Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 31 The storm is coming
The leaves in the rain were especially desolate at night.

The rainwater, like silvery-gray, sticky spider silk, wove a web that clung to the building complex.

The villagers of Konoha, wearing raincoats, hurried along the street, creating an uneasy atmosphere as if a storm was brewing.

The cold streetlights on the road, one after another, resemble the moons rising and falling in the sky, creating a path leading to boundless darkness.

On the edge of the remote village, a dense and heavy shadow lies hidden underground.

Inside the Root Base, several short figures were fighting in a closed room, while Danzo Shimura watched it all with an expressionless face.

"Lord Danzo."

A Root ninja appeared behind Danzo, knelt on one knee, and presented the scroll in his hand, saying, "This is the result of the discussion between the Third Hokage and the Hyuga clan."

Danzo Shimura withdrew his cold gaze, turned his head to take the scroll from his hand, glanced at it, and then frowned deeply.

"So, Sarutobi has compromised again?" Danzo sneered, his tone sarcastic. "The Hyuga clan is ruthless; they actually came up with the idea of ​​using Hyuga Hizashi to replace Hyuga Hiashi in death."

The Root ninja kneeling on one knee beside him lowered his head slightly, and a hint of dissatisfaction appeared on his face under the shadow of his black cloak.

Despite being seen by many as a shady and unsavory character, Shimura Danzo was actually considered a true "hawk" of Konoha by other factions.

Since he can be called a "hawk," it means that his influence can be considered a "faction." Many ninjas are drawn to his radical ideas and are not all forced to join Root.

As bright as the sun, so deep and wide the shadows. Located in the shadow of Konoha, the roots of the trees are driven deep into the darkness, secretly eliminating any obstacles that hinder the village, and doing so by any means necessary.

Therefore, in a sense, Danzo had his own "personal charisma." The Root ninjas were all very radical and were very dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's weakness.

In their view, if the Third Hokage really hardened his heart and used the forbidden techniques in the Book of Seals, along with all the ninja clans in the village, he could crush any village.

Instead of being on the defensive every time, and winning every war only to have it all be meaningless.

The war in the ninja world will never stop; the end of each war is merely preparation for the next.

It can be said that one of the main reasons why Shimura Danzo was able to develop Root to its current extent was Hiruzen Sarutobi's indecisiveness and weakness in dealing with external forces. Many ninjas who joined Root did so because their families died in the war and they had deep-seated hatred for other villages.

This ninja, wearing black sunglasses and with a purple tattoo on his right cheek, is from the Aburame clan and is also a member of the hawk faction.

"Ryoma."

Danzo Shimura called out his name, a shadowy glint in his eyes: "I will place you in this escort team. I still have some people I left behind at the border, and I will temporarily hand over command to you..."

He paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said coldly, "If the Hidden Cloud Village obediently accepts this 'explanation,' that's fine. But if they still refuse to let it go, then we'll add fuel to the fire!"

Since Kumogakure has been repeatedly aggressive, Sarutobi shouldn't blame him for manipulating public opinion in the village.

While Konoha's strength has indeed weakened, that doesn't mean Kumogakure has the right to lord it over Konoha.

Do you really think Tobirama-sensei's forbidden techniques are just for show?
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

Ryoma Aburame lowered his head, but his face couldn't help but show excitement.

------

Boom!

On a towering, cloud-shrouded mountain in the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Cloud Village was awakened by the thunderous roar carried by a white python that streaked across the sky.

A howling storm and rolling dark clouds created a massive vortex, forming a stunning natural spectacle above the Hidden Cloud Village.

It looked as if some monster was churning and struggling in the vortex, its spitting out incandescent lightning illuminating two figures in the Raikage's office. The Fourth Raikage, dressed only in a white cloak that revealed his muscular physique, sat at his desk, while a man in linen clothes with green eyes, silver hair, and brown skin stood by, holding documents.

"That old guy Hiruzen Sarutobi actually put up with it?"

The Fourth Raikage's gaze swept over the scroll, a mocking look appearing on his rugged black face. He grumbled, "He's getting more useless with age. If he had just confronted me head-on, I might have respected him!"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the man in linen clothes beside him, but instead of the expression he expected, he saw a man frowning as if he were deep in thought.

Knowing that Mabui wouldn't suddenly adopt such an expression, the Fourth Raikage's expression also turned serious as he asked in a deep voice, "Is there any other question?"

Although they failed to launch a war as they wished, they should have achieved half of their objective, right?

Not only did they gain access to the main branch of the Hyuga clan, but they also sowed discord between the Hokage and the ninja clans, and probed into Konoha's cowardly state.

“Lord Raikage, I just feel that things have gone a little too smoothly.” Mabui frowned. “The Daimyo’s attitude was a bit perfunctory earlier. I’m worried that Konoha might have caught them making some mistake, which is why Hiruzen Sarutobi made a decision so quickly.”

The ultimatum from the Land of Lightning was delivered unilaterally to the Land of Fire's daimyo, who then relayed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage.

Therefore, the Fourth Raikage and Azaburo were unaware that the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning had misunderstood their request.

Mabui simply felt that Konoha had compromised too quickly. Even though the Third Hokage had been very tough on the internal affairs since his return to power, it was impossible to suppress dissent in such a short time.

That's the head of the Hyuga clan's main branch; the Hyuga clan won't easily compromise on that.

In fact, from the very beginning, she felt that the possibility of the two countries declaring war was greater than the possibility of Konoha handing over Hyuga Hiashi.

"So, you think there's a trap?"

As the Fourth Raikage gradually calmed down, he also began to sense something was amiss.

“Yes.” Mabui nodded. “I suggest you send someone to inquire with the Daimyo. If there’s a mistake in the plan, it’s most likely over there.”

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage frowned. Even he, who was always tough, could only treat the Daimyo as an equal and was unwilling to get entangled in anything further.

Moreover, he knew very well that the daimyo was actually unwilling to go to war with the Land of Fire. After all, it had only been a short time since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, and they should have taken some time to recuperate before considering war.

Therefore, if any mistake or oversight does occur, it's hard to say whether that famous person made it unintentionally or intentionally.

However, as Konoha's old rival, the Fourth Raikage knew Konoha too well.

If we don't take action now while Konoha is weak, given Konoha's rich resources and profound foundation, a genius might suddenly emerge one day to save the collapsing empire or turn the tide.

Moreover, unlike the Konoha ninja who won the war and the ordinary people affected by the war, the hatred and resentment towards Konoha and Iwagakure in Kumogakure became even more profound due to the heavy casualties.

"Mabuyi, you should go to Daming Prefecture yourself."

With this in mind, the Fourth Raikage made a decision and calmly said, "Send Troy with a squad of Anbu to make contact with Konoha. If Hiruzen Sarutobi really intends to cheat, then we'll take action directly!"

"Yes, Lord Raikage."

Upon hearing the name "Troy," Mabui breathed a sigh of relief, and the inexplicable unease in her heart dissipated considerably.

As long as Konoha doesn't send out ninjas of equal rank to the Sannin, she believes no one will be able to gain an advantage against Troy.

Because Troy is a Jonin of Kumogakure and possesses the Kekkei Genkai Magnet Release.

(End of this chapter)