Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 94 Hiruzen Sarutobi's Regret Comes Too Late

Konoha Village, Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, staring at the intelligence report in his hand, without making a move for a long time.

The intelligence report was brief, but its contents were shocking: "Shin-nosuke-sama has been murdered. His body was found on the border of the Land of Earth. The murderer is suspected to be a spy from Iwagakure and has already fled."

He stared at the paper for so long that everyone else in the office began to feel uneasy.

"Hiruzen..." Koharu Utatane called softly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head, his eyes still calm, but his face seemed to have aged ten years overnight. His once gray hair was now completely white.

"I understand, you can go out now."

"Hiruzen..." Mitokado Homura wanted to persuade him again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly hardened: "Get out!"

The two exchanged a glance and silently left the office.

The moment the door closed, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally lowered his head.

He still has documents to approve today. He needs to finish his work as soon as possible—after all, he's the Hokage, he must do his job well, he must do his job well, he must…

He kept repeating it to himself, but his eyes were already starting to burn.

Just then, Shimura Danzo pushed open the door and entered: "Hiruzen!"

He strode to the table and slammed his hand on it: "Shin-chan is dead, and you still have the mind to sit here and approve documents?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head: "I know."

"You know?" Danzo sneered. "Hmph, what do you know? Do you know who killed him? It was Iwagakure! They killed your son, aren't you heartbroken? Are you just going to let it go like this?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

Danzo continued, "Order the troops to attack the Land of Earth. This score must be settled!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly put down his pen.

Danzo.

"What?"

"You can leave now."

Danzo was taken aback, then erupted in fury: "Hiruzen! You—"

I said, get out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice remained calm, but his eyes revealed an undeniable majesty.

Danzo stared at him for a long time, then finally snorted coldly and slammed the door shut as he left.

"You'll regret this!"

Does he regret it? To be honest, he once thought he would never regret it. But now, he does feel a little regretful.

He wanted to continue reviewing the documents, but his hands trembled uncontrollably.

That child was his eldest son, on whom he had placed the most hope. He had already reached the level of a Jonin at the age of sixteen, and his first time serving as an executive officer had ended in this tragic accident.

He didn't blame Kusagakure, nor Iwagakure, but only himself—it was he who sent Shinnosuke to guard the border, it was he who believed Shinnosuke could handle everything, it was him…

He closed his eyes, and only opened them after a long while.

The sadness in his eyes had quietly faded, leaving only weariness and determination.

Becoming a ninja is destiny, dying on the battlefield is also destiny. But the son of the Hokage must not die from conspiracy and scheming!

At the same time, in Iwagakure Village.

When Onoki received the news, his face turned ashen.

"The son of Hokage died on our territory?"

"Yes."

The ninja, kneeling on one knee, sweat beading on his forehead, said, "According to the on-site report, the one who did it was a spy we planted in Kusagakure. There were shouts coming from the scene. It's said that the man had a blood feud with the Hokage's son, who was killing his father, and the Hokage's son seemed to be deliberately provoking him... so the loss of control was purely accidental. He immediately defected after the murder and his whereabouts are still unknown."

"Impossible," Onoki said decisively. "We Iwagakure ninja all possess the will of stone; how could we be easily provoked?"

This must be a conspiracy—who's pulling the strings behind the scenes?

As the eldest Kage, and as a strategist equally adept at political maneuvering, Onoki insisted that it was all a conspiracy. Even if it wasn't, he had to insist it was a conspiracy.

As for who is behind this, there is still no definitive answer.

However, the immediate problem is that the Hokage's son died within the Land of Earth, and Iwagakure cannot bear the blame for this.

"Kusagakure... Yes, it's them!" A cold glint flashed in Onoki's eyes. "When did these opportunists have the guts to do something like this?"

He ordered, "Issue a document condemning Kusagakure for framing us and attempting to incite war between the two great nations. Declare that Iwagakure has nothing to do with this matter, and that Kusagakure bears all responsibility."

"Furthermore, sever all cooperation and aid with the Grass Country. If possible, withdraw all border supplies, leaving nothing behind."

While Iwagakure was carrying out its operation, Kusagakure hastily issued a statement clarifying that the Hokage's son was not mistreated during his stay in Kusagakure; he was treated to good food and drink for three days and had ten women accompany him, three of whom were pregnant. Kusagakure is a small village with few inhabitants and has absolutely no intention of being an enemy of Konoha.

A day later, Konoha received the documents from both sides.

Hiruzen Sarutobi responded quickly.

It was a lengthy announcement of over a thousand words, detailing the entire incident: the Grass Ninja Village kidnapped the Hokage's son, plotted against the Sarutobi clan, causing their bloodline to leak out; after their plot was exposed, they then attempted to assassinate the Hokage's son on the border of the Land of Earth, trying to frame the Iwagakure Village. Their despicable actions and cruel methods were utterly outrageous.

The announcement was personally written by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and while it was ornate and righteous, its core message was just one sentence:

The Land of Grass intends to incite conflict; their intentions are despicable. Our Hidden Leaf Village, to maintain peace in the ninja world, shall annihilate them!

Two days later, both Konoha and Iwagakure issued announcements simultaneously, declaring their intention to conquer the Land of Grass.

The news caused an uproar in the ninja world.

Until the very end, Hiruzen Sarutobi never directly declared war on Iwagakure.

The spearhead is pointed only at the Grass Ninja Village.

Because Ōnoki didn't want to start a war, and neither did Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But they all harbored a burning desire within them.

The Land of Grass became that shared place to vent their anger.

-

The council hall of Kusagakure was deathly silent.

The newly appointed leader, Negishi Kusanagi, sat in the main seat, his face deathly pale. Before him lay two documents: one a condemnation from Iwagakure, and the other a declaration of war from Konoha.

The two major ninja villages simultaneously issued declarations of war. For a small country with a total population of only tens of thousands and fewer than five hundred ninjas, this was tantamount to annihilation.

"It's over..."

Someone murmured.

"It's all over..."

"We're doomed..."

Panic spread like a plague.

Those Jonin who had just purged the village of traitors and spies, reorganized resources, and were preparing to sit back and share the spoils, now had no time to care about the small amount of profit in front of them.

Now they just feel that the Grass Village is finished, so it's better to disband it sooner and go their separate ways. Even if they become wandering ninjas in the future, hunted down and wanted by the entire ninja world, they might still have a chance to survive.

At this moment, an elderly elder suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, let's divide the family and flee for our lives. It's not too late to run!"

Once someone started talking about splitting up the family business, opinions began to emerge one after another.

"Yes, disband Kusagakure and go your separate ways!"

"Rather than waiting to die, it's better to..."

Even Negishi Kusanagi, who was sitting on top, was somewhat shaken, even though he had just become the leader and hadn't even had a chance to settle in yet.

But the thought of defecting was already wavering in his mind.

Just then, a faint sound drifted into my ears on the wind...