Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 353 Nara Shikaku: I chose Raiya-sama as the new Hokage. He said he can lead us to the moon!

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, become unusually tough, Hiashi Hyuga, standing in the crowd, had a slightly complicated expression.

A few years ago, envoys from Kumogakure came to Konoha to cause trouble. They were the ones who infiltrated the Hyuga clan to kidnap Hinata and try to get the Byakugan, but they were stopped and the envoys were killed.

In the end, Konoha had to swallow its anger, which forced his younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, to commit suicide, and even his body was handed over.

Why didn't Hiruzen Sarutobi stand up for himself back then?

However, he also knew that Kumogakure was different from Sunagakure. Kumogakure was quite strong and had been a formidable enemy of Konoha during several Shinobi World Wars. Even the Second Hokage had fallen at their hands.

Moreover, the situation today is completely different. Back then, the Hidden Cloud Village only used the envoy to threaten war.

Now it's more than just a threat; Luo Sha has already led his men directly into the village.

This was already a de facto undeclared war, and no matter how tolerant Hiruzen Sarutobi was, he couldn't swallow this insult.

Thinking of this, Hiashi Hyuga felt a pang of bitterness, but he suppressed his emotions.

Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave some instructions, left a few high-ranking officials behind, and then the rest of them went to arrange their own affairs and prepare for the next war against Sunagakure.

After most people had left, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened as he said, "The Scroll of Sealing has been stolen!"

"Did Orochimaru and his group do it?" asked Mitokado Homura, an advisor to the Konoha leadership.

"I don't know, but it did happen during this chaos. Even if he didn't do it, he's definitely involved," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a somber tone.

The Book of Seals is dangerous; it contains many forbidden techniques. These techniques are either extremely powerful or do not conform to the moral principles of peacetime, making them very troublesome.

Orochimaru was already a dangerous guy, and now that he has obtained this Book of Seals, things are likely to become even more complicated.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat relieved. Fortunately, he had already severed and sealed the souls of Orochimaru's hands. Although he was not sure if Orochimaru could ultimately solve this problem, at least things should be much quieter for a short time.

"I'm afraid it wasn't Orochimaru who did it," said Nara Shikaku, the Jonin squad leader, with a grim expression.

"What do you mean?" Koharu Utatane, the advisor, turned to look at Shikaku Nara and asked.

"There was another group of people involved in this riot. They are very mysterious. Our Nara family was invaded by them, and our Shadow Technique was stolen." Nara Shikaku said, trying to suppress his agitated emotions.

Although the mysterious person did not harm him after taking the Shadow Secret Technique he carried, and mysteriously disappeared in the form of a shadow, the fact that the Shadow Secret Technique was stolen is indeed undeniable.

"Your Nara clan's secret family technique has been stolen?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

This was a bit like rubbing salt into a wound, but since it was Jiraiya who spoke, Nara Shikaku had no choice but to say, somewhat embarrassed, "That's right, I ran right into him. Even though I attacked first and seized the initiative, I was no match for him at all. The Shadow Technique seemed to have no effect on him. He was a master of manipulating shadows. I couldn't see his face clearly, and his physique might not be real, but judging from his clothes, he should be part of some kind of organization."

"What does it look like?" Jiraiya pressed on.

"A black trench coat with fiery red clouds printed on it, and he's wearing a straw hat and a veil," Nara Shikaku said.

"The Akatsuki!" Jiraiya exclaimed immediately, his tone turning serious. "This matter is still inextricably linked to Orochimaru. In the years I've been tracking Orochimaru, I've gathered a lot of information, including about the Akatsuki, which I've reported to the Third Hokage several times."

"That's true." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded seriously.

Seeing this, Jiraiya continued, "It's an organization composed of S-rank rogue ninjas from various countries. Orochimaru was once a member of it. The clothes they wear are just like the one you just described."

"An S-rank rogue ninja organization?" Nara Shikaku stroked the stubble on his chin, his brows furrowed.

In fact, apart from Jiraiya's report, this was not the first time Hiruzen Sarutobi had heard of the Akatsuki organization. After Itachi Uchiha left the village, he was tasked with gathering intelligence from the outside world that was detrimental to the village.

Not long after Itachi Uchiha left Konoha, he joined the Akatsuki organization, during which time he gave Konoha a warning once.

It seems that the Akatsuki organization is a rogue ninja organization that wants to collect tailed beasts to do some terrible things.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know the specifics of the situation.

"In other words, at least three forces were involved in this attack on Konoha: the Hidden Sound Village led by Orochimaru, the Hidden Sand Village led by Rasa, and the S-rank rogue ninja organization 'Akatsuki'." Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment before speaking, "Leaving aside Orochimaru and the Hidden Sand Village, we know almost nothing about the Akatsuki organization."

After a slight pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at a figure opposite him wearing a monkey mask and ANBU armor and said, "Monkey, your ANBU needs to obtain information about the Akatsuki organization as quickly as possible."

"Understood, Third Generation Lord," the monkey replied softly.

His voice was somewhat muffled, making it difficult to distinguish whether he was male or female. The others in the Hokage's office seemed to have gotten used to it and didn't seem curious about his condition.

The head of the secret service, codenamed "Monkey".

As early as when Hiruzen Sarutobi first took office as Hokage, he immediately had right-hand men by his side.

No one knows what his true appearance is like. At least in formal and public occasions, monkeys always appear with masks, their voices are indistinct, and their gender is indistinguishable.

However, a very small number of high-ranking officials and those more familiar with Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that after the monkey appeared, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son, Shinnosuke Sarutobi, who was still very young at the time, almost never appeared in the public eye again. Therefore, many people speculated that this monkey was the eldest son of the Third Hokage, especially since the code name seemed to have a strong metaphor.

However, this head of the secret service never showed his true face, so even if people had some guesses, they could not be sure.

They couldn't even ask questions, since the Anbu was a special force directly under the Hokage, and no one else had the right to inquire about Anbu matters. Unless the head of the Anbu himself was willing to reveal his identity, no one else had the right to find out his identity.

"As for the Chunin Exams," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, then hesitated for a moment.

Seeing that he seemed somewhat undecided, Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment and said, "There's only one stage left in the Chunin Exams. Although it's impossible to cooperate with Sunagakure again, we should still implement it as soon as possible to demonstrate the spirit of Konoha. At the same time, improving our Chunin ranks will effectively boost confidence and provide a guarantee for the war ahead."

"Then let's keep it simple and quick," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said.

After saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Shikaku Nara a wink, and Shikaku immediately understood and nodded to himself.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Upon seeing Nara Shikaku nod, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly coughed uncontrollably. Everyone present was concerned about the Hokage's health. Then, they saw Sarutobi Hiruzen pull out a tissue and cover his mouth. After a moment, his coughing and panting subsided.

However, when the tissue was removed, everyone saw the bright red blood.

"My body is truly failing me. In this battle against Orochimaru, I even had to use the Reaper Death Seal. Although I haven't died yet due to some unforeseen circumstances, considering that the Grim Reaper might appear at any time to take back my soul, I can no longer continue to serve as Hokage. I must arrange for the next Hokage as soon as possible," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, feigning weakness.

He had originally planned to feign illness after Jiraiya returned, and now, because of Orochimaru, his excuse was even more perfect.

Everyone saw how intense my fight with Orochimaru was. That bastard even brought out two former Hokage. I paid a heavy price for it, and it's only natural that my body is becoming increasingly weak.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, thinking it was a real shame that Danzo hadn't come to the meeting. If he had heard the news, he would probably have jumped for joy.

"Third Hokage, you are indeed getting on in years, and your energy is not as abundant as it used to be. Now is a time of great turmoil, and Konoha really needs a more energetic Hokage to lead us," Nara Shikaku immediately chimed in.

If he had said those words on any other day, he would have truly offended Hiruzen Sarutobi to the point of no return.

Given Nara Shikaku's intelligence, he would never have said something so offensive unless he had truly confirmed Hiruzen Sarutobi's feelings multiple times.

That's too brutal!

But this forceful approach provides a very powerful directional indication.

Nara Shikaku is the class leader of the Jonin team and also the Hokage's advisor. Everyone knows that he has a very close relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Now that Nara Shikaku has said this, what does it mean?

This means that the Third Hokage wasn't testing anyone, but genuinely intended to retire. This saved a lot of "suspicion" and made everyone understand that they should stop bickering and quickly choose a more suitable person to be the new Hokage.

"I think Jiraiya would be perfect for this," Kakashi said softly.

Clearly, Kakashi had also received instructions.

As soon as he spoke, Might Guy chimed in, "Lord Jiraiya is indeed a suitable candidate. He is highly skilled, prestigious, experienced, and even participated in the Third Shinobi World War. The villagers all have great faith in him."

"I don't want to be Hokage." Jiraiya refused without hesitation, and said, "Old man, stop acting here. This is not the time to talk about these things. Even if you really don't want to continue, you have to wait until you deal with Sunagakure. I have some private matters to discuss with you. If you don't have anything else important to say, then give me some time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat embarrassed by Jiraiya's blunt exposure. He cleared his throat lightly, then looked at the others and said, "That's all for now. Quickly implement the arrangements we just made. Dismissed!"

"Yes!" The group quickly responded and then disappeared from the office in a flash.

After everyone had left, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Jiraiya and said, "My body really can't take it anymore. You, my traitorous disciple, don't you know how to help me share the burden?"

"Let's not talk about that now. I've found the Child of Prophecy." Jiraiya didn't bother listening to the old man's nonsense and interrupted him directly.

These words also surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi. As Jiraiya's teacher, he naturally knew why Jiraiya had been wandering around all these years. One reason was Orochimaru, but more importantly, he was looking for the legendary child of prophecy who could change the ninja world.

"Who is it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Jiraiya said in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)