allendalepharm Chapter 318 Ceasefire, Anbu and Uchiha
Chapter 318 Ceasefire, Anbu and Uchiha
Chapter 318 Ceasefire, Anbu and Uchiha
Konoha, Hokage's office.
A decisive shout rejected Koharu's suggestion to switch rooms.
It wasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi who spoke, but Homura Mitokado.
At this moment, his face showed a somewhat ferocious expression, completely lacking the kindness he had shown before taking over the Root.
"Why? The village has no more people to spare. If Taichi isn't allowed to go, what will happen to Jiraiya's plea for help?"
This is indeed a difficult problem, and Mitokado Homura has no solution. He can't very well ask the various clans to transfer more ninjas.
If the Hokage dared to issue such an order, then the clans below would dare to unite and rebel.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the two arguing, his head began to throb again.
At this moment, he felt an overwhelming longing for Danzo. Although that guy always liked to oppose him and often acted on his own initiative, he could see the big picture clearly.
The key issue now is whether Taichi should stay or leave, or should we be considering why Sunagakure is fighting Konoha to the death?
Seeing that the two were about to continue arguing, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table.
"That's enough!"
The office fell silent suddenly, with only the chirping of the wind outside.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado blinked their old eyes at Hiruzen Sarutobi, their expressions filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Whether Taiichi goes to the front line or not is no longer important. The key now is whether we continue to fight against Sunagakure."
These words were like a wake-up call. The two advisors suddenly realized that Taiichi was amazing. He could quickly stabilize the situation on the front line and even slowly defeat Sunagakure.
However, Konoha doesn't really have the energy to fight a protracted war with Sunagakure right now.
The war has been going on for nearly two years. If you include the small-scale conflicts before the war, some ninjas on various fronts have been carrying out war missions for almost three years.
This is no leisurely trip; it's a life-or-death struggle filled with constant anxiety and fear.
They had learned from battle reports from the front lines more than once that a large number of ninjas had long been weary of war.
This is a terrifying thing. If we are not careful, or if the war goes against us, this war-weariness could turn into a defeat. At that time, the losses suffered by Konoha are not something that just anyone can be held responsible for.
"Sunagakure is gambling, betting that they will hold out longer than us."
The two advisors were cunning old foxes after all, and after thinking it over carefully, they understood Sunagakure's intentions.
"But, do we really want to gamble with them?" This was the soul-searching question posed by Mitokado Homura.
Sunagakure has nothing to lose; they have nothing left to lose. They can always start over, and if they win, they can gain even more war resources.
Konoha, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. They have a wealth of resources, so even if they win, they won't gain much benefit from Sunagakure. But if they lose, the loss won't be limited to just one battlefield.
The Hidden Mist Village might make a comeback, and the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village might intensify their attacks.
They didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed hard on his pipe; this was the third pipe he had smoked since the start of their conversation, and the entire room was filled with thick smoke.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also torn about what to choose.
On one hand, there is the willingness to swallow one's pride and make peace, hoping to end the war as quickly as possible.
On one hand, there is an extremely dangerous challenge, but on the other hand, there is the possibility of losing everything.
The crackling sound continued, and the fourth pipe of tobacco had been lit. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado remained silent, watching the Third Hokage quietly.
Soon, the fourth pipe was finished. Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly got up, opened the balcony door, and a refreshing breeze blew into the office, dispersing the smoke that filled the room.
The Hokage stood on the balcony, looking down at the prosperous Konoha. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if one day this place were shrouded in war.
He suddenly shivered. He felt ashamed of his teacher's years of guidance. How could he face the First and Second Generation Lords in the underworld after his death?
He took one last deep look at the prosperous Konoha, then abruptly turned his head, his gaze fixed on Koharu Utatane.
"Koharu, pack your things and go to Jiraiya's place to discuss a ceasefire with Sunagakure!"
Taiichi is unaware of the decision made by Konoha's higher-ups, as his time is now fully scheduled every day.
Physical skills, meditation, swordsmanship, ninjutsu, sage techniques, research—only Taiyi's shadow clones have enough to share the workload. Otherwise, even if he worked 24 hours a day without sleep, he still wouldn't be able to finish all that work.
Whenever he felt tired from cultivation, he would visit the orphanage to see Grandma Huizi who stayed behind, and play with the children there to relax.
However, there aren't many people he knows in Konoha Village right now.
Yangping and Saori are facing off against Kumogakure on the northern front, while Minato and Kakashi's team are engaged in fierce battles against Iwagakure on the western front. Nonou is also contributing her efforts at the medical camp on the western front.
Even Asuma and Kurenai were reportedly sent to the Eastern Front two days before his return, which meant they missed each other perfectly.
However, there's no need to send anyone to the Eastern Front now, as there won't be any more fighting there for at least the time being.
The Third Hokage's arrangement truly revealed his desire to give Asuma some training while also not wanting him to take on too much risk, revealing the deep love and concern of a father.
After all, Asuma is the only son of the Third Hokage, and there should be an older brother above him, but unfortunately he died during the Second Shinobi World War.
In this way, the three generations naturally showed more affection for Asma, their only son and the one born late in life.
It's unclear whether Asuma can understand the Third Hokage's unique care. In the original story, their relationship wasn't good at all, and it even led to the joke of Asuma leaving the Daimyo's mansion to become a guardian ninja.
Shaking his head to clear his mind of these random thoughts, Taiichi strolled along the bustling streets of Konoha, looking around with a string of tempura in his left hand and a string of three-colored dumplings in his right.
He takes five steps, then takes a bite; before he's even finished exploring the street, he's already changed his food seven or eight times.
This was his lunch today. He cooks for himself every day, and even the best food gets boring after a while. Since he was in a good mood today, he decided to go to the market for a treat.
Arriving at another takoyaki stall, Taichi watched as the stall owner skillfully manipulated the balls in the iron pan, turning them over and adding ingredients. In just a moment, golden-brown and crispy takoyaki were ready.
Drizzle with yakiniku sauce, sprinkle with bonito flakes and seaweed powder, and a delicious takoyaki is ready.
Taiichi held a box of freshly made takoyaki in his left hand and used his right hand to pick up a steaming hot takoyaki with a bamboo skewer and put it into his mouth.
The crispy outer layer and the fresh octopus legs inside gave Taiyi a rare experience; this roadside stall is quite delicious to eat occasionally.
At that moment, several figures flashed across the rooftops on both sides of the street. Although it was only for a moment, Taiichi could still clearly see that they were dressed in the uniforms of the Anbu.
Taiyi frowned slightly. Things were really not peaceful. The secret service was operating so openly in broad daylight. They must have caught another spy.
Sure enough, just after Taiyi tried three more snacks, the sounds of intense fighting came from not far ahead.
Immediately, the crowd erupted in cheers.
The crowd surged toward Taiyi like a tidal wave, as if a moment's delay would mean certain death.
That feeling was absolutely right. The next moment, flames surged towards the crowd, engulfing all the civilians who hadn't had time to run away.
Taiichi's eyebrows twitched as he watched. What were the Anbu doing? Not only did they arrest people in broad daylight, but they also allowed the enemy to unleash ninjutsu on civilians in this densely populated area. They were utterly incompetent.
He quickly stuffed the taiyaki in his mouth, pushed through the crowd, and headed towards the scene of the battle.
Ahead, a middle-aged couple was struggling to resist the attack of four members of the secret service. Around them, four other members of the secret service were patrolling.
However, their defense target doesn't seem to be internal; rather, it appears they are on guard against external threats.
Taiichi's arrival quickly attracted the attention of the four ANBU members. Perhaps because Taiichi was not wearing a headband and was dressed casually, the four of them did not recognize Taiichi's identity at first.
"Hey, you guys over there, this is a spy roundup, don't come any closer."
As he spoke, a kunai was thrown over. Judging from its trajectory, if Taiyi didn't stop walking, the kunai would hit Taiyi's foot squarely.
Just as Taiichi was about to explain, another person suddenly jumped out from the crowd while the outer ANBU were distracted by Taiichi.
The man had blue hair and was clearly stronger than the middle-aged couple in the arena. He took down the ANBU ninja who was blocking his way in just one move.
He instantly approached the middle-aged man and, with his bare hands, repelled the two ANBU ninjas who were fighting him.
The two met, and from Taiichi's angle, he could clearly see the middle-aged man handing a scroll the size of a finger to the blue-haired ninja.
The two parted ways immediately after their initial encounter. Before leaving, the blue-haired ninja deliberately made several inexplicable hand gestures towards Taiichi, clearly a framing attempt to shift the blame and divert attention.
But believe it or not, some people actually believe it.
"Damn it, there really was backup. Everyone, hold him off."
The horse-faced ANBU who had just thrown the kunai at Taiichi roared angrily. After roaring, he took out the kunai again and charged at Taiichi.
This guy clearly considers Taiichi to be an accomplice as well.
Taiyi rolled his eyes speechlessly. The quality of the Anbu is getting lower and lower. They can't even tell if it's a charade or not.
Taiichi had no time to explain when faced with the rushing ANBU member.
He instantly dashed forward.
They blocked the ninja's foothold, restricting his movement.
He parried the kunai that was thrusting at him with his right hand, then slashed forward, delivering an elbow strike to the center of the man's chest.
If Taiyi hadn't held back, that single blow would have been enough to shatter his sternum and kill him instantly.
Taiyi stretched out his arm, grabbed the collar of the ANBU ninja he had lifted, pulled him back, and dragged him directly in front of him. He stared directly into the other's eyes and shouted angrily.
"Idiot, I am Matsushita Taichi."
The hand seals formed under the sleeves of the horse-faced operative paused, and upon closer inspection, the entire person froze on the spot.
Isn't that Matsushita Taichi, one of the "White Reaper" and "Konoha's Twin Demons"? How come I didn't recognize him just now?
It's one thing for ordinary people not to recognize Taiyi because he changed his clothes, but the Anbu ninjas are specially trained, and Taiyi is no nobody. As one of the village's top ninjas, it would be a serious dereliction of duty for the Anbu not to recognize him.
Seeing the actions of the ANBU, Taiyi knew that he had figured it out, so he decisively let go of his hand and gently pushed him away from him.
At this moment, the blue-haired ninja had already fled more than twenty meters and was about to disappear back into the crowd, which would undoubtedly make it more difficult for the Anbu to capture him.
Taiyi instantly moved, and the blue bricks beneath his feet cracked like a spider web as he kicked them.
He flashed across a distance of more than twenty meters, making a whooshing sound as he arrived behind the blue-haired ninja in the blink of an eye.
Raising his hand and clenching his fist, without any fancy moves, he simply lunged forward and delivered a punch that struck the blue-haired ninja in the back of his shirt.
The force of the punch erupted within him, but instead of sending him flying, it left him standing frozen in place.
"puff."
A mouthful of blood spurted from the blue-haired ninja's mouth, turning into a cloud of blood mist that splattered all over the civilians in front of him.
With just one punch, the blue-haired ninja died on the spot. This not only shocked all the civilians present, but even the two spies were slightly stunned.
Fortunately, Konoha's Anbu were not completely useless. They immediately seized this brief opening and launched a strong attack. Finally, after suffering minor injuries to two people, they successfully defeated and captured them.
The whole process sounds long, but in reality, from the moment Taiyi heard the commotion and came over, to the end of the entire arrest, it only took less than five minutes.
Horse-faced ANBU instructed his men to seal the spy's chakra and dislocate his joints and limbs before leading them toward Taiyi.
Just then, several Uchiha ninjas from the Security Department appeared on the rooftops around them with a "whoosh," and at each end of the road, a team of Security Department ninjas dispersed the crowd and approached the center.
Sure enough, no matter where you are, the police are always the last to arrive, even in the ninja world.
However, judging from the time it took, the Security Department was able to assemble its forces and complete the encirclement within 5 minutes, which is much better than the performance of the Dark Division just now.
Taiichi looked at the ANBU members around him, who were all on high alert, even more nervous than when they had captured the spy. It was as if they were facing enemies on a battlefield, not ninjas from the same village.
His expression immediately turned cold. What was going on with this group of Anbu? Wasn't the Hokage supposed to have a good relationship with the Uchiha clan? Why did they seem to be becoming increasingly hostile?
Taiichi's change in aura immediately caught the attention of the ANBU ninjas around him, but they did not realize that it was their own problem, and simply thought that Taiichi was a normal reaction after being surrounded by the Security Department.
This time, the head of the security force was Uchiha Inahisa, a newly promoted Jonin of the younger generation of the Uchiha clan.
Taiyi didn't know him, but he recognized Taiyi at a glance.
At least in recognizing people, he did a much better job than the previous members of the Dark Division.
"Jonin Taiichi, I am Uchiha Inahi. I didn't expect to see you here!"
When Uchiha Inahisa saw that Taiichi was also there, she immediately dropped her guarded posture and made several hand gestures. The Uchiha on the surrounding rooftops immediately sheathed their swords and jumped down to the ground.
Tai nodded in acknowledgment, then looked at the group of ANBU members around him who still looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and couldn't help but blush.
Ultimately, the Anbu is directly under the Hokage, and like him, they are considered the Hokage's direct subordinates. However, comparing the two now makes Taiichi feel ashamed.
"You—is this how the Third Hokage taught you to always point your weapons at your own village's ninjas?"