The news that the Land of Water had dispatched troops to station in Uzushiogakure quickly caused an uproar in the Ninja World.
The richness of the Land of Fire had long made other nations covet it. Its fertile land and dense commercial towns were a treasure trove that other nations in the Ninja World could hardly possess.
Now that the Land of Water had taken the lead, it was clear that they intended to use Uzushiogakure as a springboard to encroach on the Land of Fire's territory, and other nations naturally did not want to fall behind.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning slammed his fist on the table and ordered the Fourth Raikage, "Immediately dispatch elite troops to the eastern border cities of the Land of Fire, claiming to assist the Third Prince and maintain border order. We must not let other nations gain an advantage first."
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth, on the other hand, had Iwagakure, on the pretext of protecting overseas villagers in the northern Land of Fire, forcefully support the Second Prince Yuanichi Tsuyoshi, occupying four cities in the north.
The Land of Wind was even more direct, assisting the Fourth Prince Yuanichi Rito in occupying three border cities in the west of the Land of Fire.
For a time, the Land of Fire was filled with foreign ninjas.
What was originally just an internal struggle among the five princes had now turned into a multi-national power struggle.
Even the weakest Fifth Prince, relying on the deterrence of the Land of Water, had managed to gain a foothold in the southern cities.
The situation in the Land of Fire had completely devolved into chaos.
As the Chief Commander of the Land of Fire's national defense, Hiruzen had barely slept recently.
He wore dust-stained armor, having been stationed continuously at the command post in the capital for days, his eyes bloodshot, and the battle map in his hand was densely marked.
"Iwagakure in the north has advanced another five kilometres, and they're almost at Pan City."
"Kumogakure ninjas in the east engaged our troops, suffering heavy casualties!"
"Sunagakure in the west plundered a large amount of provisions!"
His subordinates' reports came one after another, almost suffocating him.
The First Prince Yuanichi Kyu slammed his fist on the map. "These jackals! Notify all fronts to defend the cities to the death. We must not let foreign ninjas advance another step!"
Hiruzen silently held his pipe. The current chaotic situation had long since spiraled beyond his control.
One evening, Shinnosuke, accompanied by two guards, went to inspect the military camp in the western part of the capital.
As they reached an alley on the outskirts of the city, three dark figures suddenly leaped down from the rooftops, their kunai gleaming with cold light, aimed directly at his vital points.
The guards immediately shielded Shinnosuke, engaging in a fierce battle with the dark figures.
"Quick, send a signal, it's an ambush!"
Shinnosuke quickly formed hand signs and continuously spat out several fireballs from his mouth.
But the opponents were clearly well-prepared. Several Water Release techniques instantly extinguished the fireballs, and one of the dark figures took advantage of the chaos to swing his blade, striking him in the abdomen.
"Protect the Lord!"
The guards desperately repelled the dark figures, helping up Shinnosuke, who had fallen to the ground.
Blood flowed unceasingly from Shinnosuke's abdomen, and his consciousness gradually blurred. He only heard the anxious shouts of his guards before losing consciousness.
When he woke up, Shinnosuke was lying on a hospital bed in the military camp. His abdominal wound had been healed by a medical ninja.
Several medical ninjas stood around, still debating something.
Seeing him trying to get up, a young medical ninja quickly held him down and said, "Shinnosuke-sama, although your wound has been healed, you lost too much blood and still need more rest."
Shinnosuke frowned slightly. "How long do I need to rest?"
The young medical ninja hesitated, his gaze becoming complex. "The external injury has healed, but there's still a problem with your body… you've lost your fertility."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Shinnosuke's eyes widened suddenly, thinking he had misheard.
He was only 32 years old, in the prime of his life, how could he suddenly lose his fertility?
The young medical ninja quickly explained, "Please don't get agitated. Our examination found that your reproductive system has an old injury. This external injury was just a trigger, the real problem originated 11 years ago. You must have suffered a hidden injury 11 years ago, and you didn't choose to treat it at the time, allowing it to secretly worsen, leading to the loss of your fertility."
Shinnosuke immediately exploded in rage, throwing off the blanket and pointing at his eight-pack abs. "Nonsense! That part of me was never injured at all. This time it was just a knife wound to the abdomen, how could it affect fertility? You quack, are you deliberately cursing me?"
His voice grew louder and louder, alarming the guards outside the ward, who all poked their heads in.
The young medical ninja's face flushed red, but he still insisted. "Shinnosuke-sama, I'm not talking nonsense. This is the result of several medical ninjas examining you together, it cannot be wrong. If you don't believe it, you can find others to examine you."
These young medical ninjas were only recruited by Shinnosuke last month. They had no factional background, so logically, they wouldn't intentionally deceive him.
Shinnosuke's anger gradually faded, replaced by an inexplicable panic. He suddenly remembered that he had had dozens of women, but only one child, Konohamaru. No matter how hard he tried over the years, he hadn't gotten any other woman pregnant.
Now, thinking about it carefully, he probably had a problem long ago.
"Impossible… This is impossible… My son, Konohamaru, is already over three years old, how could I be infertile?" Shinnosuke muttered to himself, his eyes becoming fierce.
The young medical ninja trembled all over, frightened by him, but still bravely said, "Shinnosuke-sama, we are only inferring based on medical common sense. If you don't believe it, you can do a genetic test to confirm paternity."
Shinnosuke suddenly grabbed the young medical ninja's collar, his eyes full of murderous intent. "What nonsense are you talking about?! Konohamaru is my son, the heir to the Sarutobi clan, how dare you question his parentage?"
Shinnosuke released his grip, staggered back a few steps, and slumped onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling, his mind in a state of confusion.
If he truly was infertile, then whose child was Konohamaru?
Had his wife cheated? Or was someone deliberately impersonating his son, trying to scheme for the Sarutobi clan's wealth?
He suddenly remembered that his wife's gaze sometimes inexplicably held pity when she looked at him.
The anger in his heart churned like magma in his chest.
He suddenly pulled out a kunai, his eyes ferocious. "Bitch, I'll kill that bastard! I'll kill him!"
With that, he got up and rushed out of the ward.
— — —
At this moment, Hatano was playing with Konohamaru outside the hospital.
When Shinnosuke saw Konohamaru, he threw the kunai in his hand.
Seeing that something was wrong, two Sarutobi Jonin suddenly appeared and blocked him.
"Shinnosuke, are you insane? Konohamaru is your son."
Shinnosuke, his eyes red, pointed at his abdomen and said, "I've long lost my fertility, how could I have a biological son? You tell me. Whose child is he?! Quickly tell me!"