Traveling through three generations: Making Konoha great again!

Chapter 74 Danzo, you're too weak! (5/10)

"What's going on?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a deep voice.

"The intelligence in the minds of those spies indicated that a woman from the Uzumaki clan was intercepted by them while fleeing from the Land of Whirlpools during the Second Shinobi World War."

"This Uzumaki clan member has exceptional talent; their chakra possesses healing abilities."

"Because of this ability, Kusagakure imprisoned him and used him as a medical instrument."

Hatake Sakumo's expression was also not very good.

Although Kusagakure is a small, hidden village, its ability to survive at the border of major countries suggests that it has found a way to make a living.

Their methods of spies and intelligence gathering are in no way inferior to those of the five hidden villages.

If it weren't for the fact that both the patrol forces and the ANBU have been strengthened, and experienced veterans such as the Hyuga, Uchiha, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans have been added to conduct comprehensive patrols, it would be difficult to achieve such results.

Otherwise, it would be really hard to find them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out his pipe, squinted, and gestured for Sakumo Hatake to continue.

"Not only are there members of the Uzumaki clan, but also ninjas from various hidden villages, some of whom are said to have ninja clan bloodlines—"

"However, according to the memories of the spies from Kusagakure, I don't have any special impression of them, so they probably didn't demonstrate any particular talent," Sakumo Hatake added.

Being a member of the ninja clan does not mean that every member possesses exceptional talent; it simply means that the probability is relatively high.

Taking the Uchiha clan as an example, the Sharingan is actually only awakened by a small number of people; most people are not destined to have this powerful bloodline limit.

In contrast to the Uchiha, the Hyuga, who lacked the Mangekyou Sharingan, had an extremely high rate of Byakugan bloodline limit inheritance.

If Madara's reputation weren't so overwhelming, it would be quite fitting to call the Uchiha and Hyuga the two great ninja clans of dojutsu.

"How did they capture him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke.

"They mainly roam the borders of various countries, attacking lone ninjas; they never target the strong—"

"Intelligence indicates that if they target Chunin, they will follow them for a long time, deliberately creating bait-and-switch tactics to gain an intelligence advantage in order to set up an ambush."

"During war, they would target some capable ninjas, but only if they were seriously injured and in the midst of combat."

In conclusion, Kusagakure truly deserves the title of "hyena of the ninja world"—they are cunning, treacherous, and incredibly audacious.

"Their core advantage lies in serving as a buffer zone between us, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and even Sunagakure. All the major hidden villages employ them as cheap spies."

"Therefore, their intelligence sources are relatively complex, and they even use the checks and balances among the major hidden villages to raise the status of Kusagakure."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and closed his eyes in deep thought.

The surviving members of the Uzumaki clan are in Kusagakure, so the Hokage can't just pretend he didn't see them.

The promise made to Mito Uzumaki had only been made a short time ago, and it was also good for his reputation.

More importantly, the Kusagakure village is very similar to the structure of a kidnapping crime park, making it exceptionally suitable as a base and identity for Tobirama Senju after his resurrection.

A descendant of a kidnapped Uchiha clan member.

Even for members of the Uchiha clan, it's normal for them to be abducted by the Grass Village in a sweeping, cleanup-like manner when they are underdeveloped or seriously injured.

It is said that Madara Uchiha did not show any particularly amazing talent in his youth, but rather was someone who accumulated knowledge and skills before unleashing his full potential.

Uchiha Isshin often used this to encourage his fellow Uchiha clan members, which is one reason why he had a good reputation within the clan.

Who doesn't like to hear comforting words?

As for how to explain the elements of Tobirama Senju within him and the talent he subsequently displayed—

Let alone the fact that most people won't even consider it, even if a small number of people do pay attention.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also had a countermeasure.

He heard it from Asma.

Uchiha Shisui, a descendant of the Mirror, used the Second Hokage's Water Release techniques for communication.

That would be perfect; we can arrange for him to be the teacher's older brother then, so he can learn the ninjutsu he developed himself!

Hiruzen Sarutobi had some ideas for showcasing his talent at a deeper level, but he still needed to discuss them with Tobirama himself, since the logic had to be airtight.

"Hiruzen, are you going to launch another large-scale attack on Kusagakure?"

Shimura Danzo unexpectedly said, "Although the blitzkrieg strategy was excellent before, as long as Konoha can stall for time and develop its strength, it's a sure win for them."

"How about I send a secret task force to carry out a covert rescue?"

Sakumo Hatake looked at Danzo Shimura with a look of utter disbelief.

He's old now. Is this still the same Danzo from the martial arts faction?

This man actually said such dovish things!

Shouldn't they be yelling about wanting to wipe out the entire clan of Kusagakure?

"Sakumo, your eyes prove you don't understand how glorious Konoha's future will be—"

Danzo Shimura gave a cold laugh: "Do you know how much money Hiruzen and I got from the Land of Fire?"

He held up three fingers.

Sakumo Hatake frowned: "A grant of three hundred million?"

"No, it's three billion! And it will continue to increase; this is just the beginning—"

Sakumo Hatake's eyes widened slightly: "So many?!"

Such an amount is astronomical even for a powerful figure like him.

"Hmph, a lot? It's just one or two B-rank missions per person. Compared to what the Hokage has to do, this money is far from enough—" Shimura Danzo repeated Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, enjoying Hatake Sakumo's shocked expression.

He felt secretly pleased.

As for why he was so skilled, it was because he had a small notebook specifically for recording the words of Hiruzen Sarutobi that shocked him—

Seeing that Sakumo Hatake also had this expression made him feel much better.

"alright!"

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his fist on the table, unusually angry: "Danzo, you're too conservative! What are you doing? We're not making money to weaken the village!"

This shot instantly stunned Danzo Shimura.

It instantly brought back the feeling from before—

But why does this dialogue seem a bit off?

He used to criticize Hiruzen Sarutobi for being too conservative and weak, saying he would regret it in the future—

After all these years, Danzo Shimura finally experienced what it felt like to be called weak.

"Hiruzen, you—" Shimura Danzo stammered, but he couldn't bring himself to say the word "regret."

After all, it was he who used to criticize Hiruzen for being weak and conservative.

If I were to refute this, wouldn't that be denying myself all these years?

With the production line for "Holy Landan" now operational, the next payment won't be until a year later—

"It will take three to five years, or even longer, to fully establish other product lines."

"Does this mean Konoha will have to endure the attacks from other hidden villages indefinitely?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly stood up and stared at Danzo: "I know this is the result of your thinking, different from your usual way of thinking, and it is for the good of Konoha."

"I got a little excited just now, please forgive me."

"It's nothing—" Shimura Danzo paused, then said, "You—"

For some reason, Hiruzen Sarutobi apologized immediately after reprimanding him, which made him feel a little uneasy.

Isn't that too formal?

Moreover, he used to slam doors when the two of them argued!

I've never seen myself apologize to him.

Looking at it this way, it turns out that Hiruzen used to be so tolerant of him?

"Sending out a secret squad is certainly a prudent suggestion."

"But we must clearly recognize that the order of the ninja world is always backed by military hegemony, and the invasion of commerce and culture must rely on this. We must never put the cart before the horse!"

"The purpose of striking hard against Kusagakure is to keep our strength a mystery to the enemy for a period of time, so that our economic development will not be disrupted and we can deter those wolves!"

A fierce glint flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes: "I was just about to establish my authority when these bastards delivered themselves right to my doorstep—"

"What we need to do now is figure out how to deliver this punch both powerfully and beautifully!"

"If things drag on, it will indeed, as Danzo said, cause other hidden villages to have ulterior motives."

Sakumo Hatake clicked his tongue inwardly.

Who said the Third Hokage was a dove? Where exactly was he a dove?

Danzo Shimura stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi and nodded emphatically: "Hiruzen, your criticism is valid, and I support your opinion!"

This resolute and forceful hawkish statement undoubtedly struck a chord with him.

Moreover, Hiruzen gave him a way out, saying that his considerations were also objective issues—

What reason is there not to support this?

"From now on, Anbu, concentrate your forces and give it your all to thoroughly investigate Kusagakure!" Hiruzen Sarutobi commanded without room for argument.

Danzo Shimura and Sakumo Hatake, the two leaders of the Anbu, immediately stood up straight and replied.

"Yes, Hokage!"