Konoha 45, mid-December.

The two and a half year long Rain Country War finally came to an end with the signing of an armistice agreement between Konoha and Sunagakure.

The day after the armistice agreement was officially signed, the Sunagakure ninjas who had lost a large amount of strategic supplies had no choice but to withdraw from the Country of Rain and returned to the Country of Wind to recuperate.

Konoha also did not stay in the Land of Rain for long. Under the mobilization of Orochimaru, one of the three ninjas, the defense line quickly retracted back to the Land of Fire, leaving only 500 ninjas to defend the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

, the remaining nearly two thousand ninjas followed Orochimaru back to Konoha Village, ending their long war career.

Later in the same month, the Kumogakure ninjas took advantage of the country of Yu to invade the country of fire and officially declared war on Konoha.

The former Hokage Senju Tobirama's disciple Akimichi Takafu was the commander of Konoha, and he led three thousand Konoha ninjas to attack the Kumogakure ninjas on the border between the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Yu.

This news puzzled many strategists from other villages. Even many jounin within Konoha expressed doubts about the decision of the senior officials.

The person who made the biggest contribution to why the Rain Country War ended so quickly was undoubtedly Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.

Logically speaking, we should maintain this momentum of victory and let Orochimaru take command again to repel the Kumogakure ninjas stationed in Yuno Country.

However, the commander who led the Konoha ninja against the Kumogakure ninja was not Orochimaru, but Akimichi Tofu.

This is not to underestimate the strength of Akimichi Kabutu. As a disciple of the previous Hokage Senju Tobirama, he is from the same sect as the Third Hokage and other senior Konoha masters. He is also a secret ninja of the Akimichi clan, so his strength is naturally extraordinary.

With his reputation, strength, and political background behind him, there is no doubt that he is a ninja from the Naruto faction worthy of entrusting him with important tasks.

However, one thing that is criticized is that Akimichi Tofou is too old. He is already over fifty years old. No matter how you think about it, Orochimaru is young and energetic, and one of the candidates for the Fourth Hokage.

, more suitable to take his place.

No matter how suspicious outsiders may be, Konoha's top brass didn't reveal the slightest bit of news. People once wondered whether this was a conspiracy by Konoha's top brass, such as a secret change of commanders. On the surface, Akimichi Tofaze was the leader, but secretly, Orochimaru was secretly sent to

On the front line, Yunyin was caught off guard.

Kumogakure had to stop the offensive and wait and see Konoha to see if Orochimaru secretly came to the front line and changed the position of Akimichi Tifeng's leader.

◎

The land of grass.

The war between Konoha and Sunagakure in the Land of Rain is over, but the war between Konoha and Iwagakure in the Land of Grass is still in full swing.

In the dimly lit forest, Yamazaka Kaiichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza were moving forward quickly.

The three of them are the newly promoted young jounin of the Konoha Ninja Village, and they are all from the first-class secret arts ninja clan. The name of the three of them as "Inigura Butterfly" has gradually spread in the ninja world, and they have become the name of Konoha Ninja.

A leader of the younger generation.

"I didn't expect that the general who will deal with Kumogakure is not Orochimaru-sama. This is a bit unexpected, Shikaku."

Yamanaka Haiichi sighed.

In his mind, the battlefield facing Kumogakure on the other side should be led by Orochimaru, who defeated the Sunagakure ninja, rather than Akimichi Takafū, who is over fifty.

Although saying this is a bit disrespectful to the elder Akimichi Tifu, even if Akimichi Tifu defeats Kumogakure, his position in Konoha will no longer be promoted. Once he loses the war, his reputation will be ruined. No matter whether he wins or loses,

Taking wind from the autumn path is not a good thing.

On the contrary, the young Orochimaru needs this war even more to completely establish his position in the village and make final preparations to serve as the Fourth Hokage.

Therefore, Yamanaka Kaiichi could not understand the actions of the village's higher-ups, and it was obvious that letting Orochimaru deal with the Kumogakure ninja was the best strategy at the moment.

To be honest, Akimichi Tifeng will be a ninja for a few more years before he can retire and take care of himself. At this time, he really shouldn't be allowed to go out to fight against the Kumogakure ninjas, especially in such an important position as a commander.

"In short, there are pros and cons."

Shikaku sighed softly.

"Oh, what do you say?"

"Letting Lord Orochimaru fight against Kumogakure is indeed the best strategy, and it is also the choice that is most in line with Konoha's current overall interests. However, it is in line with the overall interests of the village, but it may not be in line with the interests of the village's top leaders. You must recognize these two

The difference between them.”

The people who control the general direction of the village are always the high-level Hokage, consultants and others.

This is the battle between old and new factions in Konoha.

Therefore, it is not incomprehensible that Orochimaru is not allowed to fight against Kumogakure ninjas and his reputation is cooled down for a while.

Haiyi and Ding Zuo were stunned, and then fell silent.

The Sannin became famous during the Second Ninja War, and Orochimaru was the best among them. Looking at every war Konoha has experienced in the past ten years, Orochimaru has gone to the most dangerous battlefields and front lines, large and small.

Having fought hundreds of battles, winning more and losing less, he is one of the few practical ninjas in Konoha who can hold the position of general.

The tactical style does not stick to conventional theories. Whatever can lead to victory, no matter how despicable and vicious the means, they will do whatever it takes, just to ensure Konoha's victory.

Therefore, the process will bring huge and indelible trauma to the surrounding countries, especially the small countries, but it will also establish the stability of the Fire Country and Konoha. In Shikaku's view, Orochimaru can be said to have made an indispensable contribution.

As for the trauma suffered by the small country, it is just a true portrayal of the ninja world and is not within the scope of Konoha's concern.

Anyone who can win victory for Konoha is a worthy hero of the Fire Nation and Konoha.

Especially in this battle with Sunagakure, Orochimaru harmed the interests of Raingakure and the Country of Rain, but restored Konoha's decline in one fell swoop and made a huge contribution to Konoha.

"Since ancient times, most transitions between old and new power have been accompanied by bloody political struggles. The Third Hokage has ruled Konoha for too long. For so long, something has become deeply ingrained, and someone must break it.

Only when there is a stalemate can Konoha introduce new vitality. The current village may seem prosperous, but in fact it has lost its indomitable spirit."

Shikaku said meaningfully.

What he said was not a baseless guess, but a conclusion based on the shared information obtained by the Nara clan, the Yamanaka clan, and the Akimichi clan.

As far as he knew, most of the important positions in Konoha now had more or less ninjas from the Sarutobi clan.

For example, take the minister and deputy minister of ANBU. Since the Third Hokage came to power, these two high-ranking positions have been held by ninjas from the Sarutobi clan.

Here comes the complicated question.

The next Hokage succeeds to the throne, and the Hokage, who is controlled by the Sarutobi clan, is directly under the ANBU. Should he listen to the words of the third generation Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, who is also a member of the Sarutobi clan, or the instructions of the fourth generation Hokage?

Although the above are all speculations, Lu Jiu is very worried that all of this will become true.

In his view, the positions of ANBU minister and deputy minister should not have any family characteristics and should be filled by civilian ninjas with outstanding abilities to prevent the monopoly of familialism.

"Shikaku, do you want to..."

Haiyi and Dingzao looked at Shikaku's back in surprise, and were slightly shaken, hearing what Shikaku meant.

As Shikaku's best friends since childhood, they knew very well that although Shikaku seemed to be a person who disliked trouble, he was by no means the kind of outstanding ninja who wanted to live a life of mediocrity.

His intelligence has been highlighted since the Chuunin era.

As close friends, the two of them can naturally feel the lofty political aspirations that Shikaku wants to show in his heart at this moment.

Shikaku has his own dream... no, let's say it is the ambition to truly show his ability in the big environment of the ninja world.

I want to join the new Hokage's camp and introduce new vitality to the village.

That would inevitably attract questioning and criticism from the Sarutobi clan.

"Don't worry, the family is the family, and I am me. I will recognize the boundaries between the two."

Lu Jiu turned around and smiled at the two of them, his face full of energetic confidence.

How could young people lose their ambition to move forward because of fear of failure?

As for recalling the past, that is what one should do in his old age.

In his later years, he ended up not having any glorious past to brag about, which is probably the most tragic thing.

"Shikaku, I thought you were always a troublesome person."

Haiyi sighed helplessly, with a smile on his face.

Ding Zao also smiled and said: "Yes, this is not your style at all, Shikaku."

"Even if you are a troublesome person, you still want to achieve something. There is no conflict in this. After all, we are still young. If we don't give it a try, how will we know whether we can succeed? If we succeed, we will not be able to walk when we are old.

, you will have bragging rights with your grandson."

Shikaku started to fantasize about such a scene.

If his grandson asks him, "What great things did grandpa do when he was young?", he will be very proud to repeat these deeds to his grandson over and over again.

If you think about it carefully, it's really a bit exciting.

"Really? It seems that the two of us have no way to quit. After all, the three of us have always advanced and retreated together. The family is the family, and we are us."

Haiyi and Ding Zuo looked at each other, nodded to each other, and made up their minds.

"Even if you want to quit by then, I won't let you go. Just be prepared."

Shikaku said with a smile.

"Of course. However, it will still be a few years before Lord Orochimaru takes up the position of the Fourth Hokage. It seems that we need to contact him in advance."

In the past, the three of them had only met Orochimaru a few times from afar, and basically had not spoken a few words.

Now in order to stir up a new trend in the village, it is necessary to get in touch with this genius among the three ninjas in advance.

Lu Jiu shook his head and said: "No, if my guess is correct, Lord Orochimaru should be strictly monitored by senior officials. Who will become the Fourth Hokage is now uncertain."

"how come?"
To be continued...