Chapter 294: The Yellow Dog Is Helpless
The atmosphere was extremely tense.
Mito Mon’en stepped forward to smooth things over: “Hiruzen, it seems there really is Uchiha Madara’s base in this gorge.
Uchiha Madara’s understanding of the village far exceeds our imagination.
Back then, the First Hokage Lord trusted him too much; he must have a way to infiltrate Konoha and obtain intelligence within the village.
We must strengthen the protection of the Scroll of Seals.
Perhaps Uchiha Madara obtained the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet from the Scroll of Seals.”
Mito Mon’en was making excuses for Sarutobi Hiruzen; if he didn’t, it felt like Danzo was about to explode.
The Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet is a strategic ninjutsu that can create large-scale explosive destruction.
As long as the chakra amount is sufficient, this technique’s destructive power has no limit.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the traces left by several major ninjutsu in the gorge and said:
“Each individual ninjutsu alone is at elite jonin level; the culprit is at least a Kage level ninja.
One of Uchiha Madara’s subordinates has this kind of strength; it’s worrying.
Leaving aside the enemy’s strength for now, let’s talk about the impact of this tragedy.
Danzo, what are your thoughts? Does Root still need to be rebuilt?”
Yoru wondered in his heart, could Sarutobi Hiruzen be thinking of taking this opportunity to disband Root?
In the original story, Danzo once sent people to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen; wasn’t it because Sarutobi Hiruzen had been weakening the branches all along?
“What thoughts do I have?” Danzo roared:
“Sarutobi Hiruzen! Your Sarutobi Clan produced a traitor ninja named Sarutobi Heinosuke!
It was him who used the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet!
You ask me what thoughts I have; let me ask you first! Why did you conceal the matter of Sarutobi Heinosuke!”
Sarutobi Heinosuke?
Mito Mon’en and Orochimaru both turned their heads to look at Kiiroinu.
Kiiroinu’s name is Shin’en Sarutobi.
At this moment, Kiiroinu felt very helpless.
Could the old lecherous father have an illegitimate son?
He knew Sarutobi Hiruzen; there was a period when Sarutobi Hiruzen often went with Jiraiya to peep at the women’s bathhouse.
The dignified Hokage, peeping at female villagers!
Because of the peeping, his mother didn’t hold back in disciplining his father.
Could it be that the illegitimate son, unable to gain recognition from the old lecherous father, became a traitor ninja?
Kiiroinu thought again; his uncle Sarutobi Hihaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s son, both learned the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet from his father, so it wasn’t necessarily his father’s illegitimate son.
Sarutobi Hihaku’s son, his own cousin, Sarutobi Einosuke, was given high hopes by the clan and had also learned the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen’s son, relying on being the youngest son of Grandpa Sarutobi Sasuke, he was a playboy even more lecherous than his father.
He had plenty of illegitimate children.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said: “It’s absolutely impossible for it to be a traitor ninja from the Sarutobi Clan! I know the people of the Sarutobi Clan; even if they became traitor ninjas, they wouldn’t defect to Uchiha Madara.
This is too ridiculous! To the point that…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Mito Mon’en; Mito Mon’en’s eyes clearly said that because it was too ridiculous, it might actually be true.
Otherwise, how to explain the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet?
It’s hard to master Five Release Ninjutsu; even harder is to master Five Release Ninjutsu and also understand the secret jutsu of triggering a massive explosion through five elements mutual counteraction.
Besides the Sarutobi Clan, where else is there a legacy of the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet technique?
Sarutobi Hiruzen said: “The Sharingan has the ability to replicate ninjutsu.
Perhaps in one of my battles, Uchiha Madara hid nearby and watched the entire time, replicating my technique.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn’t dare pin the blame on the Sarutobi Clan and could only desperately steer it toward Uchiha Madara.
After all, Uchiha Madara mastering some forbidden jutsu didn’t seem too far-fetched.
Now, how the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet leaked wasn’t important; what was important was that Uchiha Madara had already become a major confidant threat to the village.
Danzo said: “After returning to the village, we must immediately conduct two investigations!
First! Find out who the traitor ninja Sarutobi Heinosuke is!
Your Sarutobi Clan can’t shirk responsibility!
The losses of Root, your Sarutobi Clan must take responsibility!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen took out his pipe, took a puff, and sighed as he exhaled.
It seemed… the Sarutobi Clan really couldn’t escape this storm.
Kiiroinu felt bitter inside; this task was going to fall on his head.
No matter whose head it landed on, it wouldn’t feel good.
Leaving others aside, the Sarutobi Clan’s second strongest, Sarutobi Hihaku, wanted to succeed his father as clan head; Sarutobi Hihaku’s attitude was crucial.
Why did Uchiha Madara’s subordinate use his own signature forbidden jutsu?
He said: “Fine, the Sarutobi Clan will conduct a self-investigation and get to the bottom of it. Danzo, what about the second investigation?”
Danzo continued: “My Root was nearly wiped out!
If Anbu or other ninja squads encountered Uchiha Madara and his subordinates, wouldn’t they also be wiped out?
Uchiha Madara masters two of Konoha Village’s top bloodline limits, Sharingan and Wood Style; even a random subordinate of his masters the Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet.
With this kind of strength, shouldn’t we respond with full force?
Uchiha Madara isn’t some dying traitor ninja; he’s a terrifying enemy capable of annihilating Konoha.
The battle with Uchiha Madara isn’t capturing a traitor ninja; it’s war!
Dispatch one commander-in-chief, two deputy commanders, and at least five hundred elite ninjas to wage war against Uchiha Madara!”
Yoru thought to himself, this is a bit bad.
He wanted to play a one-on-one sniping game with Danzo, but Danzo couldn’t win, got frustrated, and directly escalated it to war scale.
The problem was, in the war Danzo initiated, Danzo himself certainly wouldn’t serve as commander-in-chief or deputy commander.
Danzo didn’t even have a capable soldier under him now; Root was all dead.
“War?” Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered slightly and then acknowledged Danzo’s idea, asking:
“Who do you think is suitable to be the commander-in-chief of the war?”
Danzo first looked toward Orochimaru.
“Not going.” Orochimaru decisively said: “Leading 500 ninjas against one traitor ninja, whether the war is won or lost, I’ve lost.
If the war is won and we kill Uchiha Madara, killing one person with 500—should I be proud?
If the war is lost and we can’t kill one person with 500, how can I still become the Fourth Hokage?”
Yoru couldn’t help turning his head to look around the surroundings.
Around them were only Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, Mito Mon’en, Kiiroinu, and himself; the other Anbu were standing far away.
Fortunately, they didn’t hear Orochimaru being so direct… so candid?
Sometimes he really envied Orochimaru’s straightforwardness, saying whatever he wanted, venomous but direct.
Orochimaru continued: “Moreover, the best way to deal with Wood Style is for us to master Wood Style as well.
After changing test subjects in the Wood Release Research, the results have been very good; I believe I’ve found the right approach, and maybe in the next year or two, we can produce results.”
What Orochimaru meant by changing test subjects was finding a child in the village who, like Kazematsuri Yuzu’s son, carried half Senju bloodline.
Wood Style indeed needed to be tested on the Senju Clan to be more effective.
Mito Mon’en said: “Uchiha Madara’s strength is formidable; should Sakumo Hatake be the commander-in-chief?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
These few guards of the Second Hokage had all seen Uchiha Madara when they were young.
They feared Uchiha Madara from the bottom of their hearts.
Uchiha Madara beating them was just like an adult beating a child, literally an adult beating a child.
