At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt like he had finally figured everything out.
The one secretly stirring up the other ninja villages to invade Konohagakure wasn't Danzo—it was Oonoki! That scheming old bastard!
Oonoki, however, didn't bother to deny it.
Even though he felt that Sarutobi Hiruzen was completely misunderstanding the situation, he saw no reason to explain. In fact, the angrier Sarutobi got, the more amused he felt.
The joys of old age are simple.
Doujin Artist: Pfft, Oonoki's grand plan?
Curly-haired Guy: Hahaha, Aizen must be laughing inside.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: How did the Third Hokage even come to that conclusion? That's way too far-fetched!
This is an Actor: Because after his conversation with A, he realized that Kumogakure hadn't invaded due to some secret deal with Danzo. That meant there had to be another mastermind behind everything.
Amegakure Village's Angel: And right at that moment, Oonoki appeared. Sarutobi Hiruzen saw that Oonoki had not only placed spies in Konohagakure but had also used Konohagakure's own spies in Iwagakure to spread false information.
Doujin Artist: So Sarutobi naturally assumed Oonoki was the true culprit?
Curly-haired Guy: Heh, this is what happens when someone gets too full of themselves! That old geezer totally had it coming.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: That's not entirely fair, Gin. We're seeing the whole situation from an outsider's perspective, so we know the mastermind behind everything is actually Aizen. But if we were in Sarutobi's position, we'd probably come to the same conclusion.
Doujin Artist: Exactly. If I were in the Naruto world, I wouldn't even think of suspecting Aizen—he's supposed to be dead. And honestly, Gin, I don't think you're smart enough to figure it out either!
Curly-haired Guy: So what? That doesn't stop me from looking down on that old man!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Ah, so you just plain don't like Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Why, though?
Curly-haired Guy: Meh, whatever. Just think of it as me complaining for no reason.
This is an Actor: It's because he's fake and indecisive, right?
Doujin Artist: Fake?
This is an Actor: He knew exactly what kind of dirty things Danzo was doing, yet he still chose to stay quiet and let it slide. That kind of attitude just let Danzo's ambitions grow even more. In the end, most of the terrible things that happened in Konohagakure started because of that.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: So the Third Hokage wasn't actually a good person? But in the original story, he seemed alright. He even sacrificed himself for the village.
This is an Actor: Sometimes, the line between good and bad isn't that clear. Compared to outright evil people, so-called good people who enable evil can be even more frustrating.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I see.
Saten Ruiko seemed to understand something and frowned as she started thinking.
Curly-haired Guy: Hey, hey, group leader. Are you still staying in character as Aizen? The way you're talking really has his vibe.
This is an Actor: Just a bit similar? Looks like I still have some work to do.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Lord Aizen is too humble.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Yeah, Lord Aizen is already amazing!
Konan glanced at Aizen before shifting her eyes back to the chat. She suddenly felt like Anzen-san and Aizen were really alike.
No, not just alike.
In some way, it was like they overlapped. But was it really just because Anzen-san was so good at playing the role of Aizen?
Konan narrowed her eyes, and a seed of doubt began to take root in her mind.
Hoshigaki Kisame took the chance to throw in his own opinion: If you could just be a little less scheming, you'd be even more like him.
This is an Actor: Oh? Do I really have that kind of personality, Kisame?
Are you seriously asking that?
At this moment, Hoshigaki Kisame really wanted to say something sarcastic.
But for the sake of his own life, he held back and typed with forced politeness: No, haha! I was just joking.
This is an Actor: Oh really? If you ever notice that I do have that kind of personality, make sure to let me know. I wouldn't want it to affect our group's friendship, understand?
Shark-Faced Guy: Y-yeah, got it.
Kisame twitched his mouth, looking completely helpless.
If he really pointed it out, he probably wouldn't live to see tomorrow's sunrise, right? A guy this ruthless, yet still pretending to be friendly.
This dude is seriously good at acting!
Watching their interaction, Konan raised an eyebrow slightly. Was Kisame actually scared of Anzen-san?
Curly-haired Guy: Konan-chan, you're still too young. That's not fear. This guy is just naturally submissive. That strong "bottom energy" of his really doesn't match his face, huh, Kisame?
Doujin Artist: True. With Kisame-san's looks, he totally gives off "top" vibes!
Shark-Faced Guy: ?
Kisame was completely lost. What were they even talking about?
The conversation had totally derailed. Konan didn't dig deeper and instead followed along: Don't judge people by their looks. Some people may look like a "top" on the outside but are actually a "bottom" inside.
Doujin Artist: Hmm… that's true.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Pfft! You guys are way too fast at going off-topic. How did we suddenly jump to this whole top-and-bottom discussion? And at a time like this, is this really what we should be talking about?
Without hesitation, Eriri pushed the blame away: It's all Gin's fault. He was the one who started it. This guy is just disgusting!
Curly-haired Guy: Bullshit! I was just making a random comment, I never told you to keep going with it! So the one who's really at fault is you, you brat!
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Here we go again, Gin and Eriri's usual routine.
This is an Actor: Arguing like this won't lead to anything.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Yeah, and it's pointless! You two, stop fighting!
This is an Actor: So, how about you just settle it with a fight?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: ?
Amegakure Village's Angel: ?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: ?
Ignoring the confused messages from the group members, Aizen shifted his focus back to the monitor in front of him.
It was clear that Konohagakure was in a dire situation.
In fact, it wasn't just Konohagakure. Even the Sand and Cloud ninjas who had stayed in the village weren't doing any better. After all, Oonoki had come fully prepared this time.
Thanks to the intel he had gathered beforehand, he had bypassed the front lines completely. Because of this, the elite ninja force he led hadn't suffered any damage. Meanwhile, the ninjas from Konohagakure, the Sand Village, and the Cloud Village had all just gone through a fierce battle and weren't in top shape.
With the balance shifting in his favor, Oonoki felt he had the absolute upper hand. His tone grew arrogant. "You have no chance of winning, Sarutobi, A. Surrender now! Bow your heads and admit your defeat!"
Swish, swish.
His answer came in the form of a black iron rod shooting forward and a fist crackling with bright blue lightning.
Whoosh.
Oonoki easily dodged Sarutobi Hiruzen and A's attacks with a quick side step.
But his face darkened, and he let out a cold snort. "Still resisting? Looks like you two have already accepted your fate!" As soon as he finished speaking, the Iwagakure ninjas under his command charged straight toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and A.
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