Chapter 706: Sōsuke’s Assassination Squad

“If that’s the case, then the Shinobi Sect is actually more difficult to deal with than we imagined,” Yashamaru said.

He seemed to understand why Iwagakure’s attitude had been so strange before.

They were only willing to provide money, and as soon as people were mentioned, it was off the table.

Looking at it now, it’s possible that Iwagakure had already received intelligence at that time. They wanted to eliminate the Shinobi Sect but were also worried about Sōsuke’s retaliation, so they took such action.

“That’s right. To make a move on the Shinobi Sect, we must first find a way to kill Sōsuke, otherwise, there will be endless trouble,” Retsuishi said, nodding.

For Iwagakure, eliminating the Shinobi Sect was a must. The stronger Sōsuke was, the sooner they needed to eliminate the Shinobi Sect.

Currently, only Sōsuke can lead the Shinobi Sect. If they don’t seize this opportunity and let the Shinobi Sect continue to develop, perhaps the Shinobi Sect will become the next Konoha, and a Konoha with Senju Hashirama at that.

This was something Iwagakure could not tolerate, as the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Earth.

“The question is how to kill Sōsuke, and how much intelligence does Iwagakure still have on him?” Dodai thought for a moment and continued.

A Ninja’s battle begins before the fight itself. With intelligence and without intelligence, the difficulty of the battle is vastly different.

If they had no intelligence at all, Dodai felt that going after Sōsuke would be suicide.

If there was enough intelligence, and they gathered the strongest Ninja from several great Ninja Villages and made thorough preparations, Dodai believed there was a good chance of success.

The exact probability depended on how thorough the intelligence was and what specific information it contained.

“This is all the intelligence Iwagakure currently has on Sōsuke,” Retsuishi said, taking out two identical scrolls and handing them to Dodai and Yashamaru.

“In terms of the Five Releases, the confirmed intelligence is that Sōsuke is extremely proficient in Fire Release, capable of suppressing Hanzō’s Water Release with it. Besides Fire Release, his Wind Release is also not weak; he once used a powerful Wind Release Ninjutsu during a lecture.

Additionally, Sōsuke is also suspected of being proficient in Water Release, Lightning Release, and Earth Release. Although Sōsuke hasn’t used Ninjutsu of these attributes much in public, he demonstrated an uncommon level of skill during lectures,” Retsuishi explained.

“Sōsuke has a very special secret technique, the principle of which is temporarily unknown. Its specific effect is to generate a shield around his entire body. Its defensive capability is strong enough to completely block Third Tsuchikage’s full-power Dust Release without a scratch.”

Retsuishi originally didn’t want to mention Ōnoki much, wanting to save face for his Village’s Tsuchikage, but for the accuracy of the intelligence, he had no choice but to mention it.

Ōnoki’s Dust Release was unparalleled in power throughout the Ninja World. Using this as a comparison best demonstrated the strength of Sōsuke’s defensive Ninjutsu.

“Blocked Third Tsuchikage’s Dust Release without a scratch!” Dodai looked at Retsuishi in surprise.

Third Raikage’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode was known as the strongest shield, but if Third Raikage could block Ōnoki’s Dust Release without injury, Dodai would be the first to disbelieve it.

If the Lightning Release Chakra Mode’s defense was that powerful, Third Raikage would have long since surpassed the other Third Kage to become the strongest Ninja of his generation.

Dust Release was a Kekkei Tōta that could break down matter; usually, one would dodge to avoid the attack.

Yashamaru also showed a shocked expression again.

Everyone knew how strong Third Tsuchikage’s Dust Release was. Blocking Dust Release without injury was simply too contrary to common sense.

“Sōsuke is also proficient in Taijutsu, and the Taijutsu he wields is extremely powerful…” Retsuishi continued to explain.

In the battle between Ōnoki and Sōsuke, the only injury Ōnoki sustained was from a clash of fists with Sōsuke.

Reading the intelligence scroll while listening to Retsuishi’s explanation, Dodai’s brows furrowed.

With a defensive capability that could block Dust Release, and also possessing powerful Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, how could they counter him?

Yashamaru tried to consider Sōsuke as the hypothetical enemy of the entire Hidden Sand Village. What kind of methods would be needed to defeat Sōsuke?

“Our high command believes it is necessary to form a multi-Village assassination squad, specifically to research Sōsuke and ultimately kill him,” Retsuishi finally said.

In fact, the Iwagakure high command had debated this decision for a long time before finally settling on it.

Because there had always been another voice within the Iwagakure high command, which was to ally with the Shinobi Sect to jointly oppose Konoha.

However, the Shinobi Sect had never given any positive feedback on this, which made the Iwagakure high command feel that the Shinobi Sect could not stand with Iwagakure against Konoha, and the calls for alliance gradually faded.

“This is a serious matter, and I do not have the authority to decide. I need to report the situation to Raikage-sama for his decision,” Dodai did not agree directly; his rank was not high enough.

However, Dodai was inwardly inclined to agree.

Kumogakure had always ignored the Shinobi Sect for two reasons: one, the distance was far; two, they believed it would take a long time for the Shinobi Sect to become the sixth great Ninja power.

But if Sōsuke truly possessed the strength of the God of Shinobi, then the potential of the Shinobi Sect was different.

Even though the Shinobi Sect didn’t have many Ninja now, as long as Sōsuke was willing to expose his true strength, rally the people, and relax the conditions for joining the Shinobi Sect, many Ninja and Ninja clans would definitely join.

Yashamaru’s answer was similar.

The meeting was temporarily adjourned… Land of Fire, Konoha.

Upon learning that Hidden Sand and Iwagakure were holding an exchange meeting in Six Paths City, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately went to the Hokage Office.

An exchange meeting between Hidden Sand and Iwagakure was fine, but if the Shinobi Sect was involved, then it needed to be taken seriously.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was all too clear about Sōsuke’s strength.

Being rather anxious, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the door open without knocking.

Upon entering the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi found that Minato Namikaze was also inside.

He nodded slightly to Minato Namikaze as a greeting, then immediately looked at Muzuki with a serious expression and said, “Muzuki, there’s a disturbance from the Shinobi Sect.”

“The exchange meeting between Iwagakure and Hidden Sand in Six Paths City?” Muzuki asked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

“Minato and I were just talking about this. However, I believe the Shinobi Sect should not be involved in it; they are merely renting out the venue,” Muzuki continued.

“The reason Iwagakure and Hidden Sand chose Six Paths City for their exchange meeting instead of their own Villages might be to mislead us, thereby escalating the conflict between Konoha and the Shinobi Sect.”

“But since the Shinobi Sect is willing to let Iwagakure and Hidden Sand hold an exchange meeting in Six Paths City, don’t they also have some intentions?” Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that holding an exchange meeting with Hidden Mist some time ago was a mistake.

This conveyed a wrong message to other Ninja Villages, as if Konoha wanted to ally with Hidden Mist to completely cripple the other Ninja Villages.

In reality, Konoha had no such intention. The prevailing sentiment among Konoha’s high command currently was only one: develop, develop, and develop fiercely.

“The Shinobi Sect, Hidden Sand, and Iwagakure naturally have irreconcilable conflicts. Both the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind border the Land of Rain. Regardless of whether the Shinobi Sect has any intentions, Iwagakure and Hidden Sand probably don’t want to see the Shinobi Sect continue to grow stronger,” Minato Namikaze said after some thought.

His thoughts were similar to Muzuki’s; he believed that Iwagakure and Hidden Sand were deliberately misleading them, wanting to pit Konoha against the Shinobi Sect.

“The Land of Fire also borders the Land of Rain, and our strength is still the strongest,” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

He didn’t believe that Iwagakure and Hidden Sand could continue to cooperate with the Shinobi Sect, but stimulated by the current situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the Shinobi Sect was very likely to temporarily ally with Hidden Sand and Iwagakure to deal with Konoha.

“That possibility indeed exists. I will send more Ninja to investigate,” Muzuki did not continue to refute Hiruzen Sarutobi’s words.

As the leader of the Shinobi Sect, he knew everything, but Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t know he was the leader of the Shinobi Sect. Such things were hard to explain. Once the evidence was laid out, Hiruzen Sarutobi would know who was right and who was wrong.

Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. He liked this about Muzuki; he listened to reason, unlike Danzo Shimura.

A few days later, after Muzuki had Ninja retrieve the intelligence, he ordered the Anbu to summon Hiruzen Sarutobi to the Hokage Office.

“Sandaime, this is the intelligence regarding the exchange meeting between Hidden Sand and Iwagakure.”

Muzuki didn’t waste words. As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi entered, he handed him the intelligence.

“The venue rental fees for the exchange meeting, the movements of the main Ninja of the Shinobi Sect during that period…”

After reading it, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized his judgment might have been wrong.

Iwagakure and Hidden Sand had paid a huge venue fee to the Shinobi Sect. Not to mention the Shinobi Sect agreeing, if Iwagakure and Hidden Sand had approached Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have even been tempted to agree, as who could turn down money?

For a moment, the atmosphere in the office was a bit awkward.

Muzuki didn’t let this atmosphere last too long. He quickly took out another piece of intelligence and said:

“Additionally, our intelligence Ninja also discovered something good in the Shinobi Sect. I believe we can cooperate with the Shinobi Sect in this area.”

“Puppet prosthetic limbs that are indistinguishable from normal limbs?” Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a surprised expression.

In large Ninja Villages like Konoha, some Ninja lose their limbs during missions every year, leading to a significant decrease in combat power or even rendering them unable to be Ninja.

If the Shinobi Sect truly possessed the technology described in Muzuki’s intelligence, then Konoha could instantly gain a group of experienced veteran Ninja with rich mission experience.

“It’s certainly worth a try,” Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed.

As long as the Shinobi Sect didn’t demand an exorbitant price, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that even a slightly higher price from the Shinobi Sect would be acceptable.

If all the Ninja in Konoha who had lost limbs could receive puppet prosthetic limbs, Konoha would effectively have developed for several years out of thin air.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

Before, he wanted to avenge Danzo Shimura and had used various methods to suppress the Shinobi Sect, and finally even challenged Sōsuke to a duel, almost making a big mistake.

Now, because of Sōsuke’s special strength, he was particularly wary of the Shinobi Sect and had made another wrong judgment.

The latter, since it had no actual impact, could be set aside for now, but the former would indeed affect the relationship between the Shinobi Sect and Konoha.

It would be very normal for the Shinobi Sect to want to exploit Konoha or simply refuse Konoha because of this.

“Perhaps I really am getting old,” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

Now, he was inferior to Sōsuke and Muzuki in strength, and he often made various wrong judgments when handling affairs, which gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a strong sense of frustration.

He was no longer the Third Hokage who could be invincible on the battlefield and bring stability and development to the home front.

“Fourth Hokage, I’ll trouble you to take on more responsibility in this matter. Even if it means paying some price, it’s acceptable.”

Konoha currently had too many requests, and the puppet prosthetic limbs could be said to have come at just the right time.

After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and walked towards the door, his face full of loneliness the moment he turned around.

Perhaps, he really should retire completely.

“Sandaime, there’s a meeting tomorrow about the Ninja Academy reform, concerning important positions after the reform of the Ninja Academy,” Muzuki said.

The Ninja Academy reform was already on track. Teaching buildings and various facilities had been completed, all textbooks had been compiled, and propaganda had also been carried out within Konoha, just waiting for the official opening in April.

“Hmm, I will attend,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, turning back to Muzuki.

Perhaps cultivating the next generation for Konoha was also a good choice.

Not long after Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Shisui knocked and entered the Hokage Office.

“Teacher Muzuki, these are the opinions of the current Uchiha Clan Ninja regarding the Police Force, as well as the reference list for the third batch of Uchiha Police Force secondments,” Shisui reported, placing the collected materials on the desk.

Currently, the Uchiha Ninja who left the Police Force were nominally only temporarily transferred. To truly sever the connection between the Uchiha and the Police Force, the word ‘temporarily’ must be removed, allowing most Uchiha to truly leave the Police Force.

To prevent the sensitive Uchiha from having negative thoughts and causing a major backlash, Muzuki had Shisui regularly collect the Uchiha’s thoughts to find the right timing.

“Currently, about thirty-five percent of Uchiha Ninja still believe that the Police Force is an indispensable power for the Uchiha. Among the remaining Uchiha Ninja, not all support the Uchiha leaving the Police Force; a considerable portion of Uchiha Ninja hold an indifferent attitude.”

“That means the time isn’t right yet, and not enough has been done,” Muzuki replied while flipping through the documents.

Muzuki wasn’t too surprised by this result. The Uchiha had been in the Police Force for decades, so it would definitely be difficult to completely resolve the issue in a short time.

“For the third batch, it’ll be just these few,” Muzuki circled the names of the selected Uchiha Ninja and showed them to Shisui.

Aside from the first batch, Muzuki didn’t choose many people for the second and third batches; what is too easily obtained is often not cherished.

“Also, the cultivation reform within your clan must be implemented as soon as possible to ensure that the education of the new generation does not encounter problems,” Muzuki reminded him.

Shisui’s life mission was to eliminate the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha and integrate the Uchiha into Konoha. If the Uchiha’s mindset didn’t change, this would be difficult to achieve.

Currently, the Uchiha first considered themselves Uchiha Ninja, and only then Konoha Ninja.

To meet the requirements of his life mission, it wouldn’t be ‘Konoha first, then Uchiha,’ but at least they should be on equal footing.

In fact, even without the mission requirement, Muzuki would do similar things. The Sharingan could easily lead the Uchiha to extremes. Having a relatively positive worldview might help change this situation.

【Name: Uchiha Shisui】

【Life Mission: Uchiha and Konoha】

【Main Goal: Eliminate the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha and integrate the Uchiha into Konoha】

【Mission Progress: 68.6%】

As Muzuki expected, after he, as Hokage, provided policy assistance, Shisui’s life mission progress quickly caught up to Obito’s.

PS: Sorry… I was too tired while coding yesterday and fell asleep. This counts as yesterday’s update.

Also, I revised Chapter 620 yesterday, mainly the content of the Ninja Village meeting later on, and corrected some inappropriate wording.