CH 268

As Kumogakure Advisor's hand grabbed the black cloth, it immediately attracted the attention of all the Konohagakure ninjas present. Everyone's gaze was fixed on this Kumogakure Advisor, and they put on an extremely cautious expression.

In their opinion.

This Kumogakure Advisor's words were not very reliable.

Two Anbu...

Right now, Konohagakure doesn't have two missing Anbu.

This statement was not valid at all!

Of course.

This was under the premise that Anbu was not a Root ninja.

Except for Shimura Danzo.

No one knew if there was a Root ninja missing.

Of course.

The matter of the Root ninja disappearing.

Danzo did not associate it with this Kumogakure envoy group at all.

No matter how he thought about it, he felt that it was not the same thing.

All of a sudden.

Countless gazes were nervously staring at Kumogakure Advisor as he uncovered the black cloth covering the trunk.

Swish!

The Kumogakure Advisor's big hand suddenly pulled.

The black cloth fell.

The thing that appeared under the black cloth.

It immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"This..."

Hiruzen widened his eyes and suddenly took a step back. Including Danzo and the two advisors, the high-level ninjas of Konohagakure also retreated to avoid being affected.

The surrounding Konohagakure ninjas retreated one after another, and the cautious look in their eyes became more serious.

"Is this so-called Anbu of our Konohagakure?"

Hiruzen stared at the thing under the black cloth that Kumogakure Advisor pulled down in front of him with trembling eyes.

It was indeed a tree trunk.

However, there was no one tied to the trunk.

It was completely different from what this Kumogakure Advisor had described.

However.

There was one thing that was not wrong.

The trunk was indeed covered with paper tags.

However, these paper tags were not that complicated. Instead, they were densely packed explosive tags.

Based on the number of explosive tags...

It was completely possible to call this tree trunk a bomb!

"Hiss..."

Even the Kumogakure ninjas couldn't help but gasp when they saw this scene. They all felt their feet go cold, and their entire bodies were covered in a cold sweat. All of them were not feeling good.

"How is this possible?"

Brei stared at the scene in front of him with his eyes wide open. His eyes were filled with disbelief. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"There is definitely something wrong with this!"

"We clearly brought the two ninjas who were tied up together!"

"Why are they missing now?"

Brei cried out loudly. There was an extremely strong sense of horror on his face. This was something he had never expected.

"I personally supervised this piece of wood. This black cloth was covered by me. Before I left, I clearly saw the two ninjas tied to the wood. It was impossible for them to disappear into thin air!"

Brei was extremely puzzled. His face was full of questions. He simply did not understand why things would turn out like this. This was completely beyond his understanding.

'Something was wrong!'

'This was definitely not right!'

'Something must have happened here?'

'But...'

'What exactly happened?'

Brei couldn't figure it out and couldn't understand it either. The whole body was tied up with paper tags, and even they didn't dare to untie it easily. How did the two people disappear?

"Stop pretending!"

Hiruzen's face became extremely cold. Right now, his left hand was always in his ninja bag, ready to fight at any time. His eyes were extremely cold as he stared at the Kumogakure ninjas in front of him.

He really hoped for peace to come.

However.

It did not mean that he would be wronged to this extent.

He could feel a little wronged and lower his bottom line a little to make a certain degree of concession.

But he could not be bullied to this extent!

They openly took a piece of wood that was pasted all over with an explosive tag and placed it in front of Konohagakure's main entrance.

Who was he threatening?!

Hiruzen coldly stared at these Kumogakure ninjas. As he moved, those Konohagakure ninjas also took a few steps back and also cautiously stared at the Kumogakure ninjas.

For a moment.

A strong smell of gunpowder filled the air between these people.

Everyone was very clear.

The situation now seemed to be delicate.

It could be triggered at any time because of a little fuse.

"Third Hokage-sama, listen to me. This is not the case. We did bring them here because there are two Anbu tied on this tree. It is not what you see!" The Kumogakure Advisor quickly explained.

Right now, he felt like crying but had no tears.

Before this.

He had clearly confirmed it repeatedly.

Moreover, he had asked the Kumogakure ninjas to confirm it.

The two Anbu were alive and breathing, and they were real people, not some kind of clone technique. It was precisely because of this that they could bring these two Anbu over.

The problem was that the two of them had actually disappeared into thin air.

This had completely subverted their understanding.

It was simply like a supernatural event had occurred.

If he hadn't seen this with his own eyes, and he was someone who had experienced this, he wouldn't have believed his words.

All the explanations now seemed so weak.

At the same time.

A thought emerged in the depths of Kumogakure Advisor's heart.

He had been tricked!

Now he understood that he had been tricked!

However.

From the way, the Third Hokage and the others were acting.

He didn't think that Konohagakure was the one who had plotted against them. This didn't seem like it at all, and there was no need to do so either.

Konohagakure clearly wanted to negotiate for peace.

The person who had done such a thing.

He didn't want the village to negotiate at all.

Then there was only one possibility!

The war between Konohagakure and Kumogakure would be beneficial to them!

Kirigakure!

This name instantly appeared in Kumogakure Advisor's mind.

Only Kirigakure, who had been standing by the side watching the tigers fight, was most likely to facilitate this matter.

Although he still did not know what method Kirigakure's people had used to complete this kind of poaching, it did not prevent him from confirming that all of this was done by Kirigakure's people without any proper reasons.

"Do you think I will believe it?"

Hiruzen's tone became even lower. He had just experienced the invasion of Third Kazekage and had already deeply felt a sense of fatigue. He noticed that a large hand was controlling these things behind the scenes. This hand was very likely to be Kumogakure.

Right now, the explosive tag's trunk was already in front of everyone. Everyone could see that this Kumogakure Advisor still had an innocent expression on his face as he continued to explain these things. This seemed a bit fake.

Hiruzen very much wanted Konohagakure to be in peace.

However, what he saw from the Kumogakure ninjas was not simple peace but a situation that could turn into chaos at any time. Especially the current Kumogakure envoy group, there was a problem!

Hiruzen's calm gaze swept over these Kumogakure ninjas, and finally, his gaze fell back on the Kumogakure Advisor.

"You'd better think it through before you continue talking!"

Hiruzne suddenly felt that these things could be connected. When the Kumogakure contacted him, they said that they would send the Country of Lightning's staff officers.

However, these staff officers were unexpectedly killed by Kirigakure's sneak attack.

Now it has become an all-ninja team envoy group.

It didn't matter if it were a coincidence or not.

The envoy group formed by Kumogakure gave him a very dangerous feeling. After all, it was a ninja who entered the village.

Most importantly...

This big tree that was covered with explosive tags could explode at any time, and now it was in the village, which made Hiruzen pay attention to it.

"..."

The Kumogakure Advisor was suddenly speechless. He had never thought that such a thing would happen.

When he came to Konohagakure to negotiate.

He had already prepared a lot of excuses and emergency plans.

When something happens.

How should we deal with it?

What kind of attitude should we use to maintain Kumogakure's face?

But...

These things were all destroyed by the two Konohagakure Anbu.

'If I had known earlier...'

This Kumogakure Advisor was full of regret. If he had known that things would turn out like this, he would not have brought the trunk over.

"Alright..."

This Kumogakure Advisor was also a person who did great things. He knew that he could not dwell on this problem. Then, he looked at the tree trunk that was filled with explosive tags not far behind him.

"Take it as if I was wrong. Since there is no longer any tied-up ninja, then take this thing out. Don't let it be an eyesore here."

The Kumogakure Advisor did not want to waste too much energy and time on this tree trunk. Since he was attacked yesterday morning, and now he encountered such a bizarre disappearance, these things had already made him physically and mentally exhausted.

"Brei, take someone and throw this thing outside the village. Don't accidentally bump and explode it. If that happens, the loss will be too great." The Kumogakure Advisor explained.

"Yes."

Brei immediately responded and walked toward the tree trunk. His eyes were filled with doubt. He had no idea how things had turned out like this.

Whoosh!

As soon as the Kumogakure Advisor said this.

All of the Konohagakure ninjas present could not help but discuss among themselves. Moreover, everyone looked at the Kumogakure Advisor with questioning eyes.

For the Kumogakure Advisor, it was obvious that he did not want to continue this meaningless topic.

But in Konohagakure ninja's ears.

It became perfunctory.

And...

The last sentence that the Kumogakure Advisor told Brei not to accidentally explode it became a threat to Konohagakure.

The same words.

In the ears of different people.

It presented a completely different effect.

"Wait!"

At this time, Hiruzen's voice sounded.

"This matter is not clear yet. You can't take this thing away!"

Hiruzen stared at the tree trunk that was pasted all over with explosive tags. His eyes became colder. To him, this person was rubbing his IQ. This was not only fooling him but also threatening him and Konohagakure.

This was something that could not be easily forgiven.

"Advisor-dono, I have to tell you something regretful. Our Konohagakure did not have any Anbu missing. The excuse you found is too lame."

When Hiruzen said this, all the Konohagakure ninjas present were ready to fight. They had already realized that if the lies were exposed.

Then the matter would become another appearance.

Perhaps they would directly enter the state of war.

"Third Hokage-sama, I am not running away. I just feel that it is a waste of time and energy to explain this matter. This is just a trivial matter. There is no need for us to involve too much energy in this matter, right?" The Kumogakure Advisor smiled helplessly. He had said everything that should be said and should not be said. However, this fact was right in front of him. He had no way at all.

"This is not a trivial matter!"

Hiruzen shook his head. The reason why he was still arguing with the Kumogakure Advisor was that the other party was still talking to him about these things. On the other hand, he still hoped to make the village peaceful and never said anything.

"If this matter is not explained clearly, I don't think there is a need for us to continue discussing the following matter," Hiruzen said seriously. No matter how cowardly he was, he still had a bottom line. That was Konohagakure. Everything he did was to protect Konohagakure. It was just in a rather cowardly way. The negotiation method used by this Kumogakure Advisor now was completely unacceptable to him.

"This..."

After hearing Hiruzen's words, the corners of Kumogakure Advisor's mouth twitched.

Now it was really hard to argue.

Konohagakure had no missing Anbu.

Then who was the person tied to the tree?

The Kumogakure Advisor realized that he had fallen into a trap. They, Kumogakure, had already stepped into a trap. However, it was too late to realize this now.

"If you can't explain it clearly, we have another way to prove whether what you said is true or not!"

At this time, Danzo, who was behind Hiruzen, took a step forward and stood beside Hiruzen. His exposed eyes stared at the Kumogakure Advisor.

When Danzo said this.

It immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding Konoha ninjas.

Everyone was puzzled.

"You can accept our Konohagakure's memory investigation. We only searched through your memories from yesterday to today. If we confirm that there is no problem with your memory, we can believe that what you said is true. This proves that you were framed by others." Danzo said coldly.

This was what he had thought about saying several times in the past few days.

In fact.

It was not that Konohagakure did not have Anbu's disappearance.

There were still two!

Those were ninjas from Root!

Danzo was very clear about this point, but he did not tell anyone.

He vaguely felt that the two missing people had a certain relationship with Gasshi breaking into Root. Still, before finding these two people, everything was just speculation, and there was no way it to be true.

This was something he wanted to figure out.

It was very important for Root and him!

Because of this.

He just mentioned that he wanted to see the memory of this Kumogakure Advisor. If he was sure that he saw was the two Anbu that disappeared in Root...

This matter had turned into something else!

Only...

.....

Obviously, the request that Danzo made caused the faces of the entire Kumogakure ninja team to fill with intense dissatisfaction.

In the eyes of Kumogakure ninja...

Even in the most direct reaction of some of Konohagakure's ninjas...

Danzo was a little disrespectful!

"What kind of joke are you making?"

The Kumogakure Advisor widened his eyes and pointed at Danzo. He felt a strong sense of humiliation.

No matter what, he was the Kumogakure's advisor.

How could he be treated like a criminal and be investigated by Konohagakure's ninja?

Most importantly...

He could not let anyone see his memories!

It was filled with Country of Lightning and Kumogakure's secrets!

One had to know...

Advisor was the bridge between the village and the country.

His usual daily work was to pass on Country of Lightning's request to Kumogakure and then send Kumogakure response back to the Country of Lightning. He was like a role in passing the microphone.

With his special identity.

He knew a lot of things. These things could not be told to anyone. Even many Kumogakure ninjas could not know about this, let alone Konohagakure ninjas.

"I won't lie to you for such a small matter. If you don't believe me, it means that we don't even have the minimum trust between us. So there is no need for us to continue the negotiation."

After finished speaking.

This Kumogakure Advisor turned his head and directly walked toward the tree trunk that was pasted all over with explosive tags.

"I shouldn't have brought this thing over!"

The Kumogakure Advisor rolled his eyes at this broken trunk. As he spoke, the explosive tags on the tree trunk seemed to become alive.

'Not good!!!'

At this moment.

The Kumogakure Advisor and the surrounding Kumogakure ninjas all stared at this scene with wide eyes.

They all saw it.

However, their body was completely unable to react!

They wanted to escape.

But it was too late.

The explosive tags on the broken tree trunk, instantly burned at a terrifying speed and then shot out a dazzling light that directly swallowed them.

Rumble!

An extremely strong explosion sounded, and the entire Konohagakure could feel the soles of their feet shaking. Especially the people at the main entrance, they felt the surging heat wave directly hit their bodies, as if there was a pair of invisible big hands directly pushing them out.

For a moment.

The flames soared to the sky.

This was not only the power of the explosion from the explosive tags which were stuck to the tree trunk, but the last piece of paper that Aoba had put in completed a large summoning seal and summoned all the explosive tags that he had prepared beforehand.

To a certain extent.

Aoba used Hiraishin no Jutsu(Flying Thunder God Technique) to sneak the piece of paper containing chakra into the paper tags that he had arranged beforehand, which was enough to complete the function of a remote control bomb.

As long as he wanted to.

He could go to any position in the ninja world, detonate the "bombs" that had been set up beforehand, and achieve the effect of long-range attacks.

If Aoba had not sent the piece of paper using Hiraishin no Jutsu(Flying Thunder God Technique), then everything that had been set up earlier seemed to be just some complicated paper tags.

On the one hand, those complicated paper tags had the effect of sealing and suppressing, and on the other hand, they used complicated patterns to cover up the simple part of the summoning pattern inside.

Among the formations formed by the entire paper tags, the most soulful was a large-scale summoning seal.

After this large-scale summoning seal was completed, there would be a prepared explosive tag for the summoning seal, thus forming long-range teleportation of the explosive tag.

This was the method that Aoba used.

The explosive tags that were drawn in a hurry a few days ago were sent to the Komogakure's envoy group.

Then use the hands of the Komogakure's envoy group to bring it to Konohagakure.

Aoba had controlled the number of explosive tags and would not easily kill anyone unless the distance was really too close.

The most important thing was still the explosion.

He needed to use this matter to awaken the courage of Konohagakure ninjas so that they could vent the dissatisfaction in their hearts.

As a result.

What injustice will be faced in the future?

The village would definitely not lower their heads so easily!

This was his good intention.

As for the Third Ninja World War...

Aoba was quite open-minded about this. After all, even if he did not exist, the Third Ninja World War would continue. Then, let this battle change a little and remove some of Konohagakure's pain. It would make the eyes of the major forces in the ninja world focus on Kumogakure. What's wrong with that?

At least for him.

He felt that he had helped Konohagakure through his own methods.

It was not necessary to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy to be considered a contribution but to retreat behind the scenes and plan some events that change the pattern in a corner that people don't know. However, it made him feel even more satisfied.

As for the matter of using Hanzo...

Aoba originally did not think that Hanzo was a good leader. If something happened to Hanzo in the battle with Sunagakure, or if the strength of Amegakure was weakened, perhaps the future situation would be different.

At this point.

Aoba stood up from the cliff above Hokage Rock.

His dark pupils looked up at the main entrance.

The distance was too far.

He could not see the details.

However, he could still see the vaguely burning flames and the black smoke that flew into the air.

"Sandaime!"

"Things have come to this!"

"You won't be soft anymore, will you?"

"You can be tough now!"

The corners of Aoba's mouth curled up slightly. All his work had been done. The advancement of the Third Ninja World War was unstoppable. The rest would be left to the Third Hokage, who would become tough, and Minato, who was about to come back from his practice!