Chapter 577 If You Can Do It, Go For It

“It seems Iwagakure values these spies highly,” Jiraiya said, turning to survey his surroundings.

At the time, they were in a hurry to rendezvous with the support unit for the ambush, so they didn’t have time to interrogate the White Zetsu. They simply sent two Ninja to take the White Zetsu to a hidden location for detention.

However, Jiraiya hadn’t expected that Iwagakure’s people would be able to find and retrieve the White Zetsu within just a few hours.

It could almost be described as divine speed.

In just a few hours, normally, it would be impossible to even confirm that a spy had been compromised.

After all, being a spy carries great risks, and frequent daily contact is out of the question.

The fact that Iwagakure not only knew about the exposed spy but also managed to rescue them with such incredible speed left Jiraiya perplexed.

Iwagakure had too little time to act.

Before the ambush officially began, Iwagakure certainly didn’t know the spy was exposed; otherwise, the Iwagakure Ninja Force wouldn’t have walked into the trap Muzuki had set.

But to successfully find the person in the span of just one ambush battle, that efficiency is a bit exaggerated.

“But then again, this thing is too powerful for warfare. Iwagakure is probably very afraid that Konoha will also develop a similar product,” Jiraiya lamented.

If not for Muzuki’s ability to sense malice, even if Jiraiya knew the White Zetsu’s intelligence and faced them again, he wouldn’t have a good way to deal with the White Zetsu’s mischief.

A Transformation Technique that even Perception Ninja cannot discern is simply too underhanded.

“We can only hope that once the intelligence is reported, the Village can research a countermeasure,” Minato Namikaze said, a hint of worry in his eyes.

If no solution could be found, then Muzuki would likely have to remain with the forces fighting Iwagakure for a long time before peace talks with Iwagakure.

“I hope everything goes smoothly,” Muzuki said, feigning a worried expression, though his heart was as calm as still water.

This was because Muzuki had known about this matter for a long time, and even his Shadow Clone had been involved.

Muzuki didn’t want Konoha to obtain the White Zetsu.

For Muzuki, Konoha knowing that Uchiha Madara was alive was actually a good thing.

The reason he didn’t want Konoha to get the White Zetsu was due to the White Zetsu themselves.

The White Zetsu might seem like a weak, tool-like intelligence specialist, but in reality, the White Zetsu were a treasure trove.

The White Zetsu were full of Hashirama cells, and in the Ninja World, that truly meant they were a treasure trove.

Moreover, the Hashirama cells within the White Zetsu’s bodies were not ordinary Hashirama cells; they were Hashirama cells cultivated by Uchiha Madara using the Gedo Statue.

If Konoha obtained the White Zetsu, with Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru’s influence in Konoha, a portion of the White Zetsu’s bodies would definitely fall into their hands.

If Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura were to research something at that time, Muzuki might not be able to control the situation.

However, although Muzuki had the intention to act, the unconscious Konoha Ninja were not his concern.

Two White Zetsu disguised as Konoha Ninja had acted before Muzuki’s Shadow Clone.

Although Muzuki didn’t want Konoha to get the White Zetsu, he also wouldn’t let the White Zetsu escape. After the White Zetsu knocked out the guarding Ninja, he came out and killed all five White Zetsu, putting them into a sealing scroll.

Hashirama cells were indeed a good thing.

In the original work, Obito only had an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan, but relying on Hashirama cells, he could use Mangekyo abilities without any side effects.

In the future, if Shisui and Obito awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Muzuki’s envisioned Yang Release training didn’t solve the Mangekyo problem, that would be the time these White Zetsu would come in handy.

…

Konoha Village.

Hokage Building, Hokage Office.

Upon receiving the intelligence transmitted by Muzuki, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Konoha’s crushing defeat of two thousand Iwagakure Ninja Force and a surprised smile appeared on his face.

This result far exceeded his expectations. Hiruzen Sarutobi’s original thought was that the support unit would be able to regain the disadvantage, and maintaining a stalemate with Iwagakure would be considered a success.

When he saw the intelligence related to the White Zetsu, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression instantly changed drastically. After reading the intelligence, he immediately ordered the Anbu at the door to summon the high-ranking officials for a meeting.

“This is the latest intelligence from the front line. Take a look first,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said in the meeting room.

After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi put his pipe in his mouth, took a deep puff, and then exhaled white smoke with a hint of worry on his face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s appearance made the other three high-ranking officials unable to help but let their imaginations run wild.

“Could it be that the Land of Grass side suffered another major defeat? That’s good, then Hiruzen will have no excuse not to use Orochimaru,” Danzo Shimura thought to himself as he picked up the intelligence in front of him.

The defeat on the Land of Grass battlefield was a bad thing for Konoha, but for Danzo Shimura, it was a good thing.

When he learned that Jiraiya had been thoroughly defeated by Iwagakure and could only lead his troops to flee everywhere, Danzo Shimura was very excited.

Because this was a major blemish that would cause Jiraiya’s approval rating in Konoha to drop, and it was also an opportunity for Orochimaru.

When he saw the words ‘Our army utterly defeated the Iwa Ninja Force, eliminating over 1,600 enemies,’ Danzo Shimura had a question mark in his mind. He read it carefully several times and found that he hadn’t misread it; it was indeed a great victory.

Danzo Shimura frowned slightly. The front-line troops had won a victory, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi still had that expression. Was he trying to trick him?

When he saw the intelligence on those Iwagakure spies, Danzo Shimura finally understood Hiruzen Sarutobi’s worries.

They had indeed won a victory, but the strength Iwagakure displayed was concerning.

“There’s actually this kind of Transformation Technique that can even deceive Perception Ninja,” Homura Mitokado said, also showing a serious expression after reading the intelligence.

Minato Namikaze could still see the White Zetsu’s potential in war, and these high-ranking officials had also gone through various wars, so of course, they could also see the power of the White Zetsu’s abilities.

“It’s truly unexpected. No wonder the unit led by Jiraiya was defeated so thoroughly earlier,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said, stroking his small beard.

Previously, upon receiving the news that Hiromi Sarutobi had become a spy, Hiruzen Sarutobi spent a great deal of effort conducting various investigations, but he barely found any useful information.

He had thought that Hiromi Sarutobi was just too good at hiding, but it turned out the other party had no problems to begin with.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi making excuses for Jiraiya’s defeat, Danzo Shimura opened his mouth to retort but then closed it again.

Because when they had met to choose the support commander, Danzo Shimura had strongly pushed for Orochimaru. According to the current situation, the commander could only be Muzuki.

With Iwagakure having White Zetsu acting as spies, anyone other than Muzuki might not be able to defeat the Iwagakure Ninja Force.

“It was truly far-sighted of you, Hiruzen, to appoint Muzuki as the commander of the support unit. Otherwise, what came back wouldn’t just be a great victory, but possibly a great defeat,” Homura Mitokado sighed.

If Muzuki hadn’t had his special sensory ability to expose the spies and then used the situation to formulate a counterattack plan, the Konoha Ninja Force, let alone winning, would have had a hard time even holding off the attack.

With almost half the troops fewer and unidentifiable spies, it was practically a hellish difficulty.

“This was also an unexpected pleasant surprise, but Muzuki is indeed the most capable Ninja of the new era,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.

He hadn’t expected Muzuki to achieve such a great victory. The reason Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t agree to deploy Orochimaru was simply because he was worried that Kumogakure would take advantage of the situation.

Danzo Shimura felt very displeased seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi like this.

Muzuki was clearly a Ninja from his Root, an excellent talent he, Danzo Shimura, had cultivated. How did he become Hiruzen Sarutobi’s achievement?

Danzo Shimura felt a strange sensation, as if someone else had secretly harvested the leeks he had painstakingly planted at night.

“Since Iwagakure has suffered a major defeat, why don’t we use the war as a threat and demand that Iwagakure Village hand over the intelligence on those spies?” Utatane Koharu voiced her idea.

“According to the current intelligence, those spies are very likely products of some kind of human experimentation. If we successfully decipher the technology, then our intelligence Ninja will be unstoppable in the future.”

If you can’t beat them, join them. Since traditional intelligence Ninja are outdated, then they should also update.

Danzo Shimura looked at Utatane Koharu in surprise, not expecting her thoughts to align with his own.

Such evil technology must be kept by Konoha!

“Exactly, we should send more Ninja forces and take this opportunity to enter the Land of Earth and directly attack Iwagakure Village,” Danzo Shimura said with full agreement.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, “That’s too risky. If Kumogakure takes the opportunity to launch a major attack, it will be very troublesome.”

Although Kumogakure might not necessarily attack Konoha, and might also take advantage of the situation to attack Iwagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t want to gamble. The consequences of losing the gamble would be truly dire.

“Hiruzen, being so hesitant will only make Konoha weak!

If Konoha makes every invading enemy pay a huge price, who would still dare to wage war against Konoha?” Danzo Shimura retorted, unconvinced.

They had eliminated over a thousand Iwagakure Ninja this time, achieving such a great victory. Taking a stroll in the Land of Earth would also be a huge deterrent.

“You only think about the benefits. If Kumogakure and Hidden Mist take advantage of the vulnerability, can you solve them?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked forcefully, rapping on the conference table.

Didn’t Hiruzen Sarutobi know this was an opportunity to completely subdue Iwagakure? But the risk was too great.

Since Konoha’s creation, it had always kept the flames of war outside Konoha. Enemies could at most enter the Land of Fire, but they could never get close to Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t want to be the only Hokage who allowed Konoha to fall into the flames of war; that would be too shameful.

“If Konoha is truly in danger, I will naturally lead troops to attack,” Danzo Shimura still insisted on his idea.

“It’s not a matter of whether you go to the battlefield, but whether you can deal with the attacking enemies,” Hiruzen Sarutobi emphasized.

Danzo Shimura was a capable Ninja, but he was only so-so, no stronger than the Sannin or Muzuki.

“Why do you think I definitely can’t deal with the attacking Ninja?” Danzo Shimura retorted.

Anyway, Kumogakure hadn’t attacked yet, so he might as well brag first.

“Since you’re so confident, then you will take command of the Iwagakure front. First, lead some Ninja to thoroughly investigate Iwagakure Village’s intelligence,” Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.

“Not now, I have many other matters to attend to,” Danzo Shimura refused outright.

It wasn’t that he was afraid to die or unwilling to go, but Danzo Shimura truly had other things to be busy with.

He had been trying to figure out what Sōsuke’s sage art inheritance truly was, and how to get his hands on the Rinnegan.

“If you are willing to lead the team yourself, then go. If not, don’t talk about attacking Iwagakure!” Hiruzen Sarutobi said indifferently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s firm stance made Utatane Koharu abandon her proposed plan. Her combat power was the worst among the four high-ranking officials, and after becoming a high-ranking official, she had neglected her training, making her even weaker.

Danzo Shimura was still unconvinced, but he didn’t retort again. He couldn’t possibly go himself.

If he accidentally fell in the Land of Earth, that would be a loss for the entire Konoha.

“A full-scale invasion of the Land of Earth is unnecessary, but we do need to probe Iwagakure’s attitude,” Homura Mitokado said, pushing up his glasses with his left hand.

In the two major battles on the Land of Grass battlefield, Konoha and Iwagakure each won one.

Overall, Iwagakure suffered much greater losses, but Konoha was not without losses either. Considering the other Ninja Villages eyeing them covetously, Homura Mitokado believed it was necessary to proceed cautiously.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He also had the idea of sending Ninja to contact Iwagakure Village.

The current situation was too unfavorable for Konoha; they had to make peace with a major Ninja Village and form an alliance.

“In that case, let’s quickly recall Hayate Mugetsu to Konoha. Iwagakure’s spies are so formidable; if they infiltrate Konoha, it would be disastrous,” Utatane Koharu said.

If they were to attack Iwagakure, then Muzuki, currently the only one who could distinguish Iwagakure spies, certainly couldn’t be absent.

Now that it was decided not to attack Iwagakure, Utatane Koharu felt that Muzuki should still be called back.

“Exactly. It would be best to use an excuse to gather the Ninja and have Muzuki conduct a large-scale inspection,” Homura Mitokado shared the same concern.

Although their high-ranking officials were all strong, if an Iwagakure spy disguised themselves as their family members to pull a trick, there was a possibility of things going wrong.

“I will contact the Land of Grass troops after the meeting,” Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed with this suggestion.

Besides eliminating any potential spies within Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi also wanted Muzuki to teach his Ninjutsu to other Ninja and have it recorded in the Konoha Ninjutsu Library.

In principle, Konoha would not force any Ninja to hand over their Ninjutsu, unless it was an inhumane forbidden Jutsu.

However, this situation was special; to put it seriously, it concerned Konoha’s survival, so special measures had to be taken.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Muzuki, who possessed The Will of Fire, should understand, and he wouldn’t let Muzuki teach for free.

After the discussions regarding Iwagakure concluded, the topic gradually shifted to rewards and commendations.

Regardless, this was ultimately a great victory worth celebrating.

Muzuki, as the planner of the counterattack, who killed numerous enemies on the battlefield and injured the Jinchuriki, was undoubtedly the top achiever. Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze could only rank behind Muzuki.

After the meeting, Danzo Shimura quickly found his Root subordinates and instructed them to contact the Root members on the front lines.

“Although the person was rescued, since a battle occurred, there might be residual body tissue,” Danzo Shimura thought to himself.

If he could research the Iwagakure spy’s Transformation Technique, his Root would become the strongest intelligence organization in the Ninja World.

At that time, with the help of his Root, Konoha would defeat all other Ninja Villages, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi would have no reason to restrict the Root anymore.