"Iwagakure Ninja-disguised rogue ninja replaced the Scroll holding Hizashi Hyuga's body with an Explosive Tag?"
"Root Ninja suddenly moved, and Tangdong Akimichi's group fought with Troy from Kumogakure?"
"Wait, the aftermath of their fight also released a sealed humanoid monster at the handover site?"
"What do you mean that humanoid monster used some unknown ability to kill Troy and nearly a hundred reinforcements from Kumogakure?"
Homura Mitokado hurried forward and snatched the Scroll from Hiruzen's hand. As he read the contents, his face slowly turned pale, and his body stiffened where he stood. He felt as if he had stopped thinking, unsure whether this was real or a dream.
He recognized every word on its own, yet together they felt alien. He even wondered if this was still a language used in the Ninja World.
With a dull thud, Hiruzen Sarutobi staggered back to his desk. He braced himself on the edge and lowered into his chair, his hands shaking.
"A Magnet Release user, Troy, known across the Ninja World, and nearly a hundred Kumogakure Ninja stationed at the border," he said in a hoarse voice. "This blood debt is something Konoha cannot bear."
Hearing this, the dazed Homura Mitokado shuddered and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in panic. "But those people were clearly…"
"No one will believe it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off before he could finish, closing his eyes as he spoke. "Except for the few survivors like Tangdong Akimichi and us, no one will believe they died to some absurd monster."
That was Troy, a so-called "Magnet Release ninja." That was nearly a hundred Kumogakure Ninja guarding the border. That was nearly a hundred people with families and relatives, all dead.
Now, who would believe Konoha's side of the story? There were no other witnesses left alive at the scene, and even if there were, who would accept that they were real witnesses.
Kumogakure? The deaths of Troy and nearly a hundred border guards gave Kumogakure a legitimate reason to declare war on Konoha, and even Daimyo of the Land of Lightning could not stop the hatred of the bereaved families.
Or Iwagakure? From the very beginning, there had been traces of Iwagakure behind this matter. Iwagakure would be happy to see Konoha and Kumogakure exhaust each other so they could profit later.
"So," Hiruzen Sarutobi said at last, "call the Jonin together and convene a Jonin meeting. Make the preparations."
He seemed to have aged many years in an instant, hunched in his chair with his eyes closed. His hoarse voice carried an eerie calm as he said, "This time, war is really coming."
"Yes."
The ANBU kneeling before him answered with a trembling voice. He did not know the full details, but he had seen how miserable and battered Tangdong Akimichi and the others looked. A team of more than ten had returned with only four or five survivors, and it was clear the handover at Kumogakure had gone terribly wrong.
This was no longer something that could be argued away. It was a true fuse for war, and aside from the ambitious, the war-mad, and those blinded by hatred, no one wanted to face such bloodshed again.
As the door closed with a soft kacha, the ANBU left. Homura Mitokado came back to his senses and clenched the Scroll tightly, his face dark as he turned toward Hiruzen Sarutobi to speak.
Footsteps tapped against the floor as a cane struck lightly. Danzo Shimura pushed open the door and entered the office, and seeing the heavy silence inside, a faint smile appeared on his hard face.
"Hiruzen," Danzo Shimura said calmly, "I said it long ago. If they are set on starting a war, we cannot avoid it."
Homura Mitokado's heart sank as he instinctively looked to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing, keeping his head lowered and his eyes closed. After a long silence, he slowly raised his head and looked at the old friend before him with clouded eyes.
"Danzo Shimura… Danzo Shimura…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a breath as if trying to steady himself, the veins on his forehead standing out. His voice was low and strained as he asked, "Who allowed you to send Root to follow the escort team?"
"How did you dare do this?"
"Hiruzen," Danzo Shimura said, standing in the shadow the sunlight could not reach, frowning slightly. "This time it truly has nothing to do with me. I placed men with the escort only as insurance. As for the three who attacked Kumogakure Ninja…"
Before he could continue, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurled his pipe. It struck Danzo Shimura in the face as Hiruzen Sarutobi roared, "Nothing to do with you? Do you believe that yourself?"
"Tell me, did you collude with Iwagakure? Did the agents you sent out collude with Iwagakure? Tell me!"
The pipe, now stained with blood, fell to the floor. Pain flared from the cut on Danzo Shimura's forehead, and his expression changed at once.
"I did not!" he said quickly, no longer mocking Hiruzen Sarutobi's failure. "You know me. Everything I do is for…"
This truly was not his doing. He had clearly instructed Aburame Ryoma that if Kumogakure behaved and returned, the matter was to be dropped. The agents he sent to other villages were also genuinely meant to gather intelligence.
"Get out!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's shout cut him off again. Danzo Shimura opened his mouth to argue, but Homura Mitokado grabbed his arm and shook his head.
Hiruzen was truly furious this time, even accusing him of colluding with foreign enemies. No explanation from Danzo Shimura would be believed now.
"Hiruzen, I will notify the clan heads and write to Jiraiya and Tsunade to bring them back," Homura Mitokado said in a deep voice. He pulled the grim-faced Danzo Shimura toward the door, then looked back once more at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said softly, "Do not worry too much. It is just another war."
Even when facing four enemies at once in the past, Konoha had still prevailed. The real issue would come after the war, when Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage would have to bear the main responsibility and eventually step down, just as he once did to pass the position on.
The door closed with another muted kacha, and both Danzo Shimura and Homura Mitokado were gone. Hiruzen Sarutobi remained seated, unmoving for a long time.
He sat there in silence, his body steady while his thoughts creaked under the weight of events. He had already sacrificed Hizashi Hyuga, already found a way out, and already steeled himself for every consequence. Yet everything had still ended up like this.
After sitting like a statue for a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually calmed down. Anger and regret were useless now, and he needed to find out exactly what had happened to see if anything could still be salvaged. There were many details unknown, and he would have to question the survivors like Tangdong Akimichi and Ryuji Hyuga.
With that in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, stood up, and bent down to pick up the blood-stained pipe. His figure vanished from the office, flashing across the rooftops toward Konoha Hospital.