The Road to the Throne of White Eyes

It was late at night, but the lights in the Hokage's office were still brightly lit. A cold wind howled outside the window, like a sinister beast lurking and howling in the darkness. The atmosphere inside the office was the same as outside: dark, eerie, and heavy.

"Things have quieted down a lot in Iwagakure since the last battle. Even the border troops have withdrawn in the past few days, and there has been no activity."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice, his tone was a little more relaxed, but there was still deep worry in his eyes.

Danzo was very excited. "The Kumogakure Village has also completely withdrawn its troops. Shouldn't we take action? We've let the remnants of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans get away with it for too long."

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained hesitant. He pondered for a moment, frowning as he spoke, "All the caravans from the Snow Country have vanished. The Root and Anbu sent out to destroy them have failed. Even about half of the troops sent out have vanished without a trace, leaving no trace of their bodies. This shows that the Snow Ninja Village's strength cannot be underestimated. We must not act rashly."

"Then when can we take action? The border is peaceful now, so now is a good time to act. Besides, how many manpower can a ninja village supported by a small nation have?" Danzo's eyes flashed with dissatisfaction. Then, as if thinking of something, he asked, "What about the Daimyo? He previously issued a reprimand to the Snow Country, ordering them to expel the rebels. What was the Snow Country's response?"

“No response.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, "The Snow Country has completely ignored the Fire Country Daimyo and our Konoha Village. They are not at all afraid of the Snow Country's goods being unsold, and instead have taken the initiative to shrink their business activities in the Fire Country.

Yet, in this situation, the daimyo and the nobles of Kyoto did not lose their temper. Instead, many nobles and wealthy merchants began to stir up trouble, demanding to restore friendly relations with the Snow Country.

Seeing his old friend's incredulous expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "According to ANBU intelligence, this is because the Snow Country's various specialty products are no longer available in the Fire Country, and they can only purchase small quantities from neighboring countries. Now, even some unique clothing and props can be sold at high prices, especially the Snow Country's God Oil, which has become a target for bounty hunters on the black market. Any merchant who has a batch of God Oil can even apply for a noble title."

Danzo's expression was completely broken. "These foolish nobles, they disregard the overall situation for a little bit of petty profit. They are just as despicable as that bastard Hinata Feng!"

Turning around, Danzo slammed the table again, "Since these goods are so valuable, why don't we attack quickly? As long as we destroy the Snow Ninja Village, those goods will be at our disposal!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, "No, the current intelligence is not enough. The ninja we sent out to investigate has not yet reported back any specific information about the Snow Village. We can't act in such a fog. We can prepare the manpower and supplies for the expedition, but we can't act rashly."

Danzo's eyes widened as he gasped and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Then how long do we have to wait? Hiruzen, you're too weak. Sometimes you have to be decisive. Delaying for a while gives those rebels more time to prepare!"

Danzo's tone was full of dissatisfaction, but Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care. He chuckled and looked confident.

"It's precisely because the goods from the Snow Country are so valuable that we can let the bounty hunters on the black market take a stab at it! I've already spread the word that the source of the Snow Country's special goods is the Snow Ninja Village. Let's let those dirty guys consume each other."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes revealed a cold light, "What's more, besides the black market, there is also the Kumogakure. I sold a wave of intelligence at a high price on the black market, and spread the news that the remnants of the Hyuga and Uchiha families fled to the Snow Country and established the Kumogakure. At the same time, I arranged for the spies in the Kumogakure to find a way to pass this information back. With the information from both sides combined, the Kumogakure high-level officials will soon receive the news. The Kumogakure has coveted the Byakugan for a long time. Once they hear that the Snow Country has Sharingan and Byakugan, those black-skinned barbarians will definitely be unable to resist.

The Snow Country is isolated overseas, so it's not very convenient for us to detect intelligence or attack. However, the Cloud Ninja Village has a lot of sea navigation forces, and they will definitely be able to detect more intelligence for us."

"They should be allowed to go."

Shimura Danzo sneered, "Let them kill each other. The barbarians and the evil white eyes and red eyes, this is really a perfect match. It would be great if they were all dead."

Danzo reacted later and his expression suddenly became a little strange.

"You actually have spies in the Kumogakure? The Root is supposed to be responsible for gathering external intelligence!"

There was a hint of resentment in Danzo's tone, as if it contained some heartache of betrayal.

"Danzo."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to say something but stopped himself when the voice of the Anbu reporting was heard outside the door.

"Hokage-sama, Kakashi Jonin has sent back an important message from the Wind Country. Your personal approval is required."

Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately felt like he had seen a savior. He stood up, opened the door, and took the letter sent back by Kakashi.

Back in the room, Danzo's emotions had stabilized a little. Sarutobi Hiruzen opened the letter and quickly scanned it, and then a look appeared on his face.

"Kakashi sent a message saying that the Kazekage of the Sand Village was kidnapped at the village gate. The enemy is the Akatsuki organization that Jiraiya mentioned before. Now, for the sake of friendship, he has been forced to join Jiraiya to track down the enemy. He sent this information to ask for help from the village."

"What? You were kidnapped at your doorstep?"

Danzo seemed a little bit unbelievable. He snatched the letter from Sarutobi Hiruzen, read it, and then snorted in disdain.

"Incompetent fellow! Those guys from the Sand Village are so unreliable. I think it's better to rely on those dogs raised by the Inuzuka family than to rely on them to contain the Rock Village!"

Unlike Danzo's disdain and annoyance, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought this was good news. He said to Danzo, "This is actually good news. Let Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the others spend more time and energy in the Land of Wind. They've been acting a little strange lately, showing signs of betraying the Will of Fire."

There's no need to let them know about the expedition to the Snow Country, after all, Tsunade is very likely to be in the Snow Ninja Village."

Danzo seemed to have figured this out as well. He frowned and said, "That's fine. Doesn't Kakashi need support? Then we can send Might Guy's team over as well. He happens to be close to Kakashi, so some news wouldn't be appropriate for him to know."

Sarutobi Hiruzen also nodded, "I will make arrangements for Might Guy, and at the same time, I will send out the Anbu to continue gathering intelligence."

His tone became extremely cold and ruthless. "It doesn't matter to Kakashi or even Jiraiya, but nothing can happen to Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. If necessary, the Root and the Anbu must ensure Naruto's safe return. During this time, we must prepare to attack the Snow Country!"