The atmosphere in the room is very quiet, basically no noise.
Only at the desk, the sound of the pipe tapping the ashtray kept coming, which was full of strong rhythm.
Hiruzen looked at the report presented by Kakashi, put the pipe back in his mouth and held it gently, then coughed slightly and said slowly: "Thank you for your hard work on this mission. Fortunately, there was no big fuss. Big dispute."
"Yes, but it is a pity that the ANBU did not obtain the research data in the Ghost Country Factory."
Kakashi replied.
"As long as no personnel are sacrificed, that's enough. We didn't know beforehand that Kumogakure's people would also get involved. Moreover, even the organization Jiraiya was investigating was also following behind."
At this point, Hiruzen frowned deeply.
I thought it was just a joint operation between Konoha and the Kingdom of Waves, but I didn't expect it would lead to so many power disputes.
Leaving aside what happened in the Hidden Cloud Village, the mysterious organization that Jiraiya investigated focused on tailed beasts, which was always a troublesome matter.
This also means that this organization will not be satisfied with the two tailed beasts, but will also attack the other tailed beasts.
Naruto, who has the Nine-Tails sealed in his body, will become the target of this organization sooner or later.
Fortunately, although the opposing forces are entangled, their respective goals do not conflict much.
On the contrary, because Kumogakure took the lead in testing, Konoha was prevented from falling into the trap of the Kingdom of Demons, and no troops were lost.
From the perspective of both countries, Kumogakure suffered huge losses in this operation. As the Hokage of Konoha, he should be happy.
But then the members of the mysterious organization came and directly kidnapped Kumogakure's two jinchūriki from the Demon Country. This kind of thing made Hiruzen unhappy.
The situation in the ninja world became more and more complicated, and Hiruzen felt more and more powerless.
Just facing the difficulties faced by the Kingdom of Demons, he, the Hokage, was already exhausted. In the future, he would have to protect Naruto and fight against this equally powerful mysterious organization, which made Hiruzen feel deeply worried.
Although Hiruzen sent the information about this organization to the other ninja villages in his own name, Hiruzen also understood that the gaps between the great powers were deep, and there was also competition between ninja villages. In addition, over the years, the Kingdom of Ghosts has always intentionally or unintentionally instigated relations between major powers, causing the relations between various countries to become tense, and the attitudes of various countries tend to be antagonistic.
Therefore, even if they obtain relevant information about this organization, those ninja villages may not accept Konoha's favor. Instead, they will still go their own way and act in their own way, without any cooperation with Konoha.
And the longer this kind of thing is delayed, the more disadvantageous it will be for the ninja village that owns the tailed beasts.
Kumogakure is dismissive, Iwagakure is high-minded, Sunagakure and Konoha use each other, Kirigakure lives in a corner, and no one really intends to unite.
As for the Kingdom of Demons, they were not assigned tailed beasts, but they were lucky enough not to be targeted by the mysterious organization.
"Are you worried, Hokage-sama?"
Kakashi asked.
"If you dare to target tailed beasts, if you are not a group of idiots, then you are a group of ninjas with real talents. Overall, the power of this organization is very huge. Although it is not as good as Konoha, it is not a troublesome existence that can be easily solved. "
As far as Hiruzen knew, Orochimaru was also a member of this organization.
After Itachi left Konoha, he also became one of them.
This shows how powerful this organization is.
However, after Itachi entered this organization, he seemed to be restricted by some kind of 'speechlessness' within the organization, and was unable to convey information about that organization to Konoha.
This was probably the agreement the organization made with Itachi when he took him in.
Once Itachi breaks this agreement privately, there will be very serious consequences.
Itachi cannot bear this serious consequence alone, and it may involve the safety of Konoha.
Being able to force Itachi, who was extremely loyal to the Will of Fire, to such an almost desperate situation, leaving him unable to speak, made Hiruzen's worries even deeper.
There are also dangerous rebellious ninjas like Orochimaru who are assisting behind the scenes. Hiruzen can't imagine how powerful the leader of this organization is. He can bring so many dangerous ninjas together to give orders and make the dangerous rebellious ninjas obey orders. act.
"Is it possible that the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki was captured and there was no reply from Kumogakure?"
Kakashi seemed a little surprised.
Logically speaking, it was impossible for Kumogakure, who had his tailed beast taken away, not to react to this.
Cooperating with Konoha, who knows the enemy's intelligence well, is the best choice.
"The Raikage asked us Konoha not to meddle in other people's business. If the Jinchuuriki is stolen, they themselves will bear the responsibility of recovering the Jinchuuriki."
Hiruzen smiled bitterly.
The fact that the two-tailed Jinchuuriki was captured has been conveyed to Kumogakure through Jiraiya.
But Kumogakure's reaction was just as he expected, he was dismissive of Konoha and his attitude was extremely arrogant.
They attempted to use their own armed forces to recapture their ninjas, rather than reaching any strategic agreement by cooperating with Konoha.
"It really looks like that Raikage-sama's style. But if you insist on going your own way, you will suffer a loss at the hands of that organization sooner or later."
Kakashi sighed.
Especially when one tailed beast is lost, it means that Kumogakure has lost one of its high-end combat capabilities. Kumogakure's Raikage and other senior officials were probably furious at this time and wanted to take action on the mysterious organization.
As for being able to capture the enemy's traces, it depends on Kumogakure's own abilities.
"As arrogant as the Third Ai, stubborn in character, and advocating hegemony. It is really not that easy to cooperate with Kumogakure, unless the other party is forced to the point where they have to join forces."
Hiruzen made this judgment.
The behavior style of the Fourth Raikage is very similar to that of the previous Raikage.
In fact, there is not much difference in the handling styles of the Raikages of the past generations.
Ever since the first Raikage founded Kumogakure, the village has believed in hegemony and regarded Konoha as a thorn in its side and a thorn in its flesh.
Although Konoha is now weak, Kumogakure has not let down his guard secretly.
The competition between Ninja Village and Ninja Village has not been completely eliminated. To a certain extent, the struggle was more intense than before the Third Ninja War.
"It seems that there is no way to win over Kumogakure in the short term."
Kakashi sighed with regret. From the perspective of Konoha ninjas, emotions are indeed the most urgent thing to win allies internationally.
The military strength of the Kingdom of Wind and Sand Hidden Village has always been too weak.
In the western part of the continent, it has also been deliberately suppressed by the Kingdom of Ghosts. Life is not easy now. It can be said that it is at the bottom of the big countries.
There are many things that Konoha wants to do, but they are actually beyond its reach.
"Well, that's what happened, but as time goes by, the harm of that organization will sooner or later attract the attention of all countries. At that time, let's promote exchanges with other countries. This time, we can drive out the power of the Kingdom of Ghosts. It’s really not easy in the Country of Waves.”
Hiruzen didn't blame the ANBU for being slow.
Facing the Kingdom of Ghosts, Konoha must act cautiously.
A few years ago, the ANBU went through internal cleansing and re-screening of personnel, and its operational capabilities have been improved to a higher level.
Among them, Minister Kakashi deserves a lot of credit.
This time, Kakashi was transferred to the Country of Waves in the name of a C-level mission, also to act as a deterrent.
Otherwise, Jiraiya alone may not be able to make the Demon Country feel fearful.
Because in the eyes of the Demon Country, Jiraiya was a defeated person who had been captured by them. Naturally, the deterrent power of the Sannin was not as valued by the Demon Nation as other countries.
"The forces of the Ghost Country Chamber of Commerce have not all evacuated. They are still watching every move of the Country of Waves."
Kakashi said at this time.
"I think I want to find a flaw between the alliance between the Country of Fire and the Country of Waves."
Hiruzen smiled slightly, as if he was confident that no flaw would be found in the alliance between the two countries.
"The Daimyo will personally come forward in this matter, and he will naturally reflect on the losses he suffered in the past. As long as the Kingdom of Waves remains neutral, there is no need to worry about the problems of the Kingdom of Demons. As for industrial technology... it is still necessary to cooperate with the Agricultural and Industrial Group Get in touch with people.”
The Kingdom of Ghosts is very strict about the confidentiality of industrial technology. So far, no country has been able to obtain any important research information from the Kingdom of Ghosts.
Only when the Wave Country Agricultural and Industrial Corps maintained a cooperative relationship with the Ghost Country in the past, it gained part of the Ghost Country's industrial technology accumulation. Now that the Kingdom of Oni's military factory in the Country of Waves has been damaged, and the Kingdom of Oni has no way to start, it can only further cooperate with the Agricultural and Industrial Corps and obtain some technical support from the Agricultural and Industrial Corps in a peaceful way.
Naturally, all this can only be carried out peacefully on the premise that the Fire Country shall not interfere in the internal affairs of the Bo Country.
Once the Kingdom of Fire interferes in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Waves, the Kingdom of Ghosts will take advantage of the situation. In that case, the situation is likely to evolve into a civil war like the Kingdom of Rain, causing the Kingdom of Fire to lose face.
Kakashi nodded. These diplomatic issues were not matters that the ANBU needed to consider. They were diplomatic matters that the political parties headed by the Daimyo needed to consider.
Just like the cross-sea bridge that is about to be built between the Kingdom of Waves and the Kingdom of Fire.
It is not only an important maritime trade route between the two countries, which can greatly shorten the navigation time between the two countries, but also symbolizes the long-term cooperative relationship between the two countries in the future and is unbreakable.
"That's it for the affairs of the Country of Waves. After that, the Daming Mansion will come forward, and the Anbu and Roots can withdraw their hands. Next, there is the matter of Naruto and Sasuke. The detailed story, I have heard from Jiraiya. Get up. What do you think?"
Hiruzen looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi touched his chin and thought for a while and said: "Well, with my personal energy, if you want to carefully train three genin, it is still a bit difficult to be honest. And Naruto and Sasuke are two completely different types. For ninjas, it's best to treat them separately. Since Jiraiya-sama is interested in teaching Naruto, my job here will indeed be much easier."
"As long as you agree."
Hiruzen smiled with relief on his face.
"In terms of personality, Naruto and Jiraiya-sama are very similar. All I can teach Naruto is the basics of ninja. The rest depends on his own performance."
Kakashi replied.
Hiruzen nodded as he smoked his pipe.
He never doubted Kakashi's teaching ability.
However, Kakashi himself is very busy with his duties. Even if he temporarily leaves the ANBU, it does not mean that Kakashi does not manage the affairs of the ANBU at all.
Important matters in the ANBU still have to be decided personally by Minister Kakashi.
Under such a premise, teaching three genin carefully would be stressful in terms of time.
"Jiraiya still has some things to deal with. On Naruto's side, you can continue to lead, and then just ask Jiraiya to take over. Haruno Sakura... Haruno Sakura, what do you think?"
Hiruzen asked the question again.
He was holding ninja information about Sakura in his hand, which displayed everything from the other person's personality, behavior style, and skills he was good at. Some of the information may not even be noticed by the person being investigated.
"A kind of cute innocent little girl."
Kakashi said.
"Isn't it a ninja's comment?"
Hiruzen understood.
In other words, the current Haruno Sakura does not yet have the determination and perseverance to embark on the path of ninja.
His role in the team is very passive.
Fight passively and assist teammates passively.
This is very normal in Hiruzen's opinion. If the three genin have perfected the team in more than a month, how can it be embarrassing for those ninjas who have not developed much tacit understanding after years or more than ten years of running together?
Working as a team, the three of them could only barely reach the lowest threshold.
"Among the three, the one I want to get along with the most is Sakura. Sasuke's heart is too heavy, and he basically has no other aspirations except revenge. Naruto's character is very out-of-the-box. Even after graduation, he still seems too much in some aspects. Too immature and full of flaws."
To put it simply, among the three students, only Sakura is considered a relatively normal child.
Sasuke and Naruto, because of their special life trajectories, will be 'special' in how they deal with things.
And this kind of 'specialness' often causes a lot of trouble.
"So she is the third person in the team, serving as a blending agent. She admires geniuses and is loved by the crane tail. She is suitable for adjusting the atmosphere in the team... In this way, between Naruto and Sasuke, There will also be a deep connection.”
Hiruzen said.
"I hope it is as Hokage-sama said. After all, the Chunin Examination will be in a few months. Before that, has Hokage-sama really decided to let Naruto take the Chunin Exam?"
Kakashi looked seriously into Hiruzen's eyes.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled smoke from his mouth, and he did not immediately answer Kakashi's question.
The issue of whether to allow the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki to take part in the Chunin Exams has been discussed more than once among the senior officials.
He could faintly feel Danzo's strong dissatisfaction with him. His advisors, Koharu and Mito Kadeni, also believed that this decision was too risky and believed that Naruto should be imprisoned in the village forever and let the ANBU in the village carry out the work. Personal protection is the best solution.
But, is a protected weapon really capable of surviving in this cruel ninja world?
To Hiruzen, Naruto was not only the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki, the ultimate weapon of Konoha, but also the son of the Fourth Hokage. He was given the mission to protect Konoha since he was born.
When Naruto faced Mizuki's temptation, he made the decision to believe in the village.
In this case, Hiruzen believed that he could not disappoint Naruto.
At least while he, the Hokage, can still move, letting Naruto grow up as much as possible is the top priority.
Kakashi and Jiraiya, the two most powerful ninjas in Konoha, are the important guides he arranged for Naruto.
Being passive will only make the enemy press forward step by step. At the appropriate time, we must forge ahead to adapt to the new era.
The experience of falling again and again made Hiruzen, the Hokage, understand that he must embark on this path that was completely different from his previous half of life.
As the thoughts deepened, three young but terrifying faces gradually appeared in Hiruzen's mind.
Chiba Shiraishi, Uchiha Ruri, Hinata Ayane... can be called the three indestructible pillars of the Kingdom of Demons.
Based on the ages of the three of them, they still have at least ten years of power in the Kingdom of Ghosts.
More than ten years, this can be the time for two great ninja wars, and it can also change the world of ninja.
Standing up from his seat, Hiruzen shouted his pipe and looked at the street scene outside the window, lost in thought.
"At least before deciding on the Fifth Hokage, Naruto must have the power to protect himself. Kakashi, there is not much time left for me, so I have to be willful this time..."
It is precisely because we are young eagles that we should learn how to fly.
What Konoha needs now is definitely not flowers in the greenhouse, but ninjas who can stand alone.
◎
Yuyin.
In the tower.
"You two, do you want to be religious?"
Scorpion and Deidara stared at the young man who suddenly walked across the corridor with strange eyes.
After the other party discovered the two of them, he came over with a smile on his face, holding a silver necklace in his hand, as if praying for something, and asked Scorpion and Deidara if they wanted to join his sect.
The other person has short silver hair slicked back, and his eyes are strange purple-red. There is a long-handled three-leaf sickle behind his back. He is wearing a coat with a black background and red clouds. On the index finger of his left hand, he wears a 'three' ring.
All of them reveal the identity of the other party.
Like them, he is a core member of Akatsuki.
However, Scorpion and Deidara had never seen this face before.
Reminiscent of what Nagato seemed to have said before, that there will be new people joining recently, coming from the Evil God Cult.
This handsome young man with short silver hair must be the new member from the Evil Cult.
"I have no interest in religion."
Xie snorted coldly.
The handsome young man did not get angry, but tirelessly explained to Xie with a smile: "Don't worry, what I believe in is the evil religion, which is completely different from those virtue religions that always preach about not having enough to eat."
"oh?"
Scorpion was surprised.
The handsome young man became a little interested when he saw Scorpion, and immediately talked about it: "Human beings always use the beautiful side to describe survival, and praise survival to an extremely beautiful and sublime level, as if it is the embodiment of virtue. But our evil religion is different. We preach the truth that survival is sin, and survival is accumulating sin. Therefore, it is the destiny of our religion to abandon all the virtues that humans have piled up for survival, and to allow everyone to be perpetrators and predators to be born into the world."
He was very proud when he said this.
Deidara was a little confused and couldn't understand what the other party meant.
"Then what kind of teaching is this? Hmm."
Xie sneered and said: "Idiot, it means that if you join this sect, you can do whatever you want. In short, those who join this sect are either madmen or murderers."
Especially after exaggerating the power of ninjas, this sect is even more terrifying and rude.
Existence is destruction. It is the truth to attempt to deny all civilization and order established by mankind and return human civilization to primitive killing and plunder.
Scorpion saw through this trick at a glance.
"I can understand it to this extent. If you join the Evil God Cult, I can immediately give you the status of a bishop. What do you think? Do you want to consider it?"
This was the first time that the handsome young man heard an outsider analyze the principles of the Evil God Cult so thoroughly. His eyes sparkled when he looked at Xie Xie, and he began to warmly invite Xie Xie.
"I told you, I'm not interested in joining a religion."
Scorpio responded impatiently. The steel tail behind his back wrapped around the body of a woman who had passed out. She was the second Yukito of Kumogakure's two-tailed jinchūriki.
He passed the handsome young man's position and walked deeper into the corridor.
"What, does this guy want to be cursed to death by me?"
Seeing Scorpion ignoring him, the handsome young man couldn't hold back the smile on his face, showing a very fierce expression.
Deidara looked at the murderous look in the other person's eyes, as if the new member was a ninja with big problems.
However, can a sect that takes pleasure in killing be considered a type of art?
Deidara shook his head, gave up thinking about the problem, and left with Scorpion.
…
The wide space at the base of the tower.
The arms of the heretic demon statue bloomed on the ground like pilgrims.
Members of the Akatsuki organization, headed by Nagato, gathered here.
Not only the new handsome young man who joined, but also the other veteran members, except Orochimaru, the logistics manager, gathered here.
Itachi, Kisame, Hiruhu, White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, Nagato and Konan of the leader group.
As well as Scorpion and Deidara who successfully returned with the two-tailed Jinchuriki.
"Thank you for your hard work, Scorpion, Deidara."
Nagato said to the returning Scorpion and Deidara.
"Nothing, do you want to start sealing immediately?"
Scorpion asked.
Nagato nodded, then glanced at the handsome young man, and introduced to Scorpion and Deidara: "Before sealing the two tails, this is Hidan who has newly joined the organization. He should have greeted you just now."
Scorpion and Deidara glanced at Hidan and nodded at this.
“A boring meeting of a bunch of atheists.”
Hidan sighed, looking like he was about to die.
His words made many members frown, but due to their status as newcomers, they did not have the same experience as him.
Nagato didn't say anything about this. Hidan was using him more than he valued him.
Although I don’t really like the so-called evil religion, this is justice that others insist on surviving.
Compared to most people who have given up their faith, people like Hidan are sticking to their own path, with no confusion in their eyes.
As long as he didn't take action against non-ninja beings, he could just turn a blind eye to Hidan's actions.
Nagato also believed in his own strength and could restrain Hidan's behavior.
"Then let's start the sealing ceremony. The current heretic demon should be able to accommodate the second tailed beast."
Nagato didn't waste any time and started walking towards the palm of the heretic demon statue.
After walking a few steps, Nagato suddenly turned around, glanced at Xie and Deidara, and asked: "Speaking of which, I have already heard Bai Zetsu's report on the process of your battle, but I want to hear it. What are your thoughts? As those who have personally experienced it, you should know better."
"Thinking?"
"Chiba Kazuhime, what do you think of her?"
Nagato's tone was calm, but the seriousness in his eyes told others that he took this matter very seriously.
"Beautiful princess, fellow artist. Hmm."
Deidara closed his eyes and nodded with self-satisfaction, as if he was reminiscing about something.
"Deidara, shut up! It's because of your unnecessary words that the other party went berserk and caused unnecessary twists and turns in this mission. Even my important collection was severely damaged. It will take at least a month to repair. return."
Scorpion glared at Deidara fiercely.
After teaching Deidara a lesson, Scorpion carefully recalled the entire process of the battle. After a brief silence, he glanced in Itachi's direction, then turned his gaze and landed on Nagato.
"To be clear in advance, I don't know how the Kingdom of Ghosts raised her. Her combat experience is not very rich. She seems to be a baby holding a dangerous giant sword. She is strangely able to swing the giant sword. She feels uncomfortable. To blockage. The battle with Erwei, the battle with Deidara and I were all solved with pure violence, without any skills at all... It stands to reason that when her strength reaches her level, her combat experience has already been accumulated and matured. There can be no immaturity."
In a powerful ninja duel, no chakra should be wasted. This is basic.
But Yi Ji does not have these characteristics.
The extravagance of chakra, as if he didn't care.
Combat experience is enough for ordinary ninjas, but in Scorpion's eyes, the opponent's experience is very immature and full of loopholes.
But even so, relying on his own exaggerated chakra, he directly ignored the experience gap between the two sides and crushed him from the front.
Moreover, this power is not out of control, it is in perfect harmony with the self, but it is just imperfectly used.
When these situations appear together in one person, they appear extremely contradictory.
Nagato frowned.
"you mean……"
"Two situations. In the first case, she deliberately hid her clumsiness in front of us. The other possibility is that her power remained in its most primitive state without careful polishing, allowing it to grow wildly."
If it is the first type, Scorpio is not worried.
If it is the second type, there is no doubt that this may be the most abnormal freak in the ninja world since Scorpion has known it.
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