Upon hearing Rasa's words, the entire coliseum erupted in an uproar.
"What is he saying? Kazekage-sama was killed?"
"Impossible! The Third Kazekage-sama is hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history. How could anyone kill him?"
"Rasa-dono, this must be a joke, right?"
The Third Hokage asked with a concerned expression: "Have you identified the culprit? Regardless of who killed the Kazekage-dono, Konoha will definitely provide the maximum possible assistance."
Rasa gave him a strange look and said solemnly: "Although it's not yet confirmed, we do have a suspect."
"Oh? Who might that be?" asked the Third Hokage.
"It is your village's Hokage Advisor, the one known as the Darkness of the Ninja World, Shimura Danzo." Rasa's tone was heavy.
"What, Danzo?" The Third Hokage was mentally shaken. He couldn't help but wonder internally, 'Could it really be him?'
Even though Danzo had absolutely no motive to do such a thing, it somehow felt strangely plausible when attributed to Danzo.
The Third Hokage very much wanted to refute this loudly, but he lacked the conviction: "Rasa-dono, could there be some misunderstanding?"
"We also hope it is a misunderstanding, so..." Rasa's voice was sincere, "...I would like to ask Hokage-dono to temporarily hand over that Danzo to us for questioning. If it is ultimately determined that we have wronged Advisor Danzo, we are willing to apologize to Advisor Danzo and your village to the greatest extent possible. I believe Hokage-dono also wishes to prove Konoha's innocence, correct?"
"Whoa, this is intense!" Even Setsuna in the arena couldn't help but get distracted. It was just a shame Danzo wasn't here, otherwise, he would definitely loudly urge Advisor Danzo to make a sacrifice for the greater good.
'We absolutely cannot hand Danzo over.' The Third Hokage first solidified this belief in his heart.
Even though he didn't know how many things Danzo had done behind his back, those things were certainly not meant to see the light of day.
The Third Hokage could only brace himself and say: "No matter what, Danzo is our Konoha's Hokage Advisor. Handing him over to your village for questioning is truly unreasonable. How about this: we will initiate an investigation into Danzo within Konoha. If he truly did kill the Kazekage-dono, we will absolutely not shield him."
Onoki, listening nearby, laughed out loud: "Hokage-dono, you must be joking? Letting you investigate yourselves? It would be a miracle if you actually produced any results."
Chiyo also pressed the attack: "If Danzo can assassinate the Kazekage-sama today, he can assassinate you, the Hokage-dono, tomorrow."
The Third Hokage's mouth twitched slightly, 'Why wait until tomorrow? Danzo had already made attempts on me before.'
It was only because he considered their past ties and the potential fallout that he hadn't punished Danzo.
As she spoke, Chiyo suddenly had a realization: "Could it be that the person who truly killed the Kazekage-sama is actually you, Hokage-dono? Danzo is just taking the blame for you, which is why you're unwilling to hand him over."
Rasa also followed up with understanding: "Kazekage-sama stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World. Indeed, only you, the Third Hokage-dono, hailed as the God of Ninja and the strongest Hokage in history, could possibly have killed the Kazekage-sama."
The Third Hokage felt like crying but had no tears, 'Wasn't that just something I shamelessly boasted during the turbulent times of the Second Great Ninja War to stabilize morale? Did you all actually believe it?'
The Third Hokage patiently explained: "It really wasn't us. Think about it: the Land of Fire is rich in resources, and we have always been the target of invasion, never the ones actively invading other countries. Not to mention your Land of Wind is impoverished. We have absolutely no reason to kill the Kazekage-dono. Wouldn't that just be handing you an excuse to invade?"
Rasa's face darkened: "Is Hokage-dono insulting us?"
Chiyo sneered: "Perhaps your Advisor Danzo thought the same thing. Then, making wild assumptions, he suspected the Kazekage-sama was planning to invade Konoha, so he preemptively assassinated the Kazekage-sama."
Onoki chose this moment to voice his opinion: "You two, there's no point talking to this tumor of the Ninja World. Just detain him here directly. If he refuses, we will formally declare war on Konoha."
The Third Hokage sighed. He understood now that this was fundamentally a conspiracy targeting Konoha. Unless they could find the true culprit who killed the Third Kazekage, nothing he said would matter.
The Third Hokage shouted loudly: "Minato, Choza, Shinku! The three of you, quickly take the children and escape Sunagakure. Return to Konoha!"
Minato was the exam team leader, while Akimichi Choza and Yuhi Shinku were the Jonin accompanying him.
Minato couldn't help but ask: "And what about you, Hokage-sama?"
The Third Hokage said gravely: "I am their target. I will stay behind to cover your retreat."
"Don't even think about escaping!" Rasa quickly ordered. "Intercept them with full force! Avenge Kazekage-sama!"
"You won't succeed!" The Third Hokage quickly bit his finger and formed hand seals. "Summoning Technique: Triple Rashomon!"
He wasn't using this Jutsu to defend against anything, but rather to destroy the coliseum, forcing Sunagakure to divert some of their strength to rescue the nobles.
Sure enough, the three Rashomon gates erupting from the ground instantly destroyed the terrain. Walls collapsed, and the cries of nobles were everywhere.
"You dare attack the nobility!" Rasa was both shocked and furious, "Conflicts between Ninja should not endanger our superiors! Even across national borders, this is a rule that should be observed, isn't it?"
The Third Hokage looked at Rasa as if he were an idiot. Although he had previously thought Sunagakure's status within the Land of Wind was somewhat lowly, he never expected this future Kazekage could be foolish to this extent.
He was about to be ambushed and killed, so why would he possibly care about the safety of those nobles now?
Besides, the Kage and the Daimyo should be equal partners. Considering the Daimyo was one thing, but having to consider those nobles as well?
Onoki also couldn't help but glance sideways. He thought Sunagakure hadn't evacuated people beforehand because they wanted a few nobles to die deliberately, the better to press charges against Konoha.
As it turned out, this future Kazekage was naively under the impression that the Third Hokage wouldn't dare to attack the nobility?
Thinking this, Onoki couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret, 'Was Sunagakure really reliable? Why did it feel like allying with Konoha to annex Sunagakure might be a better idea?'
But things had progressed to this point, so Onoki had no choice but to see this path through to the end.
"I am just a mediocre Tsuchikage, unlike you folks, with your 'strongest Hokage' and 'strongest Kazekage' titles thrown around so easily. So, could we have a direct confrontation? No evading?" Onoki extended his hands, aiming at the Third Hokage.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Cold sweat broke out on the Third Hokage's back. He knew full well the power of Dust Release. Of course, he wouldn't fall for Onoki's taunt and engage in a direct confrontation.
A transparent beam shot out. The Third Hokage dodged at his fastest speed.
Like an eraser, the beam simply 'wiped away' all traces along its path.
This astonishing attack made the already chaotic coliseum descend into even greater disorder. Cries and screams were everywhere.
Rasa hurriedly reminded him: "Tsuchikage-dono, please pay attention to what's behind the Hokage! You can't use Dust Release so recklessly!"
Onoki was filled with exasperation, 'Which side was this idiot on, anyway?'