章 72: Chapter 72: Sakumo's Training Notes
In the deep spring and shallow summer, just as the ninja world fell into the illusion of peace again, even when prices began to fall, a piece of news, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirred up waves.
The son and daughter-in-law of Chiyo, the advisor of Hidden Sand Village, were murdered around the national border. That night, a streak of white light cut through the night sky at the border of the Wind and Fire countries, illuminating the night as bright as day and then disappearing without a trace.
Actually, it's not accurate to say it's the border of the Wind and Fire countries; more precisely, it should be the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain. Both of these countries serve as buffers for the Wind and Fire countries, but people tend to subconsciously overlook these smaller nations.
Despite the deployment of dozens of elite forces from Hidden Sand Village, even with a thousand miles of investigation, they only discovered the identity of the culprit.
It was Sakumo Hatake, the ANBU Ninja from Konoha Hidden Village, and the guardian of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Subsequently, within an extremely short period, Hidden Sand Village issued three consecutive diplomatic statements - protest, condemnation, and a demand to hand over the murderer. However, before Konoha could respond, a deluge of more diplomatic statements arrived.
Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning, Kirigakure Village in the Land of Water, and Iwagakure Village in the Land of Earth all condemned Konoha for dispatching ninjas to assassinate their elite forces. Surprisingly, the perpetrator was the same person.
Overnight, Sakumo Hatake became the most talked-about ninja in the ninja world. Due to the unusual events on the night of the assassination of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, Sakumo Hatake even acquired a nickname - Konoha's White Fang.
As numerous individuals criticized Konoha's White Fang Sakumo Hatake for unjustly taking lives, and as the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed intent on provoking war, Konoha Village also issued a diplomatic statement.
They directly sent the truths and intelligence about the investigation conducted by Sakumo Hatake, Jiraiya, and other Jonin in the village regarding the Land of Whirlpools to the Daimyo and Kage of the other four major nations. The individuals assassinated by Sakumo Hatake happened to be the officials responsible for the incident in the Land of Whirlpools that led to its destruction.
Once this statement was issued, Hidden Cloud Village, Kirigakure Village, and Iwagakure Village, who had been loudly protesting alongside Hidden Sand Village, instantly fell silent. It seemed as if they had never made a sound.
In fact, the justification provided by Konoha couldn't be considered strong. After all, the Land of Whirlpools was the one that got destroyed. While the Land of Fire was an ally of the Land of Whirlpools, the alliance agreement had expired the moment the Land of Whirlpools was annihilated.
In other words, regardless of what Konoha did, it was the independent action of Konoha and the Land of Fire itself. The Land of Whirlpools and Whirlpool Hidden Village could not serve as a valid reason or excuse.
The reason for the lack of response from the four major villages was simple. Any misstep in responding to this matter, not just by them but by anyone, could potentially harm the interests of their nations and villages.
This is because the economic sources of ninja villages mainly consist of two parts: one part is the allocation from the Daimyo, and the other part is commissions. These commissions come from individuals, the Daimyo, and also from other countries.
Especially for those small countries that lack the power to establish their own ninja village forces, they annually allocate a significant amount of their finances to hire major ninja villages for protection.
If the scandal of them annihilating other countries were to become widespread, they would lose the trust of these small nations, resulting in a loss of numerous commissioned tasks every year.
In reality, Konoha gave them quite a bit of face this time. The diplomatic statements were only directed at the five major nations, and they were not fully disclosed. Once these villages dared to stir up trouble, Konoha would not hesitate to make everything public.
At this moment, the wisest course of action was to stay silent, let this matter be forgotten, and continue earning money from these small nations. Every village didn't lack a few elite ninjas, and if some died, so be it.
Therefore, the three major villages all tacitly chose to forget about it, exchanging one or two elite ninjas for their profits in Whirlpool Hidden Village. It was a good deal!
Only the Hidden Sand Village refused to comply. After all, Chiyo's status within Hidden Sand Village was too high. Even though she had intentionally stepped back in recent years to make way for the Third Kazekage, nobody in the Hidden Sand Village dared to forget her.
So, in the face of Konoha's hints, the Hidden Sand Village simply ignored them. The elite ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village who were chasing Sakumo Hatake stationed themselves directly at the border of the Wind and Fire countries.
Moreover, there are reports that Chiyo has finally appeared in the Hidden Sand Village. The Third Kazekage has also dispatched reinforcements to the border one after another, clearly not intending to let this matter come to an end so easily.
In the Hokage Tower, the Third Hokage is in a meeting with several advisors. Sakumo Hatake, who just completed a mission and was praised as a hero by numerous people, is sitting outside the mission hall in a drowsy state.
He rushed thousands of miles, killed two elites from Hidden Sand Village, and then escaped back to the village amidst the pursuit of the elite forces from Hidden Sand Village. Honestly, all he wants to do right now is sleep.
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The moment he returned, he went to report, and then Sarutobi Hiruzen had a meeting with the advisors. The Jonin meeting is probably scheduled for later; he can't afford to be absent.
Right now, all he can do is find a corner to rest his eyes a bit, regain focus, so he doesn't fall asleep during the later meeting.
At the same time, Tatsuma, who has just completed a mission, arrived at the mission hall. He's here for the handover. Originally, Tsunade was supposed to handle these tasks, but as soon as the master and disciple entered the village, someone called Tsunade away.
However, the ninjas in the mission hall were not bureaucratic. They agreed to have Tatsuma, a Genin, handle the task handover. A few minutes later, Tatsuma, having received the completion receipt and payment for the mission, was about to leave.
But as he walked out of the mission hall, he noticed Sakumo Hatake not far away. Tatsuma approached slowly and asked, "Sakumo-sama?"
"Ah!"
Sakumo Hatake shuddered, and his right hand instinctively reached for the short knife hanging at his back. Seeing it was Tatsuma, he let out a sigh of relief, lowered his hand, forced a faint smile, and scrutinized him before asking, "Just finished a mission?"
"Yeah, a C-rank escort mission. Nothing too exciting."
"About the same for me, nothing too exciting."
Sakumo Hatake ran his hand through his hair, yawning. Tatsuma chuckled and said, "Sakumo-sama, I've heard about it. You probably don't even realize you've earned yourself the nickname 'Konoha's White Fang,' right?"
"Konoha's White Fang?"
Upon hearing this nickname, Sakumo Hatake seemed a bit puzzled. He had been on the move all this time, and he didn't have the time to find out if he had acquired some nickname.
Tatsuma nodded, casually sitting down next to Sakumo Hatake, and said, "Yes, they say that night you used a Chakra knife to cut through the darkness, creating a white light that illuminated the entire night sky, like a piercing white fang tearing through the darkness of the night."
"Ah."
Sakumo Hatake opened his mouth but didn't know how to react. Tatsuma leaned in a bit closer and whispered, "Sakumo-sama, be honest with me. Is it that you can't control the new Chakra knife well? That's why there was such a commotion during the assassination? With your skill, there's no reason to make such a big impact, right?"
"Cough, well, it's mainly, uh, yeah, it's something like that."
Sakumo Hatake's right hand seemed unable to stop, scratching his head, touching his nose, wiping his face. What he was saying didn't sound much like coherent speech.
However, Tatsuma flashed a brilliant smile. He felt he had guessed the truth, but when he saw Sakumo Hatake's slightly threatening gaze, his expression suddenly changed, and he said:
"Sakumo-sama, at the completion of the mission, using a flash as a signal to announce the end of the Land of Whirlpools incident, simultaneously showcasing the glory of our Konoha Village, intimidating the ninja world. It's truly admirable!"
"Hmm?"
Sakumo Hatake widened his eyes a bit, looking at Tatsuma's sudden change of demeanor. He pondered the reason Tatsuma had come up with for him. After a while, he also put on a smile, patted Tatsuma on the back of his neck, and said:
"Haha, understanding my intentions so well, you truly are a genius among the new generation in Konoha!"
Tatsuma could only smile along. However, his tone quickly changed, and he said, "But, Sakumo-senpai, the knife you gave me probably won't have many chances to be used."
"Why?"
Sakumo Hatake blinked, the consecutive late nights taking a toll on his mental sharpness. Tatsuma, somewhat melancholic, said, "You've earned such prestige with the Daimyo. If I were to use your knife, wouldn't it tarnish your reputation? Besides, being unskilled in swordsmanship, casually handling the short knife you gifted me might attract unwanted attention. If I were to die easily, it would stain your name even more."
Upon hearing this, Sakumo Hatake pursed his lips and said, "I didn't consider it thoroughly. However, I don't want you to treat my knife as a mere collectible. How about this? I'll share some techniques and experiences I've compiled with you. Ponder on them well. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. No need to be too formal."
"Really, Sakumo-sama?!"
"Would I lie?"
----
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