298. Obito's Rage

It turned out that when the Hokage took a firm stance, even the stubborn conservatives had nothing to say.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent on the matter, Koharu Utatane was under house arrest, and could you really expect Homura Mitokado to charge into battle alone?

That was impossible.

When this order reached the grassroots level, it was met with unanimous praise from the civilians and lower-ranking ninjas.

After all, Danzo's reputation among the people over the years was well-documented.

While in the eyes of other villages, he was still the ruthless, cunning, and merciless "Darkness of Shinobi," in Konoha, it was completely different.

For the ninjas, Danzo was a war god who fought bravely on the front lines, their confidence and safeguard.

Any war commanded by Danzo, no matter how difficult, would ultimately result in a resounding victory!

This was the immense prestige he had accumulated through numerous wars.

For the ordinary citizens of Konoha, Danzo was a visionary elder willing to sacrifice himself.

He always stood at the forefront of disasters, and despite having no children of his own, he always protected Konoha's children well.

It could be said that without Danzo, there would be no Konoha as it was today.

Therefore, when it came to placing Danzo's face on the Hokage Rock, they not only did not oppose it but expressed strong support.

What, you say that's a place only for the Hokage? Don't be ridiculous!

In the hearts of Konoha's people today, Danzo was not the Hokage, but he was better than the Hokage!

Because of this, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, also gained a reputation for "knowing people well and appointing them wisely" and being "magnanimous."

In any case, amidst the cheers of the people, the construction of Danzo's statue smoothly became the village's top priority in its reconstruction.

Amidst the joyous atmosphere in Konoha, the news of "The Third Raikage's death, Kumogakure's destruction" spread like a tsunami throughout the ninja world.

——————

"That old man A, he's really dead?" In Iwagakure, Onoki held the latest intelligence collected by the Anbu, his tone full of disbelief.

Those familiar with Onoki knew that the A he referred to could only be the Third Raikage.

As for the Fourth Raikage, who was also named A, in Onoki's mouth, he could only be referred to as "that Raikage brat."

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. According to the intelligence collected by the Anbu and reports from Konoha, the Third Raikage did indeed die at the hands of Danzo Shimura. Along with him were the renowned Kumogakure elite—the Rapid Assault Force. After personally annihilating the Third Raikage and all the Kumogakure elites, he immediately rushed to the border battlefield and crushed the Kumogakure forces," answered Kitsuchi beside him.

Such a response undoubtedly made Onoki's expression even darker.

"You're saying that old man Danzo not only pierced through the Third Raikage's 'Strongest Shield,' wiped out an entire elite force of Kumogakure, but also had enough strength left to assist Konoha's border troops in defeating the main Kumogakure forces?"

Such a feat was too dazzling, so dazzling that even Onoki, the Tsuchikage, was left speechless.

"That's what the intelligence says. There's also an unconfirmed piece of news," Kitsuchi's tone was hesitant because the next piece of news was a bit... too exaggerated.

Hearing this, Onoki glanced at him and sighed, "What could be worse than this? Just say it."

Hearing this, Kitsuchi whispered, "According to Konoha's propaganda, Danzo used a special technique when facing the main Kumogakure forces. With just one move, he slaughtered nearly ten thousand Kumogakure ninjas."

"Nearly ten thousand ninjas?" Onoki immediately let out a cold laugh.

The total number of troops Kumogakure had dispatched this time might not even have reached ten thousand, and you're saying Danzo killed nearly ten thousand with one move?

Does he think he's Hashirama Senju?

Even so, this news still made Onoki feel immense pressure.

Regardless, the fact that Danzo killed the Raikage and crushed the Kumogakure forces was undeniable.

And this fact directly extinguished Onoki's idea of taking advantage of the situation.

A trace of desolation flashed in his eyes.

Would he live to see the day when Konoha fell from its position as the top ninja village, and Iwagakure rose to power?

Seeing his father's low spirits, Kitsuchi cautiously asked, "Father, what about the Land of Grass?"

After all, the moment Konoha declared war on Kumogakure, Onoki had sent troops into the Land of Grass, hoping to exploit Konoha's entanglement in the war to extort them.

But now, it seemed there was no such opportunity.

Onoki could only wave his hand helplessly, "Forget it, have the border troops withdraw. From now on, we need to prepare for a long-term defense."

——————

Upon hearing this news, it wasn't just Onoki who felt despair.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who had been the first to be personally killed by Danzo, was filled with bitterness.

"Kumogakure, truly useless, only good at ruining things!" Rasa slammed his fist on the table in frustration.

If it hadn't been for their cooperation with Kumogakure in launching the Kikyō Mountain Campaign back then, they wouldn't have had to sign such a humiliating treaty with Konoha, leading to the village's decline to its current state.

Now, Sunagakure not only had its military budget cut but was also suffering from a severe brain drain. It had become the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages!

Originally, he had the same idea as Onoki, waiting for Konoha to weaken so he could seize the mining area in one go.

But Kumogakure's defeat came so quickly that Sunagakure had no time to react. Thus, they had no choice but to give up and continue lying low, waiting for the right opportunity.

——————

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, the one with the strongest reaction was undoubtedly Kirigakure.

After all, while Konoha and Kumogakure were fighting, Kirigakure's fleet was conducting exercises in the southern waters of the Land of Fire!

When the news of the Third Raikage's death reached them, everyone, including Obito, was stunned.

"The Raikage is a joke! Wasn't he called the 'Strongest Shield' and 'Strongest Spear'? How could he be taken down so easily by Danzo?" Obito crumpled the newspaper in his hand, shouting in a broken voice.

He had been ready to order Mizukage Yagura to declare war as soon as Konoha's main forces headed to the front lines, planning to sandwich Konoha from both sides.

As for how many Kirigakure ninjas would die in this war? Obito didn't care about that.

In his eyes, the Five Great Ninja Villages were nothing but obstacles to his dream.

The more people died and the weaker they became, the easier it would be for him to execute his plans!

Thus, he hadn't even considered Kirigakure's sacrifices in his calculations.

What he hadn't expected was that Konoha would pull off a covert operation, with Danzo leading the Root's elite forces in a blitzkrieg against Kumogakure.

And the key was, it f***ing worked!

A few people sent thousands of Kumogakure troops fleeing, even leaving their leader's corpse on the battlefield.

Who would believe such a thing if told? But it had actually happened in real life.

Black Zetsu wasn't too surprised by this outcome.

"I told you, Danzo's strength is not what it used to be. His Mangekyō Sharingan has evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō, and his power has undergone a tremendous transformation. In my opinion, we should lay low for now. If Danzo discovers our traces, things will become very troublesome."

Black Zetsu's words only made the already broken Obito even more furious.

The anger rising in his heart caused his face beneath the mask to heat up rapidly.

In other words, he was...

Red-hot with rage.

In his frustration, he could only grit his teeth and say to Black Zetsu, "I know that! You don't need to tell me!"