Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Elder Chiyo's Scheme of the Sand Ninjas

"Chiyo Elder!"

At this moment, Rasa opened his mouth hoarsely, the pain in his abdomen forcing him into silence. He had lost this battle, and no matter what he said, others would only see it as an excuse.

Seeing Rasa in such a state, Chiyo’s harsh expression softened slightly, but she still sneered coldly, "Hmph, Konoha's ninjas truly are despicable. On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, your combat power dropped significantly, and it was just 'coincidentally' that you encountered one of Konoha's genius ninjas. Do you think this was a mere coincidence?"

Hearing Elder Chiyo's analysis, Rasa seemed to realize something, and a look of shock flashed across his face.

"Elder Chiyo, you mean...?"

"Precisely!" Chiyo nodded with a cold sneer.

"It's likely not only your information that was leaked. Perhaps from the moment you ventured into that area, you'd already fallen under the watch of that cunning 'Slug Woman.' She likely devised a detailed strategy to bring fame to Konoha’s youngest genius."

As she reached this point, Elder Chiyo seemed to come to a realization. Gritting her teeth with a cold smile, she added, "That 'Slug Woman' Tsunade is truly willing to go to great lengths. For her little 'puppy,' she planned this entire scheme to gain him renown. Otherwise, why would so many elite Konoha ninjas show up around a mere iron mine?"

At that moment, Elder Chiyo's suspicions linked together, forming a plausible answer. After all, she couldn’t have imagined that an ordinary iron mine would contain chakra metal.

The 'Slug Woman' Tsunade had laid all this out, not only for her 'puppy' but also to deal a blow to the Sand Village's morale. Not that she'd ever admit it – this was all for her own selfish purposes!

"Moreover, I received some intriguing intelligence before I came here, Rasa, and I think I'll need your cooperation."

Elder Chiyo coldly pulled a green scroll from her ninja pouch.

As Rasa opened it and scanned the intelligence, his face grew grave.

"Elder Chiyo, this seems to indicate a traitor within the Fire Nation rather than a mere spy!"

Every nation and ninja village harbors spies and, likewise, individuals who for various reasons betray their village's interests.

"A traitor?"

At Rasa's comment, Elder Chiyo sneered contemptuously.

"And this traitor holds a high position, knowing full well about the discord between the Senju and the Third Hokage within Konoha, as well as the alliance between the Uchiha and Senju clans. Now, tell me, doesn’t this sound like the work of some rat lurking in the shadows?"

Elder Chiyo’s sarcastic sneer made Rasa’s mind race, and he blurted out, "Elder, you’re saying... Root!"

All the intelligence pieces began to connect.

The intel mentioned that, after the death of the First Hokage's grandson Nawaki, the Senju clan and the Third Hokage’s high-ranking officials grew divided. Following this, alliances between the Uchiha and Senju clans emerged.

Understanding Konoha's internal political strife was not foreign to Elder Chiyo. This intelligence clearly originated from Konoha's Root, using them to accomplish certain aims.

"Who else would employ such tactics but that despicable Danzo Shimura?"

Elder Chiyo mocked, while Rasa, although an elite jonin, had limited knowledge of Konoha’s inner workings, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Elder Chiyo, if this truly is the work of the ‘Darkness of the Shinobi World,’ what’s his goal? To reveal Konoha’s division to us? To see us fail on the front lines?"

Rasa’s puzzled expression betrayed his doubts – there was just too much that didn’t add up.

But Elder Chiyo chuckled dismissively. "Rasa, you understand too little about Danzo Shimura. This man isn’t as simple as he seems."

"Danzo has always harbored ambitions of becoming Hokage and has never shied away from taking action to realize them. As for leaking this information, it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out."

"Konoha's internal divisions are being vented outward due to the war. Even if we, their enemies, know about the discord, what good does it do us?"

Despite her disdain, Elder Chiyo remained wary of Danzo, that sewer rat. "To weaken the Senju and Uchiha alliance? To further solidify the Third Hokage’s position? Or perhaps to ease up when confronting the Senju and Uchiha? This is war, not a game!

Since there's no way to avoid this, we may as well let this ‘Slug Woman’ gain fame. Danzo's methods are as sinister as ever."

Elder Chiyo sneered, seeing no choice but to allow Tsunade to bolster her reputation and thus strengthen the image of the Senju and Uchiha, which, in the long run, would exacerbate Konoha’s divisions.

And Danzo’s motives were already paving the way for his ambitions.

"Elder Chiyo, you mean...?"

After hearing Elder Chiyo speak about the Root leader's ambitions, Rasa seemed to grasp something. Elder Chiyo simply nodded calmly.

"That's why I need your cooperation, Rasa. Since Danzo wants to use outside forces, we should play along and even fan the flames!"

"Spread this information to other villages, and on the battlefield, make our ninja spread tales of Tsunade and Uchiha’s power. Issue an order for all Sand ninja encountering a Sharingan to escape one-on-one or attack two-on-one.

As for Konoha’s youngest genius Uchiha Yosuke, he’ll be branded the 'youngest prodigy in the shinobi world.'"

With a cold smile, Elder Chiyo added that the Sharingan was indeed difficult to handle. Many elite ninjas from other villages suffered losses trying to go head-to-head.

The Sand ninja were already planning to issue this command, and now they had a suitable pretext.

"I understand, Elder Chiyo. I will publicly acknowledge the strength of Uchiha Yosuke, the young jonin from Konoha."

With a resolute nod, Rasa showed a level of understanding that pleased Elder Chiyo, who rarely showed her satisfaction so openly.

"Use your influence to set the stage for this kid. I know it’s hard for you, but this is the reality of warfare between nations."

Though Elder Chiyo tried to reassure him, Rasa firmly shook his head.

"Elder Chiyo, I understand that all of this is for the Wind Nation. Besides, I truly lost this battle – there is no fairness in the shinobi world."

Seeing Rasa's clear sense of duty, Elder Chiyo nodded approvingly.

"Rest assured, the more we spread word of Uchiha Yosuke’s strength, the better. After all, Konoha has enemies beyond just us Sand ninjas."

At this, Elder Chiyo smirked, envisioning Hanzo of the Rain growing nervous.

Even the old guard of the Earth Nation would begin to move.

On the Rain battlefield, Sand ninjas publicly praised the power of the Uchiha’s Sharingan, issuing orders to flee from one-on-one encounters or attack only two-on-one.

Soon, the Sharingan’s fame spread throughout the shinobi world, and Konoha’s youngest jonin, Uchiha Yosuke, gained fame by defeating the Wind Nation's elite, Rasa.

Following the battle, Rasa himself acknowledged the strength of the Uchiha’s Sharingan.

When Uchiha Yosuke learned of this in the Land of Rain, he couldn’t help but mutter angrily, “That old hag Chiyo is truly devious.”

Of course, he had leaked the information – the Konoha Police Force regularly caught spies, so he knew which channels led to the Sand Village.

He had intended to leverage external forces to strengthen the Senju and Uchiha alliance. Though he achieved his goal, he found himself uncomfortably pushed into the spotlight.

As for using Root’s tactics to leak information, Uchiha Yosuke didn’t feel the least bit guilty.

In today’s Konoha, the Third Hokage’s officials were in charge, and the Uchiha had no leeway with the high-ranking authorities. The only way for the Uchiha to thrive was to keep Konoha on edge.