The rainy night in Konoha felt particularly desolate.
Rain fell like strands of silvery-gray, sticky spider silk, weaving a vast net that clung to the clustered buildings.
Konoha villagers hurried along the streets in their raincoats, the air thick with an uneasy tension, as though a storm was about to break.
Cold street lamps lined the roads, flickering one after another like moons rising in the sky and lighting a path that stretched into endless darkness.
At the sparsely populated outskirts of the village, dense, heavy shadows lurked underground.
Inside the Root base, several small figures clashed fiercely inside a sealed chamber while Danzō Shimura watched it all with an expressionless face.
"Danzō-sama."
A Root ninja appeared behind him, dropping to one knee and presenting a scroll. "This is the resolution reached after the Third Hokage discussed the matter with the Hyūga clan."
Danzō Shimura withdrew his cold gaze, turned his head slightly, and took the scroll. After a quick glance, his brows furrowed tightly.
"That Sarutobi fool… compromising again?" Danzō snorted coldly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The Hyūga clan is ruthless too, coming up with the idea to send Hyūga Hizashi to die in place of Hyūga Hiashi."
The Root ninja kneeling nearby lowered his head slightly, a trace of dissatisfaction flickering across his face beneath the shadow of his black cloak.
To many, Danzō Shimura was nothing more than a shadowy figure who operated behind the scenes, but in reality, among other factions, he was Konoha's true "hawk."
Being called a hawk meant his influence had grown into a genuine faction. Many shinobi genuinely supported his radical ideals and hadn't joined Root purely out of coercion.
The brighter the sun, the deeper and broader the shadows. Beneath Konoha's light, roots dug deep into the darkness, secretly eliminating any obstacles that threatened the village—by any means necessary.
In that sense, Danzō possessed a certain charisma. The Root ninjas were highly aggressive and deeply dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's weakness.
In their view, if the Third had the resolve to use the forbidden techniques from the Scroll of Seals and mobilize all the village's clans, any enemy village could be crushed.
Instead, they were always on the defensive, and even their victories in war felt meaningless.
Wars in the shinobi world never truly ended; the conclusion of one conflict was merely preparation for the next.
One could say that Sarutobi Hiruzen's indecisiveness and leniency toward outsiders were major reasons why Danzō had been able to expand Root to its current scale. Many who joined had lost family in the wars and harbored deep grudges against other villages.
This ninja—wearing black sunglasses, with a purple mark on his right cheek and hailing from the Aburame clan—was also a member of the hawks.
"Ryuma."
Danzō called out his name, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. "I'll insert you into this escort team. I still have some personnel stationed at the border. I'm temporarily handing command over to you…"
He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly, and continued in a cold voice, "If Kumogakure accepts this 'explanation' quietly, so be it. But if they keep pushing, then pour oil on this fire!"
Since Kumogakure had been aggressive time and again, Sarutobi shouldn't blame him for manipulating public opinion in the village.
Konoha's strength had indeed weakened, but that didn't mean Kumo had the right to walk all over them.
Did they think Tobirama-sensei's forbidden techniques were just for show?
"Yes, Danzō-sama!"
Aburame Ryuma kept his head bowed, unable to hide the excitement on his face.
——————
Boom!
In the Land of Lightning, atop a towering mountain peak shrouded in clouds and mist, the Hidden Cloud Village was awakened by thunder that roared like a white python streaking across the sky.
Gale-force winds howled as dark clouds rolled in, forming a massive vortex above the village—a breathtaking natural spectacle.
It looked as if some colossal monster was writhing and struggling within the swirling clouds, while bursts of incandescent lightning illuminated two figures inside the Raikage's office.
The Fourth Raikage, clad only in a white cloak that revealed his muscular build, sat at his desk. Beside him stood Mabui, with her green eyes, silver hair, and brown skin, holding documents.
"That old Sarutobi Hiruzen actually backed down?"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes scanned the scroll, a mocking expression crossing his rugged, dark face. "He's getting more useless with age. If he'd pushed back hard, I'd have some respect for him!"
He turned to look at Mabui, but instead of the expected reaction, he saw her frowning in thought.
Knowing Mabui wouldn't make such an expression without reason, the Fourth Raikage's face grew serious. "Is there a problem?"
Although they hadn't managed to start a war, they should have achieved at least half their goals, right?
They had obtained a main-branch member of the Hyūga clan, strained relations between the Hokage and the clans, and exposed Konoha's bark being worse than its bite.
"Raikage-sama, it just feels… too smooth," Mabui said, her brows tightly knitted. "The Daimyo's attitude earlier seemed somewhat perfunctory. I'm worried they might have found some leverage against us that made Sarutobi Hiruzen decide so quickly."
The Land of Lightning's Daimyo had delivered the ultimatum directly to the Land of Fire's Daimyo, who then informed Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Thus, neither the Fourth Raikage nor Mabui knew that the Lightning Daimyo had misunderstood their request.
Mabui simply felt that Konoha's concession had come too swiftly. Even though the Third Hokage had been firm internally since regaining his position, it shouldn't have been possible to suppress opposition so quickly.
This was the head of the Hyūga main family, after all. The Hyūga clan wouldn't yield easily.
In fact, from the beginning, she had believed the chance of the two countries declaring war was far greater than Konoha handing over Hyūga Hiashi.
"So, you suspect a trap?"
The Fourth Raikage gradually calmed down, now sensing something off as well.
"Yes." Mabui nodded. "I suggest you send someone to inquire with the Daimyo. If there's a flaw in the plan, it's most likely on that end."
The Fourth Raikage frowned. Even someone as uncompromising as him had to treat the Daimyo as an equal and preferred not to get too entangled.
Moreover, he knew full well that the Daimyo didn't truly want war with the Land of Fire. The Third Shinobi World War had only ended recently; they should be focusing on recovery before considering another conflict.
If there was a mistake, it was hard to say whether the Daimyo had done it unintentionally or on purpose.
But as Konoha's longtime rival, the Fourth Raikage knew the village all too well.
If they didn't strike while Konoha was weakened, given the village's abundance of talent and deep foundations, a genius might emerge any day to steady the crumbling structure or turn the tide.
Unlike Konoha's shinobi who had won the war or the civilians affected by it, the heavy casualties in Hidden Cloud had only deepened the villagers' profound hatred toward Konoha and Iwagakure.
"Mabui, go to the Daimyo's residence yourself."
With that in mind, the Fourth Raikage made his decision. "Have Toroi take a squad of Anbu to coordinate with Konoha. If Sarutobi Hiruzen is really trying to pull something, strike immediately!"
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
Hearing the name "Toroi," Mabui responded and let out a breath of relief, much of her inexplicable unease fading.
As long as Konoha didn't deploy Sannin-level shinobi, she believed no one could gain the upper hand against Toroi.
After all, Toroi was a jōnin of Hidden Cloud and possessed the Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release.
***
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