Inside the cave.
Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune approached Sarutobi Asuma.
"Asuma, these aren't Amegakure ninja, but rather rogue ninja from the Land of Rain. A small ninja organization, they were hired, and their employer is unknown," Kurenai stated.
Upon hearing this, the Jonin Uchiha Akiha became furious. "If they're not Amegakure ninja, then they must have been hired by Stone Ninja, impersonating Amegakure ninja to make us go to war with them!"
The others nodded in agreement, finding the deduction logical and reasonable.
Sarutobi Asuma remained noncommittal. "Since we've been targeted, we must be even more careful from now on."
He then arranged for two sets of guards, one obvious and one hidden. He also created Shadow Clones and took turns with Hyūga Ryūkō to conduct regular reconnaissance of the surroundings using Sensory Ninjutsu, ensuring they wouldn't be ambushed again.
Late at night.
At the cave entrance, while everyone else was resting, Yūhi Kurenai sat down beside Sarutobi Asuma and asked in a low voice, "Asuma, you don't think those ninja were hired by Stone Ninja, do you?"
Sarutobi Asuma narrowed his eyes. "This group seemed familiar with our situation."
"Although it's also possible the Stone Ninja gathered intelligence beforehand," Kurenai mused.
"But they didn't know you were here..." Her voice trailed off as she had a sudden realization. "Asuma, you mean someone deliberately gave them false information?"
"Who could be pulling the strings behind this?"
"And what's their goal?"
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled. "It's possible."
"It could be false information, or insufficient intelligence. After all, not everyone recognizes me."
"As for who the employer is?"
Sarutobi Asuma pondered for a moment, and under Kurenai's expectant gaze, he said, "If the employers were Cloud Ninja or Mist Ninja, they would definitely want us to continue fighting the Stone Ninja, the fiercer the better, so they could exploit the situation."
Kurenai nodded. "In that case, directly impersonating Stone Ninja would be more straightforward. Impersonating Amegakure ninja is to prevent us from allying with Amegakure and to gain an absolute advantage. That makes sense."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded. "If the Stone Ninja are behind this, it's also very reasonable. Impersonating Amegakure ninja to make us resent them, or even to start a major conflict with Amegakure, would fully align with the Stone Ninja's interests."
Kurenai thought for a moment. "In that case, who the mastermind is doesn't really matter."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded. "You could say that."
Despite saying this, he still harbored a suspicion, but he couldn't voice it yet.
The night passed peacefully.
By dawn, the rain had stopped. After a hearty meal, Sarutobi Asuma and the others continued their journey.
Around 1 PM, they arrived at their destination, the Konoha ninja army's base.
This location was at the border of the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Earth.
After completing the handover of supplies, Sarutobi Asuma went to the commander's tent and met Danzō.
Danzō was busy with his affairs and did not immediately attend to Sarutobi Asuma.
Sarutobi Asuma didn't mind, his body crackling with electricity as he practiced on his own.
After waiting for a full hour, Danzō finally looked up at Sarutobi Asuma.
Sarutobi Asuma raised his eyelids and looked at Danzō calmly.
Danzō's gaze sharpened, finding it somewhat blinding.
Sarutobi Asuma calmly recounted the details of his mission.
"Stone Ninja?"
Danzō asked himself, then snorted coldly. "It seems they want to escalate the conflict between us and Amegakure!"
"The Land of Rain currently has many ninja organizations. Judging by this incident, they pose a significant threat to us."
Danzō's gaze fixed on Sarutobi Asuma. "I've decided to eliminate these ninja organizations first. Asuma, I'm assigning this mission to you!"
So, that was his idea!
Sarutobi Asuma scoffed inwardly, but said aloud, "The Stone Ninja can hire these ninja organizations to disrupt our logistics, and we can certainly do the same."
"However, if we move to eliminate the ninja organizations in the Land of Rain, that would likely be what the Stone Ninja want to see."
"Furthermore, what would Hanzō think?"
"The current situation in the Land of Rain is partly a result of the major ninja villages, but it's also due to Hanzō's complacency."
"If we eliminate these ninja organizations in the Land of Rain, wouldn't Hanzō feel a great threat and then align himself with the Stone Ninja?"
Danzō said gravely, "Precisely because of this, we must eliminate these ninja organizations, leaving Hanzō with fewer resources to rely on."
"With Hanzō's prestige in the Land of Rain, he could easily subdue these ninja organizations and launch an attack on us at any time!"
Sarutobi Asuma looked at Danzō and suddenly smiled. "Can you, Lord Danzō, deal with Hanzō?"
"Hm?"
Danzō paused.
Sarutobi Asuma said, "If we don't deal with Hanzō, we will forever be threatened by the forces of the Land of Rain while in their country."
"Hanzō's Amegakure can also launch an attack on us at any time; the greatest threat to us comes from Amegakure."
"If we can't form an alliance with Amegakure to deal with the Stone Ninja, then the best option is to have Amegakure remain neutral, or at least lean towards us."
Danzō frowned.
Have Hanzō lean towards Konoha?
On what grounds?
Just a few words?
Stupid!
Danzō scoffed inwardly.
In his opinion, the best approach was to eliminate threats through sheer force.
First, eliminate the scattered ninja organizations within the Land of Rain to intimidate Hanzō.
He could even push Hanzō, and work with Hanzō, to eradicate the ninja organizations within the Land of Rain.
"Lord Danzō, the best option in the current situation is to win over Hanzō as much as possible."
"The Amegakure excel at assassination; we can hire Amegakure to fight for us."
"We can purchase supplies from the Land of Rain!"
Sarutobi Asuma said, "No one but a fool would do something that harms themselves without benefiting anyone. While Hanzō may not have his past ambitions, he is not a fool!"
With that, he turned and walked out.
At the curtain, he suddenly stopped, turned his head slightly, and said, "Oh, and Lord Danzō, those ninjas who attacked us, you hired them, didn't you?"
Danzō's expression changed.
Sarutobi Asuma smiled and said, "Let me remind you of one more thing: I am acting under the orders of the Hokage. The Hokage did not order me to stay here, so you have no right to issue orders or assign tasks to me!"
He then strode away.
Danzō's face instantly turned extremely grim.
Even Hatake Sakumo and Namikaze Minato were respectful to him; this brat...
"Guards!"
Danzō called out softly.
Four Root ninja immediately appeared, kneeling on one knee to receive orders.
Danzō sinisterly commanded, "On the way, eliminate Sarutobi Asuma. Make it look like the work of Amegakure!"
"Yes!"
The four Root ninja bowed their heads, accepted the order, and then vanished.
"I absolutely will not allow anyone to disrupt my plans!"
"This war will surely become a stepping stone beneath my feet!"
Danzō's eyes burned with fire, his ambition blazing.
However, he quickly calmed down and thought to himself, "Still, what this kid said is not entirely unreasonable."
"Eliminating those ninja organizations cannot be solely Konoha's responsibility."
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