Naruto: The Strongest Sage.

Ohno knew long ago that the war of unification of the ninja world would eventually begin, but he was not sure whether it would be started by Uchiha Madara or Kamikawa Aoba.

Ohnoki adheres to the traditional foreign policy of Iwagakure, which is the strategy of stirring up trouble in the ninja world. After the rise of Konoha led by Kamikawa Aoba and Kirigakure led by Uchiha Madara.

Ohnoki fine-tuned his family's policy. In simple terms, he tried to please both sides. On the one hand, he showed his goodwill to Uchiha Madara and expressed his willingness to submit.

On the other hand, he hooked up with Konoha, exchanged a lot of resources for Deidara, and secretly trained a new ninja army. He was ready to make a desperate move.

But unexpectedly, the war broke out so suddenly.

What Oonoki couldn't stand the most was that he didn't even see Kamikawa Aoba.

That's right, Kamikawa Aoba was not in the Konoha army that attacked Iwagakure. Instead, Tsunade led the team herself, and almost all of her entourage were Konoha's new generation of ninjas.

There were also a large number of registered disciples trained by Aoba, and the Sand Village troops led by Gaara were also among them.

Iwagakure is not weak. Although in the original plot, its presence is not strong. That's because Ōnoki knows that he has no successor and dares not start a war lightly.

In fact, the overall strength of Iwagakure is not weaker than that of Kumogakure. Especially the training of grassroots troops, which was at the forefront among the five major villages in the early years.

What made Ohnoki sad was that there was no one in the entire Iwagakure who could inherit his Dust Release, or a special genius who could take on the responsibility of Iwagakure.

Therefore, in his later years, Ōnoki's strategies became increasingly conservative, and Iwagakure's presence became somewhat weak.

But with Deidara's return, Ohnoki felt there was a glimmer of hope. However, before Deidara was fully trained, the war broke out.

Tsunade led the team personally and issued a declaration of war.

Because Konoha took the lead, the Daimyo in the Ninja World still exists, but it is in name only. The Ninja Village is already the actual controller of a country.

Tsunade is no different from the Daimyo.

In fact, the most recognized person in Konoha in the entire ninja world is Kamikawa Aoba. Tsunade, the Hokage, has basically been in a mascot status during this period.

At least that's what it looks like to the outside world.

However, most of the top leaders in Konoha knew about the relationship between Tsunade and Aoba. No one would really ignore Tsunade, the real Hokage.

Tsunade led the team personally this time, one to dispel the rumors about Aoba's usurpation of the throne, and the other to prove the results of her training through actual combat.

Each of the three ninjas back then was a true genius: Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

Among these three people, Orochimaru can be said to have gone the furthest. Although he took some unconventional approaches, he had the clearest positioning and goals for himself. In pursuit of immortality, he almost reached the limit that a non-bloodline ninja could achieve.

Jiraiya was a lowly person in his early years. But he was born with the potential to practice magic. With his magic, he was called the Toad Sage. But the second half of his life was occupied by prophecies, and he basically did not make much progress.

The same is true for Tsunade. Her emotional fragility made her unable to face the fact that her relatives and friends had died. She wasted most of her life in vain.

But after Qingye appeared, she finally came out of the shadows. As she got deeper into Qingye's plan, she realized her own weakness and began to practice hard.

In fact, Tsunade's practice during this period was not entirely her own achievement. The in-depth research on chakra by the institute, plus Aoba's various practice experiences, were all nutrients for Tsunade.

After absorbing a lot of training experience, she finally found her own way. And today is the time for her to verify what she has learned. She wants to challenge Ohnoki in person to prove that she is qualified to become the Hokage of Konoha.

Ōnoki became famous very early, even in the era of Uchiha Madara, he had already made his mark. After all, he was someone whose name was remembered by Madara, so his talent and strength can be imagined.

In the post-Uchiha Madara era, Ōnoki also briefly led an era.

But there was nothing they could do, there were just too many geniuses on Konoha's side. After Hashirama's death, there was still the monster Tobirama.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who came later, possessed all five attributes, the pinnacle of conventional ninjas. With the addition of the special summoning beast, Sarumo, he firmly ranked among the top three in the ninja world at that time.

But even so, Ohnoki is not afraid of Sarutobi Hiruzen. The key is that under Sarutobi Hiruzen, there are still the Three Ninjas, White Fang, and Yellow Flash...

The geniuses that other ninja villages rarely encounter in decades appeared in large numbers in Konoha, which completely obscured the light of Ohnoki.

Ōnoki outlasted Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, White Fang, and Yellow Flash, and all three of them left. As a result, a monster named Kamikawa Aoba appeared in Konoha.

No one knew how frustrated Ohnoki had been these years. He endured it again and again, hoping to wait for the opportunity for Iwagakure to rise.

However, the appearance of Aoba completely destroyed all chances of Iwagakure to awaken.

The appearance of Uchiha Madara originally gave Ohnoki a glimmer of hope. He originally thought that by playing both sides, he could make both Madara and Aoba lose. In this way, he would have the hope of reaping the benefits.

But before the showdown between Aoba and Madara, the army of Konoha arrived.

The moment he saw the army of Konoha ninjas, Ohnoki knew that it was all over.

He knew Kamikawa Aoba's character. Since the other party had taken action, it proved that he was absolutely sure of his victory. There was almost no chance of victory for him.

But Ohnoki still decided to fight. Not for anything else, but for himself. For his forbearance over the years. For the battle that should have come a long time ago.

He is about to die, but before he dies, he wants to defeat the current Hokage and leave his name in this ninja world.