After hearing Anya's plan, Sasori sank into the ground and vanished in an instant.
Using the Heavenly Transfer Technique, the intelligence was also sent to Hanzo. With no retreat left, he wisely arrived in no time. Anya had already prepared everything, and all that remained was to wait for the impending battle.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was abnormally tense. The alliance between Kirigakure and Kumo was expected, but Kirigakure's actions were completely baffling—they were practically going all in for Kumo without gaining a thing in return.
Moreover, Root members hidden inside Kumo had been discovered, and the truth about the Third Raikage's death had been exposed. Kumo and Iwagakure had officially declared a ceasefire, and the situation on the battlefield against Iwa had drastically turned for the worse. Team Minato and Night, deep behind enemy territory, had both lost contact with the village. Sunagakure was also showing signs of internal unrest. Konoha was facing its darkest hour.
Danzō stared coldly at the Third and said, "Hiruzen, this is the war you said the Third Battle would soon end? I think what's about to end is the entire Konoha village itself."
Ignoring Danzō's words, the Third sat with a troubled expression, going through the latest intelligence reports. He was deeply puzzled—how had everything gone off the rails so suddenly?
Faced with the Third's silence, Danzō finally lost his temper. He stepped forward and slammed his fist onto the Hokage's desk, his lone eye flashing with menace. "Back then…"
"Be quiet." Facing Danzō's provocation, the Third finally responded. His frail figure exuded a powerful aura, and flames seemed to burn in his eyes.
Startled by this rare display of authority, Danzō momentarily froze and shut his mouth.
"Konoha will not perish under my leadership. It is not just an organization to me. Every year, Konoha raises and trains many ninja who fight and even die to protect the things they cherish. I am no different. If war must come, then so be it—I will not back down or flinch. But you, Danzō… I know you are afraid, just like you were back then." The Third's words sliced through Danzō's mask like a sharp blade.
"You…" Danzō's chest heaved, and a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes. This was a wound deep in his heart. He had recalled that moment countless times. If only he had spoken first back then, perhaps the Second Hokage would have appointed him as the next Hokage.
"Without Konoha, your ideals are nothing but empty dreams. After the Third Battle, I will take full responsibility and step down from the Hokage position." Ignoring Danzō's anger, the Third continued on his own, "Now, hand over all the intelligence. I know your Root members are still lurking outside. I need to see just how bad the situation has become."
Hearing the Third's words, the anger deep within Danzō inexplicably eased, and he snorted coldly. "I'm glad you finally understand. The situation is far worse than you imagine."
Although Danzō had always secretly opposed the Third, he had always been measured when it came to matters concerning Konoha as a whole. Soon after, he handed over all the collected intelligence to the Third.
"What? Night, who had gone missing, is actually at the Hakuto Mountain Stronghold."
When the Third saw this intelligence report, he was greatly surprised. Then another report arrived that made his heart sink entirely — "Minato was ambushed by the Raikage and Tsuchikage together, his fate remains unknown."
The last piece of intelligence brought true despair: "Four-Nation Coalition, The Konoha Destruction Plan."
Hiruzen stared at the report with slightly trembling hands and asked, "Is this information confirmed accurate?"
"I had to mobilize nearly all my undercover agents, and the losses were unprecedented. Each name on that paper carries the blood of my agents. What do you think?" Danzo's heart was bleeding.
As one of the legendary ninja leaders, the Third quickly calmed himself. Since the situation had already deteriorated, the only thing that mattered now was to face it directly. "Have Red lead the village's young generation of ninja to hide and leave Konoha, heading to the old Senju Clan territory."
"Since they've formed an alliance, they'll inevitably launch a frontal assault, allowing their massive allied forces to spread out and leverage their numerical advantage." The Third looked at the map nearby, quickly locking onto a location. "Mount Hakuto — this will definitely be their first target after forming the alliance."
The Third's analysis astonishingly aligned with Anya's.
Watching the man before him, Danzo suddenly felt a vague, indescribable respect from deep within his heart. When he saw this intelligence report, his first reaction was fear. But Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately regained his composure and took action promptly. It seemed that maybe their teacher's choice back then was indeed correct.
Coming back to his senses, Danzo heard words he had yearned for in his dreams.
"I'll leave Konoha temporarily in your hands."
Realizing what was happening, Danzo responded, "You're going to Mount Hakuto?"
"Yes."
"No, you cannot go."
"Why not?" The Third said with great surprise. "Shouldn't this be good news for you if I die?"
Danzo remained unusually calm. "Mount Hakuto stronghold is important, but not as important as Konoha itself. As Hokage, you should remain at the last bastion. If you die prematurely at Mount Hakuto, Konoha will be finished."
The Third understood this perfectly, but if he didn't go himself, Tsunade and Night alone wouldn't be able to hold back the Four-Nation Coalition.
"Anyone can sacrifice themselves for the village. That includes Tsunade and Night as well." Danzo said coldly. "Furthermore, their deaths won't be in vain. With them holding the front line, our other battlefield forces will have time to reinforce for the final decisive battle in Konoha Village."
"Assign them their mission, Hiruzen."
The Third fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time.
Speed is the essence of war. The moment the four nations formally formed their alliance, the Kage leaders had already divided their responsibilities. The Tsuchikage and Raikage would first eliminate Konoha's shining hope — the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze — and then advance toward Konoha along the battlefield path previously opened through Grass Village by Iwagakure, serving as a surprise vanguard force.
Meanwhile, the Mizukage and Kazekage would jointly command the ninja coalition forces. Iwagakure deployed 7,000 ninja, Kirigakure 5,000, Kumogakure 6,000, and Sunagakure also 5,000 (with most of their numbers actually being Puppet). This combined force totaled an astonishing 23,000 ninja, forming the most powerful military force since the creation of the Ninja World.
Three days later.
The assembled army had set off toward Konoha's last line of defense — Mount Hakuto...
Tsunade, stationed at the Mount Hakuto Stronghold, had already learned of this news. Standing atop the mountain peak, watching the advancing army draw near slowly from afar, she felt icy coldness in her limbs and a wave of despair washed over her. She didn't even notice Anya appearing beside her.
"Scared?" Anya softly asked.
Tsunade glanced at him and asked, "What about you? Aren't you scared?"
Anya smiled faintly, "Not really."
Anya's calmness helped Tsunade relax a little, and many things became clear to her. "Did you know this beforehand? That's why you've stayed here all along?"
Anya admitted, "Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Tsunade asked in confusion.
"There's no use telling you. I wanted you to leave, but you wouldn't."
"Why won't you leave?"
"Since you're here, how could I leave?"
"Konoha's right behind me — I can't just leave either." Suddenly smiling, Tsunade gently embraced Anya and said, "Actually, I understand you very well. Someone who doesn't care about their own clan would care even less about the village. It just doesn't matter to you at all, right? So you could have left."
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