APTnovel Chapter 145 He'd been normal for so long he'd forgotten he was actually crazy.
Chapter 145 He'd been normal for so long he'd forgotten he was actually crazy.
He just didn't expect that some people would be so disgusting and shameless as to dare to harm ordinary people.
Naoto clenched his fists, veins bulging. He knew perfectly well who had done it, but still asked, "Who did it?"
"No identification was left behind. But someone witnessed their skills; they were definitely ninjas. And a headband from Iwagakure was found at the scene."
"Iwagakure?" Naoto almost laughed in anger at such a simple frame-up.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Then, he quickly dispatched a group of ninjas, heading straight for the Konoha camp.
To his surprise, when he arrived there, he found the camp deserted.
It turns out that the Konoha ninja had already returned to Konoha with Danzo, and they went back to fight for power.
For the first time, Naoto felt what anger was, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. If he could, if he had no reservations, he desperately wanted to lead his men into Konoha and wreak havoc. He could always have another big fight with them, but he couldn't now.
With the return of Konoha's elite ninjas and the recent victory, they are at their peak. A hasty attack could easily ignite another major war, and Takigakure cannot afford such a disruption.
Naoto stood silently in front of the empty camp for a long time, only clenching his fists in silence.
"Sir, what should we do?"
"Send people to the Land of Waterfalls to collect as much grain as possible. Gather all the supplies and prioritize supplying the Land of Rain."
"But sir, our reserves..."
Naoto interrupted him: "The Land of Rain needs it more than we do, but they can't come over right now."
The people of Taki no Kami are well-off. Although prices will soar in the coming months, they can still afford to consume. They can simply eat less and buy less.
The Land of Rain is different; without these supplies, many people can only wait to die.
"Hold on, hold on until this autumn, I hope the Land of Rain will have a bountiful harvest." Naoto silently prayed to himself, looking up at the east with a complicated expression.
"Konoha, this is what you call the magnanimity of a great power. We small countries have truly felt it!"
On that day, Heiji, the daimyo of Takigakure, issued a strongly worded statement condemning Konoha's roots.
However, Danzo's reaction was faster and more shameless than he had imagined.
Danzo Shimura publicly responded: "I withdrew from the border several days ago and returned to Konoha for discussions. This matter has nothing to do with Konoha, nor with me. Those atrocities were clearly committed by roaming bandits and wandering ninjas. If Takigakure cannot produce conclusive evidence, then it is slander and framing!"
Even more viciously, he added insult to injury: "The people led by bandits will always be bandits. Hanzo the Salamander's ambition to swallow up the Grass Country is blatantly obvious. If he dares to swallow the Grass Country today, he will dare to swallow the Waterfall Country tomorrow. Instead of shouting here, the Daimyo of the Waterfall Country should think carefully about when the knife of your 'ally' will fall on your own necks."
This move was undeniably ruthless.
Although everyone can see that these words are meant to sow discord, some things, once spoken, will be believed by others.
The smaller states and daimyo, who already harbored doubts about the three-nation alliance, were particularly vocal in their discussions.
"That makes sense. Hanzo the Salamander did indeed swallow the Land of Grass."
"The Land of Grass is an ally; if they can just swallow it up like that, who will be next?"
"The Kingdom of Waterfall is getting so close to him, they might get bitten by us one day!"
Rumors spread and people were unsettled.
Hanzo the Salamander remained silent throughout. He was not unaware of the destructive power of these words, but he knew even better that now was not the time to speak.
The Land of Rain needs time to recover. Its food supply, population, and economy cannot withstand another war.
He could only swallow his anger for the time being.
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and this matter should have just passed like this.
The three-nation alliance suffered a silent loss, Konoha gained an advantage and even acted innocent, and Shimura Danzo returned to Konoha satisfied to fight for power and profit, and everything seemed to have settled down.
Things began to change when a letter was brought to the far north by an inconspicuous small merchant.
Deep within the underground insect nest of the Snow Country.
Yu Nu Zhicheng was leaning over a microscope, holding a test tube in his hand.
The liquid in the test tube glowed faintly; this was his latest bred variety, whose main purpose was to cultivate a batch of high-protein carnivorous insects.
It was something he used in his spare time to provide nutrition for the ninja children under his command.
"Interesting..." he murmured, "The survival rate has increased to three percent. If we adjust the chakra concentration further..."
A soft flapping sound came from behind him. A messenger insect landed on his shoulder, its antennae trembling slightly, transmitting a message to his consciousness.
Aburame Shigeaki froze. He put down the test tube, slowly straightened up, and took off his rubber gloves.
"Good, very good!"
"Wouldn't it be better to just follow the script I wrote and end this conflict? Why do some people have to do such disgusting and thankless things?"
"Since you don't want to have fun, then I'll play along. Anyone can flip a table."
Aburame Shisei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, a coldness he had never felt before flashed across his compound eyes.
"Shimura Danzo." He uttered the name, his tone as calm as if he were describing the weather.
But beneath that calm, something was slowly awakening. He turned to look at the insects being cultivated on the lab table. Ancient viruses, gene samples, magical research—none of it mattered at that moment.
"I was hoping to stay here quietly for a few years," he muttered to himself. "Looks like someone doesn't want me to have any peace and quiet."
He raised his hand, and a rustling sound came from the depths of the insect hive. Countless insects surged in from all directions, converging into a black torrent, awaiting his command.
"I know, I know you've been hungry. Don't worry, you'll have a good meal soon."
After calming the swarm of insects, Yu Nu Zhicheng gathered them all into his sleeve. When he turned around again, he had changed into a black outfit, his hair had instantly turned black, and those long-lost sunglasses were back on his face.
Several days later, in the capital of the Land of Fire, overnight, all the homes of nobles, merchants, and wealthy families were emptied out, and everything, both people and goods, was looted.
It was as if an immortal had used their supreme divine power to make them vanish instantly.
That night, no one noticed anything unusual. The only difference was that many people slept very soundly and peacefully.
The daimyo and nobles of the most powerful nation had all vanished, causing an uproar throughout the ninja world. When the news reached Konoha, only one line of text remained at the daimyo's residence.
"It's best not to lower your bottom line, and don't make me lower my bottom line either."