Chapter 33: Whose Order?

"It's not impossible for us to withdraw. However, the one named Aoba Kamikawa must be handed over to us as compensation for our offense."

When Aoba heard this, he felt a complex mix of emotions. Even though he was in Konoha now, he had seen similar events in history back in his original world.

Such situations, seemingly absurd and even more absurd in reality, had occurred in every world, and being at the center of one was something he couldn't quite describe.

In this life, having reincarnated into a Konoha ninja, Konoha was essentially his home. And now, having such an incident occur in his own village made it hard for him to feel any sense of belonging to it.

The truly disturbing part wasn't whether Konoha would accept the conditions. It was that, even though Konoha was one of the Five Great Villages and supposedly the leader, why would others dare to impose such conditions on Konoha?

If this were a world with advanced media, the public opinion platforms would likely be overwhelmed by outrage.

Even though Aoba knew Jiraiya was unlikely to agree, he immediately drew his sword and moved away from the other Konoha ninjas.

This action puzzled others, as most ordinary ninjas wouldn't understand why Aoba would make such a move. They didn't see the point of agreeing to such terms.

However, some recalled the incident with Hiashi Hyuga and began to speculate whether a similar scene might unfold again.

At that moment, someone who had been hiding suddenly appeared—Danzo .

Danzo had been missing during Aoba's fight with the Raikage and now reappeared out of nowhere.

"Don't worry, Aoba Kamikawa. My ROOT will protect you. No one will be allowed to hand you over today."

Aoba immediately understood. Danzo had previously shown little interest in him because of his lack of heritage and bloodline. But now, seeing his powerful combat abilities, Danzo had changed his mind and wanted to recruit him into ROOT.

The problem was that Aoi was well aware he could never join ROOT, even if he were to defect.

In his view, ROOT and Konoha were practically unrelated. Didn't they just hide underground while Pain attacked later on?

The entire organization was merely serving Danzo's ambitions.

Aoba did not respond to Danzo but instead looked up at Jiraiya, who was still high up. Aoba had secretly taken a soldier pill earlier, and his chakra had partially recovered.

However, this chakra wasn't for fighting. He had gathered it all at his feet, ready to make a quick escape.

Fortunately, Jiraiya wasn't as timid as Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Fukasaku, the toad under Jiraiya, stepped forward, showing a resolute stance.

The Raikage frowned slightly. Though he was reluctant, he heard a large number of footsteps approaching from afar. More Konoha ninjas had arrived.

The Raikage sighed internally. He had lost this battle comprehensively.

The original plan was to severely injure Konoha's elite forces and then declare war on Konoha. But it seemed that war wouldn't happen now.

"Let's go."

The Konoha ninjas all looked at Jiraiya. Their thoughts were similar to Aoba's: they should seize the opportunity with their numerical advantage to take down the Raikage and his elite guards.

In reality, both from an interest and a moral standpoint, Konoha's actions were completely justified.

If someone illegally crosses the border and attacks the country's forces, there's nothing wrong with capturing and killing them.

If it were Iwa, Onoki would probably have mobilized tens of thousands to crush the Raikage on the spot.

But Aoba guessed that Konoha probably wouldn't act that way.

As expected, Jiraiya hesitated briefly and then took a step back, making a concession.

"Hmph." After killing over twenty Konoha ninjas on their own territory, the Raikage and his group arrogantly prepared to leave.

At this moment, Aoba suddenly spoke up.

"Excuse me, Lord Jiraiya. Is the decision to let the invading enemies go your order, or the Third Hokage's?"

Aoba's question stirred a debate among the crowd. Even the departing Raikage and his group slowed their steps, curious to see the outcome of this scene.

Jiraiya turned sharply. Aoba's question was extremely pointed.

Jiraiya instinctively wanted to say it was his own decision but then noticed Aoba had already positioned himself next to Danzo.

This left Jiraiya in a dilemma. The situation was awkward.

Although Jiraiya held a high position, he did not hold an actual office in Konoha. He was known as the Third Hokage's disciple, generally representing the Third Hokage's will. Thus, he mostly followed the Third Hokage's orders.

However, Danzo was also present on site.

No matter how underhanded and dark Danzo was, he was still a senior Konoha leader of the same generation as Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the leader of ROOT.

From an official standpoint, Danzo was actually superior to Jiraiya. Moreover, Danzo was the commander of the reinforcements today.

If Jiraiya said it was the Third Hokage's order, Danzo wouldn't say much. After all, the Third Hokage was the leader. But this would make all the ninjas on site directly perceive the Third Hokage as weak.

Despite Jiraiya being able to offer numerous explanations for this decision, he couldn't clarify the reasons to everyone at this moment.

Thus, saying it was the Third Hokage's order would undoubtedly damage the Third Hokage's reputation.

But if Jiraiya said it was his own decision, Danzo could immediately counter. As the commander, Danzo could issue orders to encircle the Raikage.

Given what Jiraiya knew of Danzo, he would certainly make such a move. After all, the prestige of killing a Kage was something Danzo's personality would not easily relinquish.

However, that would inevitably lead to an all-out war, which Jiraiya couldn't accept.

In the end, Jiraiya spoke.

"It is the Third Hokage's order."

The surrounding Konoha ninjas fell silent, but Jiraiya could clearly see the disappointment in many of their eyes.

The Raikage's group showed expressions of mockery before leaving openly.

As the Raikage and his group departed, Aoba casually called out to Anko.

"Let's go, Anko. The mission is complete. What are we still doing here? Sending off the Raikage?"

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