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Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Danzō Makes Trouble, Hiruzen Takes the Blame!

By then, Iwa-nin had already retreated from the Land of Grass and set up defenses at the ruined Kannabi Bridge. They used the natural barrier of the massive gorge around the bridge to defend, blocking the Konoha-Sand-Grass alliance from advancing further.

It had to be said that the Iwa-nin, led by their elite commander Higashi Shibito, were formidable, making it difficult for even Orochimaru and Chiyo to break through their defenses.

In a large tent, Konoha\'s Orochimaru, Sunagakure\'s Chiyo and Ebizō, and the Grass shinobi leader Muway held a three-way meeting. The recently arrived Namikaze Minato was also present.

Chiyo suggested, "Since the Iwa-nin\'s defense, aided by the natural terrain, is hard to break through, why not change our approach and attack from the direction of the Land of Rain?"

Orochimaru nodded slightly, "The Land of Rain is indeed an option. The battlefield has already extended into the Land of Rain."

"However, we must also keep the Iwa-nin forces tied down here, or the situation will not change."

The Grass shinobi, Muway, quickly added, "Iwa-nin\'s strength hasn\'t been greatly diminished yet. With the power of our village alone, we can\'t hold them off."

Facing Iwa-nin alone would be a disaster for them, as Iwa-nin had a deep hatred for them after being dragged into this war.

Orochimaru and Chiyo both understood this.

Orochimaru said, "Konoha\'s main forces will continue to hold the Iwa-nin here in the Land of Grass, while splitting off a part of our forces to flank them from the Land of Rain."

"As for Sunagakure, I believe you can move directly through the Land of Rain into the Land of Earth, to attack the Iwa-nin in the direction of the Land of Birds, putting pressure on them."

Chiyo nodded. That was her plan as well.

What she feared most was Konoha interfering in the Land of Birds. Hearing Orochimaru\'s words put her at ease, and she said, "Then it\'s settled. We\'ll leave the Iwa-nin here to Konoha and the Grass shinobi!"

"With the Raikage putting immense pressure on Iwa-nin, we might be able to force the Tsuchikage to surrender."

Orochimaru chuckled, "Given the Third Tsuchikage\'s personality, that will be difficult."

"Unless the Third Raikage forces him to commit the majority of his forces."

Ebizō added, "ōnoki has a stubborn and hard-headed temper. He might use peace talks to stall for time."

Chiyo snorted, "Then we\'ll make sure he has no choice but to surrender!"

Orochimaru agreed, "It\'s best if Sunagakure captures the Land of Birds before Iwa-nin can deal with the Raikage\'s invasion."

Chiyo nodded seriously, "We will."

With all three sides in agreement, the meeting ended. After seeing Chiyo and the others off, Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato returned to their tent.

Minato asked directly, "What\'s our next move?"

Orochimaru responded, "We\'ll break through the Iwa-nin defenses."

"Force them into peace talks, even if just to buy time."

"Iwa-nin needs time, and we also need to redirect some of our forces to the Cloud-nin battlefield."

"Although Shūichi-kun is there, he can only hold off the AB Combo. If we want to completely expel the Cloud-nin from the Land of Fire, or even drive them out of the smaller nations like the Land of Rice Fields, that small force won\'t be enough."

Minato nodded, understanding Orochimaru\'s strategy. "Then let\'s launch the attack tomorrow!"

"Once we get close enough, just throw the kunai, and leave the rest to me!"

Orochimaru laughed, "Then we\'ll leave it to you, Minato."

Minato smiled in return and said, "Also, thank you for taking care of Shūichi before."

"I didn\'t take care of him."

Orochimaru was blunt, "Shūichi-kun\'s strength might already surpass yours as his teacher."

"But he now has two Tailed Beasts. Minato, you\'d better be prepared."

These words carried a heavy meaning.

Minato understood and nodded solemnly. "I\'ll be careful."

"With me, Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-senpai, and you, we should be fine."

Orochimaru smiled playfully, "Minato, don\'t forget, I\'m still part of Root."

Minato replied, "But you\'re also the Third Hokage\'s disciple, and one of the Legendary Sannin."

"You and Shūichi are comrades who work well together."

After saying that, Minato bowed slightly, "I\'ll go prepare now."

As Minato\'s figure disappeared into the distance, Orochimaru chuckled to himself, "Unknowingly, Shūichi-kun has already woven a vast web within Konoha!"

"At this rate, it seems there\'s no one better suited to be the Fifth Hokage than him."

He then turned his gaze towards Konoha, as if his eyes could penetrate the tent and see all the way to the Hokage Tower. "Has the old man already made up his mind?"

...

The night passed swiftly.

The next day, at Kannabi Bridge, across the collapsed structure, the Konoha-Grass shinobi alliance faced off against the Iwa-nin.

Konoha had gathered not only Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato, but also powerful Jōnin like Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Hiashi, who had rushed over from the Mist-nin battlefield alongside Minato.

Their goal was to completely crush the current Iwa-nin forces, forcing them into peace talks, so they could redirect more resources to the Cloud-nin threat.

"Earth Style!"

Orochimaru shouted the order.

Immediately, Konoha and Grass shinobi who could use Earth Style jumped into the gorge, quickly forming hand seals.

"Earth Style: Multiple Earth Flow Walls!"

Rumble!

Several large earth walls rose up from the ground, continuously growing in height.

At the same time, the Iwa-nin on the other side threw a barrage of weapons at the Konoha and Grass shinobi below, launching a high-ground assault.

Konoha and Grass shinobi on their side also retaliated, either standing on the gorge\'s edge or jumping into the gorge to intercept and block the Iwa-nin\'s attacks.

The Earth Flow Walls served as a springboard for their movements.

Soon, the strategy began to show results.

Minato shouted, "Everyone, just throw the kunai and flash bombs as far into the Iwa-nin ranks as you can! Leave the rest to me!"

Orochimaru quickly ordered, "Do as Minato says."

"Move out!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Konoha shinobi, using the Body Flicker Technique, advanced across the Earth Flow Walls.

Led by Uchiha Fugaku, Hyūga Hiashi, and other Jōnin, along with Orochimaru himself providing cover, they approached the Iwa-nin.

Once close enough, they threw kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God seal, along with flash bombs, deep into the Iwa-nin ranks.

As the flash bombs exploded with blinding light, Namikaze Minato\'s figure instantly vanished.

"Ah!"

"Scatter!"

"It\'s Konoha\'s Yellow Flash!"

...

At that moment, Namikaze Minato flickered continuously among the Iwa-nin, and with each appearance, a scream would ring out as another Iwa-nin fell.

Finally, the Konoha shinobi understood how Minato had earned the title "Yellow Flash"!

In just a few moments, Minato single-handedly broke through the Iwa-nin defense line, allowing a large number of Konoha and Grass shinobi to charge across to the other side.

The already undermanned Iwa-nin forces quickly crumbled.

Despite his reluctance, the commander, Higashi Shibito, had no choice but to order a retreat.

However, Orochimaru didn\'t order a relentless pursuit. Instead, he seized the defensive position that the Iwa-nin had built, turning it into his own stronghold.

The Grass shinobi also swiftly brought up the people and supplies they had prepared in advance and began the reconstruction of Kannabi Bridge.

Orochimaru planned to station a small force here, along with the Grass shinobi, to hold the line, preventing an Iwa-nin counterattack while using it as a logistics route. This position would also serve as the fallback point for Konoha shinobi engaged in battle against Iwa-nin in the Land of Earth.

This strategy would shorten their frontlines and save manpower. Along with support from Root in the Land of Rain, it could free up one to two thousand troops to reinforce the Cloud-nin battlefield.

While Konoha and the Grass shinobi were expanding their gains, the Sand-nin were also making rapid progress.

In terms of overall strength, the Sand-nin were already superior to the Iwa-nin, and with a numerical advantage, the Iwa-nin were steadily pushed back.

Of course, this was partly because the Iwa-nin weren\'t putting up fierce resistance.

When ōnoki issued his orders, he had little confidence in holding onto the Land of Birds.

In the blink of an eye, September arrived.

The Sand-nin completely expelled the Iwa-nin from the Land of Birds, pushing into the Land of Earth and even linking up their battlefield with Konoha\'s.

However, despite the favorable situation, both Konoha and the Sand-nin simultaneously paused their advance to press for peace talks.

---

Iwagakure, Tsuchikage\'s Office.

ōnoki\'s face was grim as he looked at the two peace proposals his son, Kitsuchi, had brought back.

These weren\'t peace proposals; they were outright threats!

"Those bastards... damn it!"

ōnoki gritted his teeth. Konoha and the Suna were taking advantage of their situation.

Kitsuchi, full of frustration, said, "Father, under the current circumstances, we might have no choice but to agree to a temporary peace."

"We need to concentrate our forces on dealing with the Cloud first, or things will get even worse."

The Third Raikage had personally led an army into the Land of Earth, creating a huge problem. It had already shaken the Land of Earth\'s daimyo\'s support for Iwagakure.

ōnoki snorted coldly, "Then you will represent me in the peace talks!"

"Make Konoha withdraw back to the Land of Fire, and the Suna leave the Land of Birds!"

Kitsuchi was taken aback but quickly understood.

It was just a stalling tactic to buy time during the negotiations.

"I understand!"

Kitsuchi nodded and left.

ōnoki then turned his gaze to the map, where several red lines marked the movements of the Third Raikage.

They crisscrossed in every direction, as if the Raikage was treating the Land of Earth like his personal playground.

This had caused severe damage to the Land of Earth, which was also the reason for the daimyo\'s growing dissatisfaction.

"If they don\'t want to leave, then they\'ll stay here forever!"

ōnoki\'s eyes gleamed with malice.

He was determined to set a trap, ensuring the Cloud ninjas couldn\'t escape.

---

While the Iwa-nin battlefield was seeing continuous victories, on the Cloud-nin front, Shūichi was relentlessly engaging the AB Combo alongside Shisui and Asuka.

However, after their first encounter, the AB Combo had gained a new ally: Dodai, the Lava Release user.

Now it was a three-on-three fight!

Dodai\'s experience, the unique properties of Lava Release, and his quick casting speed made Shūichi and Shisui both take notice and feel the pressure.

With the addition of Dodai, the advantage they once had quickly vanished.

Nevertheless, by keeping the AB Combo occupied, Konoha\'s frontline stabilized completely.

With reinforcements continuously arriving, Konoha\'s strength only grew stronger.

Meanwhile, Shūichi kept seeking out the AB Combo for daily confrontations—not just to keep them tied down but also to sharpen his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Facing such powerful opponents greatly accelerated his progress with the technique, far more than fighting weaker opponents ever could.

As time passed, mid-September arrived.

Konoha organized its first counteroffensive, forcing the Cloud-nin to retreat again.

At the same time...

As the negotiations between Konoha, the Suna, and the Iwa entered a new stage, Namikaze Minato returned to Konoha for a brief rest, bringing Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin with him.

They weren\'t the only ones—many Konoha shinobi who had originally fought against the Sand-nin and Mist-nin, over a thousand in total, returned to Konoha for recovery and to prepare for reinforcements on the Cloud-nin battlefield.

...

Inside the Hokage Building\'s conference room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were all present.

Danzo\'s expression was grim as he spoke firmly, "Even if we proceed with peace talks with the Iwa, we absolutely cannot give up the benefits we\'ve already gained. Otherwise, the deaths of the shinobi who fought for the village will be meaningless."

"We are now in a position of absolute superiority. There is no need for us to make any concessions to the Iwa."

"As for the Four-Tails, I absolutely refuse to return it to the Iwa!"

Koharu Utatane added, "Hiruzen, maybe we should reconsider. Previously, we agreed to return the One-Tail to the Suna to gain their support, but this time, there\'s no reason for us to compromise with the Iwa."

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could respond, Danzo interrupted, "In my opinion, we shouldn\'t have returned the One-Tail to the Suna either."

"Shūichi may have claimed that he can safely extract the Tailed Beasts in three years without dying, but what if something goes wrong?"

"Hiruzen, do we really want to risk losing such an exceptional talent?"

At this moment, Danzo seemed to have completely forgotten that he once called Shūichi a \'naturally evil brat\' in front of Hiruzen.

"And if Shūichi succeeds, then there\'s even less reason to return the Tailed Beasts."

Danzo\'s words came with passionate conviction as he continued, "With the One-Tail and the Four-Tails in our hands, we could experiment and create perfect jinchūriki."

"If we succeed, the village will gain two powerful forces. Even if we face a similar crisis in the future, we wouldn\'t be so vulnerable."

As a staunch follower of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, Danzo had always supported Tobirama\'s belief that the Tailed Beasts should never have been distributed to other villages.

In Danzo\'s mind, such powerful assets should be securely controlled by Konoha alone.

If Konoha had all nine Tailed Beasts, so what if they were surrounded by the other four Great Shinobi Villages?

Hearing Danzo\'s words, both Homura and Koharu were deeply tempted. Even a jinchūriki like Roshi, with his imperfect control over the Four-Tails, was still a formidable force.

Though Konoha possessed the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails, its immense power made it difficult to control, rendering much of its strength unusable. By contrast, the One-Tail and the Four-Tails were far more manageable.

Sensing his two old friends\' wavering hearts, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. He didn\'t mention that it was Shūichi who had initially proposed returning the One-Tail, instead silently shouldering the responsibility himself.

But his voice was firm, "Holding onto too many Tailed Beasts will only invite attacks from other villages. Even if we control the One-Tail and the Four-Tails, we cannot withstand a combined assault from the other four Great Shinobi Villages."

"Even Takigakure would feel threatened and might join them."

"Even if we could fend off such an attack, how many of our shinobi would we have to sacrifice?"

"How many children would we have to send to the battlefield?"

"A war like that would be utterly meaningless."

Danzo glanced at Hiruzen. He knew that once a decision had been made, his old friend would not change his mind. Still, he pressed on, "Shūichi is also favored by the daimyo. If we lose him because of this decision..."

Hiruzen interrupted with a deep, resolute voice, "I, as the Hokage, will take full responsibility for all consequences."

"Moreover, once we repel the Cloud, I will step down from my position as Hokage!"

Danzo\'s heart leapt with joy at these words, though his face betrayed no sign of it.

Homura and Koharu, however, were shocked.

Koharu quickly said, "Hiruzen, you don\'t need to go that far!"

Hiruzen sighed, "We\'re all getting older. It\'s time for the younger generation to take over."

Hearing this, both Homura and Koharu fell silent.

Yes, they were indeed getting old.

This war had made it all too clear, and it was indeed time for them to step down.

Homura spoke, "Since you\'ve already made your decision, let\'s leave it at that."

"But as for the next Hokage, we\'ll need to carefully consider the candidate."

Hiruzen nodded, "Don\'t worry, I\'ve already given it some thought."

(End of Chapter)

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