Upon hearing this news, even Chiyo, no matter how furious she was, sobered up.
If she continued to stay here after a Village's Kazekage was assassinated, there would surely be great chaos within the Village.
"Retreat!"
Chiyo gritted her teeth, a look of unwillingness on her face.
… …
"The Sunagakure Ninja have retreated?"
Orochimaru was somewhat surprised when he received the news.
According to the plan, he was supposed to lead the Ninja in a frontal assault tomorrow.
Tsunade would take the Ninja of the four great clans to directly raid their rear.
He hadn't expected to receive news of the Sunagakure Ninja's retreat tonight.
"Yes."
"I heard that the Kazekage was assassinated."
"And…"
"Shinnosuke-sama and Rie-sama also sacrificed themselves."
The Ninja said cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru immediately went to find Tsunade.
Such intelligence was basically not fake.
When Orochimaru arrived at Tsunade's tent, he saw Sakumo Hatake, covered in blood, already sitting there.
"Sakumo?"
"This assassination…"
"It was me."
Before Orochimaru could finish asking, Sakumo Hatake gave a definitive reply.
"Then Shinnosuke…"
"He was exposed during the assassination mission and was killed by the enraged Sunagakure Ninja."
"It's regrettable, I couldn't even bring back their bodies."
Sakumo Hatake looked sorrowful.
However, this sorrow seemed a bit strange.
"Tsunade, you should treat Sakumo first; I'll send the news back to the Village."
Orochimaru still wanted to ask something.
However, there was no need to pursue the truth of these matters anymore.
Orochimaru was also aware of what had happened in the Village before.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was saved once but then turned around and slandered Sakumo Hatake, blaming him for all the losses on the front lines.
If it were Orochimaru, not killing him himself would be considered polite.
Let alone expecting him to offer a helping hand on the battlefield.
… …
"He figured it out?"
After Orochimaru left, Sakumo Hatake looked at Tsunade a bit foolishly.
As for why he was acting this way, it was entirely because of a single sentence from Roy.
"So many other Ninja of the Senju Clan have sacrificed themselves, what's wrong with Hiruzen Sarutobi losing a son?"
Coupled with Sarutobi Shinnosuke's previous slandering of Sakumo Hatake, this led to the situation just now.
Roy shook his head and went straight to practice Ambidextrous Hands.
This guy really wasn't suited for strategy or anything of the sort; he was too straightforward.
… …
The next day, the victorious Ninja returned to Konoha, one by one, with their heads held high.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Hokage, naturally greeted them at the Village entrance.
"Where's Shinnosuke?"
"Where's Rie?"
Sarutobi Minxi (Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife) rushed forward to ask Sakumo Hatake the moment she saw him.
"They… sacrificed themselves."
"To complete the mission, they both voluntarily attracted the attention of the Sunagakure Ninja."
"Even when I had the Kazekage hostage, still planning to exchange the Kazekage's life for theirs…"
"Shinnosuke… he actually yelled at me!"
"'You useless person, how many times do I have to tell you, if you can't follow the rules and only care about camaraderie, you're useless!'"
"He told me that I must complete the mission and not let the war continue any longer."
"And I felt he was right, so I ultimately assassinated the Kazekage, ending this war."
"They, on the other hand, died at the hands of the Sunagakure Ninja."
Sakumo Hatake spoke with great emotion, earnestly recounting the entire course of events.
In his words, Sarutobi Shinnosuke became the hero of this mission.
As for whether they believed it, that was their business.
"Protecting comrades is what should be done."
"I don't think Sakumo-uncle's previous actions were wrong, and this time he should have prioritized saving his comrades too!"
At this moment, Obito on the side said indignantly.
"What do you children know?"
"Shinnosuke-sama is a hero of our Konoha, sacrificing himself for the war; this is the will of fire!"
"As expected of the Hokage-sama's son, such courage is not something an ordinary Ninja can possess!"
"Yes, Shinnosuke-sama is worthy of our learning from…"
For a time, one by one, the sycophantic Ninja spoke up.
Moreover, these people were all from the Sarutobi Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally wanted to say something, even to reprimand Sakumo Hatake.
Under the current circumstances, he could only swallow his anger.
"You did very well."
"Alright, everyone is tired; go back and rest first."
"As for other matters, we'll discuss them in a few days."
Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking and pulled his wife away from there.
At this moment, Sarutobi Minxi was on the verge of exploding and couldn't be allowed to cause trouble here.
After all, it was Sarutobi Shinnosuke who had blocked Sakumo Hatake's door and cursed him as useless.
And this time, with such a situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't even utter a word of reproach.
He even had to praise the other party.
Seeing this scene, Roy couldn't help but admire Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even with his own son dead, he could appear so calm.
Indeed, this guy is very cunning!
"Sis, you're back?"
"I've decided; I'm not going to the battlefield anymore."
"I want to be a teacher."
At this moment, Senju Nawaki also ran over and told Tsunade his decision.
"A teacher?"
"That's not bad either. Come on, let's go home."
Tsunade took Roy and Nawaki and headed towards home.
Inside the Hokage Office.
"Orochimaru, do you know anything?"
As the overall commander of the front line, and with Sakumo Hatake having returned with the main force this time.
If there was anything strange, or any intelligence, Orochimaru would surely know.
"Is Hokage-sama asking about Shinnosuke's matter?"
"I don't know about that mission, nor did I participate."
"I only know that when Sakumo Hatake returned, he was indeed severely injured."
Orochimaru chuckled.
Although he had somewhat guessed some things, speaking them out now would only cause him trouble.
"I understand, you may leave."
"Oh, and Orochimaru, prepare yourself; there are some things I need you to handle."
"Then, you know."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a hint and then let Orochimaru leave.
Indeed, the original first Hokage candidate was his son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Now that Shinnosuke was dead, Orochimaru, who had the highest prestige and was Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple, became the primary candidate.
Jiraiya's personality was too reckless and honest, making him unsuitable for this position.
After all, he couldn't be controlled.
As for Tsunade, she wasn't even considered.
Both her personality and her attitude towards the higher-ups determined that she wouldn't be considered.