NIP Chapter 406 Friction at the Border
Chapter 406 Friction at the Border
Sometimes, Hiruzen Sarutobi would even miss that gloomy guy who would only say, "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand weakly. "But Danzo, look at your budget request. Do you know that to support your Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Agriculture has almost cut a lot of funding for research on new pig feed varieties?"
Danzo turned around, his expression serious.
"That was a necessary sacrifice. The road is the skeleton; without a strong skeleton, even the most succulent flesh is just a pile of mud. Besides..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "That guy, Hatake Sakumo, even without funding, he can raise pigs better than anyone else."
His words carried a hint of admiration.
"Knock knock".
A knock came at the door, this time much gentler.
Sakumo Hatake walked in.
Time seems to have been particularly kind to this White Fang of Konoha. Several years have passed, and his appearance has hardly changed. However, the murderous aura that once struck fear into the hearts of his enemies has long been concealed within him, replaced by a gentle and kind temperament, like the earth itself.
"Lord Hokage."
Sakumo first nodded slightly at Danzo's huge blueprint as a greeting, then turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and handed him a document and a small wooden box.
"This is the latest report from the Ministry of Agriculture. In collaboration with the Oil Women Clan, we have successfully cultivated the tenth generation of live earthworms, increasing soil improvement efficiency by seven percent. In addition, these are the first batches of highland sweet tomatoes successfully trial-planted this year. Please enjoy them."
Danzo frowned and glanced at Sakumo.
"you……"
"alright."
Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted the two men with a headache. This debate over infrastructure versus agriculture had become a daily occurrence in his office.
"I will read all your reports. Now, I need some quiet."
Danzo and Sakumo exchanged a glance, and finally left the office one after the other.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh of relief and opened the wooden box that Sakumo had brought.
Several crystal-clear tomatoes, like rubies, lay quietly inside, emitting a sweet aroma.
He picked one up, took a bite, and the sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth, instantly dispelling the exhaustion brought on by the fiscal deficit.
"Hmm...it's really good..."
Enjoying the sweet taste in his mouth for a moment, his fingers were already flying across the information terminal. On the screen, encrypted files were being retrieved one after another.
[Task ID: A-073]
[Execution Team: Akatsuki (Captain: Yahiko)]
Mission objective: Escort the Fire Kingdom delegation.
[Task Result: Perfectly Completed.]
A smile of satisfaction involuntarily appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips.
He then opened another one.
Mission ID: B-112
[Execution Team: Team 7 (Leading Jonin: Minato Namikaze)]
Mission objective: Eliminate a group of wandering ninjas entrenched on the eastern border of the Land of Fire.
[Mission Result: Success. Obito Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake's teamwork is becoming increasingly seamless, and Rin Nohara's medical ninjutsu provided a perfect guarantee for the mission.]
Everything is moving in the best possible direction.
At the same time, in a forest on the border of the Land of Fire.
A three-person team is moving quickly.
The young man at the head of the group had short orange hair and a resolute expression; it was none other than Yahiko from back then. He was now a highly trusted elite Jonin of Konoha, leading his own squad.
"Konan, Nagato, be aware of your surroundings. Intelligence reports that there are wandering ninjas robbing caravans in this area."
"clear."
The girl with blue-purple hair, Xiao Nan, nodded silently, and several paper butterflies flew from her fingertips, quietly blending into the forest background.
Bringing up the rear was the red-haired Nagato. His eyes were no longer the unsettling Rinnegan, but a pair of gentle black pupils. Time had shed his childlike silence, making him calm and reliable. He formed hand seals, and an invisible barrier of perception spread out from him.
They are the now-renowned Akatsuki team. No longer the terrifying organization that pursued a false peace in the original story, but one of Konoha's most reliable new generation of protective forces.
Suddenly, Nagato raised her head.
"Found them. There are seven streams of chakra two kilometers to the northeast. They are besieging a convoy."
"Let's do it!"
Yahiko gave the order without the slightest hesitation.
The three of them accelerated instantly, transforming into three afterimages and disappearing into the forest. For them, protecting this hard-won peace had long been an instinct etched into their very bones.
……
It was nearing dusk.
The Hokage's office.
After finishing the last document, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back wearily in his chair. He rubbed his temples and looked out the window at the village bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, peaceful and serene.
"Finally... another day has passed."
Looking at the home he had personally changed and built bit by bit, an indescribable sense of accomplishment and happiness enveloped his weary soul.
Just then, a figure appeared silently in the shadows of the office.
He is a Root ninja who wears a mask.
He knelt on one knee and presented a well-preserved scroll with both hands.
"Lord Hokage, encrypted intelligence from the Western Regions."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. He calmly took the scroll and opened it.
[Source: Wind-03, Earth-07]
The contents of the scroll are very simple, just a series of caravan movement records and a list of supplies.
[Intelligence: Recently, unusual activity has been observed among merchants along the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. Large quantities of strategic materials, including explosive tags, military rations, and medical supplies, are being secretly channeled towards the border. The scale... exceeds conventional war reserves.]
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly rolled up the scroll, his expression unchanged.
But the heart that had just been immersed in peace and joy began to sink little by little.
We've had peaceful days for far too long.
So long that he himself almost forgot that the essence of this world was still a jungle where the strong prey on the weak.
Are these unusual movements coincidences? Or... the prelude to some kind of probing?
He placed the cigarette roll on the table, just about to pick up his pipe and think of a solution.
hum-
A piercing low hum shattered the tranquility of the office.
In the corner of the desk, a red emergency communicator, long unused and covered with a thin layer of dust, suddenly lit up with an eerie light.
Those are communication lines that are only activated in the highest level of emergency.
"explain."
The next second, a voice filled with unprecedented solemnity and urgency rang out from the communicator.
"Hokage-sama!"
"The Sand Village and the Stone Village... are fighting in the west!"