Despite the surprise, this Jonin, who had grown up fighting and surviving within Root since childhood, was not about to let the ship capsize in such a shallow ditch. Even when facing an enemy in a berserk state with strength multiplied several times over, he simply spent a little more time to resolve the situation.
After subduing the enemy, the Root Jonin carefully examined the man's body. He discovered that the wounds were actually recovering at a terrifying speed. Rather than the threat to his own life, he was more concerned about the new secret technique the Sand ninjas displayed in this battle, as well as the mysterious medicine capable of healing injuries and boosting strength in a short time.
If this secret technique and medicine were to spread, they would likely pose a severe threat to the Hidden Leaf.
I must deliver this news to Lord Danzo as quickly as possible!
With this thought, the Root Jonin knocked the enemy unconscious and placed him inside a special bag. Immediately after, he signaled for a full retreat. Although the rebels chose to withdraw the moment they heard the signal, the ninjas of the Hidden Sand Village clearly wouldn't let them go so easily.
Furthermore, the Root ninjas cared nothing for the lives of these rebels. They provided no cover for the retreat. Consequently, it was only natural that the rebels suffered heavy losses while being pursued by the Sand ninjas. Nevertheless, no one truly cared about the lives of these rogue ninjas.
After dispersing the rebels, the Hidden Sand ninjas destroyed several strongpoints located within the Land of Rivers and stationed a portion of their forces there. Following this, the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village officially announced that to help the Land of Rivers suppress the rebels, a special ninja unit had been dispatched to provide support within their borders.
In response, the Land of Rivers could only remain submissive. Under the combined pressure of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, they dared not speak up.
Meanwhile, intelligence regarding this border conflict and the captured Hidden Sand ninja was quickly sent to the Leaf through Root's underground channels at maximum speed. Consequently, the Third Hokage and the other three high-level officials arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Hiruzen, Root has conducted a deep interrogation of that Hidden Sand ninja. It is basically confirmed that the Hidden Sand ninja forces have equipped the device known as the Scorpion Jade on a large scale and have mastered the secret technique to use it."
"Additionally, the Spider Lily Chamber of Commerce in the Hidden Sand Village has developed a special Food Pill. It contains a massive amount of Yang Style chakra. Swallowing it when near death can quickly heal physical injuries and stimulate the body to enter a berserk state, greatly increasing combat power."
The speaker's voice was extremely raspy. It was none other than the Leaf Elder known to the world as the Darkness of the Shinobi, Danzo Shimura.
After listening to Danzo's introduction, the expressions of the other two advisors instantly turned solemn. As high-level officials of the Leaf and veteran ninjas who had survived since the First World War, they knew how significant these two items were to the Hidden Sand Village and other villages.
From the intelligence provided by Root, the former could greatly enhance a ninja's close-combat capabilities, potentially making them invincible in melee combat among those of the same rank. The latter improved the survival capabilities and explosive power of the Sand ninjas at critical moments.
"Danzo, is the intelligence accurate?" Homura Mitokado asked seriously.
Danzo closed his eyes and said raspily, "One hundred percent accurate. This was retrieved from the opponent's mind by the Yamanaka Clan ninjas within Root."
The Yamanaka Clan was one of the Leaf's established ninja clans. They specialized in sensory and investigative ninjutsu, capable of peeking into others' memories through secret techniques. They were an essential weapon for the Leaf to acquire enemy intelligence.
"If it's the Yamanaka Clan, then the intelligence is surely correct."
The speaker was the other advisor, Koharu Utatane. After confirming the accuracy of the information, she turned to ask, "What about the usage restrictions for these two items?"
This was the core of the issue. No matter how good an item was, if the restrictions were too great, it could not have a significant impact on the battlefield.
"I'm afraid I must disappoint you on that matter, Koharu."
Danzo's raspy voice rang out again.
"According to the information from that Sand ninja, after the Hidden Sand Village was attacked by the Jashin Religion and lost its Tailed Beast, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa began promoting the Scorpion Jade secret technique on a large scale among the ninjas to enhance their overall strength. Simultaneously, they are purchasing the Spider Lily Chamber of Commerce's Food Pills in bulk."
Koharu Utatane instantly fell silent because she knew what this news meant. Both the secret technique and the Food Pills likely had no threshold for ninjas and were developed by the Hidden Sand Village itself. Only then would the Fourth Kazekage Rasa dare to promote them on such a massive scale.
Clack, clack.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly tapped his pipe gently against the desk. His aged eyes scanned the room as he said calmly, "In that case, let the forces within the Land of Rivers show some restraint. Cancel the probing of the Land of Wind. Then, dispatch more spies to the Hidden Sand Village to find out exactly how this secret technique came to be as soon as possible."
"Also, the origins of that Spider Lily Chamber of Commerce and the truth behind the Shukaku incident must be clarified."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked directly at Danzo as he said this. Clearly, this task was being entrusted to him. To be precise, it was for the Root division under Danzo's command.
Danzo, having partnered with Hiruzen Sarutobi for so many years, naturally understood the meaning. He immediately agreed, "I understand. However, many of the spies previously in the Hidden Sand Village were purged by Rasa..."
Simply put, Root was short on manpower.
The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo, seemingly having expected this. He exhaled a puff of smoke and said indifferently, "The quota for Root can be appropriately increased."
Having received the answer he wanted, Danzo left satisfied to prepare for the insertion of moles. After he departed, Homura Mitokado spoke with deep concern.
"Hiruzen, although the Hidden Sand Village lost Shukaku, if we allow them to develop like this, the strength of the Land of Wind might expand uncontrollably."
Hearing Homura's words, Koharu Utatane expressed her own worries as well. "Homura is right. We in the Leaf must indeed guard against the rise of the Land of Wind."
An overly powerful neighbor was not a good thing for the current Leaf.
To this, Hiruzen Sarutobi only offered a faint smile. "Rest assured. While the Hidden Sand Village is constantly researching new technologies, we in the Leaf are not standing still."
Upon hearing this, the two advisors who knew Hiruzen Sarutobi well felt a sense of reassurance. The Leaf must have developed some new ninjutsu capable of impacting the battlefield. If there weren't sufficient certainty, their old friend would never have informed them so clearly.