Chapter 126: The Outbreak of the Shinobi World War!

The development of genjutsu was indeed challenging, but Shūichi had already devised a method to quickly disrupt the enemy's chakra flow and directly assault their mental defenses.

The breakthrough lay in the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Unfortunately, if he could get hold of the Yamanaka Clan's Mind-Body Switch Technique, the process might be even faster.

…

However, just as Shūichi was busy like a little bee around Konoha, the situation in the Shinobi world was changing rapidly.

In Iwagakure, at the Tsuchikage's office, Kitsuchi entered with a heavy expression, holding a piece of intelligence, but there was also a trace of excitement in his demeanor.

"Father, we have a very important piece of information!"

Onoki raised his head upon hearing the voice, "Is it about the Sand Shinobi?"

Kitsuchi nodded, "The Third Kazekage has gone missing!"

"Hmm?"

Onoki was momentarily stunned, then quickly flew up and took the report from Kitsuchi's hand to examine it carefully. "The Kazekage has actually disappeared? No wonder the Sand Shinobi have been acting crazy lately!"

"So, the Kazekage might have been taken down by the very person Sunagakure is hunting—the rogue ninja known as Sasori of the Red Sand, and possibly by Roshi as well..."

Onoki then asked his son, "Could Roshi really defeat the Kazekage?"

Kitsuchi shook his head, "The Kazekage was capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts. There's no way even a Jinchuriki could easily defeat him."

"Father, are you saying... the Third Kazekage is already dead?"

Onoki replied gravely, "Given the Third Kazekage's strength, if he's gone missing, there's only one possibility—he's been killed."

As an outsider, Onoki could see things more clearly than the people of Sunagakure.

The people of Sunagakure still held on to the slim hope that the Third Kazekage was alive and continued searching for him under the pretext of hunting Sasori of the Red Sand.

Moreover, just a few days ago, they had even sent a request demanding the return of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi.

So…

Onoki decisively declared, "Convene a full council meeting!"

In less than half an hour, the decision to wage war against Sunagakure was unanimously approved.

The reasoning was simple: Now was the perfect time to attack. Sunagakure's defenses were stretched thin due to their ongoing search for the Third Kazekage.

Additionally, if Iwagakure didn't strike now, by the time Sunagakure accepted the reality that their Kazekage was dead, they would undoubtedly launch a counterattack to avenge him.

With the order to begin the war issued, Iwagakure's war machine quickly sprang into action. In less than half a day, a thousand-strong army of shinobi was assembled and began marching southward towards the Land of Wind.

The speed of this mobilization was no coincidence—Iwagakure had long been preparing for war.

Either Sunagakure would attack them, or they would strike first.

Iwagakure's forces moved with undeniable speed. By the end of the day, they had entered the Land of Birds, eliminating or capturing every Sand Shinobi scouting team searching for the Third Kazekage.

The following day, the Iwagakure forces crossed the Land of Birds and launched a surprise attack on the Land of Wind's border guards, who were caught completely unprepared.

The Sand Shinobi border defense, which resembled sandcastles built by children at the beach, crumbled instantly under the assault of the Iwagakure forces.

…

May 12, Year 44 of Konoha.

On the third day of Iwagakure's invasion of Sunagakure, a meeting was taking place in the conference room of the Hokage's office in Konoha.

Present were the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.

Danzo, more assertive than the last meeting, fixed his gaze on Hiruzen and declared, "The facts have proven it— the Third Kazekage has been killed by Sasori of the Red Sand and Iwagakure's Four-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Iwagakure has already taken advantage of Sunagakure's weakened defenses and entered the Land of Wind. Hiruzen, this is an ideal opportunity for us, whether against the Sand Shinobi or the Stone Shinobi!"

"Iwagakure's infiltration of the Land of Grass has become incredibly serious!"

Homura and Koharu both nodded in agreement but remained silent, turning their attention to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen calmly responded, "While Iwagakure has mobilized their forces, our intelligence suggests that their vanguard consists of no more than 1,500 troops."

"Sunagakure was caught off guard due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, but they're not weak."

"If we engage in war now, whether we target Sunagakure or both Sunagakure and Iwagakure, Kumogakure will absolutely not sit idly by. They'll seize the opportunity to launch their own attack."

"And there's also Kirigakure. If Kumogakure moves, Kirigakure won't pass up the chance either, forcing us into a three-front war."

"Danzo, we still haven't fully recovered from the last Shinobi World War!"

Upon hearing this, Homura and Koharu found Hiruzen's reasoning compelling and nodded once more in agreement.

Danzo felt frustrated—these two had supported him just moments ago, but now they were quickly siding with Hiruzen.

Nevertheless, Danzo pressed on, refusing to give up. "If we don't seize the advantage now, do you really think Kumogakure and Kirigakure won't attack us?"

"Even without the Third Kazekage's death, all the major villages have been itching for war."

"Iwagakure covets the Land of Grass, and Kumogakure has long wanted to swallow the smaller nations like the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Fields."

"Kirigakure also seeks to extend its influence onto the mainland!"

"Since war has already erupted, it will inevitably spread to the Land of Fire, because we hold the most resource-rich lands!"

Homura and Koharu considered his words, acknowledging there was some truth to them.

Hiruzen, with a serious tone, said, "That may be true, but for us, the later we enter the war, the better our position will be."

"The sooner we jump in, the more likely we are to face multi-front combat, which will stretch our forces thin and put us at a high risk of defeat."

After listening to this, Homura finally spoke up, "Hiruzen is right."

"However, Hiruzen, Danzo also has a point. Even if we don't enter the war immediately, we need to start making preparations."

"Jiraiya is not in the village. It's time to call him back. The situation is on the brink of war."

Koharu added, "We should begin reducing mission assignments to leave room for mobilizing forces at any moment."

Hiruzen nodded. "I've already had Minato inform Jiraiya."

He then turned to the visibly displeased Danzo and said, "Danzo, keep a close watch on the Land of Rain. It would be best if we could ally with Hanzo."

Hiruzen thought it was time to give the hawkish Danzo something to focus on to keep him from causing too much trouble.

Moreover…

As Danzo remained silent, Hiruzen issued a warning, "And as for the First Hokage's cell experiment, let it stop here. Don't let Orochimaru continue."

This was an issue Shūichi had reported last month, but Hiruzen had waited until now to bring it up.

Danzo was taken aback, momentarily thinking Hiruzen had discovered the existence of "Kinoe."

Homura and Koharu both frowned slightly but refrained from reprimanding him.

Clenching his fist, Danzo replied in a low voice, "Understood."

"I'll personally lead a team to the Land of Rain."

With that, the meeting came to an end.

Danzo, who had entered brimming with confidence, left the meeting feeling humiliated.

Returning to the Root base, Danzo still couldn't shake his frustration. He went to the training grounds where he saw "Kinoe" practicing Mokuton (Wood Release). Seeing the successful use of the technique finally eased some of his anger.

This would be his trump card!

After watching silently for a moment, Danzo turned and returned to the Root base to immediately begin making arrangements.

Soon after, a large group of Root members gathered, and Danzo led them out of Konoha, heading straight for the Land of Rain.

If he couldn't act within the village, he would seek opportunities in the Land of Rain!

…

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen quickly received news that Danzo had left the village, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Danzo had been putting considerable pressure on him, especially since Danzo represented not just himself—there were other factions in Konoha that supported war and stood behind Danzo.

"War, huh…"

Hiruzen sighed deeply.

He truly didn't want another large-scale conflict.

The last Shinobi World War had taken a heavy toll, and Konoha had only just begun to recover. But Kakashi's generation had not yet fully matured.

If war broke out, especially a multi-front one, these young prodigies would inevitably be sent on the most dangerous missions.

But thinking of Minato and Shūichi, Hiruzen felt somewhat comforted.

And then there was Kakashi—another talent who would one day stand on his own.

Shisui Uchiha…

One by one, the faces of these individuals flashed through Hiruzen's mind.

…

At this moment, in an underground laboratory at the back of Konoha Village, Shūichi let out a long breath as he looked at the fully arranged experimental equipment. "It's finally done?"

Tsunade, who had just finished a thorough check with Asuka and Shizune, also smiled. "Now we can officially begin the experiments."

Previously, they had been conducting their research at the Konoha Hospital, but the cells of the First Hokage were far too unique, and with too many prying eyes around, it had become a hassle.

Shūichi nodded. "Then let's get started!"

With that, he, along with Asuka and Shizune, brought out several sealed scrolls. One by one, they released the seals and extracted the samples.

Among the samples were Hashirama Senju's cells, cells from the Third Kazekage, as well as cells from the Four-Tails and Eight-Tails, and even some from Hayate Gekkō.

After quickly preparing the experimental materials, Shūichi and Tsunade began discussing their plan.

It was clear that the research on Hashirama's cells would take priority.

However, the research on tailed beast cells also had its own merit, particularly in developing medical ninjutsu. After all, the chakra of tailed beasts possessed significant healing properties.

"Let's handle it all at once—using Shadow Clones!" Tsunade exclaimed energetically.

Shūichi couldn't help but smirk. "Easy for her to say—I'm the one who'll end up exhausted!"

Still, being surrounded by beautiful women wasn't such a bad deal.

"Let's get started!" Shūichi waved his hand, and the work began.

The hours flew by, and before they knew it, it was evening.

On his way home, Shūichi overheard some people discussing the war that had broken out between Iwagakure and Sunagakure. Asuka leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "Shūichi, if we get found out, will we be hunted down by both the Sand and Stone Shinobi?"

Shūichi chuckled softly. "Don't worry, we won't be found out."

If they were, it wouldn't just be the Sand and Stone Shinobi—they'd also have Kumogakure and Kirigakure coming after them, eager to take advantage of the situation.

That would be… exciting.

Back home, as they were finishing dinner, Nonō Yakushi also brought up the Iwagakure and Sunagakure conflict. Being more informed than Asuka, she expressed her deeper concern.

Her worry was that if the truth got out, would Konoha, under intense pressure, end up handing over the culprit?

This was what weighed most heavily on Nonō Yakushi's mind.

Shūichi, noticing her unease, took her hand to reassure her. "Don't worry, there's no evidence."

"Even if they accuse me, there's nothing they can do about it. After all, I know the Flying Thunder God Technique."

The only thing that could possibly implicate him was the Third Kazekage's cells in Orochimaru's possession.

However, with Orochimaru's personality, he wasn't likely to share that information with Danzo.

Even if Danzo knew, he wouldn't handle things that way, especially not when Shūichi still provided benefits to him.

If he really wanted to, Danzo could have already leaked information to the Sand and Stone Shinobi, forcing Konoha to hand someone over.

Of course, all of Shūichi's confidence came from his strength.

(End of Chapter)

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