Escape From Konoha

As the dark iron door opened, a masked man in ANBU ninja uniform walked in.

He came to a stop in front of the old man with a gloomy expression, bowed slightly and saluted.

"Lord Danzo."

Danzo, who was contemplating with his eyes closed, immediately opened his eyes when he heard the call.

In his old body, only his eyes still shined brightly in the darkness, shining a cold and indifferent light, like sharp blades.

"explain."

"Kabuto is missing. In addition...all the data in the headquarters data room, including the computers that store the data, have also disappeared."

The root ninja lowered himself to report the incident to Danzo, his tone full of dissatisfaction with the ANBU.

Instead of Genbu, it’s nothing more than to control Genbu’s headquarters base. As a result, Anbu also caused all the precious materials in Genbu’s headquarters to be stolen.

Therefore, he tried his best to suppress his inner anger and dissatisfaction, but in the end he still couldn't restrain it all.

After Danzo heard the news, his face moved slightly and he frowned slightly.

"Did Orochimaru make it again?"

If Dou was not captured by Genbu, then he is fully capable of taking advantage of the gap period when Genbu was replaced by Anbu, and through his past understanding of Genbu headquarters base, sneaked in quietly and stole the research materials there.

Kabuto not only has this motive, but also has this excellent infiltration ability.

"Nine times out of ten."

Root Ninja replied.

"Tell me everything about the scene. Don't miss any detail."

After Danzo paused, his voice was low.

"yes."

Although the root ninja was confused, he still explained it to Danzo in detail.

About ten minutes later, the root ninja finished supplementing the details of the stolen data room, and the more Danzo listened, the deeper his frown deepened.

"You mean...the bookshelf partition list posted on the wall and the duty roster are also missing?"

"Yes."

"Why do you want to take that kind of thing away?"

"..."

The root ninja was speechless. He also wanted to know the reason why Kabuto did this.

But he wasn't Kabuto, so how could he possibly know what the other person was thinking.

It's just that the current evidence points to the other party.

It was Orochimaru who entrapped Root to this point. Dou received orders from Orochimaru to take advantage of this opportunity to steal the research results of Root.

"Kabuto is also an advanced researcher. In that case, taking away the most valuable things as quickly as possible is the best option."

"Danzo-sama, what do you mean..."

The face under the root ninja mask changed slightly, and he heard what Danzo meant.

"Go to investigate the scene again, don't let go of any suspicious places, and then take photos and bring them here. The possibility of deliberately disturbing the line of sight cannot be ruled out, but if there are hidden black hands in the dark..."

Danzo's already gloomy expression became even gloomier.

If there is a hidden black hand in the dark, does that mean that there are deeper reasons behind the collapse of the root?

Kakashi "resurrected from the dead", and then Sasuke Uchiha learned the truth about the extermination of the Uchiha clan. According to eyewitnesses, the two had a short-lived appearance on the border of the northern land of the country of fire, and then disappeared.

Although the final target was pointed at Orochimaru, even Konoha's decision-makers concluded this most reliable guess...

But what if all this was secretly misled?

If this is the case, one or both of Kakashi and Sasuke must have big problems.

So, does Orochimaru know this?

Do you know everything, but for a certain purpose, are you willing to become a blade in the hands of others? Or are you ignorant and simply deceived by others, putting yourself in a dangerous situation?

"Lord Danzo, I will send someone to investigate right away!"

The root ninja nodded heavily and was about to leave when Danzo's voice suddenly sounded behind him:

"Wait, Tsunade is back in the village?"

"Tsunade-sama? She hasn't returned yet, but she will soon."

"Then Chiba Shiraishi appeared in the Kingdom of Iron before?"

"Yes, this is what Kaze and Togen and the rest of the members saw with their own eyes. But I heard that the other party has left the Iron Country and is missing. Before he left, Tsunade-sama suddenly made the decision to return to the village Decide."

The root ninja answered truthfully.

Danzo's expression was strange, changing between gloomy and terrifying expressions erratically.

"Danzo-sama?"

Perhaps Danzo's expression was too scary at the moment, so the root ninja standing here asked a tentative question in a low voice, lowering his breathing as much as possible.

"It's nothing. You go down and ask Feng and Tiegen to come over and see me immediately after they come back."

"yes."

The root ninja left as if he had been granted amnesty.

"Chiba Shiraishi...Tsunade..."

Danzo, who was sitting on the chair, chewed on these two names carefully, thoughtfully.

There are many doubts, but it would be too far-fetched to say that those things are doubtful.

After all, from beginning to end, there were only two people in this chess game, he and Orochimaru, and there was no third chess player.

But if there is really a third-party chess player, then, compared to him who suffered heavy losses, and Orochimaru who has more notoriety on his back, the third person is in a safe zone from beginning to end, without even showing his face .

This doesn't make sense.

To become a chess player, there must be pieces on the chess board.

In this chess game, there are not many important chess pieces that can affect the outcome of the chess player's battle.

Of course, all these speculations are based on the real existence of third-party chess players.

You still need evidence, and you need more evidence to verify your conjecture and make your hypothesis true.

"Tsunade... let's start investigating from her. If there really is a third-party chess player..."

Danzo's expression became serious.

If the guess is true, then Konoha's situation will become extremely dangerous.

This danger is likely to exceed any crisis in the past.

"Tsunade...will you bring new life to Konoha...or destruction?"

If you bring the latter, even if you are the Hokage, I will still do it myself... A terrifying murderous intention flashed in Danzo's eyes.

This failure made him understand completely.

Darkness that is close to light will be burned.

Darkness is his destination.

Only darkness can calm his heart and make him feel an unprecedented sense of security.

As long as I'm in the dark, I feel like I can do anything.

It is precisely because he is the incarnation of darkness and has been calculating people's hearts in the darkness all year round that he has such a keen sense of smell for certain things.

This sense of oppression that filled the building with the impending storm made Danzo smell the extremely familiar scent of the past——

war!

◎

"You're still the same as before, Tsunade."

When Tsunade entered the conference room of the Hokage Building, she heard an old and familiar voice.

As expected, the one who spoke was Koharu, who was sleeping, and the person standing next to her was Mito Kadoyan.

"In short, we are back in good spirits, which can be regarded as letting go of a big stone in our hearts."

Mito Menyan also said, showing a nostalgic look.

"I thought you were expecting me not to come back."

Tsunade, who had just returned to Konoha and came here in a hurry, also complained a little to the two.

Then, she glanced around the conference room, seemingly looking for something.

"What are you looking for?"

Xiaochun asked curiously when he went to bed.

She knew that Tsunade was a restless guy since she was a child, not only because of her special status, but also because of her status as a woman, she often didn't like to reason.

Especially in Girls' Generation, she can be said to be the village bully that no one dares to mess with in the village.

Even Danzo didn't want to mess with her, because it was too troublesome to care about her, and he couldn't say anything to her yet.

Therefore, she was relieved about Tsunade's return, but on a certain level, she also had some concerns.

She was thinking about whether Tsunade's return would affect their power as advisors.

"No, I just feel that this place is a lot more empty. There used to be four people here, but now there are only two of you left."

Tsunade sighed as if she was nostalgic, but also disappointed.

He seemed to be lost as to why nothing happened to these two old guys.

What happened was the two most capable people. One died in the line of duty and the other stayed in prison.

As a result, only the two consultants were left unharmed.

"We are fine. I'm really sorry."

Mito Menyan is also speechless. He will be squeezed as soon as he comes back. The days after that seem to be tough, and he doesn't know how many more good years he will have.

"It's good to know."

Tsunade sat down unceremoniously.

Immediately afterwards, Jiraiya walked in from outside, and Shizune, who was holding a pink piggy, followed closely.

"You two, I have sent Tsunade back safely. Next, it is time to hold the succession ceremony of the Fifth Hokage."

Jiraiya's implication was to finalize this matter quickly to avoid long nights and dreams.

"Of course, Shikaku has already started to deal with this matter. When the time comes, people from other countries will also come to watch the ceremony. We need this Hokage succession ceremony to stabilize people's hearts."

Danzo's previous Hokage succession ceremony had only invited officials from the Fire Country Daimyōfu, as well as officials from Sunagakure and Wind Country as allies.

But the situation is different now. All countries must have received the news of Danzo's resignation and ridiculed Konoha.

Now Konoha desperately needs Tsunade to save face and inspire people again.

"That's really huge. So, who are the specific visitors? You shouldn't have invited people from the Kingdom of Ghosts as well, right?"

When Jiraiya said this, he was a little dissatisfied.

Koharu turned to bed and said calmly: "Yes, although the relationship between the Ghost Country and our Konoha and Fire Country is not good, it is now one of the big countries. This is an inevitable result. And if other countries are invited, they must be excluded alone. If we lose it, the other party will inevitably cause unprovoked diplomatic troubles, and it will also appear that we in Konoha have no tolerance."

"Although I don't know why, Jiraiya, you are so prejudiced against the Kingdom of Demons in a big country, but under the current situation, we have to seriously consider the other party's attitude. At this time, don't lose your temper like a child."

Mito Menyan also spoke.

If we are to say dissatisfied, almost everyone here is very hostile to the Kingdom of Ghosts.

But no matter how bad the relationship is, since the other party is also a member of a big country, he is qualified to join the game. No matter how dissatisfied you are, you still need to be patient.

"Don't talk like a brat to me."

"Your behavior is no different from that of a child in many cases. That's why Tsunade is Hokage."

Xiaochun said politely after going to bed.

"Tch, something like Hokage is a tiring job. Even if it were given to me, I wouldn't be willing to do it."

Jiraiya retorted.

But no one wants you to do it. This was echoed not just by the two consultants, but by everyone else in the room.

After arguing with Jiraiya, Tsunade asked directly: "So, when will the succession ceremony begin?"

“Two days later, if you feel rushed, you can hold it three days later.”

Now that Tsunade has returned, there is no need to rush some things.

Moreover, they also need to arrange the scene in advance and cannot be too hasty like Danzo.

If something unexpected happens again during the Hokage succession ceremony, some people will cry.

"Then in three days, it just so happens that I also need to get familiar with the current environment of the village."

Tsunade stretched, she was a little tired now from all the running.

It was probably under the pretext of being familiar with the village environment that we summoned the old troops from the past in advance. After sleeping, Koharu and Mito Kadoyan saw through Tsunade's thoughts, but there was nothing they could do.

Once Tsunade rises to power, she is not some powerless Hokage.

She was born in the war years and was quite a popular jounin.

In particular, she used her medical ninjutsu to save countless Konoha ninjas.

Most ninjas of a certain age have directly benefited from her.

In addition, the current ninjas in the medical department are either Tsunade's former subordinates, students she once taught in the ninja school, or close colleagues... There are also multiple prominent identities such as the granddaughter of the first Hokage and the disciple of the third Hokage... …

It can be said that as long as Tsunade serves as Hokage, in addition to the areas under the jurisdiction of the Ninja clan, she can immediately exercise real power over many departments in Konoha, rather than in name only.

In addition, the Inar, Deer, and Butterfly Clan seem to have a close relationship with Tsunade, or they may be said to be the Senju Clan in the past.

As long as Tsunade is willing to use her network to meet the elders of the Inar, Deer, and Butterfly Tribes... there won't be any problems on the Ninja Tribe's side.

The most important thing is that Tsunade's own abilities and strength are also indispensable to Konoha.

For such a person, becoming Hokage is what everyone expects.

It is precisely because of this that Koharu and Mito Menyan are relieved on the one hand, but also have real worries on the other hand.

Not only Hiruzen as Hokage, but also the protective umbrella of Danzo has stepped down directly. So, is there any room for consultants to intervene in Konoha's decision-making level?

The final result may be that as long as Tsunade does not make a big mistake of principle, the high-level meeting can be said to be her voice, and her power will even exceed that of the Third Hokage who has been in power in Konoha for decades.

"In addition, regarding the ANBU... I will re-select the elite backbone of the village to join in the future. I dare not say that this department is terrible, but more than half of the people need to be replaced. Also, the manpower of the ANBU needs to be expanded. You should have no objections. Bar?"

The Hokage's orders can reach every corner of the village, and the power of ANBU is definitely an indispensable part.

It is not only the escort of the Hokage, but also the representative organization of the Hokage's power.

"We have no objection to replacing some of the personnel. However, if we continue to expand the ANBU's manpower, does this mean..."

Xiaochun looked hesitant when he went to bed.

The stronger the ANBU means, the greater the power of the Hokage and the easier it is to centralize power.

"The capital injection from the Daming Palace to the Ninja Village is increasing every year, and there is still a surplus. I think these funds should be spent on the blade. And the ANBU is the most powerful blade in the village!"

Tsunade's eyes were firm, as if she was not discussing with the two advisors.

"But……"

"Not only that, Konoha has gone through several rounds of military expansion in recent years, and the total number of ninjas has reached 20,000... If you want to manage such a large number of ninjas, it is necessary to expand the manpower of the ANBU. In the four detachments On top of that, add the fifth and sixth teams—twenty-four team members, eight squad leaders, and two team leaders, which means an increase of thirty-four people.”

"..."

Two detachments... Is this not going to keep the consultant alive?

Turning to bed, Koharu and Mito Menyan suddenly felt that it was not a good decision to let Tsunade be the Fifth Hokage.

"In this case, those ninjas may have opinions."

"About this matter, I will organize a meeting tomorrow night and personally explain it to their patriarch."

"There's no need to be so anxious about this, right?"

Xiaochun was a little flustered when he went to bed.

Generally speaking, shouldn't these matters be negotiated slowly after the successor Hokage?

"It's too late. Jiraiya explained to me the current situation of the village. I think that all these matters should be dealt with as soon as possible before taking over as Hokage, and then we can get back to work immediately. Not only that, because of Danzo's elimination, The village also needs to add a senior elder, at the same level as the advisor."

"No! There are only three days left until the Hokage succession ceremony, and three days to deal with these things is not enough time!"

Xiaochun turned to bed and refused directly.

"Okay then, do as you say."

Tsunade nodded in agreement.

Koharu and Mito Kadoyan, who were transferred to bed, were shocked.

I saw Tsunade stand up from his seat, and shouted to Jing Yin who was also stunned: "Shi Jing, let's go."

"Go? Where are you going, Tsunade-sama?"

"Of course I leave Konoha, I'm not the Hokage, let them play here by themselves."

Tsunade's words made everyone present dumbfounded.

"Wait, Tsunade, three days is indeed a bit rushed..."

However, no matter how Koharu and Mitomon Yan persuaded, Tsunade walked unswervingly towards the door of the conference room.

Now, the two of them were even more panicked.

Because the consequences of Tsunade's mishandling of Hokage are more terrifying than her controlling too much real power. Those Jounin who rioted would definitely be able to drown them with spit.

"Well, what we actually mean is that this aspect is not impossible, but it needs to be seriously discussed. Let's sit down and discuss it slowly... For example, how do you plan to talk to those clan leaders?"

In the end, the two consultants had no choice but to smile and admit defeat.

What a deal.

Being a Hokage is too shameless.

◎

"This is Miaomu Mountain, right? It's really hidden..."

Shiraishi stood in a deep mountain area covered by thick fog, where the visibility of human eyes was very low.

Moreover, the air is humid and there are mostly swamps. Deep in the mountains, there are towering huge ancient trees that block the sky and the sun, and the bark of many ancient trees has begun to crack.

There are also a large number of insect snakes, which are larger than the insect snakes that ordinary people understand.

To put it simply, these insect snakes can even be used as ninja psychic beasts in the outside world.

But in this holy land belonging to toads, it is just food raised by the toads.

It seems that any road can lead to the deep mountains of Miaomu Mountain and to the kingdom of toads - Toad Village.

However, according to the information given by the live dragon, the thick fog surrounding Mt. Myouki has the effect of an illusion, and the level of the spell is very high. Even a ninja with considerable strength will get lost in it if he stays here for a long time. , I don’t know my way back.

For this reason, Mt. Myoboku is also called the Lost Mountain.

It is not difficult for Shiraishi to find the real road to the Toad Village deep in Mt. Myouki in this foggy area.

Having practiced magic, he has a very high resistance to illusions. In addition, there is a Yin clone, Shadow Dancer, who can help Shiraishi break the illusion at any time.

It's very difficult to interfere with his chakra.

Therefore, Shiraishi can see through the path that seems very complicated to others with just one glance.

"For a spell to spread over such a large area, there should be 'anchor points' around it to maintain the spell's existence."

Although you can reduce the impact of the fog on yourself by destroying the anchor point, doing so means that you will be alerted by Myoboku Mountain.

His purpose was to spy on intelligence, not to directly fight against Mount Miaomu.

The shadow attached to the ground passed silently through the surrounding forest.

Relying his body on the shadow of the shadow dancer, in this state, Shiraishi cannot attack outsiders, but similarly, outsiders cannot attack him and the shadow dancer.

The shadow is completely isolated from the 'world' outside.

After all, if he turns into a physical entity and moves forward, the dense toads here will definitely expose his whereabouts.

There are mostly shadowed areas in mountains and forests, so you can use this to move forward and avoid the toad's sight.

After moving like this for about an hour, we finally reached the deep area of ​​Mt. Miaomu.

The entrance to the deep area is two huge stone toads, with white ropes similar to shrine ropes wrapped around the toads' bodies.

From these ropes, Shiraishi felt extremely strong Senshu Chakra fluctuations.

Enchantment.

It's probably a perception barrier.

Once you enter the barrier, you will be sensed by the barrier.

What casts the barrier and maintains its operation are the ropes attached to these stone toads.

Just when Shiraishi was thinking about how to sneak in, the ground rumbled loudly.

A huge shadow shrouded it, it was a huge reddish-brown toad like a mountain, and the dense bumps on its back looked like a small rock mountain burning with blazing flames.

Judging from the size, the size of this toad has exceeded that of the tailed beast.

Although there is no way to compare it with the body size of a living snake, this is undoubtedly a huge creature that exceeds common sense.

And the body of this giant toad contains an extremely large amount of chakra.

It stretched out its forelimbs and grasped the huge rock in the forest and the huge python wrapped around the rock in its hands, then stuffed it into its mouth and swallowed it into its stomach with a grunt.

Like a gatekeeper, guarding the entrance to the barrier.

The breath of chakra is very familiar. In the battlefield of the Kingdom of Wind a few years ago, it seems that I fought in its belly. Is it the giant toad of Iwajuku in Mt. Myoboku? Shiraishi thought of the identity of this giant toad.

——The Miaomushan Yansu giant toad, a giant creature that is rumored to be able to catch giant beasts for food.

Its esophagus has the power to digest everything, and judging from its exaggerated size, its destructive power must be astonishing.

A tailed beast that does not use tailed beast jade may not be able to overwhelm this giant beast in terms of strength. Kyuubi had reservations.

Is this Mt. Myoboku? If Liuli knew the situation here, she would be very excited, saying that she finally had an opponent worthy of a try. Bai Shi smiled inwardly.

However, although the Yansu giant toad gave people a strong sense of oppression, there was no fear in Baishi's eyes. Instead, he was full of interest.

Then, Shiraishi ignored the giant toad guarding the gate, and ordered the shadow dancer to hide his shadow in the shade of a tree, and slowly moved towards the toad wrapped around the shimenawa rope.