Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

Just as the village of Konglu was undergoing rapid changes, the situation in the ninja world was also quietly shifting.

The Third Shinobi World War has officially ended, and all the major shinobi villages have entered a period of post-war rest and recuperation.

In the postwar intelligence summaries of each village's intelligence organization, a brief document about Sirin was added without prior agreement.

The information about Sirin was extremely limited; her strength, background, and origins were all listed as "unknown."

Aside from appearance, only one aspect was highlighted.

That is, this woman is suspected to be proficient in various space-time ninjutsu.

Based on those few words alone, no ninja village would dare treat her as just an ordinary ninja passing by.

Many speculated that he might be an unknown powerhouse from another ninja village.

Konoha Village, Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, a pipe dangling from his mouth, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

A scroll lay open in front of him, containing concise information about Sirin. The last line contained a bolded note: "The target possesses a rare space-time ninjutsu ability, possibly similar to Minato Namikaze. Specific strength is unknown."

"Hiruzen".

The office door was pushed open, and Danzo walked in, leaning on his cane, his face bearing his usual gloomy expression.

He didn't need anyone to announce his arrival. He walked straight to the Hokage's desk, glanced at the scroll, and got straight to the point.

"I suggest sending Minato. He's also a space-time ninja, so he'd be the perfect person to investigate this woman named Sirin."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer immediately.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled a cloud of grayish-white smoke, and then gently tapped the pipe against the edge of the ashtray to knock the ash out.

He was well aware of Danzo's ulterior motives.

The great battle is over, and the village needs to recuperate.

But more importantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi is getting old, and it's time to start thinking about who should succeed him as Hokage.

There are currently two ninjas in Konoha who are most likely to compete for the Hokage position.

One of them was his disciple, Orochimaru.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru has been getting too close to Danzo lately, which makes him wary.

The other one is Jiraiya's disciple, who is also his grand-disciple Minato Namikaze.

At this critical juncture, Danzo wanted to use a long-term mission to distract Minato and keep him out of the public eye.

If Minato is away from the village for a long time, his reputation will naturally cool down, while Orochimaru can take advantage of this time to make his presence felt in the village.

He could see through Danzo's intentions at a glance.

"Let's leave that aside for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, his tone calm.

"Hiruzen!" Danzo frowned, his voice tinged with urgency.

"They're just a bunch of civilian orphans from the border; they're not worth making a fuss about." Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, his tone becoming more serious.

"At this stage, the succession of the Hokage is more important."

"Hiruzen..." Danzo wanted to say more.

"Alright, Danzo, that's enough." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, interrupting Danzo.

He raised his head and looked at his old friend through the smoke, his gaze calm yet exuding an unyielding authority.

"Just do your job. Remember, I am the Hokage."

A moment of silence fell over the office.

Danzo's Adam's apple bobbed, his facial muscles twitched slightly, and the veins on his forehead gleamed faintly.

He leaned on his cane, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

You'll regret it.

After saying this, Danzo angrily slammed the door and left.

The loud crash of the door slamming against the wall echoed down the corridor, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi alone in his office, sitting silently in the swirling smoke, tapping his pipe.