Konoha's Hextech Ninja

An ANBU ninja handed over a scroll, saying, "There's some urgent intelligence!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately turned serious. He ended the casting of the 'Telescope Technique' and took the scroll.

After forming a series of complex seals, the seal on the scroll was finally broken, and the scroll was unrolled for careful reading.

Upon seeing the contents of the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately changed.

"The Fourth Shinobi World War has just ended, are they already starting to cause trouble again?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately ordered, "Haru, notify the two advisors and Danzo... no, forget about Danzo. Notify the two advisors, as well as Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, and tell them to come to me immediately!"

"Yes!"

The ANBU ninja accepted the order and disappeared silently, leaving no trace of how he left.

"Yellow dog!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke again, another new ANBU ninja appeared in the office, respectfully saying, "Father!"

"How many times have I told you, you must use your job title when you're at work!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi emphasized this point, then stopped dwelling on the topic and asked, "How's the situation with the Anbu?"

“The ninjas from Root are all controlled by special sealing techniques, and their brainwashing is also very severe. It will probably take some time.”

An ANBU ninja named 'Yellow Dog' quickly reported: "In addition, the captains of two ANBU battalions are Danzo's men, and I currently have no replacements available."

"Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, a look of melancholy on his face, but his expression quickly turned serious: "If all else fails, we'll have to disband them and find suitable replacements from within the clan! The situation has changed, and I need you to take complete control of the Anbu as quickly as possible. There's no time to take it slow!"

The 'Yellow Dog' seemed somewhat surprised, but asked nothing and immediately replied, "Yes, I'll arrange it right away!"

Chapter 104 Is War Coming?

The yellow dog received the order to leave.

A moment later, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Hatake Sakumo, and Tsunade arrived one after another.

Tsunade, still looking half-asleep, yawned and asked with dissatisfaction, "Old man, what's the matter?"

"Urgent intelligence from the Dark Side: There's unusual activity in the Land of Wind."

Hiruzen Sarutobi handed the intelligence scroll he had just received to the group, saying, "Given the anomalies in the Land of Water and the Land of Grass that haven't been fully investigated yet, the current situation is extremely troublesome. One wrong move could trigger the next Shinobi World War!"

Mitokado Homura was the first to finish reading the intelligence report. He handed the scroll to Utatane Koharu and said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "A large number of Sunagakure ninjas have gone out, and the Anbu haven't been able to find out the specific reason?"

"Isn't Sunagakure our ally?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled. "They launched a large-scale operation without notifying us?"

"Their purpose is still unclear." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "Precisely because we lack intelligence and the Sand Village did not notify us, we must prepare for the worst!"

"According to intelligence, the Sand Village's activities are currently still within the Land of Wind. According to the alliance, they have no obligation to notify us."

Koharu Utatane handed the scroll to Sakumo Hatake, then changed the subject: "But Hiruzen, you're right, we must prepare for the worst. In the last Shinobi World War, Sunagakure launched a surprise attack on us first. Logically speaking, Sunagakure shouldn't have had enough time to recover its strength, so the possibility of them starting another war is slim, but we absolutely cannot be unprepared."

Sunagakure's strength has long been at the bottom among the five great ninja villages.

Because of the barrenness of the Wind Kingdom, their desire for expansion is even stronger, and they are eager to occupy a piece of land suitable for survival.

The Land of Fire is closest to the Land of Wind, and its land is fertile and rich in resources, making it an easy target for the Sand Village to attack.

In the two previous Shinobi World Wars, Sunagakure attempted to attack Konoha, but failed.

But with this precedent, no one can guarantee that Sunagakure won't make the same decision a third time.

As for the alliance?

None of the people present were children, and no one believed that this alliance could truly bind Sunagakure.

Its greatest significance lies not in restricting Sunagakure from attacking Konoha, but in allowing Konoha to stand on the moral high ground and retaliate against Sunagakure when Sunagakure breaks the alliance.

While the group was discussing, everyone had already read the contents of the intelligence report.

Sakumo Hatake looked up and asked, "Did the Hokage summon us here because he has a mission for us to complete?"

"The current situation is very troublesome."

Hiruzen Sarutobi unfolded the map and pointed to it, saying, "A few months ago, the Land of Water sealed off all sea routes, cutting off all contact with the outside world. Until now, we still don't know what happened in the Land of Water."

“A little over a month ago, the daimyo of the Land of Rivers died suddenly. After his eldest son succeeded him, his attitude towards Konoha changed drastically, and he significantly reduced the number of missions he entrusted to Konoha. From the perspective of the beneficiaries, most of the missions we lost were taken by Iwagakure in the Land of Earth. Iwagakure is suspected of being behind this, and we must deal with it properly.”

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi traced the map downwards, pointing to the Land of Wind, and said, "The Sand Village is also making unusual moves. These three countries are all adjacent to our Land of Fire. Just in case, border defenses need to be strengthened, and strong individuals need to be stationed there. Additionally, we need someone to gather intelligence. Involving the three major ninja villages of Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, they are not easy opponents. The person sent to gather intelligence must be strong enough and have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head and glanced at everyone.

The meaning is already quite clear.

Konoha only has a few strong shinobi available right now, so none of them should be idle.

They could either lead a ninja team to guard the border, or take an elite squad to infiltrate and gather intelligence.

Before Sakumo Hatake could say anything, Tsunade spoke first, saying, "Old man, you know my situation."

Jiraiya's expression changed.

Few people know about Tsunade's hemophobia.

But as Tsunade's teammate, he knew it.

Tsunade suffers from hemophobia. Whenever she sees blood, she falls into extreme fear and completely loses her fighting ability.

Let alone encountering a powerful enemy, even an ordinary genin could take Tsunade's life.

“Old man, Tsunade is really not suitable.” Jiraiya quickly said, “Leave the mission to me. I’m not very good at guarding the defenses, but intelligence gathering is my forte! The most dangerous places are the Land of Water and the Land of Wind, right? I’ll take care of both of them!”

"Nonsense!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi scolded, "The Land of Wind is so far from the Land of Water. How much time will you waste traveling there? By the time you finish gathering information on one side and rush to the other, it might be too late!"

The Land of Wind is located to the south of the Land of Fire, while the Land of Water is to the east, far away overseas, separated by a great distance.

These two locations are definitely not suitable for the same ninja to be in charge of.

"The Land of Rivers and the Land of Winds are relatively close, so it's best to separate the intelligence gathering personnel. However, the defenses can be set up in the border areas of the Land of Rivers."

Orochimaru made a suggestion, saying, "This defensive line can be entrusted to one person, with Tsunade staying in the rear. In case of war, her medical ninjutsu can play a great role."

Tsunade's hemophobia only prevents her from fighting and undergoing surgery.

But there is absolutely no problem with regular medical care.

Even if surgery is required, Tsunade can provide a treatment plan to increase the success rate of the treatment.

As for combat, it can be handed over to another person to take charge.

This arrangement is indeed very appropriate.

But for some reason, upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Tsunade immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Although Orochimaru seems to be considering Tsunade's best interests at all times, if this arrangement is followed, Tsunade will have to leave Konoha.

Could it be that Orochimaru is planning to take this opportunity to strike at Yagami Yoru?

Tsunade knew very well that Orochimaru was the type of person who would never give up until he achieved his goal. Since he had his eye on Yagami Yoruichi, he would definitely try every means to make her his experimental subject.

She instinctively wanted to refuse.

Before he could even speak, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Alright, it's settled then. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Sakumo, the three of you are skilled in infiltration, so you'll lead the teams to investigate intelligence on these three countries. En, you and Tsunade will be in charge of the river defense line, with you in charge of commanding the battles and Tsunade in charge of the medical aspects. Koharu, the water defense line is yours."

After quickly assigning tasks, Hiruzen Sarutobi urged them before they could even respond, "The current situation is very dangerous. Select your men as soon as possible and set off first thing tomorrow morning!"

As soon as the order was given, Tsunade realized that it was too late to refuse.

Although her special status allows her to disregard Konoha's rules to some extent and even put pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, when the Hokage issues an official order, she must obey it.

Tsunade glanced at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's lips curled slightly upwards, and his eyes seemed to hold a hint of smugness.

"You really want to make a move against Ye?"

Tsunade guessed in her mind, and couldn't help but blurt out: "I can go to the front line, but I need to take a few people with me!"

"Alright, you can find whoever you want to take." Hiruzen Sarutobi, too lazy to concern himself with such trivial matters, directly assigned tasks: "Jiraiya, your toads are best suited to water-rich environments, so the intelligence on the Land of Water is yours. Sakumo, you're in charge of the Land of Wind. Orochimaru, you're in charge of the Land of Rivers. The three of you can each lead a squad of no more than four people. As for the members, you can choose anyone from the village. The garrison troops at each defensive line should not exceed three hundred people, and Shikagawa will be responsible for arranging the manpower. In case of an enemy attack, you only need to hold off the first wave of attacks, and the village will send reinforcements soon."

"Yes!"

Everyone accepted the order and left the Hokage's office to make their own preparations.

Orochimaru.

As they walked out of the Hokage Building, Tsunade called out to Orochimaru, warning him, "You'd better not have any ulterior motives. I don't want to kill you with my own hands!"

"Tsunade, you still have such a bad temper."

Orochimaru smiled, his voice slightly hoarse: "If I wanted to make a move against your student, I wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal my intentions to you. I am indeed very interested in Yoruichi, but not now, but after he has truly grown up."

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Tsunade's vigilance did not lessen, but she did not say anything more to Orochimaru and turned to leave.

"Orochimaru……"

Jiraiya walked up to Orochimaru, hesitated for a long time, and finally just sighed, saying, "Orochimaru, some things, once done, can't be undone. You are my and Tsunade's friend, and I don't want to become your enemy one day."

"Jiraiya, I know very well what I am pursuing."

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips, a fake smile on his face, and said, "You also have your own inner pursuits. Our goals are different, and we are destined to never be together."

Jiraiya's face darkened: "What are you babbling about? Say something I can understand!"

"You're still so naive."

Orochimaru shook his head, offering no explanation, and turned to leave.

"Hey, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya wanted to catch up, but he found that Orochimaru ahead of him was not walking very fast, but even using the Body Flicker Technique, he could not catch up. He could only watch helplessly as the distance between the two grew further and further until Orochimaru disappeared from his sight.

"Damn stinking snake!" Jiraiya cursed as he stopped, returning his attention to the mission.

"Infiltrating the Land of Water to gather intelligence is a troublesome mission! Although I'm good at intelligence gathering, the Land of Water sounds dangerous..."

Jiraiya scratched his head, then his eyes lit up: "That's right, let's call Minato along! Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique is the strongest ninjutsu for escaping!"

Chapter 105 Heading to the Front Lines!