Chapter 145: It's time?

Inside the camp.

In the sunshine, Hyuga Hizashu, Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi have almost become his regular team members.

"Kakashi, you and Shisui keep a close eye on things, especially before reinforcements arrive. Be cautious of attacks from the Mist ninjas."

After all, the entire Konoha camp now knows that although we've achieved strategic victories, we failed to guard against internal leaks, leading to a significant loss of supplies due to attacks from the Mist.

"Yoru, this time the leak came from Uegaki."

The ninjas' reconnaissance abilities are strong, not to mention the countless bizarre techniques. The traitor within the camp has naturally been identified. But Kakashi chose to speak here, making Uchiha Yoru realize that the situation might not be so straightforward.

"Kakashi, is there something unusual about this traitor?"

Under Uchiha Yoru's increasingly serious gaze, even the usually slow-reacting Uchiha Shisui sensed something wrong. He looked directly at Kakashi. Only Hyuga Hizashi remained stoic, revealing no emotions.

After a moment of silence, Kakashi said softly, "Uegaki's family was threatened, and the threat came from within the village. It was orchestrated by the Third Hokage's daughter-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru didn't say anything, but Uchiha Shisui's eyes filled with rage. This name reminded him of unpleasant events.

"Damn it! Her again! How does such a person deserve to live? First Orochimaru, and now this. Damn it!"

Amid Shisui's clenched teeth and hatred, Uchiha Yoru silenced him. Then, looking at Kakashi, he asked, "Who else knows about this?"

Kakashi nodded silently, "Might Guy and Shiranui Genma also know."

After all, the three of them had jointly discovered this clue. Hyuga Hizashi chose to remain silent, his eyes seriously looking at Uchiha Yoru, as if waiting for orders, fully embodying the role of an obedient ninja.

Under Kakashi's quiet gaze, Uchiha Yoru finally spoke. He lowered his voice, "The village needs stability, and we can't move against the Third Hokage's daughter-in-law. Keeping her alive will only be detrimental, harming us and her own family."

Even Uchiha Shisui understood the implication. The previously angry Shisui now looked rather despondent. He said resentfully, "Big Brother Yoru, why? They're all ninjas willing to risk their lives for the village, yet in the end, they are betrayed by their own village."

This person was betrayed by the village, and someone else is pulling his strings. So, what angers Shisui even more is the corrupt higher-ups rather than this ordinary ninja manipulated by fate.

Hyuga Hizashi has been subjugated by the main family for so long that he has developed a stable mindset. His experience also strengthened his resilience.

Kakashi, being politically savvy, understands the full story. The target is Uchiha Yoru, and the attack is specifically aimed at him.

At this moment, Kakashi's heart was also full of sorrow and anger. Uchiha Yoru's strength had already posed a threat, and the Sarutobi clan had begun to want to eliminate dissidents. Under such circumstances, would any strong individuals still emerge in the village?

Probably not. All powerful ninjas could only live under the shadow of the Sarutobi clan; if they stepped out of that boundary, they would be targeted.

"Kakashi," Uchiha Yoru's hoarse voice echoed in the tent. "You will personally lead the Genma squad, Might Guy, and the Kurenai squad to carry out this mission. This individual passed away due to severe injuries. I don't want to comment on right or wrong, but his family in the village is innocent. They need him to be recognized as a hero."

After listening, Kakashi silently nodded. Taking Might Guy and the Genma squad with him served two purposes. One was to win people over, to see if they were willing to join them. The other was to ensure no leaks of information.

After all, if this person were to die, no information could be revealed. As long as those in the shadows knew that this person had not leaked information, that was enough. Any leak would target them all.

Some secrets are best kept by the dead, and Kakashi understood this well.

As for the Kurenai squad, Kakashi understood that they needed to rally more forces. The three of them were not only geniuses but also trustworthy people at this moment, a credential for their future inclusion.

Who would dare to betray and let those in the shadows know that you know this secret? Maybe you are fine for now, but can you be sure that you will be okay in the future? After all, for those in power, this would be considered a stain.

Kakashi had no objections to Uchiha Yoru's methods. With their long history of cooperation and trust, betrayal was unlikely. That's why he wanted to pull them closer.

After all, what they aimed for was not something a few people could change; they needed to unite more people.

"Shisui, Itachi just arrived at the front lines too. Take him with you and let him witness the darkness of politics. This is the responsibility he must bear as the son of the clan head."

Uchiha Yoru's tone was calm, but it exuded a sense of burden. With a tired wave of his hand, the three of them slowly exited the tent with varying expressions.

When Uchiha Yoru was left alone in the silent tent, he rubbed his tired eyes. However, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted, and his black eyes revealed a sarcastic cold smile.

Sarutobi Shinzo! Haha, I should really thank your mother for handing over such a good whetstone. It will come in handy for sharpening the several sharp knives I hold.

Might Guy, Uchiha Itachi, Kurenai, Mitarashi Anko, Yugao Uzuki, and the Genma squad—when they witness the dark corruption of the village, I believe no one will just sit by and watch the village continue to decay.

As for Kurenai and Yugao Uzuki, who have questionable backgrounds, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes when he thought of them. Perhaps this was his test, and it was time to see the fruits of his labor.

The worst-case scenario is that they report everything to the Third Hokage. So what? The Third Hokage would only think he is wise, choosing to nip everything in the bud to prevent instability. A threat? The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is also a very proud person. Otherwise, why would he rule with his ideals for so many years? The risk is not high.

"Kurenai, Yugao, I think you won't disappoint me," Uchiha Yoru muttered, revealing a confident smile on his face.

Such a good whetstone. In the future, there will be a few more steadfast and sharp long knives by his side, which is also the power he will rally.

The tiger shows its fangs; it's time for him to gather his own strength. Since Orochimaru left and he accepted the Hyuga branch family, there was no turning back.

…

In the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Cloud Village.

Inside the office of the Fourth Raikage A, who is currently displaying his robust physique, he puts down the weights in his hand and looks seriously at his subordinate who hands over some intelligence.

After quickly scanning the intelligence, the Fourth Raikage A immediately stands up in surprise and anger. After carefully examining it multiple times, he finally shows a look of gravity.

"Is the intelligence reliable and accurate?"

"Lord Raikage, there's no time to confirm due to the urgency."

Looking at the serious expression of his confidant, the Fourth Raikage also shows a grave look and frowns, "The Leaf reinforcements are being dispatched from the border area near Sarutobi Shinobu, preparing to deter the Mist Ninja. If this is true, then the Leaf probably wants to take this opportunity to negotiate with the Mist Ninja."

"No, we must take a gamble no matter what. How did this information come about?" Just as the Fourth Raikage A was about to ask how the intelligence was obtained, he suddenly sees a familiar signature at the end, and his pupils immediately contract.

"It's him! A spy at the high levels of the Leaf!"

This is not the first time, but every time, the information from the other party has been accurate. Thinking of this, the Fourth Raikage A clenches his teeth and says solemnly, "Although there is risk, we must try this time. We can't let the Leaf negotiate with the Mist Ninja. Gather the elites and prepare to secretly intercept the Leaf's reinforcements this time."

"Yes!"

A covert elite squad within the Hidden Cloud Village sets out in secret, bearing the Raikage's important task.

…

Country of Earth, Iwagakure Village.

Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki with his red nose looked at the intelligence scroll in his hand, unable to help but frown. "Information from this mysterious person again. Although it's highly credible, it's still somewhat risky."

"The Third Hokage Hiruzen's usual tactic is to expand the military gains to deter the Mist ninja. The Mist suffered heavy losses in the Third War; it seems like they might really fall for Hiruzen's tactics this time."

It's an overt strategy that Hiruzen uses, daring the Mist to compete. Do you dare to expand the military gains? For Konoha, opening up a ninja battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools involving one or two thousand ninja is just a drag, but the loss for the Mist is significant.

Ōnoki naturally saw through this and couldn't help but frown. "It seems like we need to take action this time. We must disrupt Konoha's deterrence plan. The best way is to disguise as Mist ninja and eliminate this support army to incite a war between the Mist and Konoha."

Having thought this through, Ōnoki made up his mind after a long contemplation. "Deploy an elite force in conjunction with the Kazekage and the Raikage. Everyone would like to see Konoha entangled in a war with the Mist at this point."

It has to be said that experience counts; the Third Hokage was cautious to avoid incidents, which is why he drew elite forces from the border defense line of the Land of Lightning. However, they couldn't prevent an insider from leaking information.

Ōnoki's tactics are extremely cunning. He wants to disrupt Konoha's plan to deter the Mist without exerting too much effort. After all, no one will compensate for the losses, and joining hands with the Kazekage and Raikage would mean sharing the risks, even if this is Konoha's trick.

Konoha is the common enemy; no one wants to see a recuperating Konoha. After all, the foundation of the Land of Fire is too strong. They would need ten years to recover, but Konoha would only need five. That's the gap in foundation.

…

Wind Country, Hidden Sand Village.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, looked at the intel sent from the Stone Village and immediately let out a scornful cold laugh. "Quite a crafty old man you are; your schemes are loud and clear."

Even though he knew it was a ploy, Rasa finally fell silent. Among the three wars, the Hidden Sand Village suffered the most. This led to a large number of missions being stolen by the neighboring Leaf Village. Moreover, due to their status as a defeated nation, their Sand ninjas had to hand over a portion of their missions to the Leaf Village each year.

This was a humiliation, as well as a means to weaken their Hidden Sand Village.

When he took over as Kazekage, the Hidden Sand Village was at its weakest and most difficult period. Even the daimyo of Wind Country had cut their budget, causing him endless headaches.

He may have control over Magnet Release: Gold Dust, but mining for gold in the vast desert? It's not that easy.

Firstly, gold dust has low purity. Secondly, its presence only worsens the already harsh environment of Wind Country.

And what's the ratio of gold dust to sand in a desert full of yellow sand? One could say that even if he had Magnet Release: Gold Dust, how much could he mine in a lifetime?

Gold dust originates from rock gold eroded by rivers, so most of it is buried in the underground riverbeds.

Mining for gold from these underground rivers would result in catastrophic consequences for a country already struggling with water scarcity. The loss wouldn't be worth the gain.

If he gave it his all for a year, how much could he get? The desert is too vast to hope to mine it all in a lifetime, let alone get to the depths where most of the gold dust is buried.

In a month's effort of scouring a single desert, the gold he could mine would not be worth as much as completing one mission.

The purity of the gold dust doesn't even reach five percent.

Hence it's not worth it! He accumulates the gold dust and seals it in containers, nourishing it with chakra for direct use in battle, just like Gaara's gourd.

Later on, he can summon the sealed sand/gold dust in unnoticeable ways, like the mist shinobi summon their swords. It became a part of him, readily summonable at any time.

"Any chance to weaken the Leaf Village can't be missed!"

Pitting the Mist against the Leaf would only benefit the Sand Village, since neither gets along with them.

Right now, the Leaf is like a leech on the Sand, and perhaps this time they could weaken that ferocious tiger a bit.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, quickly made up his mind and said in a deep voice to his confidant, "Maki, I need you to personally oversee this. Send out the elites secretly, collaborate with the Stone and the Cloud, and execute this plan."

It's fair to say that the Third Tsuchikage's tactics were crafty. Everyone would benefit from the Leaf being embroiled in conflict and unable to recuperate.

A year's delay in the Leaf's recuperation means a year for them to catch up. They are desperate to pull the Leaf down from its position as the foremost among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Meanwhile, far away in a border area, Sarutobi Shinzo had just dispatched ninja reinforcements. However, his wife, Sarutobi Umeko, came to stir things up again.

"What are you up to now!"

Seeing her husband's frustrated and angry eyes, Sarutobi Meiko let out a cold laugh, "I didn't do anything, I just told them to be careful on the road to be wary of ambushes from the Mist."

"You!"

Sarutobi Shinzo wasn't a fool. Staring at his wife, he knew she wanted to delay the reinforcements, making Uchiha Yoru face difficulties on the battlefield, and thereby weakening his influence.

Understanding this, he finally fell silent, muttering, "Father was right, your ambitions are too great. I can't indulge you any longer."

Sarutobi Umeko scoffed, "My ambitions are too great? Aren't I just doing what you wish to but dare not do? I'm merely doing it for you."

~~~

Btw, Sarutobi Meiko -> Sarutobi Umeko...

Also! Powerstone!!

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