Naruto: My Unique System

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.