Chapter 299: ...let us wait and see

"Hmph!"

"That old thing Onoki is ostensibly targeting the Cloud's Land of Moon."

"In reality, I fear he has long coveted the Land of Frost and the Land of Fields."

"The destruction of the Rock's logistics force this time is a good thing for us."

"In my view, we should seize this heaven-sent opportunity. Let me lead a force from the Land of Fields to launch a surprise attack on the Rock's rear and wipe them out while we have the momentum."

A sharp glint flashed in Shimura Danzo's eyes, and a trace of sinister malice flickered across his sallow cheeks.

At the same time, his eyes glanced unobtrusively toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, probing his expression.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen's demeanor was like a bronze statue, without the slightest change, leaving Danzo unable to discern anything.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen merely puffed on his pipe, his eyes hidden beneath the Hokage hat looking toward Shimura Danzo with a trace of imperceptible indifference.

Danzo was still the same Danzo, never missing a single opportunity to whitewash himself.

What Danzo craved was nothing more than military merit.

He knew full well that the Leaf was currently fighting on two fronts and its combat power was essentially saturated; forcing a war against the Rock would damage the Leaf's foundation.

But Danzo would not care about such things; he only cared about whether he could reap benefits from this opportunity. As for the village?

Let him become Hokage first, then he would worry about that.

Furthermore...

Even if a war were to be declared, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never give such an opportunity to Danzo.

It could only be said that compared to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo was still too naive, still harboring unrealistic fantasies in his heart.

"Unwise."

Regarding Danzo's long-winded "declaration of war," Sarutobi Hiruzen only slowly shook his head and responded with these two words.

"Hmph!"

Hearing this, a shadow flashed in Danzo's eyes, and he could only let out a cold snort to vent his dissatisfaction.

In truth, he knew in his heart that Sarutobi Hiruzen would likely not choose to declare war on the Rock at this time. The long-winded speech just now was actually just a probe of Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude.

"The Rock's current actions are still within our acceptable range."

"Moreover, the war Onoki is pushing for, which weakens the Cloud's combat power, is also a good thing for us."

"Even if the Rock truly defeats the Cloud and occupies the Land of Moon, it would not matter if they choose to target the Land of Frost and the Land of Fields."

"If it is not his, he cannot take it away."

"Once the war between the Sand and the Cloud subsides, we can take back the Land of Fields and the Land of Frost at any time."

"At that time, we can return the Land of Moon to the Cloud; it would be a favor done for the sake of our alliance."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Danzo indifferently, as if he were not discussing matters of state, but rather what dish to eat for lunch and what sauce to pair it with.

To this, Danzo could only remain silent. Sarutobi Hiruzen's handling of the matter was undeniably shrewd; no matter how he thought about it, he could find no fault.

Therefore, in the end, he could only give up.

How could Sarutobi Hiruzen not know the calculations in Onoki's heart?

It was just that in his heart, he already had a plan to deal with it. He had summoned Danzo today only because there were other things regarding this matter that required Danzo to do.

And as for the tasks he chose to entrust to Danzo, they could only, and would only, be "dirty work."

"Danzo, send people to the Land of Frost to investigate."

"Try to minimize the impact of this incident on the Leaf."

"After you find out what is going on, pass the intelligence to the Rock."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said faintly, a trace of unfathomable depth flashing in his eyes.

"Hmph!"

"I understand."

Hearing this, a trace of realization flashed in Danzo's eyes.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen did not explain, the tacit understanding between the two over many years already made everything clear to Danzo.

From the Leaf's perspective, the Leaf did not know that the Cloud had already been isolated in the Land of Lightning, unable to step a single inch outside.

Upon learning that the Rock's logistics force had been destroyed, the Leaf subconsciously assumed that this could only, and would only, have been done by the Cloud.

But there was a problem here, which Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo realized instantly: the location of the incident, the Land of Frost, was not only within the Leaf's sphere of influence but also extremely close to the Land of Fire.

Was there a possibility that the Cloud would fabricate some "evidence" to drag the Leaf into the water?

Even if the Cloud did not take the initiative to drag the Leaf into the water, would Onoki of the Rock, out of suspicion, lock the blame onto the Leaf?

To avoid this situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to let Danzo go to the Land of Frost to "investigate"...

"Investigation" was naturally just a pretext; the result of the matter was already "clear at a glance" in the eyes of the Leaf.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's true deep meaning was to have Shimura Danzo pin the entire matter on the Cloud, completely clearing the Leaf of the Rock's suspicion.

And how could one pin everything on the Cloud? Did Shimura Danzo really have to act as a "detective" to find out everything?

Of course not. Don't forget what Danzo's original trade was.

Whether it was framing, fabricating evidence, or shifting the blame, as long as the Rock could be made to lock everything onto the Cloud and clear the relationship with the Leaf, wouldn't that suffice?

In a back-and-forth, this matter, which was neither big nor small, was decided by the two equally dark-hearted high-level figures of the Leaf, one in the light and one in the dark.

In the Land of Frost, Bee looked at Mizunuki Ryosuke with an absurd expression.

He could not understand why the key to victory in a battle on the battlefield of the Land of Lightning, thousands of miles away, would lie in the Land of Frost beneath his feet.

Even though Mizunuki Ryosuke was always unfathomable, his strategies were so meticulous and imaginative that they were beyond imagination.

But no matter how Bee racked his brain, he could not figure out how this could be achieved.

A method like "besieging a point to strike reinforcements"?

The Rock wasn't stupid. Once or twice might work, but if they kept intercepting Rock ninjas, the opponent would certainly mobilize a large force to encircle and suppress them.

Moreover, this would not solve the outcome of the war on the Land of Lightning battlefield at all.

No matter how Bee thought about it, he could not understand what Mizunuki Ryosuke meant by the key to victory.

"It's fine, I have told you enough."

"If you can figure it out, it counts as a great improvement."

"As for this last sentence, let us wait and see."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said with a smile, that still calm and gentle smile making Bee feel somewhat uneasy.

After speaking, Mizunuki Ryosuke used genjutsu to control Bunya and handed him over to Bee.

"The task of guarding this prisoner is left to you."

"Remember, I have great use for this prisoner in the future; do not lose him for me."

After saying this, Mizunuki Ryosuke turned, opened the door, and walked out, completely ignoring Bee, who was left there doubting his life.

Bee wanted to say something but stopped, eventually only able to stare blankly at Mizunuki Ryosuke's departing back.