Konoha's lexicon of ninjas

Chapter 124 The Culprit of the Third Shinobi World War! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

"I see."

Upon hearing Hoshino Shuichi's question, Sasori of the Red Sand replied with a mixture of sarcasm and sigh, "It seems every village has its share of such filthy and sordid affairs!"

"However, no one in Konoha leaked any information to me."

"But the mission of Konoha's White Fang happens to be the very mission I'm currently undertaking."

Upon hearing this, Hoshishita Hideichi asked, "The mission you carried out, the one to eliminate those who wanted to cut the Sunagakure's funding?"

Sasori of the Red Sand laughed, "It seems you heard it; you weren't mistaken."

"Konoha's goal is obvious: to weaken Sunagakure by cutting its funding."

"Heh, it seems your operation this time did not receive the approval of the Konoha leadership."

"I must say, you're just as daring as I am."

Xingxia Xiu disagreed with this statement in the slightest: "I don't have your guts to assassinate Fengying."

Sasori of the Red Sand replied matter-of-factly, "My parents died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang because of his poor decision-making. Killing him is the only right thing to do."

After finishing his sentence, Sasori of the Red Sand naturally returned to the previous topic, saying, "The White Fang of Konoha is indeed very powerful. After I noticed him, I immediately decided to join forces with the Kazekage, because it was impossible for me to defeat him with my own strength."

"He is, after all, Konoha's White Fang!"

Sasori's voice was somewhat low, but it quickly returned to normal as he chuckled, "Moreover, it's a good opportunity for me to use the killing of Konoha's White Fang to get to know the Third Kazekage better, and perhaps even gain his trust a little more, making him less wary of me."

"In fact, my decision was absolutely correct."

"He's just as fast as you; my puppets can't restrain him at all."

"Fortunately, we have the Kazekage. Although Konoha's White Fang's Lightning Release can also affect the Kazekage's Magnet Release, we have two people here and this is the Land of Wind."

"After making preparations in advance, Konoha's White Fang's speed was limited, so he couldn't escape."

"It must be said that Konoha's White Fang is indeed very powerful. Even the Third Kazekage was in a bit of a mess and almost managed to escape."

As he spoke, Sasori's smile grew even brighter: "And after this battle, I am even more convinced that I can defeat the Third Kazekage."

"So I took the corpse of Konoha's White Fang and turned him into a puppet."

"As expected, he became a powerful tool in dealing with the Third Kazekage."

"If you hadn't appeared, I would probably have already defeated the Third Kazekage, and then I would have turned him into a work of art, making him my most treasured collection!"

In the end, Sasori of the Red Sand left with regret.

However, the regret that Hoshino Shizuka heard was not because he couldn't kill the Third Kazekage to avenge himself, but because he couldn't turn the Third Kazekage into a precious puppet.

He's definitely not a normal person!

With his doubts dispelled, Hoshino Shuichi looked at Sasori and asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Sasori of the Red Sand looked dazed, thinking of his father and mother. If he went to the Pure Land, he could reunite with them, right?

Shouldn't we no longer have to wait?

Thinking it over, Sasori smiled, then closed his eyes: "Let's do it!"

Hoshita Shuichi immediately activated his ninjutsu.

The art of Nirvana Abode!

With Sasori of the Red Sand being so cooperative, Hoshino Shuichi didn't mind letting him pass away peacefully.

After hypnotizing Sasori of the Red Sand, Hoshino Shuichi stepped forward and snapped his neck with a snap, killing him without any pain.

The art of bisque roasting!

Sasori's corpse was set ablaze and then quickly burned to a pile of ashes.

Yellow Spring Marsh!

A small swamp appeared at the location where the ashes were, spinning and swallowing up Sasori's ashes.

Destroy the body and cover up the evidence!

Shuichi Hoshino did consider bringing the living Sasori back to Konoha and extracting the puppet technology from his mind.

However, bringing Sasori back to Konoha would be too risky for him, and puppetry techniques were not worth it.

And the corpse of the Third Kazekage...

Hoshita Shuichi fell into deep thought.

His previous idea was to bring the Third Kazekage's body back to Konoha to study Magnet Release.

Anyway, he's going to establish his own experimental base, so he's not afraid of leaks.

The Third Kazekage is such a rare and valuable mortal, it would be a waste not to use him.

"While it is easier to obtain Magnet Release from the One-Tailed Chakra, the Third Kazekage's corpse can be used to study the Kekkei Genkai itself."

"The Third Kazekage's corpse is far more valuable than Sasori's, so let's keep it."

"Many people in Konoha probably guess that I did this, but as long as I don't admit it, that's fine."

Having made his decision, Hoshino Shuichi turned and left the woodshed, only to find that Asuka had already reheated the food, which made him chuckle.

Asuka smiled and said, "I've been busy all night, I'm a little hungry!"

Hoshino Shuichi sat down and smiled, "Then let's eat and rest, and then set off back to the Land of Fire tomorrow."

The Kazekage has gone missing, and it's related to the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure. I'm afraid the ninja world is about to descend into chaos.

Who knows, the Third Shinobi World War might break out right now!

"The culprit behind the Third Shinobi World War?"

Hoshita Shuichi muttered to himself.

……

The following day, Hoshino Shuichi took Asuka and left the Land of Rivers back to the Land of Fire, but instead of going directly back to Konoha, they went to the Daimyo's residence.

He's going to Daming to attract investment!

Meanwhile, after a night of preparation, the commotion in Sunagakure grew louder and louder.

Large numbers of Sand Ninja began searching for the Kazekage's whereabouts throughout the Land of Wind, and continued to expand their search area in search of the rogue ninja Sasori of the Red Sand.

At the same time, Sunagakure activated all its spies in the Land of Earth and Sunagakure to investigate the situation of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

That night, Hoshinobu Shuichi secretly received a reception from the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

After a friendly and cordial conversation, Hoshino Shuichi presented the daimyo with a plan that was slightly different from the one he had shown to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It doesn't mention the four-tailed or eight-tailed beasts, it only talks about tailed beast weapons.

Daimyo read it carefully, then, deeply intrigued, asked, "Shuichi, how likely is this experiment?"

Hoshino Shuichi smiled confidently and said, "You should know the Third Hokage's personality. He wouldn't conduct such an experiment unless he was absolutely certain."

"Danzo's side has actually already succeeded."

"What?"

The daimyo was taken aback, then astutely grasped a key point: "It seems the Hokage and Danzo are at odds!"

Hoshita Hideichi smiled and said, "Danzo has great ambitions and is a proponent of war."

The daimyo understood immediately and said, "In that case, let's execute the plan!"

Hoshita Shuichi immediately replied, "I will not let you down!"

The following day, after leaving the Flying Thunder God mark at the Daimyo's residence, Hoshino Shuichi set off back to Konoha with Asuka, also taking with him the initial capital of 100 million ryo given to him by the Daimyo.

As expected of someone with a great reputation, so generous!

……

Konoha Village, Hokage Building, Danzo enters the Hokage's office.

Upon meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo cut to the chase: "Hiruzen, the Third Kazekage was defeated by Shuichi Hoshita, wasn't he?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his cigarette, said unhurriedly, "It wasn't Shuichi. Shuichi went to the Daimyo's residence on my orders."

"Furthermore, it is still uncertain whether the Third Kazekage is missing or even dead."

"Sunagakure is only tracking the rogue ninja Sasori of the Red Sand, and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure who is colluding with Sasori."

"As you know, Sasori of the Red Sand slaughtered many small countries in the Land of Wind before, and Sakumo died in battle because of that."

The Land of Wind has a vast territory, but it is either a desert country or an oasis country.

Therefore, apart from the rich coastal areas in the south, most of the oases in the country can be said to be countries within countries, ruled by lords of all sizes, who all respect the name of the Wind Kingdom. Although they are not called lords, there is no difference in reality, except that the area they rule is a little smaller.

The Sand Village is now making increasingly big moves, although other villages have not yet noticed that the Kazekage has disappeared or died.

However, within Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo astutely grasped the truth.

Although they were all somewhat skeptical that Hoshino Shuichi could kill Kazekage, things just happened too coincidentally.

That Sasori of the Red Sand happened to be colluding with the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, and coincidentally, Sasori of the Red Sand was also very likely one of the culprits who killed Sakumo Hatake.

But for Hiruzen Sarutobi, no matter what, he absolutely could not let this matter be associated with Konoha.

But for Danzo, this was a golden opportunity.

Therefore, seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi would not admit it, Danzo did not pursue the matter further. He would ask Hoshinobi Shuichi in person when he returned. Right now, the most crucial thing was this opportunity.

"Hiruzen, if the Kazekage dies at the hands of Sasori and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Sunagakure will definitely go to war with Iwagakure. This is our chance!"

Danzo declared in a firm and resounding voice, "This is an opportunity to completely conquer the Land of Rivers!"

"We can take advantage of the war between the Iwa and Sunagakure ninjas to invade the Land of River, so we need to start preparing for war now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Starting preparations now will attract all attention and alert all parties."

"Don't forget, besides Sand Village and Rock Village, there are also Cloud Village and Mist Village!"

"Besides, the situation in Sunagakure is still unclear. Let's wait until the situation becomes clearer before making a decision!"

Danzo, frustrated and angry, shouted, "Hiruzen, you'll regret missing this opportunity!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved: "What the village needs now is not war, but a stable situation so that the young ninjas can grow up smoothly."

Danzo scoffed, "Hiruzen, you've changed!"

"Don't forget, we grew up in war."

"War is the best place for ninjas to hone their skills!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his eyes, not wanting to argue any further: "Danzo, let's leave it at that. Don't make any rash moves."

"Don't forget, I am the Hokage!"

Danzo gritted his teeth in anger, his fists hardening.

"You'll regret this!"

Bang!

After saying this, Danzo slammed the door and left.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly, then thought of Shuichi Hoshino.

If this was indeed done by Shuichi Hoshino, then it's truly astonishing.

Moreover, as long as it is not exposed, it is indeed beneficial to Konoha.

If Sunagakure and Iwagakure go to war, Konoha can remain uninvolved and deal with the situation calmly.

Moreover, given the personality of the Raikage of Kumogakure, he might take the opportunity to attack Iwagakure.

And then there's Kirigakure. Under these circumstances, they definitely won't attack Konoha. The most likely scenario is that they'll take the opportunity to attack the Land of Wind.

This situation is undoubtedly most advantageous to Konoha!

Unfortunately, Danzo was blinded by self-interest.

……

Inside the Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure Village.

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, looked at his son and said, "So, you're absolutely certain that it's impossible for Rōshi to have infiltrated the Land of Wind and done those things with that brat named Sasori of the Red Sand?"

Huang Tu nodded firmly and said, "Yes!"

"Ever since that incident, Lao Zi has been practicing asceticism."

"Besides, there are guards around. It's impossible that Lao Zi didn't notice after being away for so long."

Upon hearing this, Onoki angrily retorted, "So, this was all done intentionally by Sunagakure? Are they trying to find an excuse to start a war?"

Huang Tu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sunagakure's actions are very significant; it doesn't seem like they're faking it."

Onoki frowned: "What do you mean?"

Huang Tu said, "Indeed, someone used the same power as Lao Zi!"

"Molten Core?"

Onoki was deep in thought.

He remembered that there was also a user of Lava Release in the Cloud Ninja, but his power was in a different form than that of Old Purple.

At this moment, Huang Tu said, "It's not just Lava Release, it also has the power of a Tailed Beast!"

Onoki straightened his short frame instantly, his expression serious: "You mean someone stole the Four-Tails' power?"

"That brat from Konoha Village?"

"How is this possible?"

"It took Old Purple ten years to gradually master the power of the Tailed Beasts."

Huang Tu said, "It might not be that Hoshino Shuichi; it's also possible that someone in the past obtained the power of the Four-Tails."

"The Tailed Beasts are different from others after all. As you know, Father, their power has an extremely strong reproductive characteristic and can be preserved for a very long time."

"But in either case, I think it's necessary for us to prepare for war."

Onoki nodded and said in a deep voice, "Then pass on the notice and call a meeting!"

Soon, the leaders of Iwagakure gathered and quickly reached a consensus.

First, prepare for war!

Secondly, to guard against an attack from Sunagakure and, depending on the situation, to take the initiative and seize the upper hand!

……

While the Hidden Stone Village was holding a meeting to make a decision, a similar meeting was also taking place in the Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind.

"The Third Kazekage was incredibly powerful; there's absolutely no way he could have been killed like this!"

"That's right, Lord Kazekage possesses the power to suppress tailed beasts!"

"But there's absolutely no trace of the Third Kazekage now!"

"Should we select a substitute Feng Ying first?"

……

The Sand Village Jonin who were participating in the meeting whispered among themselves.

Chiyo's gaze swept over each person, she sighed, and said, "The most crucial thing now is to find the Kazekage, whether he's dead or alive!"

This statement was the final word.

……

In Konoha Village, Hoshinoichi rushed back from the Daimyo's residence before lunch and immediately went to the Hokage's office to report.

After explaining his conversation with the daimyo in detail, Hoshino Shuichi heard Hiruzen Sarutobi ask, "Shuichi, how did your training go this time?"

Hoshino Hideichi understood immediately and said, "Very smoothly, the Flying Thunder God Technique can now be basically used in actual combat."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was equally aware of the situation, but he couldn't help but be secretly shocked, even though he had been mentally prepared for it.

After all, he was the Kage of a village, and the one hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history.

Moreover, they were rivals who had fought each other in the past, so Hiruzen Sarutobi knew quite a bit about the Third Kazekage's strength.

But now he's dead at the hands of an 11-year-old child...

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, Shuichi Hoshishita probably knew that he was secretly shocked.

It is indeed astonishing that he killed a Kage from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages at the age of 11.

However, compared to Itachi Uchiha, Shuichi Hoshino didn't think much of it.

Although he doesn't remember the exact time, he speculates that Itachi Uchiha awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan when he was about 11 or 12 years old, and then joined Akatsuki after annihilating the Uchiha clan with the help of Obito Uchiha.

He then instantly defeated Orochimaru!

At that time, Itachi Uchiha was probably only 13 or 14 years old.

Of course, this is something that has been hidden in Hoshino Shuichi's memories and has not yet happened.

……

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, "You've had a hard time on this trip. Now, let's focus on preparing for the experimental base!"

He didn't ask for specific details, and Hoshino Shuichi also didn't seem inclined to report the matter; the two had a tacit understanding.

(End of this chapter)