I will use the ninja world to aid my cultivation of immortality.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned more and more as he listened.

The mobilization of three thousand ninjas by Iwagakure and their march on Kuma Country naturally did not escape the notice of Konoha's intelligence system.

However, the result was clearly beyond Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations.

He originally thought that even if the Uchiha agents he sent to assassinate Naraku failed, Naraku would still be doomed if the Iwagakure army attacked with such a large force.

Unexpectedly, things took a completely different turn from what he had anticipated.

Not only did Naraku not die, but he also repelled the army of Iwagakure and even inflicted heavy casualties on Iwagakure.

"Another Hanzo?" Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself, his face grim.

The man who defected from the Root organization once again demonstrated a level of strength that refreshed his understanding of the world.

Even with an army of three thousand Iwa ninja, plus Huang Tu and Han, this force was still no match for this person.

Such a performance inevitably reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi of Hanzo, who single-handedly fought against Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure during the last Shinobi World War.

"You can go now!" It took Hiruzen Sarutobi a while to adjust his mindset.

But not long after the ANBU ninjas left, the office door was forcefully pushed open.

"Hiruzen, over at Iwagakure."

"Yes, I already know!"

The newcomer was Danzo, and behind him were Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

Upon entering the office, Danzo immediately began speaking to Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, before he could finish speaking, Hiruzen knew what Danzo wanted to say when Danzo mentioned Iwagakure.

"Danzo, compile a new copy of the information about Naraku later. Make sure to record in detail everything he did in Konoha and Root." Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzo and immediately gave him the order in a deep voice.

"Okay, I'll get it sorted out as soon as possible." Danzo hesitated for a moment, but still nodded in agreement.

Actually, the information about Naraku that he provided earlier was already all there was.

The information from before is clearly vastly different from Naraku's current behavior.

Let alone Hiruzen Sarutobi, even he suspected that he might have overlooked some crucial information and was preparing to investigate thoroughly again.

"Hiruzen, what should we do next with Naraku? His strength is clearly beyond what we can handle with conventional methods. I estimate that it won't be long before we hear bad news from the Uchiha clan as well," Mitokado Homura said with a furrowed brow.

Just as they arrived with Danzo, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also learned of Iwagakure's retreat through their respective intelligence channels.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose, looking somewhat tired, and said, "Let's put it aside for now and deal with them when we have the chance later."

If given the chance, he would naturally want to get rid of Naraku's stain.

But it is now clear that there are limitations in both timing and manpower.

"They were lucky!" Koharu said, somewhat annoyed.

Although Naraku displayed tremendous strength, in Koharu Utatane's eyes, he was still nothing more than a lowly traitor who had defected from Root.

Mitokado Homura said with some concern, "Should we strengthen our security recently? If we send the Uchiha people to assassinate them, they might retaliate against us."

Chapter 83 Heartfelt Words

"Hmph, Yan, I think you're getting worse with age. I admit, Naraku's strength is somewhat beyond our expectations, but to say that he dares to come to Konoha for revenge is the funniest joke I've heard all year." Danzo glanced at the other party, his face showing disdain.

“Danzo, Homura was just being cautious. But Homura, you are indeed worrying too much. Although the other party is powerful, compared to our village, they would be courting death if they dared to come.” Koharu Utatane first gave Danzo a reproachful look, and then comforted Homura Mitokado.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Yan's caution is justified. I will have people keep a close eye on the recent personnel coming and going and the barrier."

Mitokado Homura, who was initially feeling somewhat awkward because of Danzo and Koharu Utatane's words, gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a way out and couldn't help but return a grateful look.

After a conclusion was reached regarding the handling of Naraku, Danzo and the other two did not linger and left the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi resumed his official duties until nightfall.

"Is it already this late? Biwako is going to nag me about this when I get back." Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the night outside the window, stretched, and then got up to head home.

Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't give any specific instructions and was still within the village, as the Hokage, he was still protected in the shadows by two squads of Anbu members.

Seemingly in order to set an example, after becoming Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi not only did not take over the position of head of the Sarutobi clan, but also took the initiative to move out of the Sarutobi clan's territory.

Of course, even so, Hiruzen Sarutobi lived in a courtyard mansion with an area of ​​over 10,000 square meters.

"You're back! Why are you so late again today?"

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected, when he returned home, his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, immediately began to complain.

"I'll definitely be more careful next time. By the way, where's that kid Asuma?" Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled sheepishly, then immediately changed the subject.

"You forgot, didn't you arrange an escort mission for him? According to the schedule, even if everything goes smoothly, he won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

Sigh. This house is getting more and more deserted. Since the eldest brother became the head of the Anbu, he basically lives at the Anbu base. Now that the younger one has become a ninja, he's only interested in going out on missions.

As Sarutobi Biwako helped Hiruzen Sarutobi take off his coat, she kept muttering to herself.

"What do you know? They are my sons. As the sons of the Hokage, they should naturally set a better example," Hiruzen Sarutobi retorted, somewhat annoyed by the nagging.

Let's not talk about the youngest son.

After the boss was promoted to head of the Anbu, he was under the watchful eyes of countless people. If he didn't work hard, even if he were the Hokage, he might not be able to hold onto his position.

"Okay, I don't understand. You're right. So, are you still going to have dinner?" Sarutobi Biwako was certainly not truly ignorant.

She just keeps repeating it in her habit.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's rebuttal, she wasn't annoyed. She just rolled her eyes at him and turned to go to the living room.

“We definitely need to eat.” Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly followed.

Soon, the two sat down at the dining table and began to eat.

"By the way, has that rogue ninja Naraku you mentioned the other day been dealt with?" Sarutobi Biwako asked casually during the meal.

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, and his eating speed noticeably slowed down.

Sarutobi Biwako noticed this and asked in surprise, "Something's wrong?"

"Yes, the opponent is more difficult to deal with than expected. We can only put this on hold for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

"Should I thank the Hokage for letting me go?"

A detached voice suddenly rang out from behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Strangely, neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Biwako Sarutobi reacted much to this sudden situation.

No.

The two weren't unresponsive; rather, they were simply unable to react at all.

Just before the indifferent voice rang out, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako Sarutobi had their chests pierced by a hand strike from behind.

A blood-stained hand blade pierced through Sarutobi Biwako's chest, and fragments of her heart could still be vaguely seen hanging from the blade.

The tearing of her heart made Sarutobi Biwako open her mouth, but she couldn't make a sound. She only trembled a few times before lowering her head.

This scene was completely witnessed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting opposite him.

But he, who suffered the same treatment, only managed to hold on for a few more seconds before helplessly lowering his head.

"As expected, you've been pampered for too long, to the point that you, once known as a ninja hero, were so easily assassinated by me. To be honest, I'm very disappointed in you, Third Hokage."

Naraku, who had appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi without anyone noticing, looked at the dead Hiruzen Sarutobi and expressionlessly pulled out the right arm that had pierced through the man's chest.

Similarly, the true qi shadow clone behind Sarutobi Biwako calmly withdrew its arm.

'Heartfelt words' truly are a deadly move that even Madara couldn't withstand.

At this moment, even the 'Strongest Hokage' fell victim to this attack.

After dispelling his True Qi Shadow Clone, Naraku casually wiped the blood from his hands onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's clothes.

During the process, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's corpse lying on the dining table, Naraku felt quite emotional.

To be honest, the assassination attempt in Konoha went much more smoothly than he had expected.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not the first; before that, he had already visited two of the other two members of the Konoha Four Heavenly Kings, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

The manner of the visit was the same as now, and he also spoke to the two of them from the bottom of his heart.

He originally thought that there might be some complications when assassinating Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi is undoubtedly much stronger than Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

But the reality is that he overestimated the other party.

Years of pampered living had kept Hiruzen Sarutobi's body in excellent condition, but his alertness and responsiveness were clearly not something that could be maintained simply by sitting in an office.

Moreover, as far as Naraku knew, Hiruzen Sarutobi had never been heard of experiencing any decent battles since the First Shinobi World War.

The title of "Hero of the Ninja" cannot be said to be entirely the same as "Strongest Hokage," but it is basically a title that outweighs the facts, lacking proof of actual combat achievements.

Of course, the success of the assassination can also be attributed to Naraku's own strength.

His ability to "shrink the earth to an inch" allowed him to enter Konoha silently and carry out assassinations.

His divine sense allows him to know the situation of his assassination target in advance.

In addition, there was the increase in strength brought about by breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Let alone assassination, even in a head-on battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi would be no match for him.