The day of the funeral is scheduled for late July.

There were many people who came to pay their respects, and in the attack, it was not only the two advisors who had dedicated most of their lives to Konoha Village who died, but also hundreds of Konoha ninjas.

The mausoleum park, which already has many tombs, has once again added hundreds of new tombs, and at a glance, it seems that there is no end in sight, so that this originally secluded place is dyed with a layer of tranquility and sadness.

The living dressed in pitch-black costumes and holding bouquets of flowers saw off the dead.

Naruto, who was standing in the crowd, could faintly hear someone cursing someone.

Seeing off the dead by the living is not just a simple memorial, and the sadness will also lead to hatred as their loved ones are killed. All their words, as well as their eyes, including the breath that engulfed their whole bodies, were filled with a strong hatred that wanted to eat people. And this kind of hatred, even the children who came with the adults, were rendered by such emotions, staring at the graves of their relatives in front of them, gritting their teeth, and the innocence in their bright pupils was not there, but filled with a frightening light, like an enraged young beast.

Whether it is an avenger or an avenged person, the pain of being killed by a loved one is the same.

It's like an inescapable cycle.

Naruto tried to speak several times, but eventually forced himself to calm down.

At this time, he remembered Sasuke again.

A terrifying gesture that will do anything to achieve revenge. The people of Konoha are also infected by the same thing.

This kind of hatred is still in chains, and as the scale of the victim grows, the hatred will become deeper and more unforgettable.

— There's no need to dwell on these things, Naruto.

Mizumon, who could feel Naruto's emotions, naturally knew why Naruto was distressed.

- Dad, is there really no way to resolve hatred?

Mizumon's comfort did not make Naruto's mood feel any better, but made his mood more complicated.

- Hatred is only one part of the strife, and if the strife of mankind does not stop, then hatred will continue to grow. As human beings, we are very small and powerless in the face of many things. If you want to resolve the hatred of the villagers, you can only let Sasuke die. Vice versa.

Watergate's voice was unusually resolute and brutal.

Having experienced the ninja war, he has long understood that the best way to respect the enemy is to let the other party die.

The name of Yellow Flash is also a title obtained by stepping on the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood.

While enjoying honor, it is natural to be aware of being hated by countless people.

— Naruto, you're a Konoha ninja, and you're going to do it for Konoha,

Destroy all enemies who are enemies of the village. Compassion and mercy are victories

Something that only the beneficiary is entitled to have. In the world of ninjas, the "mercy" that can be universally accepted by people is the ninjutsu and fists of ninjas.

From Watergate's point of view, there is no need to hesitate at all in the choice between dying oneself or dying the enemy, and there is only one option to choose from: killing the enemy.

But Naruto's hesitation and reluctance, he could also understand. In the past on the battlefield of the ninja war, there was no shortage of novice ninjas with Naruto's naïve psychology and good intentions, so when they set foot on the battlefield, they were often the first to die.

Is it pathetic? I can only say that I am unfortunate to live in such a war-torn era.

Born in such times, compassion and mercy are also sins.

And this kind of sin is closely related to one's own weakness, so that excess weakness will attract malicious peeping.

Naruto looked at the tombstones in front of him, and the depression in his heart made him almost unable to breathe smoothly.

Therefore, in the crowd, he is also a member of the silence. - Listen, Naruto, neither Sasuke nor these villagers need to feel any burden or guilt. Even if failure is an inevitable consequence, you have done your best. Next time, fight with the determination to kill Sasuke.

Naruto, who wants to juggle Konoha and his friends, may not get a good result in the end.

Compared with words and words, personal experience in actions can make a person clearly understand the contradictions and complexities of this era.

This is not the hardship that light words can portray.

Naruto didn't speak, just looked at the countless tombstones, and an atmosphere of silence surrounded his entire body, separating himself from the people around him.

Watergate is not in a hurry, and it is not an overnight thing to change a person's inherent concept.

What's more, this is a slashing face to his friends in the past, and for any ninja, it's a painful choice that is difficult to make up his mind.

But only by choosing to go on can the road ahead continue, otherwise it can only stop there.

Choosing what to pick up and what to give up are all choices that ninjas inevitably experience as they grow up.

If you want to pick it all up without learning to give up, sooner or later you will be overwhelmed by too heavy a burden.

The kid called Shikamaru made his own choice very simply, as long as he honed it a little, he would become an excellent shinobi like Shikaku in the future. Mizuto suddenly remembered Naruto's classmate, Nara Shikamaru.

Although strength is a key factor in evaluating a ninja as good or not, mental growth is also an indispensable and important part.

With the former, you can only become a general who charges on the battlefield, but cannot become the controller of the overall situation. Only by doing both can you get a ticket to the Hokage's gate.

In terms of strength, Naruto has undoubtedly reached this level. But if you don't correct your naïve personality, you're likely to be taken advantage of at critical moments.

As a result, a man in the fog suddenly appeared in Watergate's mind.

The crowd dispersed one after another, which eased the sad atmosphere a lot, not as depressing as before, making people dare not pant loudly. The weather wasn't sunny or gloomy, just hot.

In front of the graves of the two advisors, only a few remained here and did not leave.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kaku, and Danzo, who are specially allowed to come out of prison and participate in the funeral of old friends.

Compared to the other three, for the two old friends who died, Tuan Zang's eyes seemed to have lost emotion, sadness, joy, or other emotions, all of which were not felt, and some were just nothing.

From beginning to end, his eyes were not on the tombstones of his two old friends.

For him, this so-called funeral seemed to be just a very ordinary outing outside the prison.

His purpose was never to mourn the death of his two old friends······ After all, there is no need for the dead to remember the roots.

"The funeral is over, and it's the old man's turn to do it next."

Danzo's right hand is on crutches, and he uses this as a foothold to support his body to stand.

His face was very bad, and his breath was very weak, which everyone present could easily tell.

Tsunade and Shikaku were also slightly surprised, they and Danzang hadn't seen each other for a few days, and the other party's physical temperament had changed so dramatically, it seemed that the other party's physical condition was even worse than they imagined.

Subconsciously, they began to worry about Tuanzang's physical condition at this time.

If the other party suddenly makes a mistake, then the martial arts faction that starts to get out of control will definitely bring huge trouble to Konoha. At this time, Konoha couldn't withstand such a big upheaval.

Therefore, they who once hoped for the fall of Tuanzang the most, instead hoped that Tuanzang would support it as much as possible, at least until their side was properly arranged and prepared for prevention.

"Then, according to what was agreed that day, Shikaku and I will sit in on the audit to ensure that your methods are in order." Tsunade's expression became serious.

To be honest, she didn't want to deal with someone like Tuan Zang.

But if the main goal is to stabilize the situation inside Konoha, then dealing with the roots is inevitable. In the short term, it is almost impossible to dissolve the roots.

In particular, the roots have absorbed a large number of martial arts factions

After the members, the difficulty of disbanding the roots will skyrocket.

"It's already this time, the old man naturally won't play any more intrigues, and everything the old man is doing now is also for the sake of Konoha's future."

Danzou said.

The subtext is that he has reached this point, and there is no need for him to cause Konoha's power to be torn apart for the position of Hokage.

However, for Tuanzang's statement, the three of Tsunade clearly wrote the word 'disbelief' on their faces.

But whether they believe or question, they have to act according to the will of Tuan Zang at this time.

"Forget it on my side, just witness the two of you, if I say, I still need to go out to investigate the information, and the affairs in the village, please."

Jiraiya smiled very dryly, not wanting to get involved in the affairs of the group.

So, after saying this, Jiraiya used the teleportation technique to disappear from the spot.

"He's still so frizzy, and although he's very good as an intelligence officer, neither the Oni Country nor that organization is a simple commodity. Goyome, you told him to be careful outside, so as not to fall into the trap of the enemy, especially at such a critical moment."

Tuan Zang looked at the direction in which Jiraiya was leaving, and reminded him. I don't know if this is Danzo's kindness or ulterior motives, Tsunade just nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll tell him."

Danzo stopped talking and turned around and walked towards the outside of the mausoleum park, followed by Tsunade and Shikaku.

"Please come in."

Hearing the sound of knocking on the door, Shikamaru, who was standing by the window of the single ward in a hospital gown, turned around slightly and shouted towards the location of the door.

The doorknob twisted, and I saw an old man with a gloomy face and no smile walking in from outside the door, which was the group from the direction of the mausoleum park.

It seems that Shikamaru felt very surprised by the arrival of Danzang, and the originally plain look on his face immediately showed obvious fluctuations.

He thought that he was blocked by his father and the Hokage that day, and the other party would no longer contact him······ But at this time, the other party's arrival again made Shikamaru smell an unusual smell.

However, he had already made up his mind that no matter what kind of words Tuan Zang used to provoke him next, he would ignore it, and he would no longer have anything to do with the root organization.

Although he used the power of the root in the matter of killing Sasuke, the essence is the cooperation that the two sides seek together, and after the cooperation, then the contact will naturally be directly interrupted, and there is no slightest connection.

As for throwing himself into the roots, to be honest, from the beginning he did not have such dangerous and stupid ideas.

Just by controlling the ninjas in his village with the curse seal, and treating the ninjas as mere tools and killing machines, and discrediting their personalities, these actions make him unable to identify with the idea of the roots, and think that such acts are too cruel and cold-blooded.

And the group that caused all this, in Konoha, naturally became the dark existence in his heart that he didn't want to touch the most.

"Nara Shikamaru, the old man is here to invite you into the roots." didn't hide his intentions, Tuan Zang directly sent out an invitation. And Shikamaru's answer was even more simply at the moment when Tuan Zang's words fell, and he had already given his own response in his mouth:

"I'm sorry, Elder Tuanzang, but I don't think I'm able to do enough to leave everything I had done in the past and devote myself to the great cause of dedication to the village, as those predecessors did. Therefore, you should be wise about entering the roots."

The tone is neither humble nor arrogant, a pair of pitch-black pupils, which are connected with Tuan Zang's eyes, and his expression is calm.

After all, this was the Hokage's territory, and he didn't think that Danzou would do it directly here.

As if he had expected Shikamaru to give such an answer, Danzo's face remained unchanged and asked, "Old man asks you a question, do you think that with Naruto Uzumaki's potential, you have the ability to become the pillar of the village?"

"Of course."

Shikamaru replied without hesitation.

He never doubted Naruto's potential.

Maybe the other party

At this time, the thoughts in my head are still very naïve,

But after this incident, the other party will more or less recognize some reality and abandon some unrealistic illusions. As long as this trend continues, Naruto will become a pillar of Konoha and Shikamaru has no doubts.

"So, do you want to go one step further and help him as a friend or colleague to do your part for the future of this village?"

Danzang's words seemed a little inexplicable to Shikamaru, so he asked with a puzzled expression:

"What do you mean?"

These words sound like an invitation, but they seem to have other intentions in them.

However, Danzang's completely stiff and gloomy face made it impossible for him to see what Tuan Zang was thinking.

"The old man's life span is less than half a year left, and it will come to an end. The Roots are in dire need of the next leader to continue to lead the Roots, and you are the one the old man has chosen."

As soon as Danzo said this, Shikamaru's face was completely dull. "When the old man dies, the roots will act around your will. You can change the way the roots work as you wish, and you can even merge them into the Hokage's shadows. At the same time, the martial arts faction that is attached to it, under your adjustment, can also be subtly transformed into the power under the rule of the Hokage, and become a powerful help for you to help Naruto Uzumaki."

Shikamaru's face was further glazed, and the conditions given by Danzou were so amazing that Shikamaru was immersed in shock and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

Tuan Zang picked up his crutches, turned around, and walked towards the door of the ward.

It wasn't until he walked out of the door that Tuan Zang's footsteps stopped, and the crutches he picked up were quietly pointed on the ground, making a crisp sound on the floor.

"That's all the old man said, it's up to you to decide what to choose next. In addition, this decision should be made within a week, and once this deadline is exceeded, the old man will treat you as a waiver."

With that, Tuan Zang walked out of the door, and disappeared at the door in a blink of an eye.

Outside the ward, Tsunade and Shikaku, who heard the whole process in the ward, were full of contemplation and doubt.

"Lu Jiu, how much do you think what Danzang just said is true?"

Whether it's merging the root into the dark department, or handing over the power of the martial arts faction to others, it doesn't look like the root is acting in style.

After all, it's that Danzo, and Tsunade doesn't dare to have absolute trust in such a ninja.

Lu Jiu groped his chin and replied:

"Judging by conventional wisdom, these words of Elder Tuanzang are not worth believing. But the weakness shown by the other party is not a pretentious gesture, and the lack of an heir at the root is indeed a big hidden danger. I think this should be what Elder Tuanzang wanted to express."

Although this is far from being a 'man who will die and his words are good', if Danzang really intends to delegate power, then the process of concentrating the internal power of Konoha on their side will undoubtedly be much smoother. In this way, before the next attack on Konoha by the country of ghosts, the integration of forces can be completed, and they can counterattack normally, instead of dragging each other back, and there is no room to fight back against the country of ghosts.

"Is that so? But I always felt that Tuan was secretly behind our backs, planning something else."

Tsunade frowned, and after Lu Jiu's relief, his mood did not completely let go, but continued to tense.

"You've been nervous lately. In any case, it is also a good thing to be able to quickly unify the internal forces." Lu Jiu said.

Of course, the premise is that Shikamaru agrees to enter the roots. Otherwise, there is no way to talk about the matter of unifying the roots and the martial fighting faction.

Hearing this, Tsunade nodded slightly, no matter what other plans the group had, the integration of the forces within Konoha was the first thing.

。

The first thing he did when he returned to the country of ghosts was to come to his father's office where Shiraishi was, and to report on the necessary tasks for this visit to the Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Fire.

However, this so-called visit to the Daimyo Mansion of the Fire Country was originally to transfer part of Konoha's strength, and the bait that was deliberately thrown out for Konoha to bite the hook was not intended

It's really a cooperation with the Daimyo Mansion of the Fire Country.

Therefore, the summary of the content of the task is very concise and clear.

Judging from the results, the envoy group led by Kazuhime did succeed in transferring a considerable part of Konoha's power, pinning them down in the Fire Country Daimyo Mansion and unable to move, providing a platform for Uchiha Sasuke to surprise Konoha and provide a platform for play.

"It's hard work, for the next period of time, you will stay in the country of ghosts for the time being, and you don't need to go outside again."

After reading the task report document made by Yihime, Shiraishi put it aside casually and said slowly to Yihime.

"In other words, doesn't Konoha need to keep an eye on it?" Kazuhime raised an eyebrow.

"Of course you need to keep an eye on, but you don't need to focus all your attention on Konoha side. Since Xiao kidnapped Yiwei half a year ago, the tailed beast operation has not been officially launched, which makes me a little concerned. Although, according to the informant's report, because of the emptiness of internal forces, there will be a low profile in action······ But this time, the preparation time is inevitably too long."

Shiraishi exhaled deeply, in a heavy tone, as if squeezing the words out of his abdomen.

Compared to the villages under the rule of Konoha and other big countries, Xiao brought him a lot of pressure.

Although the power of the Oni Country is the most powerful on the surface, it should not be taken too lightly.

"So ······"

When Ichihime heard this, she seemed to understand what Shiraishi meant, and her dark eyes narrowed carefully.

"Therefore, if Xiao wants to target the tailed beast next, it is likely to use the trend of thunder to sweep the cave and eat all the remaining pillar power in one go."

Shiraishi took the pen and tapped lightly on the table, making such an assumption.

Such an assumption is bold, but it is not impossible.

Similar deployment arrangements have been made by Shiraishi in the past.

That is to hide but not to strike, attack at the most appropriate time, reverse all the unfavorable situations in front of you in one go, and complete the strategic goals you have set.

Now Xiao, that's how it feels to him. Restrain all the minions and compress the momentum of the outgoing release, but this is not fear, but there is no need to continue meaningless battles and sacrifices.

Once the timing is set, the balance of the moment will be completely upset.

"Take away all the remaining human pillar power in one go, and with the remaining strength now, can you really do this?"

Kazuhime's brow furrowed slightly.

Solve the remaining human pillar force at once, that is to say, to do it against Mist Hide, Cloud Hide, and Konoha at the same time, in the case of dividing the troops into three ways, even if the Ghost Country wants to accomplish such a feat, it is very difficult.

If it was Xiao in his heyday, it would have been possible to do this, but at this time, Xiao, who had lost more than half of the members, questioned this.

"Who knows about this kind of thing, in short, I'll keep an eye on Xiao's side, if you say, let's find a way to take advantage of this time to improve your strength as much as possible."

Shiraishi said.

He and Ruri, as well as Ayane, have basically reached the peak of their lives, and if they want to grow up, they will be working hard for a long time, and if they want to make achievements in a short period of time, it is difficult to break through the existing boundaries by exercising alone.

And Ichihime's age is that he has not yet reached the heyday of ninjas, and there is a huge space for development, and at this age of ninjas, the changes in their strength can be described as changing with each passing day.

What's more, it's a ninja like Kazuhime, Chakra and physical energy beyond the abnormality, even if the strength is enough to match, or even surpass the current Five Shadows, the speed of strength growth is still unabated, which can be described as god speed.

"Speaking of which, the strength of the Thorn Team members seems to be a little weaker. It just so happens that Sasuke Uchiha didn't come over, and I think I can put him in my squad. What do you think, old man?"

Kazuhime thought of something and suddenly asked for Shiraishi. As the leader of the Thorn Group, although it is a little difficult to speak, but in fact, as long as these members are there, her strength cannot be fully unfolded

It is an invisible chain that restricts her play.

Otherwise, if you break out your chakra at will, you will accidentally affect your allies, and cut them away as if you were slashing enemies. "I think it's probably impossible, that kid should want to lead the team by himself, and won't be subservient."

Shiraishi opened the drawer and pulled out a document from it.

"This roster records all the information about the upper ninja that has just been updated this year, you can try to find out if there is any upper ninja you need."

"Well, I'll leave first."

Kazuhime took over this important roster that recorded the information of hundreds of Shinobi in the Land of Demons, nodded at Shiraishi, and turned to leave.