Chapter 659 : A Hokage's Duty!

[A/N: I thought it was very obvious who Shikaku was thinking about in the previous chapter… I guess not, considering that the comments were similar on pat reon 😅]

'However, if there is one ninja who could kill the Raikage, it would be…' Looking at Hiruzen, Shikaku recalled his glorious days. In his prime, Hiruzen was so devastating on the battlefield that he received the same nickname as the First Hokage and was called as the God of Shinobi.

To receive such a title while living in the same era as the Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, Hanzo and several other formidable shinobi showed how strong Hiruzen was. Even though Hiruzen's strength had waned with age, there was no question about his skills and capabilities!

Shikaku couldn't help but think, 'If Lord Hokage is serious and we set the perfect trap, we could get rid of the Fourth Raikage! However, can Lord Hokage still do it without getting injured? If he were to get critically injured, then it would be a massive blow to Konoha during these tumultuous times. Not to mention, if we failed to kill the Raikage and allowed him to escape, Konoha might have to go to war against Kumogakure. It is too risky…'

Before Shikaku's thoughts wandered any further, Hiruzen said, "Kill the Fourth Raikage? No, that is too risky and too troublesome. A battle against someone like him can't be hidden from others. And unlike Sunagakure and Kirigakure, the top leadership in Kumogakure is very stable and united. Even if we kill him, Kumogakure would reorganize quickly under Darui or Killer Bee and they would launch a war against us for killing the Fourth Raikage. Irrespective of how that war might go, it is not something we need at this moment."

Hiruzen grabbed Kumogakure's map and laid it on his table. Shikaku and Eagle immediately glanced at it and noticed 10 places that were marked. Shikaku muttered, "So that's who your target is…"

Looking at the 10 marked places, Eagle muttered, "After we spread rumors in the Land of Lightning to lower the morale of their citizens, Kumogakure created 10 bases at strategic places inside the Land of Lightning. A hundred ninjas having at least the Chunin rank are stationed in each of those bases at any given time. Those bases make it very difficult and risky for our Anbu to operate within the Land of Lightning as they can react within an hour or two.

That said, while their official reason for creating the bases was to quickly eliminate any foreign or rogue ninjas in their territory, their real reason was to prepare their ninjas for the next war. Everyone stationed there trains as if a war is on the horizon. Do you want to eliminate one of these bases?"

Hiruzen replied, "Not just one, but as many as we can. Of course, everyone inside the destroyed bases will be killed as well."

Eagle and Shikaku quickly analyzed Hiruzen's words. After a minute, Eagle asked, "Is this wise? By taking over the spy network of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, there is a lot we could do. We could cause them so much pain that they would regret ever sending spies to Konoha. Your plan would do just that to Kumogakure. However, is this a good time?

Orochimaru is hovering around our village and Sunagakure is most likely planning to backstab us. In such a situation, antagonizing two villages that are equal to us in strength is not a good idea. If they were to be offended and make a move after we deal with Orochimaru and Sunagakure, we could be in a very difficult position."

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, if we antagonize them both, then we would be in a difficult position. That is why we will only target Kumogakure. As for Iwagakure, we will settle for dismantling their spy network in our neighboring countries and making the minor villages hate Iwagakure even more.

Onoki won't make a move against us for just this reason. Even if he wants to, he'll need to consider all the minor villages between us who would ally with us right away. As for Kumogakure, we will put a massive dent in their war preparedness if we can eliminate just half of the bases. At the very least, they won't try to start a war in the next 2 or 3 years unless we somehow become very weak. However, they would do that regardless of whether we make a move or not."

Hiruzen paused for a moment before continuing, "If possible, I would have liked to wait until we endure Orochimaru's and Sunagakure's scheme before making a move against either of them. Unfortunately, they will realize soon that their spies have been compromised and we will lose the opportunity we have right now. That would be a shame."

Shikaku and Eagle nodded, agreeing with their leader. Hiruzen's expression became serious as he instructed, "Shikaku, analyze all the information we have and take over Kumo and Iwa's spy network in the Land of Fire by this evening. Analyze their arrangements in neighboring countries and make plans to eliminate the spy network of both Kumogakure and Iwagakure from the smaller countries. Once that is done, start making plans to lure the Raikage and Killer Bee out to the Land of Hot Water."

Shikaku asked in surprise, "Killer Bee as well? That might be difficult to do."

Hiruzen replied, "It won't be. Kumogakure should know that Fujin has a flying summon. Even the Fourth Raikage by himself wouldn't be able to kill him if Fujin managed to fly in the skies. So, he will bring his brother along with him if he wants to kill Fujin for good.

Once they are there, Fujin will make a move against those bases one by one. Create a proper route for him to take so that he can eliminate the highest number of bases before the Raikage and Killer Bee can return to the Land of Lightning. Focus on anonymity as we won't be taking the credit for their deaths. Even though Kumo will suspect that it is us and will nearly be sure, we won't be giving them any evidence."

Shikaku nodded and said, "I'll get it done."

Understanding the importance of the situation, Shikaku didn't dare to be lazy or complain about how he wasn't getting any sleep. Hiruzen turned his gaze towards Eagle and instructed, "Prepare at least 50 more Anbu squads in a week. You will be leading the mission to eliminate the spy network of Iwagakure and Kumogakure."

Eagle nodded as well and said, "I'll get right to it."

Both Shikaku and Eagle left Hiruzen's office and began preparing immediately. Hiruzen grabbed his smoke pipe and got up from his chair. He gazed at the stone faces of the Hokage and thought, 'If I have to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to stop my traitorous disciple and join you three, I will at least ensure that Konoha gets a breathing space of a few years at the very least.

That time will be sufficient for Jiraiya to stabilize his rule and for Fujin to become even more formidable. Due to his encounter with Orochimaru, Kakashi has begun training seriously once again. As for Guy, he never stops training. Even if I have to sacrifice myself in a month, the village will still be stronger by the time the next Great War arrives!'

In the Raikage's office, Mabui and Ay went through all 7 scrolls. Mabui muttered, "So what the Hokage said was true… However, there is one thing that doesn't make sense. If Orochimaru was so injured, how did he return unscathed to Konoha within 5 days?"

Ay said, "You're forgetting about his ability to heal. Orochimaru is a very troublesome fellow. Though defeating him isn't difficult, killing will be a challenge even for me. There is no mistake in this information!"

Mabui's expression became grim as she said, "If everything is true, then Suzuki Fujin is a much bigger threat than we previously imagined. In fact, he might be on the same level as the Fourth Hokage."

Mabui's words caused Ay to recall his fight against Minato. He shook his head and said, "No, he still can't be compared to the Fourth Hokage. However, he is still only 16 years old. If we can't kill him now, then we'll likely never have another chance."

Mabui nodded and asked, "Should we send an order to our spies to keep an eye on his movements."

Even before Ay could answer, a frown appeared on Mabui's face as she said, "However, our spies have been very active recently. If we give them more orders, they could be compromised."

Ay nodded and said, "That's right. We don't need to send any more messages to them. They should be aware of the importance of this matter and should be doing all they can even without our orders. We just need to be ready to act when the time comes."

Mabui nodded. She and Ay discussed some strategies to deal with Fujin, unaware of the fact that Hiruzen was already scheming against the entire Kumogakure!

As for the one who was about to be the bait as well as the executioner, he was with Naruto on the river bank. Fujin looked at Naruto and asked, "Excited to learn how to supercharge your jutsus?"

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