the pressure of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, their overall strength was not severely damaged, and there is no need to worry too much in the short term.

The only problem is that no information has been received from the Cloud Ninja yet, which makes Danzo feel uneasy. She rubbed her throbbing temples with her slender fingers, a deep weariness flashing across her face: "It's only ten days. Uchiha Fugaku should be fine. As long as we hand over the culprit, we can keep the Cloud Ninja in check."

The advantage is mine!

Danzo looked at the map on the table and felt a confidence he had never had before. Her layout was flawless. The four small kalami of rock, cloud, mist and sand were nothing to her.

"Heh, Hiruzen, Hiruzen, did you see that?" She suddenly remembered Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still in the hospital room at the moment. A smile appeared on her lips as she muttered to herself, "I am better and more outstanding than you. Tobirama-sensei was wrong twenty years ago. I am the one who is truly suitable to be the Hokage!"

She slowly rose, gazing out the window at the village drenched in torrential rain, feeling as if everything was under her control: "This time, I will make the entire ninja world remember my name, 'Shimura Danzo'!"

Although she was very tired during this period, she enjoyed it.

Having amassed such great merit in quelling the three wars, she believed that even if Hiruzen Sarutobi woke up, he wouldn't be able to stop her from becoming the next Hokage.

However, at that moment, a loud noise shattered Danzo's illusion.

She turned to look at the village beyond the torrential rain. A burst of fiery red fireworks exploded in the sky. Her pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints, and her face showed a mixture of shock and anger: "This is... an emergency signal that the village has been invaded! Impossible... Who could it be?!"

A crow pierced the rain, smashed through the glass, and flew into the Hokage Building.

Broken glass littered the ground, and a gust of wind rushed in through the gap. Icy rain lashed against Danzo's face, but he paid no heed to that. He bent down to pick up the crow, untied the scroll tied to its feet, roughly tore it open, and began to read it with a tense expression.

These two short lines of text caused Danzo's blood to surge and his eyes to bulge with rage.

"Useless trash! Uchiha Fugaku, you deserve to die!"

Enraged, she tore the scroll to shreds, veins bulging on her forehead, and roared furiously, "A thousand people! That's a thousand people! Even if I sent a thousand pigs, the Cloud Ninja would still have to capture them for a whole day and night!"

One second she was still immersed in the fantasy of pacifying the Third Shinobi World War, achieving great feats, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to step down, and succeeding as the Fourth Hokage; the next second she was thrown from heaven to hell. Now, let alone succeeding as Hokage, she's almost a war criminal!

What is backstabbing?

Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Fugaku! Danzo was so angry he wanted to tear him apart!
No wonder there was no intelligence from the Cloud Ninja front. It turns out that before the war even started, they were all wiped out by a sneak attack, and were even driven to their doorstep!

"Quick! Pass my orders!"

Despite his hatred, Danzo still retained a sliver of reason. He shouted, "Immediately recall Minato Namikaze from the Kirigakure battlefield! Have Kushina prepare! Barrier Team, activate the defensive barrier! All ninjas in the entire village, from top to bottom, stand by and prepare for war!"

Lin Jiao stared in disbelief: No... Were we in the lead just now?

How did Konoha, who had the upper hand, end up being attacked on their doorstep in the blink of an eye?
Is there anything that can cure insomnia...? I haven't slept for three days in a row.
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(End of this chapter)