Chapter 504

Konoha.

Hokage Building.

High-level Meeting Room.

"Given the current development trend of the Ninja Sect, they will become a Rain Village even stronger than the one from the last Great Ninja War. Combined with the existing Rain Village, the Land of Rain will truly develop into a terrifying force capable of threatening the Five Great Shinobi Villages." Shimura Danzo emphasized the danger of the Land of Rain with a grave expression.

During the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha and the Rain Village had clashed.

Konoha's ninja forces routed the Rain Village's ninja forces with unstoppable momentum, but under Hanzō's leadership, the Rain Village still caused considerable trouble for Konoha, and many Konoha ninja fell to Hanzō.

If the opponent were replaced by a fully developed Ninja Sect plus the Rain Village led by Hanzō, Shimura Danzo couldn't even estimate how much force would be needed to secure a stable victory.

Konoha was not lacking in powerful jutsu, but Sarutobi Hiruzen excelled at Fire Release, and he was very curious about the legendary technique known as the "Dancing Fire Dragons" — what kind of jutsu it really was.

As long as he cooperated with Hanzō, he still had a chance to crush the Ninja Sect.

Upon learning that Shimura Danzo's man had come to visit, Hanzō's face immediately darkened.

But if he did not go to battle alongside the Rain Village, then his Rain ninjas without him could not defeat the Ninja Sect.

"If you really think the Ninja Sect is a threat, then have your Root organization keep a close watch on them. Konoha cannot afford to make unnecessary enemies now." Sarutobi Hiruzen did not agree with Shimura Danzo's reasoning.

At this moment, he really wanted to tell Utatane Koharu that her thinking was a bit too dark.

"It's a pity that 'A' still needs a lot more time to grow; otherwise, trivial as the Ninja Sect is, why would we need the regular forces?" Shimura Danzo thought of the Wood Release ninja he had pinned his hopes on.

Although he himself couldn't beat Kakashi right now, if his summon beast defeated Kakashi's summon beast, by rounding up Obito felt it counted as him beating Kakashi.

There were too many events demonstrating Muyue's teaching ability — from large-scale training sessions of hundreds of people to guiding individual disciples, Muyue exhibited extraordinary teaching skill.

"We cannot allow the Ninja Sect to develop like this. Given the educational ability Sōzōsuke has shown, the Ninja Sect will not only have top-tier combat power but its mid and low tiers won't be too weak either." Shimura Danzo brought up the Ninja Sect threat theory again.

Originally Hanzō wasn't sure whether he was being duped more by Iwagakure or by Shimura Danzo, but now he was certain: Shimura Danzo had no good intentions.

With Sōzōsuke's strength, plus Kakuzu and Nagato, as long as Jiraiya didn't bring the entire ninja force, the Ninja Sect would not be easily defeated.

"This is not a question of who has better teaching ability. We can have Muyue and also deprive the Land of Rain of Sōzōsuke." Shimura Danzo did not refute Sarutobi Hiruzen but approached from a different angle.

Although Shimura Danzo had long wanted to obtain the Ninja Sect inheritance held by Sōzōsuke, no one in the ninja world currently knew what that inheritance was — whether it was the Six Paths Sage's tools, secret techniques left by the Ninja Sect, or some other items.

But Shimura Danzo couldn't say anything, because what he knew could not be disclosed — his actions during the Rain Village incident had violated Konoha's rules.

Although Sōzōsuke's reputation for unlimited teaching was very good, and Sarutobi Hiruzen also thought Sōzōsuke was impressive after reviewing the intelligence, Sarutobi Hiruzen still believed Muyue was a better teacher than Sōzōsuke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had witnessed many of Muyue's educational miracles: the classes Muyue taught, the holiday training sessions and ANBU training Muyue conducted, and Asuma after being taught by Muyue.

But Hanzō did not personally go to meet the Root ninja either; this time it wasn't Shimura Danzo coming in person.

At that moment, if his Root could seize the Rinnegan and the Ninja Sect inheritance amid the chaos, the threat of the Ninja Sect would be perfectly resolved.

To avoid exposure, Shimura Danzo deliberately kept his wording vague.

"I think they need more fighting. If they only train without real combat, problems might arise when actual battle comes." Obito enthusiastically proposed his training plan.

Shimura Danzo: ...

Setting aside the highly renowned Sōzōsuke, the Ninja Sect had previously been seen by other ninja as just a hundred-man ninja organization, so except for Shimura Danzo, who had been keeping an eye on the Land of Rain's situation, no one present knew that the Ninja Sect and the Rain Village had already signed a treaty.

Shimura Danzo's fundamental goal was to mobilize Konoha's power to target the Ninja Sect.

"In short, Sōzōsuke and the Ninja Sect pose a huge threat to Konoha; we must find a way to deal with them." Shimura Danzo followed up on their conspiracy theories.

How could this be about eliminating dissidents? For a small village like the Rain Village, it was rare to produce a strong man like Hanzō; no one could resist him.

"According to Root's latest intelligence, the Ninja Sect and the Rain Village have reconciled and signed a friendly cooperation treaty." Shimura Danzo immediately produced Root's documents.

At the same time, Shimura Danzo's future trump card was watching his disciples discuss the training of summon beasts with envy.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's conspiracy theorizing made Shimura Danzo feel like the two were impersonating Konoha's high-level officials.

If he went to battle together with the Rain Village, he would definitely be killed by Sōzōsuke.

"Reject him. The internal affairs of the Land of Rain do not require Konoha's concern." Hanzō decisively refused.

After Hanzō's reply reached Konoha, Shimura Danzo slammed the table in confusion.

In the past, when people spoke of Hanzō, their impression was the title of "Demigod" and a magnanimous top-tier powerhouse.

Danzo Shimura's subordinates followed orders and went to the Hidden Rain Village to find Hanzo.

"According to information from Root operatives, Sosuke seems to have killed quite a few Rain ninja," Danzo Shimura continued.

As the hero of Sunagakure, Pakura had no reason to deliberately let herself be one-shot by Sosuke; that would be too shameful, and would also disgrace the ninja village.

"I actually think Muyue is better at teaching people than Sosuke," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle.

"But the Ninja Sect and the Hidden Rain Village are mortal enemies—how could they possibly ally?" Homura Mitokado adjusted his glasses and said.

He compiled all of Sosuke's deeds since his appearance and came to a startling conclusion: the Ninja Sect and the Hidden Rain Village were originally one and the same.

However, the enraged Danzo Shimura did not lose his head; even without support, he would still use his own power to accomplish it.

"In Sosuke's classes, there are many ninja wearing Rain headbands. If the two sides had not reconciled, such a thing could not happen."

"It should be Hanzo and Sosuke eliminating dissidents; those Rain ninja who were killed are all people who opposed Hanzo." The more Koharu Utatane spoke, the more she felt this line of reasoning could perfectly explain everything currently happening in the Land of Rain.

Danzo Shimura felt extremely aggrieved in his heart—he was completely dedicated to Konoha, yet he still had to be restrained by two ninja pretending to be Konoha's higher-ups.

"The Ninja Sect conceals inhumane high-destructive lethal ninjutsu," Danzo Shimura answered immediately.

"That's not impossible. This Sosuke appeared too abruptly; perhaps the Ninja Sect originated from the Hidden Rain Village, and everything is meant to strengthen the power of the Land of Rain," Homura Mitokado said after thinking.

Nowadays, when people talk about Hanzo, they generally think of Sosuke—the man who used the inverse attribute of Fire Release to defeat Hanzo.

First, Hanzo and Sosuke put on an act to help Sosuke and the Ninja Sect gain fame; then Sosuke took the opportunity to heavily promote himself and the Sect, attracting ninja from all over to develop the Ninja Sect.

After reading the materials, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed thoughtful.

"Since we cannot destroy the Ninja Sect for now, let's first investigate the Sect's heritage," Danzo Shimura decided to temporarily change his strategy.

Of course, Danzo Shimura knew this was only an illusion; the Ninja Sect and Hidden Rain Village could not be one and the same. He himself had devised the plan to surround and kill the Ninja Sect—was he, Danzo Shimura, also a Rain ninja?

"How degenerate—after being defeated once, he fears Sosuke like a tiger," Danzo Shimura thought contemptuously.

Provoking a top-tier powerhouse for no reason was truly unwise; Hiruzen Sarutobi was instead interested in Sosuke's competition and its rewards.

Danzo Shimura utterly despised Hanzo for this. If it were him, even in a certain-death situation, for the sake of the village's continuation, he would act without fear of death.

All of this happened before Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, so of course he would think Muyue was the most capable teacher.

Konoha had barely caught its breath during the war, and Danzo Shimura already wanted to find a new enemy for Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless.

"Everything now is based on speculation. Konoha already has many enemies; it's indeed not wise to make more," Homura Mitokado chose to stand on Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.

When Hanzo learned that Danzo Shimura wanted to continue cooperating with him against Sosuke, his blood pressure immediately shot up.

Since he couldn't explain clearly, Danzo Shimura simply joined directly. After all, the result he wanted was just the decline of the Ninja Sect and the Rinnegan and the Sect's heritage belonging to Root.

Although he thought Koharu Utatane's line of reasoning was good, he felt that her words underestimated Sosuke too much.

"We cannot underestimate Sosuke's strength because of this. Even if he and Hanzo have a cooperation, the fact remains that he one-shot Pakura. Pakura has no reason to act with Sosuke and harm her own reputation," Homura Mitokado stated his view.

"Could the Ninja Sect and the Hidden Rain Village really be one?" Danzo Shimura couldn't help but think of Koharu Utatane's conspiracy theory.

He would not actually dispatch troops against the Ninja Sect just because Danzo Shimura considered it a threat. Sosuke was not made of clay, and attacking the Sect would bring no benefit to Konoha, only damage its reputation.

Hanzo could even be certain that he absolutely could not survive Sosuke's hands.

Although Konoha was a great ninja village, if Danzo Shimura wanted to use this to coerce the Hidden Rain Village, Konoha was not the only great village in the shinobi world.

If it weren't for Danzo Shimura coming to him that day with the corpses of Iwa ninja, then he would not have clashed with the Ninja Sect, and would not have been defeated by Sosuke.

Hanzo sent his subordinates to communicate with the Root ninja and inquire about their purpose.

And indeed, based on current appearances, this conspiracy theory really could hold water.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took down his pipe, exhaled white smoke, and revealed a helpless expression. "The Ninja Sect has not provoked Konoha. What reason does Konoha have to act against them?"

Setting aside other possibilities, Hanzo's reason for refusal was only one: Hanzo had been so frightened by Sosuke's beating that even if the Rain Village were later destroyed by the Ninja Sect, he would not dare to make a final stand.

Koharu Utatane also did not choose to support Danzo Shimura, who had contradicted her; she likewise began to speak for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Unlike the Rinnegan and Ninja Sect heritage, which were not yet in hand, the Wood Release ninja was a subordinate he had personally trained; given enough time, he could become a trump card that crushed everything.

Moreover, as battle information further leaked, everyone learned that the technique that defeated Hanzo was an ultra-high-level Fire Release called "Dancing Fire Dragons," and Hanzo had even become the backdrop for the technique.

Kakashi nodded in agreement; this point was indeed correct—combat ability had a significant impact on overall strength.

Koharu Utatane felt that ever since Sōsuke became famous, he might have been playing a double act with Hanzo all along. It had only been such a short time since Hanzo ambushed and killed the Ninja Sect — a grudge of that level would normally take over a decade to erase.

Given the current strength of the Ninja Sect, even if Amegakure and Shimura Danzō succeeded in destroying the Ninja Sect, Amegakure would be severely weakened.

For him ending up in this situation, Shimura Danzō must bear the major blame.

Shimura Danzō's mouth twitched — back then Hanzo wished he could stab Sōsuke to death with one blow, and now a successor?

Because Shimura Danzō also felt that Muyue's teaching ability was unparalleled in the world; otherwise he wouldn't have entrusted Yamato to Muyue.

He didn't understand why Hanzo rejected his proposal — with the Ninja Sect being such a huge threat, wasn't Hanzo worried that Amegakure would be replaced by the Ninja Sect?

Koharu Utatane frowned deeply: "Could it be that this whole series of events is an act between the Ninja Sect and Amegakure? A life-and-death grudge resolved so easily?"

Shimura Danzō, who had forcefully watched the scene, couldn't hold it together. During the battle between Sōsuke and Hanzo, they were killing like mad — a single Fire Style burned dozens of Amegakure elites to death. Is that how your family puts on an act?

After all, as the top leaders of the Five Great Ninja Villages and in the midst of war, compared to a ninja organization from an irrelevant small country, they would certainly pay more attention to the latest intelligence from the other Five Great Ninja Villages.

"That shouldn't be the case. How could Hanzo sacrifice his own reputation to such an extent just to benefit Sōsuke?" Shimura Danzō thought for a moment and rebutted.

"Compared to your overly radical ideas, I think we should discuss the Youth Martial Arts Tournament that Sōsuke is planning to hold. This matter has stirred up no small waves in the shinobi world recently." Hiruzen Sarutobi still maintained his disapproving stance.

"We are much stronger than them; if we don't control it well, we might hurt them. Instead, let them fight each other. Perhaps the desire to win will increase their training drive." Obito revealed his true intentions, stating his purpose.

"Since Iwagakure is avoiding battle, just let Jiraiya lead a portion of the troops into the Land of Rain to nip the danger in the bud." Shimura Danzō had already thought out the script.

"Why is it impossible? Perhaps Sōsuke is Hanzo's successor, the future leader of Amegakure. He just waits until the Ninja Sect becomes strong, then merges the two major forces together." Koharu Utatane felt her idea had touched upon the truth of the matter.

However, Hanzo did not drive away the Root ninja either; after all, Root had Konoha behind it.

Now his Charizard was the only evolved ninja beast, at its most dominant period — just like when Might Guy first unlocked the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode. If he didn't enjoy it while he could, he might not have another chance later.

(Love Fuzhu ifzzw)(:)