"Kazuki, you're back? Did something happen?"
Hiruzen was stunned for a moment when he saw Kazuki arrive, feeling a surge of unease in his heart.
Could it be that something major had happened in the Land of Water?
"Uh, actually, it's like this…"
Kazuki scratched his head and recounted how he had released Three-Tails and destroyed the Kirigakure. It was fortunate that Hiruzen was still young. Otherwise, Kazuki would have worried that his news might give Hiruzen a heart attack.
"What? You went to Kirigakure, released Three-Tails, and caused widespread destruction there?"
Even though Hiruzen was prepared, he jumped up when he heard Kazuki's words. He couldn't remain calm. If Kazuki had truly accomplished this, then the Kirigakure battlefield was likely to end.
Of course, it could also cause the Kirigakure ninjas to unite in hatred and wage war against Konoha, as the animosity stirred by Kazuki and Konoha was simply too great.
Kazuki spread his hands and said, "Perhaps this might cause a lot of trouble, but you have to understand that even if we did nothing, those guys from Kirigakure would still attack Konoha like rabid dogs. Whether I attacked them or not, they would act this way."
Hiruzen opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, as Kazuki's words made a lot of sense.
The sheer madness of Kirigakure had exceeded Hiruzen's imagination. Since the war had already escalated to this point, making Kirigakure hate Konoha even more seemed to be no problem, at least it had crippled Kirigakure's vitality.
If they were truly pushed to the brink, then they would just destroy the entire Kirigakure.
The current Hiruzen was not the future Hiruzen, he wasn't as indecisive. Since they were already in an unending conflict with Kirigakure, then they might as well continue it.
On the contrary, resolving the Kirigakure battlefield as soon as possible was what Hiruzen wanted to see.
He picked up his pipe and took two deep puffs before instructing Kazuki, "Remember, your mission to release Three-Tails in Kirigakure was ordered by me through Anbu channels. It wasn't your own initiative, do you understand?"
"I understand." Kazuki naturally understood Hiruzen's intention.
To some Konoha villagers, such an act might seem too deranged, somewhat breaking unwritten rules and leaving almost no room for maneuver between Konoha and Kirigakure.
If it were exposed, it would inevitably bring some criticism to Kazuki. But if this matter was an order given by Hiruzen, the situation would be different. Hiruzen would have to bear the responsibility, as Kazuki was merely completing a mission assigned by the Hokage.
As for the credit, the benefits Hiruzen gained were negligible, as he was already the Third Hokage. However, for Kazuki, the person who completed the mission, the situation was different, he only gained credit.
"Oh, and this time when we went to Kirigakure, Six-Tails and the Mizukage were not in the village. Otherwise, accomplishing this might have required some effort."
Of course, Kazuki was merely being modest. Even if Six-Tails and the Mizukage had been there, he could still have easily dealt with them. It was just that Hiruzen didn't know that.
Hiruzen didn't doubt this, as the strength of a Kage wasn't just about individual power but also organizational ability. When a village's power is integrated by a Kage, the impact it can achieve is beyond what ordinary ninjas can imagine.
Hiruzen believed in Kazuki's strength, but that was an entire village.
"Is that so?" Hiruzen frowned.
This was not good news. Neither Six-Tails nor the Third Mizukage were in the village.
Where could he be? Had he gone to the battlefield?
"Also, we brought back some Uzumaki clan members from Kirigakure. Their condition isn't very good, so I sent them to Konoha Hospital." Kazuki continued to report.
"Uzumaki?" A complex look flashed in Hiruzen's eyes.
If Uzushiogakure had still existed, Konoha probably wouldn't have had to expend so much effort. Uzushiogakure would have been enough to solve many of Konoha's troubles.
But now, Uzushiogakure was gone, and Konoha had lost its wartime fortress.
Now that Uzushiogakure was gone, taking in some Uzumaki seemed to be no problem in Hiruzen's eyes.
It wasn't as if the entire Uzumaki clan had come over, and besides, it was uncertain whether these Uzumaki clan members could even become ninja.
After a moment of thought, Hiruzen instructed Kazuki, "I'll leave them to you, but you need to determine their attitude towards Konoha."
Kazuki had caused a major incident, and he needed to figure out how to maximize the benefits of this. If handled well, it might even be possible to end the Land of Water battlefield.
"Yes, I understand. They won't be able to resist my genjutsu." Kazuki immediately guaranteed.
If those Uzumaki clan members harbored resentment towards Konoha, Kazuki wouldn't treat them well. After all, in Kazuki's view, Konoha had already shown extreme benevolence to Uzushiogakure.
His father, as a strong figure of Konoha, sacrificed himself on a mission to save Uzushiogakure, and then he himself rescued them. If they were still ungrateful, that would be unappreciative.
"Hmm, you should go tell Mito-sama about this first. Her health hasn't been very good recently."
Towards the end, Hiruzen showed a pained expression.
Hiruzen had always held Mito in great respect. If he could, he even wished he could exchange his some of his lifespan for Mito's.
Mito was Konoha's pillar of stability. Even Hiruzen had to admit that Mito seemed far more important than him.
A year or two ago, Mito's health had begun to decline, and her Chakra had started to decrease, and this situation was becoming increasingly severe.
According to Mito, she might not last another year.
Now, with Kazuki bringing back some Uzumaki, and Nawaki also returning, this was undoubtedly great news for Mito.
He didn't plan to let Nawaki leave Konoha for now. Konoha didn't lack Nawaki's combat strength. Tsunade couldn't leave the battlefield, but Nawaki was different. Let him accompany Mito and live out the last period of her life well.
New Book
Renji transmigrates to the world of One Piece, at some random village. He spends his days on peace. But then, one day, pirates invade the place he calls home.
On the verge of death, he awakens a system. And as if that wasn't enough, he gets Heavenly Six Eyes, basically Six Eyes Pro Max and Sukuna's Diamantle at the start.
Besides, he gets bounty points for each kill of a pirate with which he can upgrade his skills.
This leads to the rise of the strongest Marine the world has ever seen.
[Ding! Host's performance upon joining the Marine has been recognized by the system.]
[Reward: Reverse Cursed Technique (Lv. 1)]