"What a failure!"
"He led so many shinobi from the village to the Land of Wind, lost so many people, and only managed to break one mechanical sand ship. He didn't even kill half a Suna shinobi."
"Too incompetent."
"And someone like that is actually one of Konoha's elders. No wonder Konoha's condition keeps getting worse."
"The people at the top are all useless."
One villager let out a cold snort.
"If he weren't incompetent, I'd almost suspect this guy was a spy sent by Sunagakure into Konoha. How could someone come up with such a failed operation plan?"
"Even a dog would have done better."
The villagers did not dare discuss it loudly, and the gazes they cast toward Danzo were furtive.
But Danzo's hearing was too sharp.
He could hear fragments of their discussions.
"Unruly peasants! All of them are unruly peasants!"
"Foolish, ignorant peasants!"
"If they were made to do this old man's work, Konoha would have collapsed long ago."
"If that spy had not betrayed this old man, this operation could never have failed. If the spy I had used had been Kabuto Yakushi, none of this would have happened."
"It is all Hiruzen's fault! Everything is Hiruzen's fault!"
In the Hokage's office earlier, Danzo had very much wanted to bring up this point and blame Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But when he considered his current circumstances and Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger, Danzo forcibly endured it.
Danzo turned back and gave the Hokage Building a deep look.
"Hiruzen, sooner or later, the two of us will exchange roles!"
"I will definitely make you experience my pain!"
Iwagakure.
Onoki looked at the headline in the newspaper and could not help laughing.
"That old dog Danzo is going to become the laughingstock of the shinobi world again!"
"He led a team into an ambush, failed, abandoned his companions, and turned around to flee. There may be some artistic embellishment, but most of it is definitely true. Otherwise, it would be very easy to clarify."
"If that happened, Sunagakure's purpose in publishing this headline would not be achieved. Instead, it would backfire."
"Rasa would not make that kind of mistake."
Originally, because he had spent a massive amount of resources to ransom back only a few corpses, Onoki had been in a foul mood. But after seeing the contents of Ninja World Weekly, his mood improved tremendously.
"Rasa, that brat… I have to admit, he is indeed a formidable opponent."
"Calling him the strongest person in the shinobi world might be too much, but he is absolutely the strongest Kazekage in history."
"Whether in personal strength or methods."
"If I had a choice, I truly would not want to become enemies with such a person. But Iwagakure has no choice."
"That Rasa has enormous ambition. What he seeks may not be merely the title of the number one shinobi village, but perhaps the entire shinobi world. Yet Iwagakure has stood for decades. It absolutely cannot end in my hands."
"If I could persuade Kumogakure to join the campaign against Sunagakure, that would be ideal."
"But I do not know whether that brat Raikage has the wisdom for it."
A trace of worry appeared in Onoki's eyes.
Before, Onoki had already feared Sunagakure immensely.
And after the Sun Disk displayed its ability this time, Onoki's wariness toward Sunagakure became even stronger.
A figure arrived before Onoki.
Onoki immediately asked, "How did Kumogakure reply?"
"Reporting to Tsuchikage-sama, I did not even see the Raikage this time. The people beneath him directly dismissed me. And I also discovered another piece of information. Kumogakure's army has already arrived in the Land of Fire!"
Onoki froze for a moment.
"Kumogakure has gone to war with Konoha?"
"Yes. The reason Kumogakure gave is that Hiruzen Sarutobi's public statement slandered both him and Kumogakure, so they must seek justice."
Onoki's expression turned ugly.
"Foolish!"
"Foolish beyond belief! Just like his dead father!"
"At a time like this, he still cannot see Sunagakure's threat and instead attacks Konoha?"
"This is giving Sunagakure an opportunity."
But the Fourth Raikage did not believe he was foolish.
Because the Fourth Raikage did not think the Sun Disk was terrifying. Kumogakure had a perfect countermeasure.
"It is only a Sun Disk. So what if its power is strong and its attack range is long?"
"Kumogakure has two great jinchuriki."
"A fixed, immobile object is nothing more than a living target."
"One Tailed Beast Ball is enough to destroy the Sun Disk."
"Why would I agree to Onoki's invitation?"
"Join forces with Iwagakure and Konoha to deal with Sunagakure?"
"Is Sunagakure really that strong?"
"Once Sunagakure is defeated, those two old bastards will turn around and deal with me!"
Being rejected by Kumogakure left Onoki in a rather poor mood.
But after learning that Kumogakure had attacked Konoha, Onoki could not help developing some ideas.
"Konoha… Hiruzen Sarutobi is no good thing."
"Clearly, the main force fighting Sunagakure was Konoha, yet he still tricked Iwagakure once."
"Not only did Iwagakure lose over a thousand shinobi, but I also lost my beloved son."
"The only advantage was that I became a great Tsuchikage."
Onoki's eyes flickered.
"Sunagakure's main target is still Konoha. And now Kumogakure has also attacked. The pressure Konoha faces will become extremely great. They will need Iwagakure's help."
"At a time like this, if Iwagakure makes demands of Konoha, would Konoha dare refuse?"
"This would allow Iwagakure to recover our losses from the Sun Disk last time—even gain more than that."
Onoki's eyes lit up.
"If we can obtain enough things from Konoha, Iwagakure's strength will rise tremendously. At that time, Iwagakure may not necessarily be unable to contend with Sunagakure."
"The problem can also be solved!"
Onoki quickly began thinking.
"I cannot demand too much at once. I must find the precise point where Konoha is reluctant, yet still willing to give."
"Again and again, I will maximize Iwagakure's gains."
"I will use Konoha to build up Iwagakure!"
…
…
The Hyuga compound.
"Danzo?"
Hyuga Hiashi's expression shifted unpredictably.
At that moment, Danzo had already entered.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had told Danzo to apologize to the family of that Hyuga branch member.
But Danzo could not lower himself to do such a thing.
Therefore, he came directly before Hyuga Hiashi.
"Hiashi."
"Danzo-senpai."
Danzo nodded slightly and gestured to the shinobi beside him.
The shinobi beside him stepped forward and presented the gifts in his hands.
"This is a condolence gift from this old man to the family of that deceased branch family member. This operation's failure was not something this old man wished to see either. It happened because someone betrayed me."
"This old man feels terrible about it as well."
"Apart from your Hyuga clan member, more than a dozen others also died in Sunagakure's trap."
"Hiashi, you won't blame this old man, will you?"
…
Watching Danzo leave, Hyuga Hiashi's expression was terribly gloomy.
"He calls it condolence. He calls it an apology. Yet he still acts so high and mighty."
"He truly does not treat the Hyuga clan as human beings!"
"Father, you were wrong!"
"Endurance will not make them appreciate the Hyuga clan. It will only make them go further!"
"The Hyuga clan should not continue like this!"
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