Gekko Chizan this time really handled it beautifully, even if his actions were a bit too exaggerated.
After all, directly charging into someone else's village—this kind of thing is still very rare in the ninja world. Even during the Second Great Ninja War back then, the fighting was mostly centered around the Land of Rain, but no one ever went straight into Amegakure to fight.
After all, with Hanzo's temper, he would never allow anyone to fight right at his doorstep.
Gekko Chizan directly ran into Amegakure to fight—no matter who looked at it, it was shocking.
The key point was that he even left safely afterward. Only someone like him, who can fly, turn invisible, and even use space ninjutsu, could do something like this.
"He really did a beautiful job."
"Although he rushed out mid-battle earlier to do his own thing, once he actually started fighting, the blow dealt to Amegakure was still huge."
"But the intel says Amegakure fell into chaos—how should we interpret that?"
"Even if he fought Hanzo inside Amegakure, it shouldn't have shaken the entire village like that, right?"
Mitokado Homura expressed his opinion while sitting beside them, and Koharu Utatane nodded lightly.
"That's right. That kid definitely did something else."
"Otherwise it wouldn't have thrown all of Amegakure into such a situation. Hiruzen, when he comes back, you should question him properly."
Sarutobi Hiruzen indicated that he understood. After all, he was also quite curious how exactly Gekko Chizan caused such massive destruction in Amegakure.
Enough that Salamander Hanzo was now this furious.
Inside the office, only the Hokage and the two advisors were present. It was strange—because Shimura Danzō actually didn't show up.
This made Sarutobi Hiruzen develop some suspicions, and a faint sense of displeasure surfaced in his heart.
He thought: Hmph, that Danzō, this Amegakure operation definitely has his shadow in it.
Otherwise there's no way he wouldn't show up to this meeting. Danzō, Danzō… your courage grows larger by the day. Are you really targeting your own village's people so openly?
Suddenly, an Anbu appeared sharply inside the office, dropping to one knee the moment he arrived, trembling.
It was clear he was extremely emotional.
"Hm? What happened?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two advisors asked at the same time. Without hesitation, the Anbu pulled out a scroll from his robes and placed it neatly on the desk.
At the same time, he spoke:
"Hokage-sama, this is information sent from the front lines."
"Iwagakure has already dispatched ninja to the Daimyō's residence. It seems they intend to seek peace."
"This intel was personally written by Shinnosuke-sama. It can't be wrong!"
No wonder the Anbu was so excited. So Iwagakure had made a major move.
But for Konoha, this was absolutely a heaven-sent good development.
"Good! Hahahaha, one good thing after another!"
"It seems Ōnoki must have also received news about Amegakure being in chaos."
"That old bastard actually involved Hanzo in the war. Now Hanzo and Amegakure completely lack the ability to continue participating."
"Ōnoki doesn't want to fight anymore—hahaha!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's hearty laughter grew louder with every wave. Ever since the war began, he hadn't laughed this happily.
At that moment, a commotion suddenly came from outside.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, stopped laughing, and signaled the Anbu to check.
Soon, the Anbu returned to report: "Hokage-sama, Danzō has arrived."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a cold snort. "Let him in."
Danzō entered the office with no emotion on his face, as though nothing in the world could affect him.
"Danzō, you skipped today's meeting. Shouldn't you give us an explanation?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze was sharp. Danzō, however, appeared perfectly calm, as if the question wasn't even aimed at him. He simply spoke at his own pace:
"Hiruzen, the current situation is entirely favorable to us. Iwagakure wants a truce—this is something I believe requires reconsideration."
"Right now, we are the victorious side. If Ōnoki wants peace, he must compensate us."
The two advisors heard Danzō's words and did not object. Instead, a glint of interest flashed through their eyes.
To be fair, Danzō's proposal wasn't bad. As the victor, demanding compensation from the losing side was perfectly reasonable.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. He understood what Danzō meant, but in his view, simply ending the war already wasn't easy.
If they went straight to Ōnoki demanding compensation, the war might not end so smoothly.
"Let's drop that idea."
"We all know Ōnoki's temper. Make him apologize? Heh… I'd guess he'd personally march to the front lines."
"If Dust Release enters the battlefield, all of you know exactly what that means."
At the words Dust Release, Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane both changed expressions.
Obviously, they understood its weight.
A power surpassing typical bloodline limits—Dust Release, hailed as a Kekkei Tōta. Its destructive force alone was infamous.
To their knowledge, no defense had ever blocked Dust Release.
If they tore ties completely with Iwagakure and Ōnoki entered the battlefield, relying on Dust Release's terror, Konoha's losses would multiply several times over.
"Hiruzen is right. Ōnoki cannot be allowed to personally fight."
"As for compensation, let the Daimyō's side handle negotiations. We shouldn't get involved."
Hearing this, Danzō's face still had no change, but he let out a cold snort.
"You're all too cautious. No matter how strong Ōnoki is, he's still just one man."
"With our current strength, we could fight Iwagakure again. Hiruzen, you lack sharpness."
"That's why we've been hit repeatedly."
"You really should step down."
As soon as he said this, Danzō turned to leave, but Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped him with his voice.
"Danzō, my stepping down has already been finalized."
"The Daimyō's office has begun the selection. A few days from now, the result will be announced."
"When the new Hokage takes office, I expect you to behave yourself."
"As for what happened in Amegakure—don't think that just because I haven't questioned you, you can sleep soundly."
"Some of Root's movements have already crossed the village's bottom line. I hope you restrain yourself."
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's warning, Danzō opened the door and walked out.
"Duang!"
The door slammed heavily shut.
The two advisors looked at each other. It seemed they had understood something.
"Hiruzen… you're talking about Gekko Chizan?"
"Mm. Koharu, say no more. We'll know once Chizan returns."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was well aware of Danzō's nature. The battle in Amegakure definitely involved things that could not be disclosed.
As for the Gekko Chizan they mentioned—at this moment, he was happily heading toward the Land of Frost.
That was the best place he had found to sell off the loot he had acquired.