With this situation in mind, the next morning, the Sunagakure delegation packed up and set off on their way back to Sunagakure. Along with them were people from Konoha, who were there to officially confirm cooperation and the construction of the game hall.
At the same time, the Iwagakure and Kumogakure delegations also arrived. As for Kirigakure...
Minato Namikaze stated that Kirigakure chose extreme measures.
Yes, Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha with his team on this day and reported the situation they encountered to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Upon hearing the situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a mix of shock, anger, and joy.
The shock and anger were because of Kirigakure's underhanded ambush on Minato's team, which was truly terrifying.
If something had happened to Minato, the young man with potential to become Hokage, or to the talented members of his team, it would have been an immeasurable loss to Konoha.
As for the joy, it was the surprise at Minato Namikaze's strength.
The ability to eliminate Kirigakure's elite group of ninjas in an instant was undoubtedly a sign of mastery in the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Once Minato mastered this technique, he would undoubtedly be at the level of a Kage, and given the characteristics of the Flying Thunder God, he would be among the strongest Kage-level ninjas.
Despite Minato being just one person, this power boost directly elevated Konoha's strategic strength, making him an irreplaceable weapon!
Naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen was overjoyed by this.
However, when it came to Kirigakure's attack, Sarutobi Hiruzen was in a difficult position, which troubled him.
Even the barbarians of Kumogakure could be threatened with war to demand compensation, but as for Kirigakure...
Honestly, this damn village is isolated overseas, and the threat of war has limited impact on that cursed place.
Relying on its characteristic of being surrounded by water, making it easy to defend and hard to attack, the Mist Village has always been one of the most insignificant ones in the Ninja World Wars.
Even though it suffers considerable losses every time a war breaks out, no other country can do anything to it.
War reparations have never been a thing for them. It's really something that gets on your nerves.
After thinking it through, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that the best way for him to take revenge was to order attacks on the Mist Village ninja when encountered, as well as to implement some commercial blockades against Mist. Other than that, there wasn't much he could do.
Actually, if he really wanted to take revenge, it could be done.
For example, he could have Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki use the Flying Thunder God technique to directly go to the Mist Village and release the Nine-Tails, which would cause massive pain to the Mist Village.
However, doing that would completely spiral the situation out of control, and the Third Great Ninja War would start in no time.
As for other methods of revenge, it could only be said that Sarutobi Hiruzen was too conservative and couldn't think of any good ideas.
If Uchiha Kai were in charge, he could have the ninja world experience a small shock from a "poisonous scholar" from Earth, dragging the level of the Great Ninja War to a completely insane degree.
As for how Uchiha Kai knew about the "poisonous scholar" actions, the answer was: Don't underestimate the abstract and diverse nature of online communities, especially those P-society players.
Each one of them could be caught, sentenced, and executed a hundred times, and it still wouldn't be enough to wipe away their war crimes.
In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen followed his usual method and sent a diplomatic warning to the Mist Village in the name of Konoha.
He also called for Anbu to bring the report of the attack on Minato's team to Danzo Shimura, instructing him to send Root ninjas to carry out an equivalent retaliation against Mist.
This was the most typical use of Root by Sarutobi Hiruzen, targeting enemy nations to deal with things that couldn't be done openly.
Some things, even if the enemy knows you did it, as long as there's no concrete evidence or official acknowledgment, it wouldn't count as a formal act of hostility, thus reducing the risk of starting an all-out war.
After arranging that, Sarutobi Hiruzen, seeing Minato Namikaze again, suddenly got curious and, in a testing manner, asked Minato if he knew why they were doing this.
Having been trained by Uchiha Kai, Minato Namikaze thought from Hiruzen's perspective. He spoke calmly, explaining that the basis for "retaliation" was "keeping things balanced," "not tearing the mask," and "lowering the risk of war."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded repeatedly, his eyes lighting up, and a happy and proud smile appeared on his face as he praised Minato.
When Minato Namikaze heard this, he humbly said, "Lord Third, you overestimate me. All of this knowledge was taught to me by Kai."
The Third Hokage was taken aback. "Was it Uchiha Kai who taught you?"
Minato nodded, a warm, sunny smile on his face. "Yes, Kai's wisdom, in my opinion, surpasses that of others. He has an unparalleled perspective on the bigger picture."
"From a young age, what Kai saw was something others couldn't compare to, and he never hid it. He shared a lot with me and taught me many things I could never have learned elsewhere."
"I can say that my current achievements are largely due to Kai's help. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today."
These were completely truthful words, with no false praise or exaggeration. To Minato, his success was largely due to Uchiha Kai's guidance.
After hearing this, the Third Hokage nodded involuntarily. Looking at Minato's warm, sunny smile, it almost felt like he was seeing the First Hokage, who had founded Konoha and often smiled and laughed.
Thinking of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, during the First Hokage's time, the Third Hokage couldn't help but compare the current Minato and Uchiha Kai to them. He smiled even more.
He nodded and said, "Minato, you should maintain a good relationship with Kai. If you are fortunate enough to become Hokage, Kai will be your strongest support, just like the Second Hokage was to the First."
Upon hearing this, Minato looked surprised for a moment, then smiled humbly, saying that there was still much for him to learn, and becoming Hokage was still a long way off.
However, he would work towards that goal, as becoming Hokage was his dream and pursuit.
After Minato left, Sarutobi Hiruzen happily stood up and walked to the window, looking at the flourishing scene of Konoha. He couldn't help but utter his most frequently said words, which were also his life's creed.
"Where the leaves of Konoha flutter, the fire will continue to burn. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow the new leaves to sprout."
"Minato, I believe the future of Konoha will become even more prosperous and flourishing under your and Kai's leadership, just like how the First and Second Hokage did in their time."
After a moment of reflection, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a while and then ordered someone to bring over a set of Genjutsu games.
Due to various concerns, Sarutobi Hiruzen had never tried the genjutsu game before.
But now, the genjutsu game had become widespread, and other major countries were sending people for trade. He felt that it was time to try it himself.
With a sense of excitement guiding him, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally decided to try the genjutsu game's effects.
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