Warlock Invasion of Naruto.

Unlike Konoha, Sunagakure doesn't have the resources to leave a Kazekage at home to guard the house during a war.

Now that White Fang is dead, Chiyo feels a huge weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Now is not the time." The Third Kazekage's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Even if Konoha loses the White Fang, it still has a clear advantage over us, so this time we have to get other villages involved to deal with Konoha."

Chiyo frowned deeply: "How could other villages possibly be on our side? Have you forgotten what happened at Iwagakure?"

“I certainly can’t trust that old fox Onoki. I’ll settle the score with him sooner or later. However, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure has clearly promised me that as long as Sunagakure’s troops reach the front lines, Kirigakure will lead their army to occupy Konoha’s overseas islands and then invade the Land of Fire,” said the Third Kazekage.

"Even the Third Mizukage isn't necessarily credible."

Chiyo said in a deep voice.

The Third Kazekage approached his desk, took a scroll from a drawer, and handed it to Chiyo.

"This is..." Chiyo took the scroll, and the contents of it surprised her. She said, "The Third Mizukage could actually do this?"

"This time, we must be fully prepared. Now we only need to be wary of Iwagakure, and then persuade the Third Raikage to join the war to besiege Konoha. That will definitely deliver a fatal blow to Konoha!"

The Third Kazekage's face was filled with murderous intent. After failing to defeat Konoha with a blitzkrieg last time and getting bogged down in a war of attrition, Sunagakure naturally couldn't afford to fight back.

Even if Sunagakure could afford to fight, the Land of Wind's resources couldn't compare to the Land of Fire's. They couldn't keep up with the war's funding and resources, so defeat was inevitable.

This time the situation is different; White Fang is dead! The rear will be much safer.

"As long as Onoki sees that the benefits of defeating Konoha are greater, I believe he will join us!" Chiyo had calmed down by now.

Indeed, hastily sending troops would only reduce the chances of victory; let Konoha remain peaceful for a while longer.

It's hateful that I couldn't kill White Fang with my own hands.

"By the way, what about Scorpion? Have you informed him?"

Chiyo snapped out of her daze.

The Third Kazekage chuckled, "I've already sent someone to inform him; he should be here soon, right?"

"I just don't know if that child can accept this result. After all, he has always aimed to kill White Fang. How will he react if his enemy dies like this?" Chiyo was a little worried. She was helpless with this grandson. Although he was overly obedient on the surface, his obsession had probably reached the point of being paranoid.

"If he is not satisfied with this result, then let Konoha pay an even heavier price. Tomorrow I plan to personally go to the Land of Rivers to survey the route of our advance. Last time we were unprepared and Konoha took advantage of the terrain to catch us off guard. This time we must eliminate all unexpected factors."

The Third Generation Kazekage.

"Okay, be careful." Chiyo nodded.

"Don't worry, what danger could there be if I personally take action?" the Third Kazekage said with a smile. Even if the Third Tsuchikage or the Third Raikage appeared, he would not be afraid in the slightest if it came to a one-on-one fight.

Chiyo rolled her eyes at the Third Kazekage and said irritably, "I wasn't worried about you anyway."

"Unless I'm dead, who can touch a scorpion?"

The Third Kazekage's words were full of confidence.

......

three days later.

Within the territory of the River Country, in a lush mountain range.

The Third Kazekage and Sasori arrived at the mountaintop and gazed down at the valley below.

"This is a nice place."

The Third Kazekage sighed.

As soon as he finished speaking, Scorpion's indifferent voice came from behind him.

"Indeed, it's a very good place to be buried."

"You mean the ninjas of Konoha?" The Third Kazekage turned around with a smile.

“I’m talking about you.” Scorpion’s expression was numb, like a puppet.

"What did you say?"

The Third Kazekage looked puzzled, wondering if he had misheard.

Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation all over his body.

"scorpion?"

"I added five hundred times the usual dose of poison to the afternoon tea. You've managed to hold on until now; you truly deserve to be called the strongest Kazekage of all time." Sasori's eyes held a hint of mockery.

The Third Kazekage felt as if his meridians were blocked, making it impossible for him to use chakra at all, and he could barely stand.

"Why? Why do this kind of thing?"

"Why?!" Scorpion's expression gradually turned crazed: "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have gone to find White Fang long ago! You made me completely lose the chance to kill White Fang with my own hands!"

"You...you..." The Third Kazekage was incredulous; Sasori's mind had twisted to such an extent.

No wonder he always carries his tea-making utensils even when he goes out.

The Third Kazekage genuinely believed that Sasori had transferred his filial piety towards his parents to him, his teacher.

"Didn't you say that no metal weapon could kill you with Magnet Release? I don't think so."

Scorpion released the puppet, and six long swords flew out simultaneously.

puff!

The third generation of Kazekage has died.

10132269

[Chapter 95 The Politician's Faith (8 Updates)]

The Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane—Konoha's four highest-ranking leaders—are gathered here to discuss the aftermath of Sakumo Hatake's suicide.

"Hiruzen, the impact of this incident is too terrible. Even a ninja like White Fang committed suicide. Some people in the village are even talking about whether they can abandon their comrades at will for missions in the future. If this kind of atmosphere is established, the cohesion of the village will be greatly reduced," Koharu Utatane said in a deep voice.

"It's just that some ninja clans want to take this opportunity to cause trouble. They'll arrest a few typical cases, then win over some people, and that'll solve the problem."

Danzo said indifferently, not caring at all.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, his face filled with regret: "This is all my fault! If I had stood up to quell the public opinion sooner, perhaps Sakumo wouldn't have..."

"This isn't your fault. Nobody wanted what happened to Sakumo. Who knew he would use such an extreme way to apologize? In the end, it's mainly because someone was stirring things up. The mission Sakumo was carrying out was top secret. How did it become so widely known? We need to investigate that thoroughly," Mitomon Homura advised, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

Danzo narrowed his eyes. His intention was to suppress Sakumo's reputation so that Orochimaru could more easily ascend to the position of Hokage. After all, the child under his command who had awakened Wood Release still needed time to grow.

But who could have imagined that Sakumo would commit suicide?

Moreover, Hiruzen tacitly agreed to this.

Otherwise, if Hiruzen had spoken out from the beginning, public opinion wouldn't have gotten out of control. Now he's pretending to regret it, but who is he trying to fool?

In the end, he was just handing a knife to Hiruzen, and it was Hiruzen who handed the knife to Sakumo.

“Indeed! We must investigate thoroughly!” Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.

Danzo glanced at him, realizing he had to take the blame, and said, "Among the members of the Sakumo Squad, there is one who came from Root. He has admitted that he accidentally leaked the secret and committed suicide last night to atone for his sins."

"What?! Another suicide?!" Mitokado Homura exclaimed.

The village has lost three Jonin in a row. White Fang is a Kage-level ninja, and Sakamoto Kota is not weak among the elite Jonin. Now that another one has died, how can this be allowed!

Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Danzo: "In that case, let's leave it at that. From today onward, the village's rules must be strictly enforced, and we will absolutely not allow any more leaks of secrets."

Things have come to this point, and our efforts have backfired. At this time, the most important thing is to stabilize the internal situation, and now is not the time to punish Danzo.

At that moment, a slow footstep sound came, the office door was pushed open, and an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane, walked in shakily.

"Lord Kazuya?! What brings you here?"

All four executives were taken aback.

The old man was an elder of the Senju clan, Senju Kazuya.

Or rather, he should now be called Kazumi, since as a staunch supporter of the Second Hokage, he abandoned the Senju surname.

The four high-ranking officials looked quite respectful, and Mitokado Yan even brought a chair for Kazuya and helped him sit down.

In their youth, they were taken in as disciples by the Second Hokage, who took great care of them.

Koharu, who was about to make tea, waved to Mi and said, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll just say a few words and leave."

"Lord Kazuya, please tell us what you need. We will do our best to fulfill it if we can."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said respectfully.

He Mi smiled and said, "Monkey, you still speak as directly as before, but you're not as decisive and efficient in your actions as you used to be."

Right now, in the entire Hidden Leaf Village, the only person who can be called the Third Hokage by his nickname is probably the one right in front of us.

"Lord Kazumi is right. The village affairs are heavy, and many things need to be handled carefully. I can no longer just rush forward like before."

Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared to be humbly accepting instruction.

"Since the village affairs are so heavy, why didn't you choose a successor for the Fourth Hokage sooner? Even if you are still in your prime, you can let your successor help you share the burden."

White Fang was originally the best choice, but who would have thought that he was so psychologically fragile that he committed suicide after suffering a little setback.

"But all three Sannin are excellent. Don't you have someone in mind among them?"

He Mi tentatively asked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "The Sannin are indeed all excellent, but they need more experience before they can truly stand on their own. I can hold on for a few more years and give these young people some time to grow."

Kazuya narrowed his eyes, somewhat displeased with Hiruzen Sarutobi's evasive behavior, so he stopped probing and went straight to the point: "What do you think of Tsunade?"

"Tsunade?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Tsunade is indeed very outstanding and deeply loved by the people of the village. Even disregarding her status as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she is one of the best candidates for the Fourth Hokage."

“I won’t beat around the bush with you, I’ll just say it straight! If you let Tsunade inherit the position of Fourth Hokage, I can assure you that she will never continue to implement Tobirama’s policies,” Kazuya said confidently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "This... to succeed as Hokage, one needs the support of the people and the approval of the Jonin. It's not something I can decide with just a few words."

Kazumi nodded: "That's true to some extent, but once you publicly support Tsunade, most of the Jonin who previously supported you will also support Tsunade. At that time, Tsunade's vote share among the Jonin will definitely be in the lead. You don't deny that, do you?"

“Yes,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.

"At the time, I shared the same idea as Tobirama: to disband all the ninja clans in Konoha, have everyone abandon their surnames, eliminate the boundaries between clans, and completely integrate into the Konoha community. All ninjas would have only one surname, which is 'Konoha'."

However, practice has proven that my and Tobirama's ideas were wrong.