Shimura Danzo.
The Darkness of the Ninja World from Konoha, leader of the Root. Renowned throughout the Ninja World for his superb Wind Release ninjutsu, this man was not only extremely powerful in combat but also top-tier in intellect and strategy.
Coupled with his ruthless methods and complete lack of moral bottom line, he was an exceptionally difficult enemy to deal with.
In fact, since the Third Great Ninja War began, several of Kirigakure's intelligence operatives had been lost to Danzo, including the Deputy Commander of Kirigakure's Anbu.
Currently, on Kirigakure Anbu's must-kill list, Danzo held an absolute lead over the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Uzumaki Kushina, and others.
He was only second to Minato Namikaze, who, during the previous landing operation, had single-handedly wiped out the entire family of the Anbu Commander-in-Chief.
It could be said he enjoyed extremely high 'popularity' within the Kirigakure's Anbu.
'If it really is Danzo plotting in the shadows, then the intelligence source for the higher-ups makes sense.'
Sora let out a soft sigh.
Speaking of Kirigakure and Konoha, they were truly the peerless geniuses of internal strife.
Kirigakure, pursuing survival of the fittest, essentially practiced raising 'gu insect' starting from the Ninja Academy.
From Genin to Jonin, the goal wasn't to stimulate potential and desperately defeat your opponent, but to use any means necessary to kill your opponent. It was a model of internal strife from the bottom to the top, involving the entire populace.
On the other hand, Konoha, which championed the Will of Fire, had pioneered a new path of internal strife. The grassroots Ninjas emphasized unity and camaraderie, but once one crossed the threshold to Elite Jonin, the style of the higher-ups became bizarre.
Killing one's teacher, father, mother, brothers, comrades, clansmen...
It emphasized the deeper the bond, the harder the strike. Especially since those involved in Konoha's internal strife were all high-ranking Ninjas, each a master among masters.
The losses caused by their actions were even more severe than those in the all-out internal strife of Kirigakure.
If not for this inherent tendency for internal conflict, Konoha, which possessed Kage-level powerhouses like the Third Hokage, Konoha's White Fang, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, the Sannin, Shimura Danzo, and Uchiha Fugaku, would have long since suppressed the other great Ninja Villages, leaving them unable to lift their heads.
'Danzo…'
'What skillful methods!'
'If Jiraiya dies, he clears a major obstacle on his path to becoming Hokage. If Jiraiya wins, he can use Jiraiya's hand to deplete Kirigakure's high-end combat power, which also benefits the overall situation.'
'Regardless of the outcome, Danzo only stands to win more or win less. Both Jiraiya and the Mizukage are just pawns on his chessboard…'
Sora pondered thoughtfully to himself. If all his speculations were true, then Danzo truly lived up to his title as the Darkness of the Ninja World.
'It's just a pity…'
'He's too weak!'
Sora gently stroked the light blue hilt of Hyorinmaru, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
Strategy?
Schemes?
This is the Naruto World!
Only fists are the ultimate truth!
…
Dusk.
Sunset descended.
Over a dozen ghostly figures, taking advantage of the lingering sunset glow, instantly shot out from the Kirigakure's camp and sped westwards towards the direction of the Konoha's encampment.
These were all elites of the Kirigakure's Anbu. Their mission was to infiltrate the Konoha's rear, disrupt Konoha's supply lines through sabotage and espionage, and cause chaos among the enemy.
They were all the cream of the crop among elites. In just a few minutes, they had rapidly moved far from the hilly area where the camp was located and entered a forested river valley region.
At this moment, a figure shimmering with a cold aura landed lightly on the branch of a towering ancient tree.
As his figure stopped, the dozen or so Anbu Ninjas behind him also halted immediately upon command.
"Proceed according to plan…"
"Disperse!"
Sora said coldly.
"Yes!"
"Frost-sama!"
Immediately, those Kirigakure's Anbu vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique like scattered blossoms, leaving behind only Sora and the Anbu's Seventh Team, which included Kurumi.
At this time, Sora and the four Anbu beside him were not wearing masks or standard Ninja's combat attire. Instead, they had changed into casual clothes typical of the Land of Fire.
After all, this mission involved infiltrating the Konoha rear to create chaos. It didn't make sense to infiltrate while wearing standard Anbu's combat gear.
"Heh…"
"The bastards from Intelligence and Combat Divisions are sending us Anbu to do odd jobs while they rush in to claim the credit themselves. It's really infuriating. Damn it, we're really being looked down upon!"
A lean man who looked to be under thirty years old couldn't help but complain after the other Anbu Ninjas had left.
Clearly, he was very dissatisfied with the Anbu's infiltration mission assignment, believing that he should be with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, confronting Jiraiya head-on and making his mark on the main battlefield.
"Matsunaga Yuzuki, are you questioning Sora-sama?"
The black-haired girl Kurumi placed her small hand on her sword hilt, staring intently at the young man who had voiced the complaint.
"Definitely not!"
The lean guy called Matsunaga Yuzuki, feeling the girl's murderous gaze, quickly shrunk his neck and backed down.
At that moment, Sora, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke with a smile, "Matsunaga, if your fighting spirit is so fervent, then I can give you a simpler task: go assassinate Jiraiya's student, Konoha's Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato. You can then fight him with all your might. Don't worry, even if Konoha's reinforcements come, we will do our utmost to hold them off for you."
As he spoke, Sora's somewhat amused gaze fell upon Matsunaga Yuzuki.
"My apologies!"
"Sora-sama!"
"I was wrong!"
Matsunaga Yuzuki raised his hands in surrender, "I shouldn't spout nonsense. If there's anyone in the village besides the Mizukage-sama who can match Namikaze Minato, it must be you, Sora-sama …"
As he spoke, the Seventh Anbu's team leader Matsunaga Yuzuki began buttering up Sora, deliberately changing the subject. He clearly had no desire to actually face the infamous Konoha Butcher.
Sora just chuckled lightly and didn't pursue the matter further.
After all, the four people present were all his staunch loyalists, especially this Matsunaga Yuzuki, who had been Sora's own team leader when he first joined the Anbu.
The two shared the camaraderie of comrades-in-arms on the battlefield, and thus had a deep bond.
However, Sora's talent was clearly far superior to this team leader. After a few years, Sora had become an Anbu Captain himself, his status and strength far surpassing that of his old comrade.
A few hours later, the group bypassed several Konoha's Ninja Checkpoints and soon arrived near a remote town.
"Tengen Town…"
In the shadows of the distant forest, Sora put away the map in his hand. He lifted his gaze to look at the town several kilometers away.
If the intelligence was not wrong, then this town concealed a military supply line for the Konoha's Ninjas. If they could destroy it, it would certainly greatly damage the morale on Konoha's side.