Chapter 342: Dilemma
Then, Ishiro entered Sage Mode and, after a full day of flying at top speed, arrived at the dense jungle in the southernmost part of the Land of Fire.
He spent another half a night searching before finally locating the Monkey Clan's settlement within the area designated by Akino Atsumi.
The Monkey Clan was one of Konoha's most important allies. Almost every member of the Sarutobi clan had a monkey as a summoning animal. This was how the Sarutobi clan's ninja had a significant head start over other shinobi from the very beginning.
Fortunately, this clan, which had caused immense damage to the other hidden villages in several great wars, had now been exterminated by Ishiro in a single night.
Although one had escaped, it was not an exaggeration to call it an annihilation. After all, in the original story, the Uchiha clan was said to have been wiped out even though three of its men were still alive.
Even if people didn't know about Obito's existence, and even if Itachi Uchiha was a rogue ninja, wasn't Sasuke Uchiha still alive? If the Uchiha clan, with only Sasuke left, could be considered annihilated, then the Monkey Clan, with only Enma left, could naturally be considered the same.
He just wondered if Enma could procreate and continue the lineage for the Monkey Clan, just like Sasuke did for the Uchiha.
In any case, in the future, Ishiro could proudly tell his disciples that he had once single-handedly wiped out an entire ninja clan.
...
In Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly sensed Enma contacting him and performed the Summoning Jutsu.
These past few days, with Shikaizumi Nara encountering so many unreasonable situations in Iwagakure, Hiruzen had been in constant communication with the Monkey Clan. Therefore, he didn't think much of Enma's request to be summoned.
Though he found it odd that Enma was contacting him personally this time, Hiruzen still responded promptly.
Poof.
After a cloud of smoke, Enma appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen, who was just about to ask if there was more news from Shikaizumi Nara's side, immediately fell silent. He saw the obvious signs of battle on Enma's body. The violent fluctuations of chakra within Enma's body were also a clear sign that, just a moment ago, he had been in a fierce fight.
Enma was in a battle, yet he had me summon him? Could it be that Enma was calling for help?
But isn't Enma always in the Monkey Clan's settlement?
At this thought, a terrifying idea suddenly rose in Hiruzen's mind. In an instant, all the bizarre incidents that had occurred in Iwagakure over the past ten or so days connected into a coherent picture.
Hiruzen felt waves of dizziness wash over him. He forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart and, with a sliver of wishful thinking, asked Enma, "Enma, what happened?"
"My entire clan was wiped out by the Tsuchikage," Enma said, his voice devoid of emotion.
He had already raged, he had already fought; his heart was now like dead ashes.
Hearing the words he least wanted to hear, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't catch his breath. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed directly onto the floor.
It was no wonder his reaction was so extreme. The Monkey Clan and the Sarutobi clan had been inseparable, steadfast allies for countless ages. Even Hiruzen couldn't say when the two clans came together or why. He only knew that as far back as the Warring States Period, it was common knowledge throughout the ninja world that the Sarutobi clan, with their monkey summons, were not to be trifled with. The Monkey Clan had been a part of their Sarutobi clan from very early on.
For the past few decades, during his tenure as Hokage, Hiruzen had given the Monkey Clan a massive amount of resources in the name of being a Konoha ally, helping them develop and grow. Hiruzen had thought that if he were one day gone, the Sarutobi family could still remain one of Konoha's top clans by relying on the Monkey Clan's strength.
As Hokage, Hiruzen had been suppressing the major ninja clans and cultivating civilian ninja, so he couldn't support the Sarutobi clan too overtly. Thus, he came up with the method of strengthening the monkeys. He openly gave benefits to the Monkey Clan under the guise of them being an ally of Konoha, but the Monkey Clan was, from beginning to end, the Sarutobi clan's summoning animals. Through this method, Hiruzen indirectly increased the power of his own clan.
But now, after decades of using his authority for personal gain, it was all back to square one overnight. No, in a single night, not only were Hiruzen's decades of effort wasted, but he had also lost his entire initial investment.
Seeing Hiruzen faint, Enma pushed aside his own heartache and hurried forward to check on him. "Hiruzen, Hiruzen, what's wrong with you?"
Fortunately, Hiruzen had only been overcome by a rush of blood to the head. With his strong constitution, he soon woke up.
"Enma," Hiruzen called out while sitting on the floor. He wanted to say something but found that not a single word would come out.
"Sigh," Enma sighed and said, "Hiruzen, I'll stay in Konoha for a while. You go and attend to your business."
Enma knew that the destruction of his clan was certainly related to Konoha. Hiruzen, as the former Hokage and current advisor, surely had many matters to deal with. He didn't want to disturb him. At the same time, Enma also wanted to be alone.
After Enma left, two lines of tears streamed down Hiruzen's face. He sat alone on the floor for a long time.
But he was, after all, a great shinobi of his generation. After experiencing the grief, he eventually recovered from the blow. After washing up, Hiruzen went to the Hokage's office.
Soon, Tsunade, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Shikaku Nara, and Danzō were all notified by Hiruzen to attend a meeting.
Once everyone had arrived, Hiruzen began, "Last night, the Fourth Tsuchikage launched a surprise attack on the Monkey Clan's settlement. The entire Monkey Clan was annihilated. Only Enma escaped through my summoning."
Everyone was stunned. The meeting room fell into a terrifying silence as no one could quickly process this news.
In the end, it was Shikaku Nara who recovered first. He blurted out, "Could it be that the purpose of Iwagakure frequently causing trouble was to make us repeatedly use the Monkey Clan to transmit intelligence, thereby making it convenient for them to locate the Monkey Clan's position?"
Hiruzen nodded; he had already analyzed the reason.
"Iwagakure's research into space-time ninjutsu has progressed so quickly?" Shikaku found it somewhat unbelievable.
Firstly, space-time ninjutsu was incredibly difficult to learn. It took Konoha decades to produce one Minato Namikaze. How long had Iwagakure possessed the training method for the Flying Thunder God Technique? How could they so coincidentally find a ninja with the talent for space-time ninjutsu?
Secondly, Shikaizumi Nara in Iwagakure had watched Akira Sarutobi perform the Summoning Jutsu time and again, making the connection more direct. Shikaku, on the other hand, had mostly only seen or heard the intelligence reports and had not seen Hiruzen perform the summoning himself, so his attention wasn't focused there.
Furthermore, Akira Sarutobi was just a chunin, and repeatedly using the Summoning Jutsu was a huge drain on chakra, which was why it sparked Shikaizumi Nara's suspicion. But for Hiruzen, summoning a few small monkeys for communication barely felt like a drain on his chakra at all.
This was why Shikaizumi Nara in Iwagakure was able to figure out the problem, while Shikaku Nara, analyzing intelligence back in Konoha, had not guessed the outcome.
The thought that his own clansman's misjudgment and repeated communication with the village had led to the Monkey Clan's extermination sent a chill through Shikaku's heart.
This time, their Nara clan had truly caused a disaster for the Sarutobi clan. Even if Hiruzen was reasonable and didn't hold it against them, what would the other members of the Sarutobi clan think?
Without the Monkey Clan, the strength of the Sarutobi clan members would be halved, at least. Originally, the individual strength of a Sarutobi member was on par with the disciples of the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans. But now, the Sarutobi clan could probably forget about rejoining those ranks.
Furthermore, they were accustomed to fighting alongside the monkeys. Could they even change their combat habits? Some of the more extreme members had trained in ninjutsu specifically designed to coordinate with the monkeys. Did they even have a chance to turn back?
As Shikaku had guessed, what was done was done. What kind of setback had Hiruzen not experienced? His teacher died in battle, his student died in battle, his grand-student died in battle—he had endured it all. What else could possibly strike him down?
Therefore, as the biggest victim of this incident, Hiruzen was the one who spoke to comfort Shikaku Nara. "Shikaku, this wasn't Shikaizumi's fault. It was my order to maintain timely communication with the village. Don't blame yourself. When Shikaizumi returns, you should talk to him properly as well. Don't let him dwell on it."
Hiruzen had no choice. The event had already occurred. Blaming Shikaizumi Nara now would only alienate their ally, the Nara clan. Hiruzen wouldn't be so foolish. At the same time, Hiruzen told himself that he must have a good talk with his own clansmen when he returned and tell them not to show any hatred towards Shikaizumi.
Danzō took it all in, sneering inwardly. 'Hiruzen is as hypocritical as ever. But the destruction of the Monkey Clan doesn't seem to be a good thing for me.'
Although the Monkey Clan supports Hiruzen, once I find a chance to get rid of him, given our relationship, wouldn't the Monkey Clan have to listen to my commands? Ishiro is weakening my future power base.
The Fourth Tsuchikage is too arrogant. Don't think I will tolerate your offense just because we are cooperating. It seems it's time to teach you a lesson.
While Danzō was fantasizing about his grand plan to unify the ninja world, Hiruzen and the others had thoroughly sorted things out. Everything the Konoha Chunin Exams delegation had encountered in Iwagakure was aimed at the Monkey Clan.
"The annihilation of the Monkey Clan is a foregone conclusion. Let's discuss how to respond to this matter," Hiruzen said.
"The Monkey Clan's settlement is no longer safe. Let's have Lord Enma move into the village to live," Tsunade suggested.
"Mm," Hiruzen nodded. That was his plan as well.
At this moment, Danzō forcefully interjected, "The Fourth Tsuchikage attacked our ally without provocation. We must make a strong response to this matter. Otherwise, who will dare to ally with us in the future?"
He had a point. Konoha, the former hegemon and still the recognized strongest hidden village, saying nothing while its ally was wiped out would have severe consequences and an incredibly negative impact.
When the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed back then, Konoha at least sent reinforcements. Although they didn't play a significant role, they still made an effort, and many elite Anbu died. Despite that, some smaller allied villages still broke away from Konoha over the years, such as the former Amegakure, and the current Kusagakure and Takigakure. The betrayal of these small villages was likely not unrelated to the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan.
Previously, the Uzumaki Clan represented the Land of Whirlpools, an allied nation. The relationship between the Monkey Clan and Konoha was clearly much closer; Enma even wore a Konoha forehead protector. The status of the Monkey Clan in Konoha was similar to the Inuzuka clan's ninken, the Hatake family's summoning dogs, or the Uchiha clan's ninja cats. They were all considered registered shinobi of the village.
If this matter was not handled well, it was hard to say whether these ninja beast clans would start having other ideas.
Tsunade had a headache. An all-out war with Iwagakure was impossible. If Konoha really did that, Kumo and Suna would probably die laughing, and even that oddball Kirigakure might not stay quiet. But if they did nothing, morale would crumble, and the ranks would become difficult to lead.
Koharu Utatane said, "How about we blame the culprits on Suna? We're planning to launch a surprise attack on Suna anyway, so this excuse is perfect."
Tsunade frowned. She didn't approve of this method of papering over the problem, but she had no better ideas, so she could only give her silent consent.
As for whether Konoha's high command could truly deceive the ninja beast clans with this lie, as long as Enma, one of their own, didn't speak out, they could probably cover it up. At that point, even if outsiders like Ishiro shouted the truth from the rooftops, the Konoha leadership would have a corresponding narrative.
It would just be necessary to ask Enma to endure the grievance.
Fortunately, Enma was now alone with nowhere else to go. A small matter like this should be easy to negotiate.
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