Biwa Jūzō continued to maintain his cold and aloof persona, but right now, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

Beside him, Suikazan Fuguki straightened his posture slightly.

Seeing this, the others acted as if nothing had happened and continued to ponder the Third Mizukage's words.

If the Land of Whirlpools is gone, then it's gone.

After all, the Land of Water didn't have a place like the Land of Whirlpools before.

It was just that this time, they saw an opportunity to expand their influence into the mainland and wanted to give it a try.

If they failed, so be it.

Anyway, the Land of Water had always been like this.

On the contrary, the six Ninja Blades were more important.

After all, they were the Foundation of the Hidden Mist Village's high-end combat power.

If they lost the Ninja Blades, cultivating Ninjas like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would not be as easy as it was before.

By then, the Hidden Mist Village's strength would drop another notch.

They were already at the bottom of the Five Great Nations.

If they dropped another level...

The Ninja Blades could not be lost!

However, the forces in the Land of Whirlpools were indeed very troublesome.

Just reading the description in the intelligence report, one could feel their power.

The Gotei 13.

With thirteen Divisions, just six Lieutenants appearing had beaten the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into a retreat.

Four dead, two escaped.

The two who escaped did so only because the Lieutenants had no intention of pursuing them.

Simply put, they had been spared.

For a moment, all the high-ranking officials felt it was quite tricky.

If the Lieutenants were like this, could it be that every Captain had Kage-level strength??

Damn, when did the Shinobi World have so many strong individuals?!

Of course, that was just what they thought.

But deep down, they didn't believe this organization had thirteen Kage-level individuals.

Even the Mizukage thought the same.

After all, even Konoha, currently the strongest, did not have so many Kage-level figures in one village.

The Third Mizukage tapped the table and reminded them, "Speak up if you have something to say, don't hold it in."

The Terumī Clan Head spoke first, "Currently, our intelligence on them is still insufficient. Before we are clear about whether the so-called thirteen Captains exist, I suggest using diplomatic means to redeem the Ninja Blades."

The Third Mizukage neither shook nor nodded his head; he wanted to continue listening to the others' thoughts.

The Kaguya Clan Head suddenly stood up.

"What kind of bullshit Gotei 13 is that? I propose that we immediately dispatch the entire force of the Hidden Mist Village to attack the Land of Whirlpools!"

This reckless brute!

Everyone complained silently.

The Third Mizukage was also speechless.

Although he believed that if the Hidden Mist Village went all out, they could indeed take down that organization.

After all, the Ninja village had a huge base of Ninjas; even if they just used numbers, if everyone cast a C-rank Ninjutsu, they could bury a Kage.

But how could a Ninja village go all out?

Don't look at the Land of Water being surrounded by the sea and think other villages aren't interested in them.

But as soon as all the Hidden Mist's forces were deployed elsewhere, watch if others wouldn't raid your home.

The Clan Head Terumi did not accept his proposal, and the discussions in the office grew louder.

But until the sun went down, no suitable plan was discussed.

On the contrary, the Terumī Clan Head's suggestion was the most suitable for the moment.

But the Mizukage did not accept it on the spot; instead, he told them to go back and think about it carefully.

In case there was a better plan.

When the Mizukage's office returned to silence and only the Mizukage was left.

He stood by the window, quietly staring at the setting sun, opening his half-closed eyes.

A flash of bright red flickered in his eyes.

"It seems I've heard something interesting."

At the same time, Sakumo Hatake also returned to Konoha under the protection of the Anbu.

Please give flowers! Please give evaluation tickets!

Chapter 21: Hiruzen: Am I old? Am I out of touch with the times?

Land of Fire, Konoha.

In the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was using the Telescope Technique to peek... observe the people's livelihood in Konoha, when the office door was suddenly knocked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly put the crystal ball into his desk drawer and said, "Come in."

"Hokage-sama, Captain Sakumo Hatake has returned."

"Oh?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bit surprised; wasn't he supposed to be executing a mission in the Land of Whirlpools? Why was he back so soon?

"Has Sakumo finished the task? Quickly let him in to see me."

"Well... Captain Sakumo Hatake is currently at the Konoha Hospital."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "...?"

Konoha Hospital, intensive care unit.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked in shock at Sakumo Hatake, who was wrapped up like a mummy, and said in disbelief, "...Sakumo?"

When Sakumo Hatake saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, he immediately wanted to get up, but was slapped back down by Tsunade.

Tsunade said impatiently, "Don't move!"

"Hiss—"

Sakumo Hatake gasped, feeling as if his injuries had worsened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face twitched, and he hurriedly said, "Sakumo, just accept the treatment first; we'll talk about other things later."

Sakumo Hatake apologized, "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, giving him a look to just accept the treatment with peace of mind.

However, his expression was very grave.

Sakumo Hatake, currently Konoha's most Genius Ninja!

Even his three disciples could not compare to him!

Even the proud Uchiha clan had to lower their Genius arrogance in front of Sakumo Hatake.

Ever since becoming a Ninja, every mission, without exception, had been perfectly completed!

At only twenty years old, he had ascended to the position of Anbu Captain!

His status was second only to him and Danzo!

Such dazzling achievements proved, without exception, Sakumo Hatake's talent and strength!

From Hiruzen Sarutobi's daily observations, Sakumo Hatake's strength at this moment was infinitely close to Kage-level!

For a figure with such strength, Hiruzen Sarutobi really couldn't imagine what kind of person or situation could have injured him like this!

Moreover, it was just a mission to the Land of Whirlpools.

Even if he were besieged by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, as long as Sakumo wanted to, he could have escaped unscathed!

So, what exactly happened to Sakumo?

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, subconsciously taking out his pipe, wanting to take a puff.

Tsunade glared, "This is a hospital!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand holding the pipe paused, then he calmly put it away and asked, "How is Sakumo's condition?"