They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 246 The Three Legendary Sannin Return, Rinnegan Enters Konoha (Transition)

The Third Shinobi World War was arguably the least unexpected of all the major battles.

Unlike the First Shinobi World War caused by the death of the peerless shinobi Hashirama Senju, and unlike the Second Shinobi World War which was triggered by the tacit suppression of the Land of Rain by the various shinobi villages, leading to Hanzo of the Salamander's desperate attack on the Land of Iron, this was not the case.

The Third Shinobi World War was anticipated by many, even back when the Second Shinobi World War started strong but ended weakly, and the ninja villages couldn't withstand the three-year tug-of-war and had to sign a peace treaty with Kirigakure.

Even with the combined strength of the three legendary ninja villages, Konoha couldn't be destroyed during the Second Shinobi World War. Although the influence of the Land of Rain and Hanzo of the Salamander played a role, it still demonstrates the strength of Konoha at that time.

Therefore, the Third Shinobi World War will either not break out, or if it does, it will inevitably be a war against Konoha, or a war led by Konoha.

Therefore, the essence of the Third Shinobi World War was actually a continuation of the Second Shinobi World War.

Since the reason for this Shinobi World War was that the Hidden Cloud Village lost a ninja in the Land of Fire, the Hidden Cloud Village was the first to send troops into battle in the anti-Konoha alliance.

However, Kumogakure did not take advantage of the alliance's strength to venture deep into enemy territory alone. Instead, they began to advance steadily and confront the garrison in the northeast of Konoha along the line from the Land of Rice Fields to the Land of Hot Springs.

As a village that longs to dethrone Konoha from its position as the number one ninja, Kumogakure is arguably the ninja village most familiar with Konoha's strength.

They naturally knew that their strength was no match for Konoha's in a head-on confrontation, so they would not venture deep into enemy territory alone and give Konoha the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

In the Third Raikage's view, the Anti-Konoha Alliance's strength now completely overwhelms Konoha. All they need to do is gradually erode Konoha's territory, and they will eventually be able to reach Konoha Castle.

Faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Kumogakure to become the number one ninja village, the Third Raikage naturally wouldn't take any risks.

Moreover, he also harbored the idea of ​​having others lead the way to test the Rinnegan's effectiveness for the Hidden Cloud Village.

After all, it was the same style as the Sage of Six Paths, which had been sung about for thousands of years. Before actually encountering it, he was still a little scared.

However, the Third Raikage wasn't stupid, and the others certainly weren't either.

Everyone knows that Konoha is at its weakest point at this time, and everyone knows that whoever takes the first step will face a full-scale attack from Konoha at its peak.

Therefore, like Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure did not take advantage of Konoha's insufficient forces to launch a rapid advance. Instead, they fought a war of attrition against Konoha, taking a steady and methodical approach.

Konoha was naturally dissatisfied with this, and the fact was just as the Third Raikage had thought. Konoha knew that it couldn't compete with the combined forces of the Four Ninja Villages in terms of raw strength.

The plan devised by Shimura Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and other Konoha high-ranking officials was to take advantage of their unpreparedness, lead Konoha's elite forces to first defeat one or even two ninja villages, and then fight the remaining ninja villages with sheer strength, replicating the success of the Second Shinobi World War.

However, what no one expected was that due to Nagato's Rinnegan and the exposure of his master-disciple relationship with Jiraiya, all the ninja villages were afraid of being targeted by Konoha's strategic attack, and they all thought of advancing slowly to let the other ninja villages take the lead.

Under these circumstances, Konoha's plan naturally failed, and Danzo Shimura and others could only patiently wage a war of attrition and positional warfare against the anti-Konoha alliance.

Suddenly, a scene completely different from the previous two Shinobi World Wars appeared on the Shinobi World Continent:

The war fronts of the various forces did not see large-scale direct confrontations; instead, they were all small-scale but intensive intelligence and sabotage operations.

On the Ninja World Continent, a strange atmosphere of peace suddenly appeared. The two sides were clearly fighting fiercely in the arena of public opinion, almost to the point of tearing each other apart.

However, on the actual battlefield, both sides maintained restraint, as if every inch of territory was a key strategic location, and fought steadily and cautiously.

Konoha was well aware that this war would be protracted and that ninjas would be irreplaceable in a short time. Therefore, they issued orders to Konoha ninjas to preserve their lives in non-critical battles, requiring them to prioritize survival above all else, unless it was a pre-arranged battle location or a critical mission.

Since each ninja village wanted to let the other ninja villages bear the pressure first, they naturally wouldn't push forward with all their might.

Therefore, on the battlefield, there were sounds of exploding tags, booming ninjutsu, and kunai being thrown everywhere, but no human figures could be seen, and it was also difficult to find any corpses.

It has a similar feel to the "Faith Shooting" game from the continent of Efika.

The war quickly reached a stalemate.

-

"Master, is this Konoha?"

Outside Konoha Village, a group of three arrived. One of them, a girl with blue hair, looked at the magnificent Konoha Village in the distance, and a hint of longing flashed in her eyes.

Although Konoha is currently at war and martial law has been imposed on the village, it is still a large city with hundreds of thousands of people, and some villagers still come out to buy daily necessities.

Therefore, although Konoha is much more desolate than before, it still greatly shocked the girl.

Having experienced a life of constant displacement since childhood, she didn't actually have any grand ambitions.

Her idea was very simple: she wanted to find a safe place where she wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing, and then live with her companions forever.

Especially given the current situation of the death of a childhood friend, this wish has been amplified infinitely.

In the current ninja world, Konoha Village is widely regarded as one of the safest places. Therefore, the blue-haired girl, who has just experienced repeated attacks and the loss of her childhood friend, naturally developed the idea of ​​settling down.

"That's right, this is where the teacher grew up."

The white-haired youth among the four gazed at Konoha not far away, recalling his experiences traveling through the ninja world over the past few years, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.

Just then, he seemed to sense something, turned his head to look at the red-haired boy beside him, his eyes full of doting affection.

"Don't worry, Nagato. Now that we're in Konoha, we're safe. No one will bother us anymore."

"By the way, there are also your clansmen in the village, who are about the same age as you. I think you'll definitely have something in common."

Nagato looked up at his teacher and nodded silently.

Looking at the silent Nagato, Jiraiya couldn't help but think of that cheerful blond boy, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

Jiraiya, who had been away from Konoha for six years, naturally had his own reasons for rushing back to Konoha with Nagato at this time.

One reason is that Konoha suffered heavy losses and was besieged by the four ninja villages.

This is different from when Jiraiya left Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War. At that time, Iwagakure had already suffered heavy losses and withdrew from the battlefield, and the remaining Kumogakure and Sunagakure were naturally no match for Konoha at that time.

Even though Iwagakure joined the war again later, the situation was not very dangerous at the time. In addition, Jiraiya met the "Child of Destiny" for the first time, so he could ignore Konoha.

But this time is different. With the four ninja villages united, Konoha truly has the power to overthrow the village, and Jiraiya will definitely rush back to help Konoha.

And the second reason... is naturally related to Nagato Uzumaki.

After Jiraiya left Konoha after the incident involving Hatake Sakumo and Hatake Nao, he returned to the Land of Rain and began to diligently raise the three children.

Since the Ninja International Alliance established by Hozuki Shingetsu is located in the Land of Iron, not far from the Land of Rain, and the establishment of this alliance itself implies that it is to guard the Land of Rain and Hanzo of the Salamander.

Therefore, fearing that his Rinnegan would be exposed, Jiraiya, after explaining the pros and cons to the three children, left the Land of Rain with them and began to travel around the ninja world.

During this journey, Jiraiya further trained the three children, especially Nagato, who was in the golden age of developing the strength of teenage ninjas.

Over the past few years, all of them have made rapid progress.

Everything was fine until recently, when, for some unknown reason, Jiraiya and his group of four were suddenly attacked by a large number of unfamiliar ninjas.

Although these ninjas were disguised, the experienced Jiraiya still managed to see through their disguises during the battle.

To his surprise, these ninjas all came from the three major ninja villages of Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure.

Upon hearing news of the Rinnegan, the three great ninja villages naturally tried every means to test its power and harbored the thought of seizing it.

In order to prevent the news of Nagato's Rinnegan from being exposed in these battles, Jiraiya did not let Nagato participate in the battles at the beginning.

With Jiraiya, a semi-immortal, in charge, and Yahiko and Konan possessing considerable strength, dealing with these enemies is naturally a piece of cake.

However, the enemy kept coming wave after wave, and as the saying goes, "You can't guard against a thief for a thousand days." In one battle, he failed to take proper care of his disciples, who lacked combat experience, and Yahiko was killed by the enemy.

And it was precisely because of this that Nagato Uzumaki eventually erupted.

Although all the enemies were eventually killed, Jiraiya, out of concern, could only return to Konoha with his disciples to seek protection.

It is worth noting that the ninjas that Black Zetsu lured to the vicinity of Nagato Uzumaki's house were from Kumogakure. Therefore, Nagato Uzumaki in this life did not harbor any hatred towards the ninjas of Konoha. Otherwise, Nagato Uzumaki would probably rather die outside than come to Konoha to receive protection.

Against this backdrop, the three of them arrived in Konoha.

"Hey, Jiraiya, long time no see, your kids have grown so much!"

Just as Jiraiya was thinking about how to appease his disciple, a familiar greeting came from not far away, causing a smile to reflexively appear on his face.

"Haha, Tsunade, if I ever have a child, the mother of that child will be none other than you."

Jiraiya, seeing his long-lost comrade and sweetheart, couldn't help but start courting death.

"Jiraiya, don't force me to slap you on such a pleasant day."

Tsunade wore a bright smile, but the words that came out of her mouth were as cold as ice.

Her purpose in coming here was naturally the same as Jiraiya's. Even though she was disappointed with Konoha, when she heard that Konoha was facing imminent collapse, she still came here involuntarily, hoping to protect her grandfather's last efforts.

Six years have passed, and time seems to have left no trace on Tsunade.

Tsunade, who is 32 years old this year, still exudes amazing youthful vitality.

Compared to Jiraiya, the two are the same age, but now they seem to be ten years apart.

Shizune, who was following behind, was also twelve years old at this time. Her body had begun to grow, and her delicate figure was hidden in a wide black dress. She was holding a small pig and following closely behind Tsunade.

While teasing Jiraiya, Tsunade subtly glanced at Nagato and Konan.

As someone who saved the three children along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Tsunade had even covered for Jiraiya's departure. Naturally, she knew that Nagato possessed the Rinnegan and that her comrade regarded him as the "Child of Destiny."

Having not seen him for so many years, she was naturally curious about the growth of his Rinnegan.

"Tsunade, you've really never been the same!"

Faced with Tsunade's threat, Jiraiya laughed and didn't care about Tsunade's words.

Just kidding, not even a broken rib, this is nothing.

"My lords, the Hokage requests your presence."

Just as the two were about to continue their pleasantries, an ANBU ninja appeared and interrupted their conversation.

These two individuals with such distinctive features heading towards Konoha were naturally being monitored by the Anbu.

Now is the time when manpower is needed, so Shimura Danzo naturally wouldn't let them go. He sent people to welcome them even before they entered the village.

The two exchanged a glance, showing no surprise, and calmly followed the ANBU ninja into the village.

Amidst pleasantries, the five finally arrived at the Hokage Building and met Danzo Shimura and the others.

Upon entering, he saw his teacher, two advisors, and his companion Orochimaru.

Before the two could even greet each other, they heard Shimura Danzo's voice.

"Hmph! You still want to come back? That really surprises me!"

Upon seeing the two, Shimura Danzo immediately reprimanded them without any politeness.

In his view, these two, as Konoha ninjas, had committed heinous crimes by staying away from the village for so long. If it weren't for the war, he would never have allowed them to return to the village so easily.

The two turned their heads and looked at the unfamiliar figure in the familiar office. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were momentarily dazed.

"Danzo, let's not dwell on the past. The village is at a critical juncture right now, and every ninja is a valuable asset, especially Jiraiya and Tsunade."

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed, trying to smooth things over for his two disciples.

Danzo Shimura naturally understood this principle. He snorted coldly and fell silent, focusing his gaze on Nagato Uzumaki.

"This is the Rinnegan user you mentioned, Jiraiya?"

As soon as Danzo Shimura spoke, everyone's eyes turned to Nagato Uzumaki.

They had already learned what had happened from Jiraiya's letters, and when they learned that the "Child of Destiny" Jiraiya spoke of was actually a Rinnegan, everyone present was shocked.

Danzo Shimura's eyes flashed, suppressing the burning desire in his heart, and he said righteously:

"Jiraiya, now that you've brought the Rinnegan back, I'll let bygones be bygones for everything you did before."

"The village is in crisis right now, so we should make good use of the Rinnegan, such a valuable fighting force... I think the Rinnegan should be placed under the control of the Anbu."

"I disagree!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the table with his pipe, looking at his old teammate with a voice that revealed no emotion.

"Since Nagato is Jiraiya's student, he should naturally act alongside him. What's the point of separating him?"

Danzo Shimura narrowed his one eye, staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Over the years, Hiruzen Sarutobi has tried to trip him up quite a bit, but Danzo Shimura has managed to defuse them all with a combination of force and countermeasures, resulting in Hiruzen Sarutobi's power being far less than before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions at this moment led Danzo Shimura to believe that he was trying to master the Rinnegan to prepare for his own restoration.

So he snorted coldly, showing no respect whatsoever to his old teammate.

"Give it to Jiraiya? The reason he returned to Konoha was precisely because he couldn't protect the Rinnegan, right?"

"In Konoha now, the Anbu are naturally the most powerful, so the responsibility of protecting the Rinnegan naturally falls on the Anbu."

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say something, Danzo Shimura, who had already lost patience, waved his hand and unleashed his ultimate attack.

"Sarutobi, I am the Hokage!"

(End of this chapter)