https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-164-Explosions-Are-Art-Hidden-Leaf-Hiss-/12832246/
Chapter 165: Thank You, Danzo, for Your Generous Donation!
Chapter 165: Thank You, Danzo, for Your Generous Donation!
The Sarutobi, Shimura, Tono, and Mizuhara clans—all of their ninja were currently on high alert, not daring to leave their clan territories.
After all, their clan grounds had also experienced explosions from explosive tags.
Although the explosions were in remote areas and caused no casualties, they still couldn't afford to take any chances.
Soon, Todo arrived at the remains of the Hokage Tower.
The once iconic red, bowl-shaped building was now nothing but rubble, completely buried under the shattered Hokage Rock.
Thankfully, the casualties were minimal, but the impact was severe.
After all, the Five Great Shinobi Nations had never experienced such a direct and humiliating attack.
Future events like the Nine-Tails Incident, the Rice Country Incident, and the Sand Village Invasion were still to come, so this was a first.
In this sense, Konoha could be considered a village of 'endless trials and tribulations.'
They hadn't lost a fight, but they hadn't stopped being humiliated either!
Apart from the ruins, the Konoha F4 and a group of Anbu were fully armed and on guard.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Third Hokage!"
Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen was unharmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
If anything had happened to him during this critical moment of the Shinobi World War, it would have been disastrous.
"Everyone, the village needs your strength..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, seeing that everyone had arrived, immediately began to issue commands.
Teams were dispatched, and information was gathered.
As for Todo, he simply blended in with the crowd.
He needed an 'alibi' and wasn't there to follow orders. He certainly wouldn't volunteer himself.
Unfortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen, being the astute leader he was, wouldn't overlook such an important asset, especially during a crisis.
Thus, Todo, who was still in his civilian clothes and hadn't even changed into his battle gear, was called out from the crowd.
His casual attire made him stand out among the green-jacketed ninja, but it also demonstrated his immediate concern for the village, as he had rushed over without even changing his clothes.
Loyalty was the name of the game!
"Todo, if any enemies appear, I'll be counting on you!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen issued his command without hesitation.
Note that the 'enemies' he referred to were powerful adversaries, not ordinary foes.
The Third Hokage had already suspected the other four great shinobi villages as the culprits behind this attack, and he couldn't be too cautious.
However, before Todo could respond, someone else chimed in.
"Uchiha Todo, look what you've done!"
"As the head of security for the festival, how do you explain such a major incident?"
Danzo!
He could no longer hold back.
Danzo was one of Todo's most vocal detractors, and now that he had the chance, he was determined to smear Todo's name.
Whether or not Todo was responsible, the accusations would fly regardless.
In the past, Todo wouldn't have hesitated to confront Danzo, but today he was unusually lenient.
After all, Danzo was his 'top supporter' today, and his attitude towards such a benefactor was naturally different.
"I was only responsible for the festival, but this attack was clearly aimed at Konoha, wasn't it?"
Todo deflected the blame with a single sentence.
He wasn't like the other village loyalists who would freeze up in front of the higher-ups, unable to defend themselves, let alone shift the blame.
His argument was solid.
The main target of the enemy was the Hokage Rock, not the festival site. What did it have to do with him?
His responsibility was solely for the festival, and the Hokage Rock was outside his jurisdiction.
"Even so, don't you bear some responsibility?"
Danzo refused to let go, determined to pin the blame on Todo.
"If I'm responsible, isn't your Root organization even more so?"
Todo was happy to engage in this verbal sparring.
After all, as long as he kept Danzo occupied, he would have accomplished his task.
The villagers were well aware of the tension between the two, so no one intervened, as long as it didn't escalate into a physical confrontation.
Soon, Sarutobi Hiruzen began receiving reports.
It was confirmed that no large forces from the other four great shinobi villages were approaching, and the damage in other areas was minimal. The casualties were low, with the Hokage Rock suffering the most, having been completely destroyed.
It wasn't long before Sanjima Koji arrived, carrying a corpse.
"Lord Hokage, this is the murderer!"
His words immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Ah, I wonder if the Root's funds have been embezzled by 'certain people.' My people caught the mastermind, but there's been no progress at all. I really don't know how those people can have the nerve to take those funds. They should just give them to me!"
Dohira directly confronted Danzo, riding roughshod over him.
You've taken so much funding for Root, and yet you've achieved nothing. It's only natural that I criticize you now.
Danzo wanted to argue back, but he ultimately shut his mouth under the Hokage's stern gaze.
Right now, the priority isn't to argue but to uncover the truth.
And just because the body is here, does that mean we can't uncover the truth?
How naive!
If death meant the end of truth, why would shinobi place such importance on bodies? Even during missions, they would try to handle their own corpses.
It's because, for shinobi, a body can't be kept secret.
Thus, the Interrogation Unit's Senju Tanigawa immediately took over the corpse.
"The culprit is a shinobi from Mirage Village, seeking revenge for his village and son!"
Sanjima Koji revealed what he knew.
He couldn't hide this information, or else if they found out from the corpse that he had withheld it, it would be trouble.
"Mirage Village?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen began to ponder the familiar name.
Dohira, meanwhile, folded his arms and watched, his mind already wandering elsewhere.
I hope this time there's a pleasant surprise. With Danzo's ability to make money, it's quite possible.
Root!
Located at the edge of the village, underground, with an extremely hidden entrance.
However, the Rinnegan could see through it all.
While barriers can't be seen through, such a large underground barrier is hard to miss.
From this perspective, it makes sense that the Hyuga clan never uses the Byakugan recklessly within the village.
Because once they see too much, do they reveal it or keep it to themselves?
At this hidden entrance to Root, a figure wearing a bone mask and a black robe appeared.
The mask bore two mysterious symbols (Chinese characters), making it look incredibly enigmatic.
Through the bone mask, one could see a pair of azure eyes, as beautiful as stars.
"It's begun!"
The figure whispered, then, without turning, thrust his right hand backward, piercing the heart of a Root shinobi.
No blind spots!
That's one of the major features of the Byakugan.
As long as it's activated, it's impossible to be ambushed from behind.
Even the branch family has a 1-degree blind spot, but the main family doesn't, and the Rinnegan has no such weakness.
So, the attacker's attempt to ambush from behind was futile.
Indeed, the person was Hyuga Kohaku, who had 'panicked' and returned to her clan's grounds.
As a low-ranking member of the Hyuga branch family, it was reasonable for her to leave first when faced with danger.
Thus, she had ample opportunity to act.
Upon closer inspection, one could see a translucent vortex swirling around her arm.
The Secret Technique: Razor's Edge!
With time, she had grown increasingly proficient with this technique, improving in every aspect.
Hyuga Kohaku didn't enter through the main door but instead cut an entrance on the side.
If she had entered through the door, she would have triggered traps and been blown to pieces immediately.
With the Rinnegan, she could do as she pleased.
Traps and ambushes were utterly ineffective against her.
However, she needed to move quickly.
This was Konoha, after all. If she was too slow, she might be overwhelmed by a continuous stream of Konoha shinobi.
So, Hyuga Kohaku charged forward at full speed.
Spinning and leaping, she moved with grace (humming A0A).
With Danzo and Root's elite absent, the defenses mainly relied on traps and barriers.
But against the Rinnegan, these defenses were useless.
In just a few minutes, Hyuga Kohaku had 'cut through' Root's headquarters and entered the core area.
First, the storage room.
Swish!
Her right hand continuously slashed, cutting through massive boulders to bypass the heavily fortified door.
Bang!
With the final boulder falling, the treasury was revealed.
Hyuga Kohaku was taken aback by what she saw.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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