Soon, the Land Fire capital received shocking news the Guardian Ninja Force had been completely defeated and captured.
"What?! The Guardian Ninja Force is gone?!"
The Fire Daimyo could no longer maintain his usual composure.
He had sent four elite Twelve Guardian Ninjas, confident of an easy victory. But now…
Even the noble ministers remained silent, too afraid to speak.
If the Daimyo insisted on another attack against the Freedom Fighter, they would have to deploy the remaining Guardian Ninjas.
But those very ninjas were their last line of defense, protecting the nobility from harm.
If they were sent to war, who would ensure their safety?
Daimyo slumped back into his chair, restlessly waving his paper fan.
"What now?"
His gaze swept across the hall.
No one dared to answer.
Seeing this, he sighed in frustration.
"Forget it. Go think of a solution and bring me a clear answer by tomorrow."
The ministers exhaled in relief and quickly excused themselves.
"Yes, my lord."
After the ministers left, the Daimyo regained his composure.
"Kenzi."
"At your command."
A figure stepped out from the shadows short black hair, piercing red eyes.
The fear and uncertainty from earlier had vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating gaze.
"What do you think we should do?"
This man, Kenzi, was not only the leader of the Guardian Ninja Force but also the head of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas.
More importantly, he was one of the Daimyo's most trusted advisors.
Kenzi lifted his head and spoke calmly.
"My lord, if you want to stabilize Konoha and eliminate the Freedom Fighters, there's only one option left."
Seeing the daimyo's gaze, he firmly stated, "Join forces with the other great nations."
The daimyo's expression changed slightly but quickly returned to normal. After a brief silence, he said:
"Indeed, I don't wish to take this route either, but for the stability of the Land of Fire, these militants must be eradicated."
With a resolute tone, he added, "In that case, let's resume support for Konoha."
Kenzi's eyes flickered as he quickly grasped the daimyo's intent.
If the aid to Konoha were completely cut off, the Daimyo Mansion would lose insight into Konoha's movements.
By restoring support, they could maintain a connection, using supply escorts as a pretext to monitor Konoha's actions.
Moreover, reestablishing ties with Konoha would allow them to leverage the village against the Freedom Fighters.
"At the same time, fully support Danzo. Doesn't he want to be Hokage? Then I'll let him."
This would divide Konoha from within, using Danzo's relentless ambition to push the village into conflict.
"Additionally, open the borders and invite ninjas from Iwagakure to help suppress bandits in the border towns!"
With this shocking declaration, the daimyo made his stance clear. Even if it meant harming the nation's interests, he was determined to eradicate the so-called Freedom Fighters.
"Ridiculous! This is absolute madness!"
The Third Hokage slammed the Daimyo Mansion's report onto the table, his face dark with anger.
Open the borders?
Was this outright betrayal?
In the midst of a war where Konoha and Iwagakure were already enemies, allowing outsiders in now was unthinkable.
What if they gather their forces and march straight into Konoha?
The Third Hokage took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
"It seems the daimyo has truly been scared senseless by these so-called Freedom Fighters," Danzo's hoarse voice broke the silence.
Because of the gravity of the situation, even Konoha's two senior advisors, usually powerless in such matters, were present.
"Although the Daimyo Mansion has resumed support for Konoha, this is clearly a strategy of 'driving away tigers to bring in wolves.' It's a scheme we cannot refuse,"
Utatane Koharu said slowly.
Mitokado Homura turned to the Third Hokage and added,
"Now we must consider another problem, whether we should accept this reality or not."
Logically, the Fire Daimyo was the true ruler of the Land of Fire, while Konoha was merely a military force under his authority.
Every Hokage, without exception, had to visit the Daimyo Mansion as a formal gesture of subordination, reinforcing this hierarchy.
However, Konoha controlled the border forces. If they refused to comply, the daimyo's decision to open the borders would be meaningless.
Konoha now faced a crucial decision—should they follow the Daimyo Mansion's orders?
If they opened the borders, Iwagakure's forces could infiltrate Konoha directly. If anything went wrong, the Third Hokage would bear full responsibility.
If they refused, the Daimyo Mansion would undoubtedly cut off aid once again. Without funds, dissatisfaction among Konoha's ninjas would grow, turning them against the Hokage.
It was a no-win situation, a calculated trap. No matter what, the Third Hokage would face serious consequences.
"Given the current circumstances, we have only one difficult choice left," Shimura Danzo said coldly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the room.
"Before Iwagakure's army arrives, we must eliminate all these rebels!"
"That way, the Land of Grass and Iwagakure will have no justification to cross the border."
The two advisors immediately voiced their support.
After all, these Freedom Fighters had nothing to do with them and were even affecting their families' income. Eliminating them would be the best outcome.
The Third Hokage lit his pipe, his expression shifting slightly.
Finally, he exhaled and said, "This really is the best option."
He turned to Danzo.
"Let Root handle this entirely."
Danzo was momentarily surprised.
During this period, Sarutobi Hiruzen had consolidated power completely—he had sidelined the two advisors internally and secured victories externally. He had even gone to great lengths to suppress Root.
And now, he was entrusting Root with such an important task?
Was he not worried that this would allow Root to grow stronger?
Despite his doubts, Danzo had no intention of rejecting such a good opportunity.
"If that's the case, I'll need some flexibility in handling this."
Of course, Danzo intended to use this chance to recruit more ninjas and strengthen Root's forces.
The Third Hokage nodded. "Prepare a list and bring it to me for final approval."
After the advisors left, the Third Hokage stood by the window, gazing outside.
"Now that the objective has been met, the Freedom Fighters are no longer useful."
He took a slow drag from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of smoke that shrouded his aged face.
"For the sake of Konoha, Simu, I hope you won't hold this against me."
"Come here."
"Lord Hokage."
An Anbu operative instantly appeared behind him.
"Send order to Jonin Hanya Simu. He is to lead a team to the Land of Rain and intercept the armies of Sunagakure and Iwagakure."
If they were going to crush the Freedom Fighters, then Simu, their strongest combatant, had to be sent away.
No matter how many troops Root deployed, it would be meaningless if Simu remained.
"As for Border Town, send Jiraiya personally. He'll work with Root to eliminate the rebels."
"Understood."
With that, the Anbu ninja vanished.
...…..
"What? Uncle Third Hokage wants me to go to the Land of Rain to stop Iwagakure and Sunagakure's armies?"
Simu stared at the transfer order in shock.
Shikaku sighed and shook his head. "I never expected the Fire Daimyo to agree to such an outrageous demand."
Open borders? This was a complete surrender of authority, a national humiliation.
But to ensure the total eradication of the Freedom Fighters, the Daimyo Mansion had no other choice.
Compared to them, foreign ninja troops seemed like the lesser evil.
Under the One Country, One Village system, ninjas primarily targeted rival villages in great nations.
Even if Konoha fell, the Daimyo Mansion itself would remain unharmed.
But the Freedom Fighters were different.
They arrested nobles under the guise of "trials"… and was there a single noble in the Daimyo Mansion who could swear they had never committed an injustice?
To them, civilians were nothing more than commodities, goods to be exploited. Excessive actions were simply routine.
That's why the Freedom Fighters were the Fire Daimyo's greatest threat.
And if the armies of the Land of Earth and Iwagakure could weaken Konoha in the process? Even better.
Simu sneered. "Our esteemed Daimyo is probably scared out of his wits by the Freedom Fighters."
"But to send me away at a time like this… it seems our Lord Hokage isn't entirely innocent either."
Shikaku frowned. "What do you mean?"
Simu's expression grew complicated as he looked toward the Hokage building.
"I suspect our Lord Hokage is getting ready to 'kill the donkey once it's done with the grindstone.'"
"Since the Daimyo Mansion has resumed its support for Konoha, the Freedom Fighters have served their purpose."
"Then why keep them around?"
Shikaku was sharp, he immediately understood Simu's implication.
His expression grew uneasy. "Lately, more and more people in the village have been criticizing Lord Third Hokage's policies, and…"
He hesitated before looking at Simu with a complicated expression. "Many ninjas are saying they want you to be the next Hokage."
Simu had made a name for himself on the battlefield over the years. His influence now rivaled or even surpassed the Sannin, making him a first candidate for the next Hokage.
He didn't know how many ninjas he had saved on the battlefield over the years.
It is how many people were healed by Katsuyu.
All these are political bases.
Coupled with its own terrifying strength.
He killed the Third Kazekage.
He held off the AB Combo single-handedly.
He captured two of Iwagakure's tailed beasts.
A foundation like that… was more than enough to shake the balance of power in Konoha.
Each of these achievements was a testament to Simu's strength.
He gazed at the village under the cover of night, sensing invisible hands pulling the strings behind the scenes.
This was nothing new to him.
"Looks like Root is already making its move against me."
A slight smirk formed on Simu's lips.
At his current level, a mere faction like Root was nowhere near enough to bring him down.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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