"Lord Hokage, we just received a decision letter from the Lord of Fire Country."
"Read it."
"The Lord has suddenly decided to postpone the allocation of funds to the village."
"How could this be?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes snapped open, and he asked in confusion, "Didn't we agree on an allocation of five billion yen? Why is it suddenly postponed?"
The Reincarnation Game auction was about to begin.
This allocation was absolutely crucial, determining whether they could acquire valuable resource maps and family tokens.
He hadn't pressured the various Clan Heads too much earlier precisely because of the strong backing from the Land of Fire.
With the five billion yen allocation,
and the substantial wealth accumulated by the Sarutobi Clan over the years, they would at least be able to bid for and secure one of the items: either a resource map or a family token.
He knew very well that,
behind the scenes, the Clan Heads of the various Ninja Clans were secretly contacting each other, intending to raise enough funds to collectively bid for a family token, bypassing the village to possess their own private game assets.
At that point, even as the esteemed Hokage, some of his decisions would be influenced by them.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't expose them.
In the face of the immense allure of the Reincarnation Game, even those deeply steeped in the Fire Will could be excused for succumbing to some temptation.
If they took a wrong turn but corrected themselves in time, he wouldn't blame them.
It was a perfect opportunity to turn the tables.
Once the Sarutobi Clan, with the support of the Land of Fire, secured the family token through the auction, they would gain an absolute advantage.
At that time, the Clan Heads of the various Ninja Clans who hadn't contributed, no matter how many petty schemes they harbored, would be unable to harm the village; instead, they would be more tightly bound to the massive tree that was Wood Leaf Village.
This was the scenario Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to see.
Therefore, the five billion yen allocation from the Lord was of paramount importance and could not afford the slightest mishap.
The Anbu reporting cautiously said, "According to our investigation, it might be related to Lord Shimura Danzo."
"Danzo!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed, seemingly not expecting this matter to involve his good friend.
Was he still unwilling to give up the Hokage position?
"Is the Lord at the hall? I will go see him personally."
Sarutobi Hiruzen changed into a pure white Sacred robe and a Hokage hat, approaching the Lord in a very formal manner.
Nominally, the Lord's status was higher than his as Hokage, and if he was asking for a favor, he couldn't be casual.
Soon,
he arrived outside the mansion, a magnificent estate where the nobles resided.
Before he could even step inside, a sudden whooshing sound echoed in his ears.
Thud, thud, thud.
Shuriken landed where Sarutobi Hiruzen had just been standing, embedding themselves into the ground.
"Who dares to make a move in Wood Leaf Village?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze was calm, completely unafraid of the assailant.
This was Wood Leaf Village, home to countless Konoha Ninja; no matter who the assailant was, they couldn't harm him.
A figure dressed as a Wandering Ninja remained silent, simply continuing their attack.
"Not speaking?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen keenly sensed something suspicious, but before he could ponder it further, he was disrupted by successive attacks.
The Wandering Ninja wielded a kunai, with both incredible speed and strength.
A powerful slash cut through the air and came at him.
Not good!
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyelids twitched, and he retreated repeatedly, throwing a shuriken.
He formed hand signs.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!
A single shuriken rapidly produced countless shadows, forming a shuriken array like a net from heaven and earth, shooting out.
The Wandering Ninja's slash landed, creating a wall of burning flames.
"A player?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed; the fire wall released by the opponent had no Chakra fluctuations, making him undoubtedly a player.
Using the fire wall as cover, the player suddenly disappeared with a 'poof'.
Shadow Clone.
And those shuriken, piercing through the fire wall and imbued with flames, crashed directly into the mansion's architecture, making a deafening sound.
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could react, a group of people had already appeared.
"Hiruzen, are you trying to attack the hall?"
A middle-aged man in noble attire, with a fan-like ornament stuck behind his head, walked out of the building, looking sternly at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Lord, you misunderstand…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't even had time to rein in his aura, and his hand signs for releasing the jutsu were still maintained.
However, the Twelve Guardian Ninja around the Lord all stepped forward, blocking between him and the Lord, preventing him from harming the Lord.
The Lord's face was cold as he said, "You wouldn't possibly suggest that a Wandering Ninja managed to infiltrate Wood Leaf Village, which is covered in barriers everywhere, and then attempted to attack you, Lord Hokage, would you?"
"It's because—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, with the words on the tip of his tongue, suddenly stopped, glancing at the Guardian Ninja blocking in front of him.
One of the ninja's physiques was very similar to the person who had just attacked him.
He then looked at the Lord, who had suddenly appeared, just like a pre-rehearsed script, and immediately understood most of it.
This was a play personally directed by the Lord to reject his request for funds.
The Lord's face was filled with anger as he said, "Hiruzen, you disappoint me greatly. Does Wood Leaf Village intend to break away from the Land of Fire?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly explained, "Absolutely not!"
The Lord's expression softened slightly, and he coldly snorted, "It had better not be. You came to see me about the allocation, didn't you? I will let you know once I've considered it. You may return."
"Yes, Lord."
Sarutobi Hiruzen left, feeling unwilling but helpless.
After he left,
Shimura Danzo quietly emerged from the hall and stood respectfully beside the Lord.
The Lord glanced at him and said, "As you said, he still wants me to allocate five billion yen to acquire a family token."
If it weren't for Shimura Danzo's reminder, he would have truly agreed to the allocation. After all, five billion yen would also be difficult to secure a family token and a resource map at auction.
But he hadn't expected that a full three thousand Sarutobi Clan Ninja!
That was even enough to establish a new Ninja Village.
The Lord's face was filled with rage as he asked, "What exactly does Sarutobi Hiruzen want to do? Establish a nation?!"
Shimura Danzo knelt on the ground and said, "Your subordinate does not know, but we certainly cannot let this continue. I suggest suspending Sarutobi Hiruzen from his Hokage position."
Upon hearing this, the Lord shook his head slightly and said, "The Chunin Exams are imminent; let's not cause more trouble."
Shimura Danzo was slightly disappointed.
He had originally thought that he could take advantage of this momentum to directly trip Sarutobi Hiruzen, allowing himself to legitimately take the Hokage position, but he hadn't expected the Lord to still have reservations.
But it was still good.
The Lord had already noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen's private army, and he probably wouldn't trust him as he used to. He finally had a chance.
"Just wait, Hiruzen, I will definitely become Hokage!"
Shimura Danzo revealed a sinister smile. Thanks to Orochimaru's information, otherwise, he would have been kept in the dark about Sarutobi secretly raising ninja in the Land of Fire.
Those were not Konoha Ninja at all; they were all members of the Sarutobi Clan in the Land of Fire, previously only considered civilians.
The Pig-Deer-Butterfly should have known, but they had always been loyal to the Sarutobi Clan and had concealed the information.
Once he became Hokage, he would severely discipline these disobedient Ninja Clans and forge Wood Leaf Village into an impenetrable fortress.
The weak Sarutobi Hiruzen was only fit for retirement.
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