Western Front Main Camp.
A thick-faced ninja passed by the restroom and was drawn to a small piece of paper taped onto a nearby tree.
But before he could even take a good look, a scar-faced ninja suddenly jumped out.
"Alas! Konoha is doomed!"
The thick-faced ninja looked confused. "Huh?"
The scar-faced ninja casually slung his arm around the other's shoulder. "Brother, you probably haven't heard yet, right? Our backbone here on the Western Front—Danzo himself, our wise and brilliant leader—is sick!"
"I—"
"Well of course you wouldn't know. Danzo specifically told those close to him not to spread the word, worried about unsettling the troops. But I stumbled onto this secret by accident—I just gotta vent a little, for Master Danzo's sake."
"I—"
"Don't say anything. He's always put duty first, never indulging in pleasures of the flesh, and he's physically strong. So how could he suddenly fall ill? It was all because of that Seiki Shimaseki kid. That brat thinks he's untouchable just because Lord Hokage supports him—he doesn't respect Elder Danzo at all."
"Danzo simply reminded him to prioritize his mission, but then... that punk started insulting his seniors without regard for rank or seniority, making Danzo so angry he spat out over twenty pounds of blood on the spot!"
"T-Twenty... pounds?"
"Well, maybe I got the number wrong, but anyway—it was a lot. Poor Danzo has bled for this village his whole life, and now in his old age he still has to suffer like this!"
At that moment, an enthusiastic citizen who preferred to remain unnamed happened to walk past.
"You think that's all? Hmph! Danzo had already reached an agreement with Sunagakure. Using this rescue operation as a reason, Suna was officially going to send troops to join the battlefield against Iwagakure!"
With rising anger, the enthusiastic citizen declared, "But that plan was ruined completely by Seiki Shimaseki, this short-sighted fool! How could someone like him be called Light of Konoha? A hero of Konoha?"
At this point, the thick-faced ninja sighed helplessly, saying, "Fox and Weasel? So this is what you look like under your masks after all!"
The two stared in shock. "You're Leopard?!"
The three shared an awkward laugh before immediately moving on to find other passersby.
Somewhere along the way, rumors had begun spreading through Konoha's camp.
Seiki Shimaseki acted recklessly, causing Elder Danzo's carefully laid plans to fail, and possibly endangering the entire Western Front campaign.
Pushed forward by certain individuals, instead of fading away, the rumor seemed to grow stronger every day.
By the time Seiki Shimaseki and Sunagakure's special envoy Pakura returned, many people were already whispering behind their backs.
"Did you hear? Jonin Seiki Shimaseki refused to be Elder Danzo's personal physician for his 'delicate condition,' making him so angry he vomited one hundred kilograms of blood!"
"Eh? Wasn't it something about them fighting each other over Lord Hokage's favor?"
"No, no—that's not right. Actually, Elder Danzo wanted to compete with Lord Hokage for Seiki Shimaseki, but became heartbroken when rejected, which made him spit up blood."
Seiki scowled as he listened. "That bastard Danzo sure knows how to play dirty. He's ruthless enough to bash himself!"
Still, Seiki couldn't help but suspect the truth deep down.
Someone might have realized Danzo was targeting him—and deliberately steered these rumors elsewhere.
After all, rumors can't simply be blocked; better to drown them out with even nastier ones.
Seeing Pakura's strange expression, Seiki Shimaseki coughed twice. "Elder Danzo's mind has never been very stable."
On one side stood the old perv they've all heard about, while on the other was the good-looking young man who saved her life. Pakura made up her mind instantly and gave a sincere nod. "No wonder you've had it rough, Seiki."
Just then, several nurses hurried over.
"It really is Lord Seiki back! That's great news!"
"Lord Seiki, please help Lady Nonou! We heard she'll be transferred to conduct espionage missions!"
"That can't be right! How could they assign a Medical Ninja such a task!"
Seiki's expression cooled slightly. "I understand. Don't worry, leave everything to me."
Meanwhile, in the meeting room...
Danzō sat at the head of the table, looking visibly frail.
"What are your opinions regarding Amegakure's unusual activity?"
The pallor on his face? Half of it was fake; the other half came from genuine frustration with his underlings.
How did things spiral into him competing with that brat Seiki Shimaseki over Master Hiruzen's endorsement?
Hmph!
If anyone should be vying for recognition, it should be Hiruzen trying to win *his* support... Danzō abruptly stopped this dangerous train of thought and focused intently on the discussion.
"I think this is just Sanshouo Hanzo's usual tactic of raising prices on site—we don't need to worry too much."
"Battfield isn't a casino. How can we risk everyone's safety based on uncertain factors?"
"Then shall we just let Amegakure grow unchecked? Better to join forces with Iwagakure and wipe out Rain Country first."
"Don't be naive! Iwagakure will turn around and sell us out, forcing Rain Country entirely into their arms."
"Rain Country has always been indecisive. As long as they realize our side holds more power, they won't hesitate to switch sides. Therefore, the key lies in Sunagakure's position!"
Finally hearing what he wanted to hear, Danzō pretended to nod thoughtfully. "Exactly. I also believe the crux of this war lies in Sunagakure's stance."
An Akimichi jonin hesitated, "Still, convincing Sunagakure to abandon their defensive strategy won't be easy."
An Aburame jonin chimed in, "Right. Whoever gets Sunagakure to commit their forces would go down as a hero of Konoha!"
At this moment, Danzō exhaled deeply. "Actually, Kazekage-sama faces similar difficulties—he's young and struggles to command respect, unable to convince those Traditionalists in his village. That's why I've privately reached an understanding with him—using this poisoning incident as leverage, he'll enter the battlefield in exchange for military support."
His voice darkened here: "But all this was destroyed by a single person!"
Linking this to recent rumors circulating the camp, many jonin secretly became alert—so this was where Elder Danzō had been waiting for them!
Although reluctant to respond, naturally there were jonin supporting Danzō who spoke up.
"What?! Who dares do such a thing?"
Danzō's eyes darkened. "Who else could it be? None other than the so-called hero parachuted in from the other side!"
"Tearing into this battlefield and seizing Nonou's post right away, ignoring the elder's warnings and the larger strategic picture—all just for personal glory—he nearly shattered Konoha's alliance with Sunagakure and nullified the joint military plan!"
"That's unforgivable!"
A heavy silence settled over the room as several Jonin exchanged uneasy glances.
They didn't necessarily think Seiki's actions were so unforgivable. But if Elder Danzo's words were indeed true, then it really was somewhat problematic.
The key issue was that Seiki Shimaseki had only recently arrived at this battlefield, lacking solid foundations. And out of long-standing fear toward Danzo's domineering authority, none dared to speak up.
Fugaku clenched and unclenched his fists several times on the table, finally bowing his head in silent defeat. "I'm sorry..."
Just like before, their silence meant someone else would gladly break it.
"Pfft, you can never trust these brats these days!"
"Looks like all that praise from another front went straight to his head!"
"What's the point of talking about this now? We should focus on fixing the damage!"
Danzo rapped the table firmly. "To mend things, first Seiki Shimaseki must personally apologize to Sunagakure! As for what comes next, I'll handle it myself."
He didn't actually intend to eliminate Seiki Shimaseki through Sunagakure. If he truly wanted that, Hiruzen would definitely come after him furiously.
His true aim was to prove those rumors in front of everyone—that Seiki Shimaseki had harmed the village's interests. He wanted to strip away the hero image so he'd have an excuse to pressure and control him later.
"For the good of Konoha, some sacrifices are inevitable. I'm sure our hero won't let petty concerns like personal honor or shame get in the way."
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