Chapter 265: The Attack
Chapter 265: The Attack
There were still two years before Konohamaru and the other children would graduate.
Many things were actually set in motion long in advance.
Asuma inviting Ino to the old Sarutobi family residence was his way of intending for her to become Konohamaru's supervising Jonin after his graduation.
This was all about personal connections and social obligations.
The friendship between the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and the Sarutobi clan needed to be passed down. How? The relationship between Asuma and the three of them, and the relationship between Ino's generation and the next Sarutobi generation, would serve as the connecting bond.
In the original timeline, it was because the sixteenth generation Ino-Shika-Cho hadn't matured enough that Ebisu, as a private tutor, stepped up.
In reality, someone like Ebisu, with little family background and a ninja rank only up to Special Jonin, was clearly not qualified enough.
Their bond as a tutor and student aside, having a Special Jonin lead Konohamaru's team was already somewhat demeaning for Konohamaru.
The future heir of the Sarutobi clan, the direct grandson of the Third Hokage, and the village assigns only a Special Jonin to lead his team? What a joke.
If there were no other options, it would be one thing, but now Ino had risen meteorically. Regrettably, Ebisu could only step aside.
With Ino's abilities, she wouldn't even need to go through the Special Jonin rank; promotion to Jonin within two years was entirely possible.
The Sarutobi clan's three thousand ninja was just a meme, but it had to be said that their clan had many ninja and a traditional friendship with the Ino-Shika-Cho. It would be a natural progression for Ino to lead Konohamaru, Moegi, and the others.
Konohamaru and the others didn't know about this yet, but the Sarutobi clan elders had already discussed it with Inoichi and Shikaku.
Ino of the sixteenth generation Ino-Shika-Cho would lead Konohamaru's team. Shikamaru would wait a few years and, in the future, lead Asuma's son or daughter. When Konohamaru, Moegi, and the others matured, they would then lead the seventeenth generation Ino-Shika-Cho, and so on, cyclically. Faced with such a clan alliance, it wouldn't matter who became Hokage; they certainly wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
During lunch, Konohamaru excitedly talked about the Rasengan, implying he wanted to learn it. Ino said he was still too young, and his chakra pathways were relatively fragile. If he was interested, she would teach him the ninjutsu in a couple of years.
The Sarutobi clan was very generous, gifting her a learning scroll for the A-rank ninjutsu "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
It involved eight hand seals, after which thousands of shuriken shadow clones would be thrown forward.
This jutsu had only one use for Ino: saving money!
Danzo assigned the mission to his subordinates and then began to wait.
After two days, Fu Yamanaka came to report. Many elders of the Hyuga main family rarely left their homes, and their old residence was heavily guarded. Under the strict surveillance of the Byakugan, outsiders simply couldn't infiltrate.
The clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, was extremely powerful; they couldn't defeat him.
Hyuga Hanabi was escorted by a group of people to and from school every day. Konoha Academy was too close to the Hokage's office; if they made a move there, Jiraiya could be summoned within two minutes.
Logically, Hyuga Hinata would be a good target, but unfortunately, Ino had been sticking close to Hinata these past few days.
Figures like Kakashi and Asuma would also occasionally appear nearby, leaving no opportunity to strike.
Once an attempt was made, the commotion would definitely be significant.
If Root was capable of forcibly killing someone and safely retreating under such circumstances, then they might as well go assassinate the Hokage.
Danzo had a splitting headache. If only he had the Mangekyo Sharingan!
He was, after all, a Konoha ninja and couldn't engage in large-scale combat within the village.
Several viable targets for surprise attacks were unreachable for various reasons.
What to do?
His eccentric way of thinking soon led him to the Byakugan that had been lost in Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village).
Within the village, his hands were tied, but outside, there would be far fewer scruples when making a move.
The relationship between the two great ninja villages? That was completely outside his consideration.
Danzo possessed a wealth of information and had spies in various countries. He quickly used some connections to create an opportunity.
Two elders from the Land of Water originally intended to form a marriage alliance. Danzo helped them remove obstacles from the shadows. The two families, delighted, prepared for the marriage. To guard against potential spoilers, they submitted a mission request to Kirigakure.
Kirigakure didn't interact with the outside world, but they still undertook missions within their sphere of influence.
Missions involving prevention and reconnaissance of potential enemies were usually handled by the sensory team. The 360-degree, blind-spot-free Byakugan was very useful. Ao himself was an elite Jonin of Kirigakure and an important subordinate of the Fifth Mizukage. His status and abilities made him suitable for attending such an important wedding banquet. Without much thought, he accepted the mission with a small team.
Upon receiving this news, Danzo immediately dispatched Torune Aburame to handle the "recovery" of the Byakugan.
Jiraiya was watching him closely, so he couldn't leave the village himself. Plus, his Hashirama cells had just stabilized, making it impossible for him to fight.
Fu Yamanaka was also too conspicuous. If such a Jonin suddenly disappeared, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
Torune Aburame, who usually had a low presence, was perfect.
His nano-sized poisonous insects killed silently, making him the best candidate for assassination missions.
The Aburame clan was currently distancing itself from Danzo. This had nothing to do with Torune personally; he was still loyal to Danzo. Upon receiving the order, he immediately led a team out of the village.
Seeing Torune leave the village with two squads, a total of nine ninja, Ino roughly guessed their target. She immediately left a shadow clone in the village, changed into Deidara's attire, and secretly followed them out.
The two high-ranking officials from the Land of Water held their wedding ceremony in their respective castles.
The venue was filled with guests. Besides hiring Kirigakure ninja, the two officials also had a considerable number of samurai and soldiers, all of whom were patrolling outside.
Danzo could usually seal the Sharingan on his arm, making its secrets invisible even to the Byakugan; he was quite skilled in sealing techniques.
Torune Aburame didn't rashly charge in to "recover" it. They used a sealing cloth that concealed their presence and obstructed the Byakugan's vision to sneak into the venue. They successively poisoned three Kirigakure ninja, after which the nine of them launched a sudden, coordinated attack on Ao.
They sealed off Ao's escape routes. Their kunai were all coated with a deadly poison that killed on contact, aiming for a one-hit kill.
To prevent Ao from destroying the Byakugan at a critical moment, they also prepared a large number of sealing tags.
"Who are you? Are you after me?"
Root ninja, killing so aggressively in Kirigakure territory, would naturally not wear Konoha headbands. Ao couldn't immediately identify the origin of these nine ninja.
He ignored the ordinary guests at the scene and quickly formed hand seals: "Water Release: Water Surge!"
The torrent of water expelled from his throat repelled the Root ninja. Torune, worried that his nano-insects might damage the Byakugan, braved the water current and launched a flying kick, engaging Ao in a deadly taijutsu battle.
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