How could Hiruzen Sarutobi not understand Danzo Shimura's intentions? He knew that if he sent Danzo out, even if the Sand-nin originally had no intention of starting a war, Danzo would engineer one anyway. Therefore, there was no way Hiruzen could allow Danzo to go to the frontlines.
"Danzo, don't rush to make your position clear just yet," Hiruzen turned around and firmly met Danzo Shimura's gaze. "We need to gather further intelligence and confirm the Land of Wind's movements. Only after we have solid evidence can we make the correct decisions."
Danzo gritted his teeth. Although displeased inside, he could only reluctantly nod in agreement. At that moment, he was thinking along the same lines as Hiruzen—he also didn't believe the Sand-nin were planning to start a war. However, he wanted to personally visit the border regions and use propaganda tactics to build up his own reputation, transitioning himself from the shadows into public view, laying the foundation for his future ascension to Hokage.
Even if war truly did break out, Danzo wouldn't feel even the slightest bit of fear. After all, when it came to dealing with the Sand-nin, he still held at least a little confidence.
Back during the Second Ninja War, Sakumo Hatake had barely risen to Kage-level strength before decisively crushing the Sand-nin. Now, with the formidable forces of Root standing beside him, Danzo believed he definitely had the ability to achieve his goal.
However, in the end, Hiruzen still resolutely rejected Danzo's proposal, merely ordering spies to intensify their reconnaissance efforts on Sand-nin intelligence. Most critically, he gained full support from Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, thereby forcefully suppressing Danzo.
Although Danzo didn't care about the lives of those spies—viewing them simply as disposable tools to be used however he pleased—in order to cultivate these qualified "tools," an immense amount of money had been invested. And right now, he found himself in an extreme shortage of funds. Thus, a strong surge of rage instantly welled up inside him, and he fiercely argued his case against the three without backing down.
In the end, they once again concluded this intense struggle with those classic words: "Danzo, I am the Hokage." "Hiruzen, you will regret this."
As soon as these words were spoken, it meant Danzo had no choice but to concede defeat. That inner sense of resentment and bitterness—he was likely the only one who could deeply understand.
Thus, a glint of craftiness flashed momentarily in Danzo's sharp eyes. He clearly understood that under the strict suppression of such an experienced Hokage as Hiruzen Sarutobi, if he wished to realize his ambition of becoming Hokage himself, he must find a key target capable of drawing Hiruzen's attention.
This very target would act like a beacon in darkness, firmly capturing Hiruzen's focus and allowing Danzo to secretly carry out his schemes step by step, gradually advancing his hidden plans.
Gripping the staff—his symbol of power—he silently calculated each move in his mind.
On one hand, he fully committed himself to suppressing the spies of the Land of Wind, employing all kinds of methods to uncover the root cause of the incident, no matter how risky it became.
Yet he never expected that his actions would spark an unexpected misunderstanding.
Starting a war was no simple task; it required a seemingly justifiable and convincing reason. The Wood Release certainly played a crucial role—it was like a sharp sword capable of astonishing power when used at the right moment—but the Wood Release alone could not explain everything.
At this moment, fate seemed to cruelly mock Shimura Danzo. The hidden Root spies stepped up their activities, accidentally giving Chiyo the perfect chance to strike.
She keenly detected the anomaly and skillfully exploited this clue. Combining it with the mysterious Wood Release attack, she firmly pinned the heavy blame for the Third Kazekage's disappearance squarely onto the "Shadow of the Leaf"—Shimura Danzo.
After all, wasn't he the Shadow of the Leaf? In a world full of plots and cunning strategies, nothing he did—no matter how bizarre—would come as a surprise. From then on, Danzo's fate quietly began to shift, and an unprecedented storm was about to erupt within Konoha...
Subsequently, with her exceptional leadership and keen insight, Chiyo firmly grasped control over the overall situation. Knowing clearly that to better execute her grand plan of attacking Konoha, coordination across all fronts was essential. Therefore, Chiyo decisively dispatched sincere letters to the remaining three major nations.
In these letters, Chiyo vividly recounted the tragic event of the Third Kazekage's death caused by a covert Wood Release attack from Konoha, emotionally depicting the heartbreaking scene. Thus, she declared this war to be one of revenge—a righteous war.
Her words struck deep into the hearts of every ninja across all nations. Skillfully leveraging this emotional resonance, Chiyo ignited a burning hatred against Konoha among them. Then, linking it to mutual interest, she invited each great nation to unite and launch a joint offensive against Konoha.
After all, while hatred might inspire sympathy, only shared benefit could ensure participation. Chiyo aimed to forge an unprecedented alliance to confront that once-formidable force which had inflicted great damage upon them.
As Chiyo's letters were sent out, the Sand-nin began massive movements to show all nations just how serious they were. Under Chiyo's careful command, the vanguard of the Sand forces began advancing like a mighty tide toward the Land of Rivers.
When Onoki of Iwa received Chiyo's letter, his first impulse was to strike against the Sand ninjas to see if he could gain some advantage. However, after brief consideration, he abandoned this tempting idea.
Compared to Suna, it was Konoha that truly deserved further testing. As for the claim that the Third Kazekage was assassinated by a Wood Release attack—well, he didn't buy it. He knew exactly what the Wood Release was. It was a power capable of defeating Madara Uchiha. If Konoha possessed such a technique, surely they wouldn't waste it on secretly assassinating the Kazekage.
Onoki was actually somewhat in favor of Danzo's plan to eliminate the Kazekage. In his eyes, such a man was fully capable of doing something like this, and the evidence Chiyo had orchestrated through her spies appeared convincing and strategically sound. Reports from Iwa-nin spies further confirmed this.
In the end, Onoki thought that starting the Third Great Ninja War at this moment might not be a bad move after all. The Sand-nin attacking Konoha perfectly aligned with his intention to gauge Konoha's response and strength. After thinking for a while, he picked up his brush and wrote a reply letter to Chiyo.
In the letter, he formally denounced Konoha's actions first, then expressed support for the Sand-nin's operation. However, this support was merely verbal. At most, he would reinforce border troops to pressure Konoha. As for launching a full-scale attack, he would need to wait for the right timing.
Fortunately, Chiyo never truly expected the sly old man Onoki to provide any real assistance—his stance alone was more than enough for her needs.
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