I am the strongest Hokage of all time

Hiruzen and his party didn't notice the strange creature hiding on the roadside at all.

This thing is the most dutiful son of Hokage.

Black absolutely.

Black Zetsu was born when Kaguya was sealed thousands of years ago.

He survived until the finale of Shippuden before being sealed again with Kaguya.

Black Zetsu has struggled for thousands of years, with the sole purpose of rescuing Kaguya.

It has a lot prepared for this.

Until now, it finally found its chance.

That is to use Uchiha Madara.

I want Uchiha Madara to get Hashirama cells to open the reincarnation eye.

Finally, collect the nine tailed beasts and resurrect the ten tails.

When Uchiha Madara became the Ten-Tails Jinchuuriki, Black Zetsu stabbed Uchiha Madara in the back.

Instill Kaguya's will into Madara's body, thus resurrecting Kaguya.

Therefore, Black Zetsu must ensure that Madara follows his plan step by step.

Otherwise, Black Jue would have to wait for how many generations of Asura and Indra to reincarnate.

But Black Zetsu overheard Madara's conversation with Hiruzen before leaving.

I feel that Hiruzen might influence Madara's will.

Therefore, he decided to take action against Hiruzen.

However, Black Zetsu's own power is very weak.

Never found an opportunity.

This time Hiruzen went so far out of the village to do a mission.

It's a rare opportunity.

Black Zetsu then dived underground and disappeared.

There is no room for a single mistake in Hei Jue's plan.

Hei Jue didn't know where to go to plan.

Hiruzen and the others did not realize the potential danger.

They moved along the road at a ninja's normal speed.

When you feel tired on the road, find a place to rest.

Heading towards Kitami Castle.

Five days later.

Several people arrived outside Kitami Castle.

Because Kitami Castle is located close to the border.

The Leaf Village has a base near here.

Be prepared for possible crisis situations at the border.

The neighboring country of Tang is just a small country and is not something to be afraid of.

The Kingdom of Thunder, which is separated from the Kingdom of Fire, is the real enemy.

In the original Warring States Period.

Ninjas live in families.

Basically, I only have to take care of things near my residence.

But with the establishment of Konoha and many ninja villages.

Ninja Village and the country jointly established the one-country-one-village system.

The country's main military force became the Ninja Village.

Therefore, the daimyo governments of various countries assigned the task of border defense to Ninja Village.

It’s not that big names from various countries want to show off.

It's because most of the country's ninjas are under the control of Ninja Village.

The gap in combat power between ninjas and ordinary people is as huge as a dimensionality reduction blow.

Therefore, the weak defense of Daming Mansion became a decoration.

It would be better to divide the labor between the state and the Ninja Village.

The state holds economic and political power, while Ninja Village holds military power.

The daimyo and the leader of the shinobi village are theoretically equal.

However, the specific situation still varies from country to country.

Hiruzen and his party were stopped on the road by ninjas patrolling the base.

"You five, wait a minute."

A middle-aged man wearing a Konoha forehead protector and Konoha standard armor stretched out his hand to signal.

"The border area is heavily guarded, please show your identification."

Hatake Kiyoshi stepped forward.

Give the man the mission statement and the identification of the five people.

The man carefully checked the mission statement and identification.

Return to Qingzhi after confirmation.

The man said, "Okay, you can pass."

The man looked at Hiruzen again and said: "You are the disciple who defeated the Raikage and won the championship in the Chunin Exam, Hiruzen Sarutobi. I heard about it a few days ago."

"Good job!"

Hiruzen then said to the man, "It's me. I guess I didn't embarrass our Konoha."

The man didn't say much.

However, his attitude towards a few people is obviously more favorable.

Hiruzen and his party walked through the stronghold.

There are more than twenty ninjas in the stronghold.

Basically they are chuunin and genin.

There are two jounin in particular.

These ninjas have all taken over the long-term border guard mission entrusted by the village.

It's hard work, but it pays well.

The rewards you receive are also positively related to your own strength.

Strongholds of various sizes like this are scattered throughout the borders of Konoha.

There are also quite a few patrol teams.

Together, these ninjas form the border defense line of the Fire Country.

The compensation of these ninjas basically comes from the financial support of Daming Mansion.

Hiruzen and his party left the stronghold and headed to Kitami Castle ahead.

Kitami Castle's defenses are also relatively tight.

Outside the city gate were stationed some troops armed with swords.

These armies inside the city did not interfere with each other's ninjas outside the city.

The army is under Princess Kitami and is not affiliated with Konoha.

After these people saw the Konoha forehead protectors of Hiruzen and others.

Come and confirm your identity.

I met a few people who were really Konoha ninjas.

And he was entrusted by the daimyo to take the princess to Kyoto.

Then he sent a man to lead Hiruzen and the others.

The man is younger and seems reluctant.

Several people went to the princess mansion under the leadership of the man.

Hiruzen observed everything in the city on the road.

I discovered that Kitami Castle is a border city.

But the level of prosperity is even comparable to that of the big cities in the hinterland of the Fire Country.

Most importantly, the residents here seem to be living well.

At least none of them looked sallow or thin.

In this day and age, that's hard enough.

At this time, the man walking in front suddenly spoke.

"Are you really going to pick up the princess and take her to Kyoto?"

Kiyoshi, the leader of the group, replied.

"This is a task entrusted by someone from the Daimyo."

The man seemed a little depressed.

Hiruzen couldn't help but ask: "Is there any problem with this?"

The man opened his chatterbox and said, "Then our good days in Kitami City are over."

"Originally, Kitami Castle was under the jurisdiction of the prince and has always been prosperous."

"The prince contracted an illness a few years ago and the root cause of the disease has taken hold. His health has been poor."

"So the daimyo sent a castle lord to take over the jurisdiction of Kitami Castle."

"The city lord is extremely greedy and does many evil things. He searches for wealth everywhere in Kitami City. Our lives are miserable."

"Later, the prince submitted a petition requesting that the princess be enfeoffed in Kitami Castle, and Lord Aomori be sent to assist the administrator."

“This restored the former prosperity.”

"But now, the daimyo wants to take the princess to Kyoto."

"And transfer Lord Aomori away."

"This is clearly to take our Kitami Castle away from the prince!"

Hiruzen was silent after hearing this.

I don't know what to think.

Tuanzi was filled with indignation and said: "The Daimyo has gone too far!"

Senju Shigeru turned around and said: "Duanzi, you are not allowed to discuss the name without permission."

"Besides, the daimyo is our client for this mission."

"We will complete the task after receiving the commission."

Kiyoshi sighed: "Ninjas should just complete the task, regardless of right or wrong."

"But is this really right?"

After several people learned about the impact of this mission on the residents of Kitami City.

The steps were a little heavier.

Among these five young ninjas, Kiyoshi, the eldest, is no better.

There is also a lack of experience in facing this kind of thing.