154: Chapter 154 Konoha's Internal StrifeThe harbor was quiet in the early morning when the cries of newsboys broke the silence.
"Newspapers for sale!Newspapers for sale!The Konoha Elders have dispatched assassins to attack Tanabata Street, causing civilian casualties!"
Exclusive report!Irrefutable evidence!
People stopped to buy the items, and the front page of the "Wave Country Morning News" featured a headline in bold: "The Konoha Elders' Terrorist Acts: A Complete Record of the Tanzaku Street Massacre."
The report was accompanied by a clear black-and-white photo showing several black-robed ninjas wearing pure white masks approaching in the same direction with their backs to the flames of the exploding tags, against a backdrop of burning shops and fleeing civilians.
The photo was followed by a chain of evidence collected by Aburame Torune, confirming the identity of the assassin's body as a registered member of Konoha's Anbu.
While the newspaper was being sold in the Land of Waves, it was also quickly delivered to various villages and towns around Konoha by the merchant guild's intelligence system, completely igniting public opinion.
Inside Konoha, things were in an uproar.
Hundreds of people have gathered in front of the Hokage Building.
Most of them were civilians, but there were also quite a few genin and chunin.
They held up simple signs with the following written in charcoal:
We demand the truth!
"A ninja's sword should not be pointed at civilians!"
"Severely punish the masterminds behind the Tanzaku Street incident!"
The sounds were initially somewhat chaotic, but they quickly coalesced into a unified shout, one wave higher than the next, causing the doors and windows of the Hokage Building to vibrate and hum amidst the shouts.
Inside the building, Jiraiya sat in the Hokage chair, his hands clasped together and pressed against his forehead.
His face looked even more haggard than a few days ago, and his eyes were covered in dark circles.
"Did you see that?"
Koharu, her back to him, looked downstairs and said in a stubborn voice, "See?This is Naruto Uzumaki's method.He doesn't confront us directly; he uses public opinion, he uses this.underhanded method!"
"Despicable?"
Jiraiya looked up, and for the first time, the old man in front of him seemed like a stranger."Sending assassins to launch indiscriminate attacks in busy streets, disregarding the lives of civilians, Elder Koharu, tell me, what is this called?"
Koharu Utatane whirled around, her wrinkles etched with rage."That was a necessary sacrifice!It was to prevent an even greater catastrophe!If Apocalypse Academy had been built, if Naruto Uzumaki's ambitions had been fulfilled, far more than just those few dozen civilians from Tanabata Street would have died!"
"What a necessary sacrifice."
Jiraiya slowly stood up.He rarely spoke to elders in this tone, and at this moment, his gaze made Koharu Utatane involuntarily take a half step back.
"During the Nine-Tails' rampage, Minato and his wife sacrificed themselves to seal the Nine-Tails, protecting everyone in Konoha, including civilians."
"Now, the necessary sacrifices you speak of—sacrificing civilians, and what are you protecting?The authority of the elders?Or the selfish motives of certain individuals?"
The elders standing nearby exchanged glances, and some tried to speak up in defense, but Jiraiya stopped them with a gesture.
"Konoha must give an explanation to the outside world regarding this matter."
Jiraiya sat down again, his voice weary yet unusually firm, "Anbu, from now on, conduct a full investigation into the source of all instructions related to the Tanabata incident.All personnel involved, regardless of rank, shall be suspended from their duties pending investigation."
He looked at Koharu Utatane: "The Elders must fully cooperate with the investigation.Before the truth comes out, any action orders must be approved by both the Hokage's office and myself."
"What are you doing."
"This is the Hokage's order."
Jiraiya interrupted her, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes disappearing."If you all feel I am not worthy of this position, you may initiate impeachment proceedings.But until then, Konoha is in my hands."
————
Behind the Chamber of Commerce construction site.
Naruto sat atop the mountain, overlooking the gradually taking shape of the buildings before him, with Samui quietly leaning against him.
"President, the Morning Post has been distributed as planned."
Hibari, dressed in a smart black trench coat, walked around and said, "Things are in a lot of chaos in Konoha right now."
Naruto took the scroll from Hibari and quickly scanned it.
"Jiraiya-senpai was quite decisive this time."
Yun Que nodded."He has taken full control of the investigation, and the council of elders has been temporarily sidelined."
"However, our people in Konoha have sent word that Koharu Utatane contacted several Konoha clan heads privately after the meeting."
"She probably won't give up easily," Lark analyzed.
Naruto handed the scroll back to Hibari, saying, "Let her make a scene.The bigger the scene, the more thoroughly the corruption within Konoha will be exposed, which is actually a good thing for us."
His gaze swept across the bustling port and landed on a red-haired figure walking slowly down a distant street.
Today was the first time Nagato left the hospital alone.
He was wearing a simple gray robe, and his pale face seemed to have regained some color.
Walking on the main road of the Land of Waves, he felt somewhat dazed.
Shops lined both sides of the street, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares rose and fell.
The fruit and vegetable stalls were piled high with fresh fruits and vegetables that had just been transported from the land of rice paddies, and the fishmongers were efficiently processing the seafood they had caught that morning.
Children chased and played on the street corner, their laughter ringing out.
He saw several people who were clearly dressed as ninjas, haggling with the merchant.
In the Land of Rain, there is an invisible chasm between ninjas and commoners.
Ninjas represent war, death, and an insurmountable power gap.
When ordinary people see a ninja, they will lower their heads, give way, and hide the fear in their eyes.
A child was running too fast with a ball in his arms and bumped into a long leg, landing on his bottom first, while the ball rolled to the side of the road.
Nagato took a half step back, a habit she had developed over many years to avoid unnecessary contact with civilians.
"Excuse me!"
The child got up, dusted off his pants, and asked, "Uncle, are you alright?"
Nagato was stunned.
In the Land of Rain, the children call him Lord Payne with awe and fear.
They never met his gaze, and their hands were always trembling behind their backs.
"No, it's nothing."
Nagato bent down and picked up the ball.Hand it to the child.
The woman across the street who was selecting vegetables looked up and smiled and nodded at Nagato.
Nagato stood still in the middle of the street, letting the crowd flow past her.
The sunlight was a bit too bright, so he raised his hand to shield his forehead and looked at the azure sky through his fingers.
————
Meanwhile, in the crevices of the rocks outside Iwagakure Village.
Obito has been squatting here for five days and four nights.
On the afternoon of the first day, a sudden downpour occurred.
He had originally chosen a very secluded tree hole, but the tree had been in disrepair for many years, and the hole was filled with three inches of rainwater.
Obito soaked in cold water for three hours until the rain stopped.
The next day, the Cloud Hidden Patrol Team suddenly launched a thorough search of the surrounding area, and he played hide-and-seek with them all day.
On the third day at noon, while on surveillance, his stomach growled with hunger.He took out a soldier's ration pill and put it in his mouth, but the pill seemed to have gotten damp, and it made him feel unwell all over.
On the fourth night, a lynx that appeared out of nowhere took a liking to the bushes he was using as cover and insisted on defecating next to him.
Obito couldn't move and could only watch helplessly as the cat, perched up a few centimeters to his left, completed a long process of defecating.
An indescribable odor filled the air.
Obito's face beneath the mask was twisted into a pretzel shape.
"What.am I doing."
He muttered to himself, filled with self-doubt.
Sasuke's mocking face flashed through my mind once again.
"No.we can't give up."
He gritted his teeth, mustered his spirits, and stared intently through the gaps in the leaves at the mansion shrouded in a barrier.
Hard work pays off.
A turning point has finally arrived.
The back door of Killer Bee's mansion opened, and two guards accompanied Killer Bee toward the mansion's toilet.
Because it was within the barrier's range and only fifty meters from the main house, only two people followed this time, and the guard was obviously much looser.
For several days in a row, there was no danger.The other guards stood at the door chatting idly, and some even took out cigarettes and lit them.
Chance!
Obito's heart began to beat faster.
He didn't squat for nothing during those five days.
Through observation, he has identified several weak points in the barrier, one of which is above the toilet building, where there is a reserved ventilation opening, which can also be used to transmit small items to the outside world.
As long as the potion is shot through that gap and hits Killer Bee.
Obito calculated the distance and the timing.
His muscles were tense, ready to strike.
Right now.
He leaped out of his hiding place with such speed that he left a trail of afterimages in the air.
With a few leaps, they covered a distance of several hundred meters and arrived at the edge of the barrier.
The guards outside were completely unaware.
Obito squatted on a tree, took out the potion, took out a homemade flute, and aimed at the tiny gap in the barrier.
Five years.He had never been this nervous since Lin died.
He didn't act like this even when facing Minato Namikaze or Jiraiya the Sage.
"Calm down.Obito Uchiha, you can do it."
He took a deep breath, his chakra gathering in his throat.
Just as he was taking a breath and his cheeks began to puff out.
"Hey!You in the tree!What are you doing!"
A loud shout came from below.
Obito froze, looking down.
A Cloud Village ninja was standing under a tree, looking up at him, holding a half-eaten apple in his hand.It seemed that a patrol team from the surrounding area had sneaked into the woods to eat snacks.
The two locked eyes.
The atmosphere froze for a few seconds.
"Enemy attack!" The Cloud Village ninja reacted with a start, threw down the apple, and began to shout at the top of his lungs.
The ninjas nearby immediately went on alert, and several lightning balls were quickly launched at the tree.
Obito cursed inwardly.
But he had no other choice.
Kamui activated, his body became ethereal, and the lightning ball pierced through him, striking the tree.
At the same time, the figure reappeared and forcefully blew out the syringe.
The syringe transformed into a wisp of black thread and shot towards the gap in the barrier.
It was a success!
Obito was overjoyed, but the next second, the expression on his face froze.
The moment the blow needle pierced through the gap in the barrier, bursts of lightning shot out from within, illuminating the area with blinding brilliance!
Sizzle!
The potion was struck by lightning and exploded into a cloud of black smoke in mid-air.
At the same time, the piercing sound of horns echoed throughout the entire courtyard.
"Enemy attack!All personnel on alert!"
"Protect Lord Killer Bee!"
The guards instantly went into battle mode, the toilet door was flung open, and Killer Bee rushed out, protected by two guards.
Obito stood on the tree, his face blank beneath the mask.
He.got tricked again?
That gap in the barrier.was it bait?Was it intentional?
"Still up in the tree!"
The Cloud Village ninja below had already summoned their companions, and more than a dozen ninjas surrounded them from all directions.
Obito looked at the empty flute in his hand, then at the Cloud Village ninjas standing ready below and Killer Bee unharmed, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
He squatted there like a fool for five days.
He ate the moldy soldier's rations.
He smelled cat poop.
He was soaked in the rain and mud.
he...
Just for this?
"ah!
Obito looked up at the sky and let out a roar of exhaustion.
Then, he activated Kamui and disappeared into the vortex-like spacetime before countless ninjutsu could strike him.
The cliff returned to calm, leaving only a mess and the group of Cloud Village ninjas looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Who was that just now?"
"I don't know, please report to Lord Raikage."
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