The Road to the Throne of White Eyes

In Konoha Village, in the Hokage Building, Konoha F4 gathered again to discuss village affairs.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was reviewing the intelligence sent back from the border with a frown on his face. The casualties of the border guard force were too great!

Although most of the dead were the disobedient guys who had recently been replaced, this kind of consumption was a bit too dangerous, and we had to get more personnel and supplies over.

"The situation at the border is not optimistic. Both Kumogakure and Iwagakure are showing signs of stirring up trouble. Right now, it's still just a small-group operation. If it continues, it's hard to say!"

Mitomon En was a little worried. Although he was a little greedy and not decisive and ruthless enough in doing things, he still cared about Konoha. If Konoha collapsed, his status and family would be no longer guaranteed.

Utatane Koharu was even more worried. "The Cloud and Rock Ninjas have already made their move. Will the Mist and Sand Ninjas also attack us? If they do, our logistics, supplies, and personnel will be overwhelmed!"

"What do Sand Village and Mist Village have to worry about? If it weren't for the terrain, they would have been wiped out long ago!"

Danzo was very disdainful of the Sand Village and the Mist Village. Even though he possessed Wood Release and the Sharingan, he did not regard them as his opponents at all.

However, when thinking of the Sharingan, Danzo felt a dull pain in his heart and eyes. Damn mysterious man, my Mangekyō is gone just like that!

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a few puffs of his cigarette and let out a long breath. "Even if Kirigakure and Sand Village don't join the battle, we're under a lot of pressure. That old fellow Ōnoki has also gathered some people at the border. Although they're not as aggressive as the Raigakure, they can't be underestimated!"

Thinking of what had happened recently, Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth and felt resentful.

He has been having a lot of bad luck recently, and it's all caused by that mysterious man.

Even within his own base, there were voices of opposition in the family, who believed that he had brought disaster to the family. Fortunately, thanks to his years of power, he was still able to control it.

In the village, although no one dared to discuss the mass grave, White Fang, and the Fourth Generation's legacy openly, there were still undercurrents and various rumors circulating.

Not to mention the civilian ninjas, even Kakashi's behavior seemed a little off.

Mitomon En was also filled with resentment. "The peaceful situation has been completely destroyed. It's all because of that mysterious person. Danzo, have you found out anything?"

"There's absolutely no trace of that mysterious man. It's like he disappeared from the ninja world!"

Danzo's tone became even colder. This mysterious man slaughtered more than half of the Roots, and Danzo hated him to the core.

Sarutobi Hiruzen added, "Itachi went to that mysterious organization, but no news came back. Maybe they didn't find anyone either."

Mentioning Itachi, Danzo's spirits lifted a little, his face full of anger, "The evil Uchiha clan, he can slaughter his clan members without mercy, how can he sincerely gather intelligence for Konoha. Hiruzen, leave Sasuke to me, I will train him to be a powerful weapon against Itachi!"

Danzo was about to continue, but Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted him by knocking his beloved pipe on the table and said sternly, "No! Sasuke is Itachi's bridge that holds Konoha together. You can't harm him. Don't forget, Itachi also has a Mangekyō!"

Hearing Hiruzen's words, Danzo's face was full of dissatisfaction. You never treated me like this before!

To prevent the two old friends from continuing their standoff, Utane Koharu quickly spoke up, "It's not appropriate for Sasuke to join the Root or the ANBU. Don't forget, we must protect Sasuke after the mysterious man's commotion. Let him continue attending the ninja academy, and we must take proper care of him, so that the villagers of Konoha and those families can see how we care for ninja orphans."

Hiruzen and Danzo both felt that this made some sense, so they had to put the argument aside and continue discussing other matters.

Mitomon En took the opportunity to change the subject: "Regarding the mysterious man, the intelligence analysis department and Shikaku discussed and analyzed it for a long time. In the end, Shikaku pointed out that the ninjutsu performed by that person did not resemble the Uchiha style at all, but was more like the unmarked ninjutsu."

"At one point, his fingers were just for show, and another time, he used his palms directly. Intelligence analysis suggests that some of his moves are similar to the Hyuga clan's soft fist, and there may be a connection."

Sarutobi Hiruzen also closed his eyes and recalled the past. After a long moment of deep thought, he said, "Indeed, I also felt that there was something wrong with his attack. There is one more thing. I recalled it carefully. The Hyuga clan did not seem to suffer any losses in the battle that night."

"Hyuga clan," Danzo said with a fierce look in his eyes. "Hasn't the fate of the Uchiha clan taught them a lesson? Or do they think that without the Sharingan, the Byakugan can rule Konoha! Hiruzen, we can't let the Hyuga clan go unchecked. Since the border situation is tense, we should first ask the Hyuga clan to send four to five hundred ninjas to teach them a lesson."

After hearing Danzo's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other two transformed into members of the Hyuga clan and rolled their eyes at Danzo.

"We can't stir up trouble in this situation, Danzo, stop messing around!"

Hiruzen slammed the table and glared, his body exuding a faintly majestic aura, which made Danzo behave a little more obediently.

At this time, Mitomon En came up with an idea, "It's not appropriate to directly force the attack. It's better to monitor the Hyuga family first. This is also Konoha's protection for the Bloodstain Family."

The others had no objection to this mature and prudent approach, and they unanimously decided to send people to monitor the Hyuga clan using surveillance cameras.

After temporarily dealing with the problem, the few of them relaxed a little and were about to move on to the next discussion when a series of rapid knocks were heard at the door.

Hiruzen and the other three immediately looked gloomy. They had already been instructed to talk in secret, and no one would knock on the door like this unless it was something very important.

"come in."

As the door opened, an Anbu ninja rushed in, knelt on one knee, and handed over a scroll. Hiruzen took it and looked at it, and his whole body was shocked, and his straight back became bent.

Ordering the Anbu to withdraw, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was gloomy. "News has come from the border that the Kumogakure ninjas have dispatched nearly a thousand men, including the Fourth Raikage himself. Several border strongholds have been breached, resulting in over two hundred casualties. Only about thirty seriously wounded escaped! Fortunately, they didn't advance any further, probably because they were on guard against Ōnoki."

"Damn that Cloud Ninja," Danzo couldn't help but curse, "How dare he offend Konoha? He must pay the price!"

Under the gaze of several people, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and paced back and forth, thinking constantly in his mind.

"Danzo, your confinement is lifted. I will recruit 2000 men. You will lead them and go to the border with the Root to rebuild the defenses. We must stop the Kumo Ninja!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flashed with a cold light as he continued to assign tasks. "Yan, you will be responsible for contacting the major families in the village and recruiting backup personnel. Koharu, you will prepare the supplies and contact the daimyo to increase funding. As for the Iwagakure, send some reinforcements and increase the vigilance. We must not let them break through again!"

"Okay," Danzo said in a firm and proud voice, "You still have to rely on me at the critical moment, Hiruzen!"

Danzo secretly planned in his mind that this time he would go to the border to build a defense line to stop the Cloud Ninja barbarians. In addition to building up his prestige, he could also recruit some powerful ninjas to join the Root and strengthen the Root's strength.

In this way, I am one step closer to the position of Hokage!