"This is not your fault. I know you rushed back from your mission because you learned the village was in danger. However… that Flying Thunder God Technique? You learned it so quickly?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen only learned about Uchiha Kage using the Flying Thunder God Technique after receiving a report from his subordinates.
He single-handedly killed dozens of elite ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village and even helped eliminate a giant three-headed summoning beast that many Konoha ninjas couldn't handle.
Upon hearing this intelligence, Sarutobi Hiruzen was both joyful and astonished.
Joyful because, given time, the village might see another Minato.
Astonished because this ninja was an Uchiha.
Even if he hadn't awakened the Sharingan yet, there was always the chance.
Still, given the current situation, the more powerful ninjas in the village, the better.
"Yes."
Properly showcasing his strength should make Sarutobi Hiruzen take him a bit more seriously.
So that he wouldn't constantly be sent on boring missions.
Also, since he needed to stir things up in Konoha, Uchiha Kage needed a more convenient identity.
"Excellent!"
Now with the Flying Thunder God, he should be able to stop Uchiha Obito from running wild in Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to entrust Uchiha Kage with an important position.
"Kage, Kakashi is injured and hospitalized. I plan to have Itachi act as temporary captain of the Anbu. You and Yamato will serve as vice-captains!"
Stabilize the rear before annexing the Sand.
Since Hiashi was unwilling to reestablish the police force, the Anbu would continue to handle Konoha's security.
"..."
'Itachi? As Anbu captain?'
'This old geezer sure knows how to play politics.'
———
'This is…'
'Konoha?'
After passing through the forest and arriving at a broad road, a blue-haired kunoichi wearing a black cloak with red clouds looked up.
Nestled between forest and mountains was a long, towering wall.
"What a magnificent village."
Completely different from the small settlements of the Land of Rain.
Moreover…
The weather here was so sunny and beautiful.
The sunlight was so bright that one had to shield their eyes with a hand.
"However… was that caused by the Sand's attack?"
There was a huge break in the otherwise tall and solid wall.
From a distance, she could see craftsmen repairing the breach.
"The guards look strict, and this barrier… it's not something I can penetrate."
Among the gatekeepers were members of the Hyuga clan, so using Transformation Jutsu to sneak in was nearly impossible.
And since they were ninjas, they'd likely detect her chakra quickly.
"I'll have to use that technique."
'Paper Release: Dance of the Shikigami!'
The blue-haired kunoichi's body transformed into countless sheets of paper that stuck to a merchant caravan's wagons, like scraps blown by the wind.
Using her special Paper Release, she fragmented her body into sheets of white paper.
Without incident, the kunoichi successfully infiltrated Konoha along with the caravan.
———
"The shameless Sand Village has ignored our alliance and attacked Konoha! Thanks to Orochimaru's timely change of heart, we thwarted the Sand's conspiracy! Now, it is time to repay blood with blood and make the Sand pay the price!"
No wonder there were no civilians on the streets aside from the gatekeepers, everyone was gathered here.
After sneaking in successfully, the blue-haired kunoichi changed into a black cloak with a hood.
Reaching the outskirts of the crowd, she saw the Third Hokage standing on the balcony beside the Hokage building.
"That guy was right. Konoha really is going to war with the Sand," Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen giving a rousing speech, the kunoichi muttered inwardly.
"Hokage-sama, isn't Orochimaru… a rogue ninja? Even if he's awakened now, what about his past crimes?"
How could such evil acts be forgiven just because he changed his mind?
Before Sarutobi could finish speaking, someone in the crowd spoke up.
The Third Hokage had been in power too long, and the villagers had already built up a lot of resentment.
"Human experimentation… that was Danzo's doing. I only just discovered it. I misunderstood Orochimaru back then," Hiruzen continued unhurriedly.
"As for Danzo, I've recently ordered the dissolution of his Root division. He's also been arrested. I'm sure everyone remembers the recent turmoil, rest assured, such things will not happen again."
While making Danzo the scapegoat for Orochimaru, Hiruzen also used this to explain the recent conflict between Anbu and Root.
That it was all to capture the evil Danzo.
"I see. That explains it…"
The Hokage building had been left in ruins from the Anbu and Root conflict, which had worried the villagers for a long time.
"But, Hokage-sama, if Orochimaru was misunderstood, what about Uchiha Itachi, the clan-murdering traitor ninja?"
Orochimaru was one of the Three Sannin, and despite his dark actions, after all these years, the villagers' hatred had faded.
But Uchiha Itachi was different.
He slaughtered nearly the entire Uchiha clan, how could anyone sleep soundly with such a madman in the village?
"To be honest, the true mastermind behind the Uchiha massacre was actually Uchiha Obito! Just yesterday, he appeared as the masked man and nearly killed me and Kakashi! So, I hereby revoke Itachi's rogue ninja status and designate the former hero-turned-traitor Uchiha Obito as the new S-rank rogue ninja!"
"What?"
"Obito? Which Obito?"
"Kakashi's classmate…? But wasn't he dead?"
"Is the Hokage getting senile?"
"How dare you question the Hokage?"
"So what if I question him? He's that old, you think he never makes mistakes?"
Although Hiruzen tried hard to explain from the stage, the villagers couldn't accept it.
They began murmuring, some even shouting.
"Silence! What's important now is not these issues, but the Sand! Konoha's blood cannot be shed in vain. Against the treacherous Sand, we must strike with thunderous force…"
"This is Konoha's Hokage?"
Watching the elderly Hokage shouting fervently on stage, the blue-haired kunoichi stopped listening to his warmongering speech.
Nor did she pay attention to the villagers who were riled up, shouting "Crush the Sand, blood for blood!"
The atmosphere made her uncomfortable.
Especially the fanatical expressions on everyone's faces, including the old Hokage, made her feel alienated.
She had thought Konoha was really a peaceful village as the rumors claimed, and that the Third Hokage was a calm, cautious elder who disliked war.
Turns out they were all war maniacs.
Truly, seeing is believing.
In her heart, she scorned Konoha and prepared to leave this unsettling place.
But just as she turned around, she heard some different voices—
"How can the Third Hokage be like this?", Like the blue-haired kunoichi, Yuhi Kurenai also felt disgusted and loudly voiced her discontent in the crowd.
"Clearly, the one who repelled the Sand's attack and stopped the summoning beast was Kage, but he makes Orochimaru out to be the hero? Ridiculous! Everyone who was there knows Orochimaru came to destroy Konoha!"
Her student Uchiha Kage had single-handedly eliminated dozens of elite Sand ninjas and dealt with the three-headed snake that no one else could handle.
Yet all these achievements were hidden by Hiruzen.
Yuhi Kurenai had never been this angry in her life.
"And the explanation about Uchiha Itachi is even more laughable. Just a few years have passed, and now the history books are being rewritten?"
"Father really is senile!"
Hearing Yuhi Kurenai's complaint, Asuma nearby also got emotional.
He had just managed to lift his father's grounding and stepped outside, only to witness the Sand's invasion and Orochimaru's summoning beast.
And now, hearing his father trying to whitewash Uchiha Itachi's crimes…
"Hokage-sama! Emergency military report from the front!"
"What's the situation?"
"The Sand Village has announced their unconditional surrender to Konoha and expressed willingness to compensate for our losses!"
Shortly after Asuma spoke, a liaison officer climbed the platform and read out the good news from the front lines.
"They've surrendered already?"
"That's great!"
The Sand Village's hasty surrender brought relief to many villagers.
Although they were furious about the Sand's actions, war was no small matter.
The pain Konoha had endured from past wars was still fresh.
The Third War, the Nine-Tails incident, none of that was long ago.
If the Sand could be made to surrender without a large-scale war, that was best.
"Their surrender can't be trusted! The Sand are all treacherous! I've decided to send Orochimaru and a team of elite ninjas to the front lines to join Jiraiya and verify the sincerity of their surrender with the Konoha army."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
So Jiraiya was already at the front? No wonder the Sand's forces hadn't advanced.
Teacher really was cautious.
But knowing Jiraiya's stubborn nature, if the Sand surrendered, he probably wouldn't fight.
'Which must be why the Hokage was sending me to the front.'
Orochimaru quickly understood Hiruzen's intentions.
Sending him to lead the army was clearly to fully occupy the Sand.
"Wait, Hokage! If the Sand has already announced surrender, shouldn't we send people to negotiate? Why are we still deploying troops to continue the war?", Hearing that, even after the Sand surrendered, Hiruzen planned to increase military pressure, Asuma immediately objected.
'Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, and now my own father…'
Asuma looked at the ambitious Third Hokage before him and felt an unfamiliar chill.
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