Chapter 103: I

Thunder Country, Raikage's office.

First Raikage Ai looked at the note in his hand and, excitedly, threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahaha, Senju Hashirama really died!"

The dispatched spy reported back that the news of Senju Hashirama's death was true.

Now their Cloud Hidden Village no longer needs to have any reservations.

When it comes to the nations of the Ninja World, none wants to attack Konoha more than Thunder Country.

Thunder Country itself is not weak in strength; its national resources are extremely abundant.

Naturally, it looks down on other villages and is only interested in Konoha, the most prosperous in the Ninja World.

As long as they defeat Konoha, their Cloud Hidden Village can obtain more resources.

If it weren't for fearing Senju Hashirama's great power, Cloud Hidden would have launched a war against Konoha long ago.

Now that they have learned of Senju Hashirama's death, Thunder Country deems it time to start the war.

First Raikage, addressing the guards beside him, ordered: "Send the orders down, have the ninjas abroad return to the village, and launch a war on Konoha three months from now."

A dark silhouette in the shadows saw this scene and nodded with satisfaction.

"Hehehe, Thunder Country's brutes are so easy to fool."

It spread the news throughout the Ninja World, and as a result the other villages remained on standby, while only the Raikage prepared to start the war.

But having someone lead the war is sufficient.

By then, those watching villages will definitely be unable to hold back and will end up participating in this war.

The dark silhouette slipped back into the ground, as if it had never appeared.

————————

Konoha Village, inside the Laboratory.

Lian Ye wore a specially made protective Mask, and the eyes behind the Mirror lenses stared intently at the vessel in his hand.

The deep purple liquid writhed eerily in the glass container, emitting a faint glow as if it were alive.

He carefully lifted the dropper, held his breath, and drew a drop of Poison Liquid from the vessel.

As the drop fell, the wooden floor emitted a sharp "Zila—" sound, and plumes of white smoke rose.

Visible corrosive marks spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye a sizable hole was burned into the floor.

"Alas, it failed."

Lian Ye shook his head helplessly and sighed.

Although this poison's power is astonishing and its lethality extremely high.

It nevertheless has a fatal flaw: it does not distinguish friend from foe.

On a battlefield that changes in an instant, a moment's carelessness can wound oneself and comrades.

"No, this is too dangerous."

He muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the sealed Laboratory.

This Laboratory was modified by him, dedicated to researching poison.

At the thought of war about to break out, Lian Ye clenched his fists.

He wants to develop a more perfect poison—one that is not only powerful but can be precisely controlled, ideally spreading silently through the air while leaving himself unharmed.

As long as he can create such a poison, its use on the battlefield would be extremely effective, capable of killing a large swath of people.

Whether Genin, Chunin, Jonin, or Shadow-level, they are all doomed to die!

Thinking of this, an excited gleam flashed in Lian Ye's eyes.

He set down the vessel, walked to the bookshelf laden with books and documents, and pulled out a hefty ancient tome.

On the yellowed pages, densely recorded were various toxins and poison technique formulas.

He flipped through while brainstorming new schemes in his mind, occasionally taking a pen to jot inspiration in his notebook.

The Laboratory fell silent again, only the rustle of pen on paper and occasional clatter of vessels could be heard.

Developing poison is not as easy as imagined.

Each ingredient has different effects; one must understand their properties.

Lian Ye ground various ingredients into powder, mixed them in differing ratios, and then used Lab Mice for experiments.

A 1:1 ratio only caused the Lab Mouse's pupils to contract slightly.

A 3:2 ratio, however, killed it on the spot.

This subtle difference is precisely the difficulty in poison development.

The stronger the toxicity of the Poison Liquid, the harder it is to produce.

The experimental notes have reached page three, the dense annotations interspersed with splattered medicine stains.

……

Time slipped by unnoticed.

Seeing that time was nearly up, Lian Ye closed the notebook and left the Laboratory.

He still has to go back and make dinner for Qianshou Feijian.

If I recall correctly, that old fellow hasn't eaten all day.

Lian Ye plans to make extra and deliver it to Qianshou Feijian.

These past two days he has indeed been swamped.

If the war fully erupts, that would be fine; this limbo situation is the most tormenting.

Lian Ye deeply realizes how hard it is to be Hokage, and before doing anything, must consider the village's overall benefit.

"Who among ordinary people could become Hokage?"

Lian Ye snorts at the Hokage Position, and every day he has to miserably sit in the office handling paperwork.

He has no desire for the Hokage Position at all.

He also doesn't understand why Zhi Cun Tuan Zang wants to become Hokage.

Is it just for the so‑called power?

In Lian Ye's view, these things are all empty; only one's own strength matters most.

When one's strength is great, no one will oppose anything they do.

Because those who opposed have all been beaten to death…

Take Hashirama as an example; his achievement of Ninja World Peace relied not on personal charisma but on overwhelming strength.

If one lacks strength, nobody would pay attention to them at all.

"Fine, everyone has their own aspirations; let's cook first."

Lian Ye ties on an apron and enters the kitchen.

Everyone pursues different things; he won't impose his ideas on others.

After Lian Ye finishes cooking, he doesn't eat right away.

He plans to pack it and send it to Qianshou Feijian first, then eat when he returns.

"That old kid must be starving, huh?" Lian Ye murmurs softly.

————————

"Hokage, you say the First Elder really passed away?!"

In the Hokage Office, the clan heads of each family gasp upon hearing the news.

Although they had suspected it from the start, hearing Qianshou Feijian admit it himself still left them in disbelief.

How could that legendary man have simply died like this?

"My elder brother was gravely wounded in battle with Madara Uchiha and has not improved…" Qianshou Feijian explains.

Hearing this, the clan heads fell silent.

This makes it all add up.

After all, everyone present knows Madara Uchiha's strength very well.

They all came from that era.

Their memories of Madara and Hashirama's might are still vivid.

"I called you here to discuss the war that is about to unfold."

The clan heads sigh helplessly at his words.

The death of Hashirama means what? They could not be clearer.

This means the hard‑won peace will be shattered again…

Other nations will not miss this perfect chance to attack Fire Country.

"Hokage, what do you want us to do?" Uchiha Tanaka asks.

Although he dislikes Qianshou Feijian, in the face of war they must unite to fight the enemy together.

The other clan heads, hearing this, all turn toward Qianshou Feijian.

At that moment, the office door is violently pushed open.

The crowd instinctively turns their heads, only to see Lian Ye carrying a Food Box walking in.

"Uncle, I'm here to deliver your meal."

ps: I'm out of it, I'm dead tired, yyy