Chapter 232: The Hawk Mindset
"He who offends Konoha will be punished, no matter how far away they are!"
Seeing that Konoha's villagers had vented their anger, Sasuke climbed onto a chakra cannon and shouted from its top. Fueled by Sound Style, the shout reached almost everyone. The villagers fell silent and then erupted in a roar, reciting the electrifying Konoha Declaration. Contemplating the dying Sky ninjas, their anger was no longer just anger, but also a layer of imperial contempt.
"He who offends Konoha will be punished, no matter how far away they are?" Danzo murmured, standing in the distance, repeating the declaration over and over again. The more he read it, the more it was engraved in his heart; his eyes burned with satisfaction as he looked at Sasuke. Back then, he had been just as enthusiastic. This is how Konoha should be, he thought.
Hiruzen, observing this scene, frowned slightly. The rise of hawkish ideas was not a good thing. It clearly contradicted Konoha's traditionally soft alliance policy. He quickly sent ANBU to summon Sasuke, which made the ceremony a bit disappointing and, therefore, suppressed this aggressive tendency.
Sasuke intended to take the opportunity to give a "I Have a Dream" speech, but he was summoned by the Hokage, which forced him to abandon the attempt.
"Sasuke, I heard you wanted to kill the Raikage's son. Is that true?" Hiruzen criticized him.
"Hokage-sama, I was wrong. I was just trying to scare him. If I really intended to kill him, why would I have captured him?"
"Mmm," Hiruzen remained evasive, but the explanation was quite plausible.
"And what about your desire to steal Kumogakure's secret technique?" he asked.
"Hokage-sama, the Kumo ninjas themselves proposed the wager. I was simply agreeing," Sasuke replied, and handed him the information about the Lightning Sword Technique. "I already possess the Konoha-ryu sword skill. How could I bother with something so useless? I accepted it, simply because I wanted it for free."
Hiruzen skimmed the technique and instantly lost interest. "Release the captive Kumo ninjas and sign an alliance with the Land of Lightning. Do you have any objections?"
"No, how could I? I will obey the Hokage's orders," Sasuke said, with a look of unwavering loyalty.
"Then I ask you to cancel the wager and give up the Kumo's secret technique, the Lightning Style Chakra Mode. Are you willing?" Hiruzen asked.
"This..." Sasuke feigned hesitation, but finally gritted his teeth. "Hokage-sama, since you have spoken, let's end this wager."
"Sasuke, I was right about you. You are someone who considers the greater good."
"Where Konoha dances, the fire burns. A small sacrifice, if it can bring peace, is worth it," Sasuke said, his gaze resolute.
Sarutobi Hiruzen applauded and laughed. He had long believed in Sasuke's Will of Fire; after all, it had been personally certified by Danzo.
"Hokage-sama, this is the information about the chakra cannon," Sasuke told him. "If Konoha could master this technology, we would be invincible."
Hiruzen glanced at the information but frowned. "Sasuke, this cannon is so powerful, almost like a tailed beast. It's a force that can break the balance of the ninja world. The village is severely damaged and is being rebuilt. Funds are very limited. Let's table the manufacturing."
Then, he seemed concerned. "Sasuke, I heard you unearthed a batch of antiques from shipwrecks and made a lot of money. Is that true?"
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