If this really was the work of one of the other four great nations, then Konoha absolutely couldn’t sit around and do nothing.
They had to show them some force.
If you gave them an inch, they’d take a mile.
Konoha had to respond firmly.
Otherwise, the mercy you showed them would only encourage them to tear another piece of flesh from Konoha.
This wasn’t an ordinary attack.
This was a biological weapon.
Disease was one of the most effective ways to take people’s lives without making a sound.
If they were facing an enemy on the battlefield, Konoha’s shinobi weren’t afraid of dying in battle.
After all, their comrades and families were behind them.
There was nowhere to retreat.
But when facing disease, they were practically helpless.
The fighting spirit within their ranks would quickly disappear.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the setting sun outside the window and murmured,
“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
At that moment, the door to the Hokage’s office suddenly opened.
A still-young Shimura Danzo walked in.
“Hiruzen! Have you heard?”
He hadn’t knocked before entering, but Hiruzen wasn’t surprised.
This was one of the privileges he granted his old friend.
It was also a reward for helping him manage the village.
Strictly speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn’t a particularly suitable candidate for the position of Hokage.
He had plenty of benevolence and righteousness, but his will wasn’t broad enough.
He simply couldn’t shoulder the full weight that came with being Hokage, especially the darkness that accompanied the position.
He also wasn’t particularly good at managing the village, especially when it came to its endless administrative affairs.
He couldn’t arrange everything as neatly as their teacher had.
Nor could he foresee every situation several steps in advance.
That was why he needed assistants.
And his former comrades were those assistants.
He had only been Hokage for a few years.
The advisers and Danzo hadn’t become arrogant yet.
After all, the entire shinobi world was still shrouded in the shadow of war.
They had to unite and face the outside world together.
That was why Hiruzen was quite satisfied with these old friends of his.
Hiruzen nodded.
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t we take action—”
Before Danzo could finish, Hiruzen waved his hand and interrupted him.
“Danzo, our military strength hasn’t recovered yet. The Second Shinobi World War caused us heavy losses.”
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I really don’t want to send the children to the battlefield too soon.”
For some reason, he still felt that Hiruzen was simply too weak.
Still, he could understand Hiruzen’s reasoning.
“I understand, Hiruzen. I’ll have Root investigate this matter in secret. But I hope you won’t relax our defenses along the borders.”
Danzo stood up and said a few more words before leaving the office.
After closing the door, he looked back at the Hokage’s office and sighed again.
Why couldn’t the position of Hokage belong to me?
As the thought arose, he quickly shook his head.
Now wasn’t the time to think about such things.
The other four great nations were already eyeing Konoha hungrily.
They might as well have written their intentions all over their faces.
Konoha’s strength was currently insufficient.
He had to do everything in his power to make the village stronger.
But Hiruzen was simply too weak.
That was the last thought in Danzo’s mind before he left.
Meanwhile, inside Hatake Shibu’s home, Shibu had no idea what had happened inside the Hokage Building.
He was still considering whether he should skip school for a few days to make money.
After all, this opportunity would only last for a limited time.
He believed it wouldn’t be long before the people at Konoha Hospital discovered the secret behind his herbal tea.
Once that happened, he wouldn’t be able to continue monopolizing this business.
Moreover, if he continued using this method, there was a chance the Anbu would eventually intervene.
If their investigation traced everything back to him, things would become troublesome.
What Shibu didn’t know was that the Anbu had already begun investigating.
He had underestimated the importance of a new disease appearing in the village.
Fortunately, the Anbu still had no leads.
If Shibu stopped in time, he might still escape trouble.
His room was brightly lit.
He was currently counting the money he’d made that day.
And the room next to his was also brightly lit.
That was Hatake Sakumo’s room.
As the commander of the Anbu, Sakumo was currently suffering from a headache.
The outbreak had appeared far too suddenly.
And far too many people had contracted the same illness.
The people beneath him had practically no idea where to begin.
As a result, all these troublesome matters had fallen onto his shoulders.
Sakumo felt as though his hair was about to fall out.
All of the affected people had visited crowded places that day.
Moreover, they had moved around extensively throughout the village.
This made it extremely difficult to determine where the outbreak had originated.
Root had also joined the investigation.
But their progress had stalled at exactly the same point.
There had been no progress whatsoever.
“Sir, we have new information.”
“More than one hundred people have experienced significant improvement after drinking something called herbal tea. According to Konoha Hospital’s examination, they should make a full recovery by tomorrow.”
Sakumo was surprised.
At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Having a treatment method was good news.
“What exactly is this herbal tea? How can it have such an effect? Can we obtain the recipe?”
Sakumo fired off one question after another like a machine gun.
This epidemic had caused him considerable trouble.
If they could obtain the herbal tea recipe, they could at least relax and investigate the outbreak at their own pace.
The Anbu shinobi hesitated.
He clearly didn’t know how to answer.
Sakumo narrowed his eyes when he saw the man’s expression.
“Speak.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Anbu swallowed.
“But the herbal tea is being sold on the street by your son. Since this involves your family, we didn’t continue investigating.”
Sakumo was completely caught off guard.
He knew his own sons.
Hadn’t he heard anything about herbal tea from either of them?
Sakumo stood up and looked at the Anbu.
“Wait here. I’ll ask my two sons.”
He paused.
“Which one is it?”
“Hatake Shibu.”
The moment he heard that name, Sakumo immediately felt that something was wrong.
That child always had strange ideas.
Sakumo took a deep breath and walked toward Shibu’s room.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Shibu was still counting his money when he suddenly heard knocking at the door.
He hurriedly hid the money before opening it.
The moment the door opened, he saw Hatake Sakumo standing outside with a gloomy expression.
Oh no.
Did I get caught?
No.
Stay calm.
If his crime had really been exposed, his father would definitely have brought the feather duster with him.
Since he hadn’t…
This had to be a bluff!
His father was trying to trick him into confessing.