39 The Quarrel

"Minato-sensei lost?" Kakashi's voice showed disbelief.

Jiraiya also had a surprised expression on his face. Although he knew that Satoru had extraordinary strength, in a contest where speed determined the outcome, he still believed that Minato would surely be the winner.

But the reality was beyond his expectations.

Thinking about this, Jiraiya secretly sighed: (It seems like my disciple has experienced a lot of difficulties and growth in the past few years. Satoru's power far exceeds my imagination.)

Minato stood up slowly. His face lost the previous confidence, replaced by a bitter smile. He gently admitted, "I lost."

There was a hint of regret in his voice, acknowledging to himself that the victory that was once within his reach was now far from him.

Satoru shrugged, lifting the bell in his hand and shaking it gently. The bell emitted a loud sound that echoed in the playground for a long time.

＊＊＊

"Minato actually lost!"

In the Hokage's office, the pipe in Hiruzen's hand slipped, creating a loud collision in the empty room.

As the popular candidate for the next Hokage of Konoha Village, Minato was known for his speed, but he was slightly defeated in this competition. Currently, his eyes were focused on the displayed figure of Satoru in the crystal ball, with a pensive look in his eyes.

*BAM*

The office door suddenly opened, breaking the silence in the room.

A man with prominent scars on his face walked in. Every step he took felt heavy, carrying endless anger.

"Hiruzen!" When the man spoke, his voice was filled with dissatisfaction and accusations. "I have repeatedly emphasized to you about Amegakure. Konoha does not need alliances with small countries like them. They will only take the opportunity to cannibalize us. Can't you see their ambition? Working together with them is truly selfless!"

Hiruzen looked at the middle-aged friend in front of him and felt a little strange. His face seemed more worn under the light, and his eyes showed a deep light. "Danzo, Konoha is a major power in the ninja world. They cannot refuse to cooperate just because they are a small country. We need to maintain peace and stability in Konoha through communication and cooperation."

When Danzo heard this, his eyebrows furrowed. He clearly disagreed with the other's point of view.

He tried to calm his anger. "Hiruzen, you are always too idealistic. There is nothing in this world that lasts forever. There are no eternal enemies or friends, only eternal interests. We cannot destroy Konoha's future for momentary kindness!"

His words were like sharp arrows, directly pointing to Hiruzen's heart.

However, Hiruzen was not shaken by this. His eyes were sharp, as if he could penetrate Danzo's anger and see a further future.

"Danzo, I understand your concerns." He spoke slowly, his voice calm and firm. "Kumogakure is indeed a threat, but we cannot ignore relationships with other ninja villages because of this. Although Amegakure is small, it also has its existence value. We cannot deny their existence because of their weaknesses, let alone give up cooperation with other ninja villages because of the threat from Kumogakure."

His words were like a spring, injecting a sense of coolness into Danzo's angry heart. However, he did not calm down his anger, his eyes remained sharp and unwavering.

"Hiruzen, you are too naive." Danzo shook his head, his tone full of disappointment. "This world is dominated by the strong, and small ninja villages like Amegakure cannot change anything. We should focus our energy on the major countries that can influence the ninja world structure, rather than wasting time on these insignificant small ninja villages."

"If Amegakure is truly valuable, let them prove it to me."

Before Danzo finished his words, his eyes suddenly turned to the crystal ball on Hiruzen's desk. In that clear ball, the figure of Satoru was clearly visible.

He furrowed his brows, with a confused expression on his face. "Who is this person?"

Hiruzen glanced at the scene in the crystal ball, then waved his hand. The scene in the crystal ball paused for a moment and returned to its transparent state. He answered calmly, "An Amegakure ninja."

When Danzo heard this, his eyes narrowed slightly, thinking about something. He wanted to ask, but was interrupted by Hiruzen's words.

"He is following Hanzo and came to discuss alliance matters with us on behalf of Amegakure."

As these words came out, Danzo was stunned.

Demigod and Amegakure? This name caused a commotion in his mind, and he remembered a strand of white hair that he had just seen in the crystal ball, slowly overlapping with the fear in his memory.

"Could it be..." Danzo's face instantly paled, he looked at Hiruzen, traces of panic appearing in his eyes.

He didn't say anything more, turned around, and immediately left the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen watched his sudden departure, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a hint of doubt arose in his heart: "What happened to this person?"

However, he did not investigate and quickly forgot about Danzo.

His thoughts returned to Satoru, remembering the extraordinary power and unexpected movements displayed by his opponent in the crystal ball.

Hiruzen couldn't help but reconsider cooperation with Amegakure. He picked up the fallen pipe, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled the smoke, and said to himself, "It seems like I have to reconsider my cooperation with Amegakure."

"But who is this person?" Hiruzen's doubts echoed in the air.

＊＊＊

On the other side, Danzo exited the Hokage's office and walked into the deep corridor.

"Who is that person?" He whispered, recalling the death threat like a last nightmare. The figure of the white-haired man was engraved in his mind.

Danzo still didn't know how he managed to escape, and secretly he felt relieved, thinking that the other party had forgiven him.

But now, as he saw him again, even though Satoru wore a mask last time, there was a voice in Danzo's heart telling him: This white-haired man is the one who almost killed him last time.

In front of him, Danzo felt like a powerless child, fear almost choking him.

"Danzo-sama."

At that moment, a voice came from the shadow behind Danzo, interrupting his thoughts.

Danzo lifted his face, his eyes red. He steadied his emotions, then issued a command, "Find out who the Amegakure envoy is this time."

"A thorough investigation! I want all their information!"

"Yes!" A member of Root answered.