Capital of the Land of Fire!
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, leading five hundred able-bodied clansmen, along with his children and wife, traveled through the night and finally arrived at the Capital of the Land of Fire!
At this time, he was meeting with Sarutobi Asuma in a mansion.
This mansion was a property of the Sarutobi clan.
It was no smaller than those of the princes and nobles.
It was more than enough to accommodate several hundred people.
"What? Father is dead?"
Just after getting this news from Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Sarutobi Asuma was as if struck by lightning!
Somewhat in disbelief.
Although he was once rebellious.
But now he was grown up.
He had also seen the darkness and reality of the world.
It was precisely because of this that he understood what kind of existence his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was to the entire Sarutobi clan.
A spiritual pillar?
A pillar of heaven?
A guardian deity?
All of them.
Now, with his father's death, the sky of the Sarutobi clan had fallen.
"Big brother, what should we do now?" Sarutobi Asuma, amidst his grief, asked Sarutobi Shinnosuke blankly.
"After father's death, the Sarutobi clan will be purged. Father had already anticipated this situation!
And told me the solution!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said.
Then he looked at Sarutobi Asuma and said:
"And the solution lies with you!"
"The solution lies with me?" A look of confusion flashed in Sarutobi Asuma's eyes.
"That's right!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke said with a solemn face, "Asuma, you are one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Daimyo, you can see the Daimyo at any time!
So, I need you to take me to see the Daimyo!"
"See the Daimyo? For what?"
"To pledge allegiance!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said in a deep voice.
"Pledge allegiance?" Sarutobi Asuma's eyes couldn't help but widen.
"Big brother, are we going to give up our identity as Konoha ninjas?"
"That's right. Now that Konoha is controlled by the Uchiha clan, they will certainly not tolerate us.
Only by turning to the Daimyo and becoming his subjects can we protect ourselves!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said in a deep voice.
"No matter how rampant the Uchiha clan is, no matter how much they want to exterminate our Sarutobi clan, under the rules that have been passed down for thousands of years, they would never dare to lay a hand on the Daimyo's subjects!"
"So that's how it is! I understand!" Sarutobi Asuma smoked a cigarette and calmed down.
After some thought, he couldn't come up with a better solution than this!
He could only do as Sarutobi Shinnosuke said.
Just as Sarutobi Asuma was preparing to lead Sarutobi Shinnosuke to meet the Daimyo.
An uninvited guest broke into the conference hall.
"Who is it!!!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke was the first to notice someone breaking in and shouted loudly.
"Shinnosuke, long time no see!"
The person walked towards the two of them openly.
"Aburame Toruma?!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been the ANBU commander before.
Naturally, he had seen Danzo's number one confidant, Aburame Toruma!
"It's me!" Aburame Toruma nodded.
"Since you're here, that means Danzo is also here!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, Lord Danzo is also in the Capital of the Land of Fire. When he learned that you, Shinnosuke, had arrived, he immediately sent me to find you!" Aburame Toruma said.
"Why did he send you to find me?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked in a deep voice.
"Tomorrow, Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, and even the rogue ninja, Lord Orochimaru, will arrive in the Capital of the Land of Fire!"
"Therefore, Lord Danzo sent me to invite you to participate in an important meeting tomorrow."
"Are you sure Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade will be there?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked in a deep voice.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke didn't quite trust Danzo and Orochimaru.
But he believed in Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"Yes," Aburame Toruma said solemnly.
"Time, place!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said.
Since Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade would be there.
Then tomorrow's meeting, no matter what, he had to participate.
"Tomorrow, Lord Danzo will send someone to inform you again. For now, I'm just giving you a heads-up so you can be mentally prepared!" Aburame Toruma said.
"Good!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke had no objection to this.
Being a little cautious was not a bad thing.
"Since that's the case, then I'll take my leave!" Aburame Toruma said, and instantly disappeared from the spot.
"Big brother, Danzo is gathering Jiraiya-senpai, Lady Tsunade, and Orochimaru. He's definitely planning to counterattack the Uchiha!
With Jiraiya-senpai here, it might succeed. At that time, our Sarutobi clan might be able to return to Konoha. In that case, is it necessary for us to visit the Daimyo?"
"Yes!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said in a deep voice.
"Whether it succeeds or not, without father, our Sarutobi clan will not be as well-off in Konoha as before.
If the Uchiha exterminate us, and Danzo and the others succeed in retaking Konoha, they will surely find ways to suppress us.
After all, for the past few decades, our Sarutobi clan has enjoyed too many benefits in Konoha!
It has drawn too much jealousy.
Now is a good time to break away from Konoha and start over!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said in a deep voice.
"And if we really are to return to Konoha, we absolutely cannot put all our eggs in one basket. Betting on both sides is the key to survival!"
"I understand!"
Just as the two of them were about to walk out of the conference hall.
Aburame Toruma returned again.
"Toruma, you haven't left?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke frowned.
"By the way, there is one thing I forgot to tell you just now!" Aburame Toruma looked at Sarutobi Shinnosuke with a half-smile.
"What is it?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked at Toruma, his gaze narrowed, and he had a faint bad premonition in his heart.
"Lord Danzo said, once a Konoha person, always a Konoha person! Don't think about leaving Konoha! Because that is betrayal!"
"Shinnosuke, as the ANBU commander, you should know how we in Root deal with traitors!"
"Alright, that's all I have to say. Take care of yourself!" Aburame Toruma finished speaking, turned around, and disappeared again.
"Damn it, he guessed my plan!" Sarutobi Asuma was both shocked and angry!
"Danzo's character is not good, his strategy is not good, but he understands human nature very well. I'm afraid he had already seen through father's backup plan long ago!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke clenched his fists.
"Big brother, what should we do next?" Sarutobi Asuma asked quickly.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's fists clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched again.
It was clear to see that he was very conflicted at this moment.
After a long while.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke let out a long sigh!
"For now, let's not see the Daimyo!"
"Big brother, we're in the Capital of the Land of Fire, there's no need to be afraid of Danzo, right?" Sarutobi Asuma said with some dissatisfaction.
"Danzo has no bottom line. He has an elite unit of unknown strength, and he is colluding with Orochimaru. We won't gain any advantage if we confront him.
If we really anger him, he might just use us as a sacrifice to rally his troops before counterattacking Konoha!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke said helplessly.
"He dares to touch my Sarutobi clan?" Sarutobi Asuma was furious.
"A person like that, disloyal and cold-blooded, who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Without father to suppress him, there's nothing he wouldn't dare to do!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said helplessly.
"Damn it! When has our Sarutobi clan ever been so humiliated!" Sarutobi Asuma cursed.
"Sigh, in the end, it's because father is dead! The times have changed!"
"It's all because of that naturally evil Uchiha…"
"Alright, let's go back!"
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