Kazuki said with some schadenfreude, "However, it seems that Sunagakure's internal affairs were not well coordinated, or perhaps they had internal strife, and Sasori and the Third Kazekage fought. For Sunagakure, this is definitely adding insult to injury."
Sunagakure was currently still in conflict with the Daimyo.
Although Sunagakure had some advantages, it wasn't much, but now, Sunagakure's situation might be a little different.
The Third Kazekage was known as the strongest Kazekage. Although Kazuki didn't know how much weight that title carried, he presumed his strength was quite good. Perhaps he was on the same level as the former Hiruzen. Perhaps Danzo at the beginning might not have been a match for the Third Kazekage.
As for Sasori, his strength was quite good. Even if the current Sasori hadn't reached Kage level, he was probably not far from it.
"You mean, it was Sasori who attacked the Third Kazekage?" Hiruzen asked, somewhat uncertain.
"Nine times out of ten, that's the case." Kazuki nodded slightly.
"The Third Kazekage's strength is quite good. Unless we personally make a move, there aren't many people who can kill him silently. But Sasori is different."
"Regardless of the relationship between the Third Kazekage and Chiyo's family, in many situations, the Third Kazekage would not guard against Sasori. And their family's research on poisons is indispensable. It is said that Sasori's research on poisons has surpassed his predecessors. Taking advantage of the Third Kazekage's inattention, poisoning him and eliminating him without anyone knowing is a very easy matter."
Hiruzen asked, "But why would Sasori want to kill the Third Kazekage?"
Hiruzen didn't doubt why Sasori could kill the Third Kazekage, but why would Sasori want to kill the Third Kazekage?
Kazuki glanced at Sakumo and asked with interest, "Perhaps their mindsets are different? After all, if the Third Kazekage hadn't rashly started the Second Great Ninja War, his parents wouldn't have died. Therefore, resenting the Third Kazekage seems like a very normal thing. If in this incident, the Third Kazekage only wanted to make some deals with Konoha, and not target Sakumo, what choice do you think Sasori would make?"
"Kill the Third Kazekage." Tobirama sneered.
As a politician and schemer, his mind worked faster than others'.
Actually, Kazuki himself couldn't have thought of these things. He was making deductions based on partial truths and some intelligence.
As for why Sasori would make such a choice, who would know besides Sasori?
Kazuki didn't think Sasori would reveal this matter.
Sakumo said with a grim expression, "If that's the case, then our spies will probably be in great danger."
If the Third Kazekage got the intelligence, it might not be a big deal, but Sasori was different, he was clearly targeting Sakumo. Then the greater Konoha's losses, the greater the punishment Sakumo would have to bear.
"There is indeed a possibility." Kazuki sighed softly.
"Let's deal with the aftermath as soon as possible. At the same time, prepare for war against the Land of Wind. Losses have to be borne by someone. As for Sasori, we can try to find him first."
"No matter what their goal is, since they have become our enemy, we will eliminate them."
To be fair, Kazuki actually admired Sasori. Sasori is a mechanical master, and if Sasori could be used by him, then the technological development of the Ninja World would progress at a visible rate.
But in the end, Sasori seemed unlikely to be used by him, unless Kazuki could resurrect his parents. Uh, it seems Kazuki could do such a thing. Resurrecting them would not be difficult for him.
It's just, why?
Keep in mind, they were all Konoha's enemies at the time.
If they were resurrected, would others also need to be resurrected?
They died in the war, trying to invade Konoha. If they were resurrected, it would represent mercy to the enemy.
Would the Konoha ninjas who died at the hands of these people become clowns?
Their situation is not the same as Madara, there are differences between people.
It is necessary to get Madara's help when fighting the Ōtsutsuki clan in the future. Moreover, Madara essentially did nothing wrong. Kirigakure attacked the Uzumaki clan, but even without Madara, Kirigakure would still have attacked the Uzumaki clan. This is an undeniable fact.
Furthermore, Madara's actions were originally a unanimous decision by everyone, even Tobirama, who was at odds with Madara.
As for Sasori, Kazuki admitted that he was a genius, but he was his enemy. Although he cannot cause any harm to him, he will pose a threat to Konoha ninjas. So Sasori is too dangerous.
"Leave this matter to me, Fourth Hokage." Sakumo looked at Kazuki with a serious expression.
Since this matter was directed at him, Sakumo wanted to resolve it himself. Moreover, this matter was his responsibility, and he was willing to pay the price for it, even if it meant chasing Sasori for the rest of his life.
Kazuki nodded slightly, agreeing, "Hmm, I'll leave this matter to you. The Anbu will fully cooperate."
"Have all the spies on the spy list return, and I hope other countries will give us convenience."
"Alas, it's a bit of a pity." Hiruzen sighed lightly.
His gaze towards Sakumo was full of resentment. He was quite satisfied with Sakumo. His talent was no less than his two disciples. Oh, no, he had three disciples.
He was also diligent in carrying out missions. It's just that this incident caused too much of a stir. They had put in a lot of effort to nurture spies.
"Hokage-sama, Third Hokage-sama, I will make amends." Sakumo quickly assured him.
The mistakes he had made must ultimately be borne by him.
"Hmm, don't think too much." Kazuki waved his hand.
"Since you made a mistake, just find a way to make up for it. The choice you made at the time wasn't too wrong. It's just that the opponent was too cunning. Of course, those Anbu you saved are not suitable to continue as Anbu. As Anbu, they were too lax. They were actually caught off guard and ambushed."
Towards the end, Kazuki showed a hint of dissatisfaction.
Being ambushed by comrades is a shameful thing, but don't forget, these people are Anbu, the elite troops of Konoha.
If that's the case, should he arrange more Uchiha and also have the Hyuga join the Anbu?
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sakumo's eyes flickered.
He had originally planned to go after Sasori after resolving this matter, and then commit suicide to atone for his sins after killing Sasori.
As the former Anbu director, he knew better than anyone how big of a mess he had caused this time. He felt sorry for those spies. It's just that Kazuki seemed to have seen through his intentions, so it seemed he couldn't commit suicide.
Kazuki said, "Alright, this matter is decided for now. We'll discuss future matters later, and try our best to resolve the aftermath."
Kazuki thought for a moment and added, "If it really gets exposed, just pin all the blame on Danzo. Anyway, everything is Danzo's fault."
Everyone's lips twitched uncontrollably. Good heavens, Danzo is already dead, and he still has to take the blame for this.
Oh, right, Danzo isn't truly taking the blame. This matter was originally greatly related to Danzo. It was all Danzo's fault.
They even couldn't help but suspect that perhaps in a few decades, if something happened, Danzo might still be needed to take the blame.
— — —
In Rinka's courtyard.
Hiashi sat respectfully in front of Rinka. Not long ago, Hiashi had become the new clan head of the Hyuga clan. But when facing Rinka, he was still extremely respectful.
Previously, when Hiashi faced Kazuki, he had already expressed that they could follow Rinka or Kazuki's lead. If Rinka wanted to, she would already be the clan head of the Hyuga clan.
Most importantly, Rinka's strength had grown to a level that ordinary people could not comprehend.
Hiashi strongly suspected that Rinka's strength might have already surpassed their ancestor, Ichizoku. Rinka alone could easily suppress the entire Hyuga clan.
Hiashi couldn't help but wonder if he had made a mistake back then. After all, Rinka's talent was on par with his own back then, and the opportunity to join the Tsunade Squad originally belonged to him, but for some reason, Rinka replaced him.
If he had also been in that squad back then, would he also have the same strength as Rinka now?
However, Hiashi quickly let go of such thoughts. Rinka was close to Kazuki, so it was likely that Kazuki had used some special method to help her grow stronger.
Rinka was Kazuki's person, but if it were him, Kazuki wouldn't even look at him.