Rescue Plan

"Konohagakure ninjas crossed the border to attack my son. Everyone says Kumogakure is the Martial Faction, but I never expected Konohagakure to be the ones truly acting without consequences," Third Raikage A said, resting his head on one hand.

"That is not the case, Lord Raikage. Our ninjas only entered the Land of Soup, not the Land of Lightning, and the so-called attack was merely a misunderstanding," Shimura Danzō explained.

"Whether it was a misunderstanding is no longer important. I am a man who dislikes nonsense." As he spoke, Third Raikage A pulled out a scroll and threw it toward Shimura Danzō. He applied force in secret, sending it flying with such speed and intensity—like a Shuriken—that it was clearly meant to be a show of dominance.

The scroll flew toward Shimura Danzō with significant momentum. Shimura Danzō clearly hadn't expected this; he felt a jolt of nerves, thinking the Raikage had launched a sudden attack. By the time he reacted and tried to catch it, it was already too late. He missed the scroll entirely, his hand left awkwardly hanging in the air.

If the scroll hit the ground, would he have to bend down to pick it up, or leave it? This was the Third Raikage's way of asserting his authority.

Shimura Danzō, having finally processed the situation, turned ashen-faced.

Just as the scroll was about to hit the ground, a sheathed Short Sword caught it from underneath. The scroll rested steadily on the scabbard without the slightest tremor.

Hatake Sakumo handed the scroll to Shimura Danzō, then retreated behind him without a word.

Third Raikage A raised his eyes, saying with interest, "Not bad."

Shimura Danzō felt he had lost face, a flash of malice appearing on his face. In Konohagakure, he was second only to one and above ten thousand; he was a big shot who could decide the life and death of countless ninjas, or at the very least, someone who could manipulate others at will. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

To be insulted like this—was he not afraid that Konohagakure would declare war? Konohagakure was the strongest of the ninja villages!

Oh, he wasn't afraid... Well, then, never mind. He would just have to endure the humiliation.

Sigh! I have truly sacrificed too much for Konohagakure...

Shimura Danzō forcibly steadied his mind and, while wallowing in self-pity, opened the scroll with a straight face. However, he broke his composure after reading only the first line.

"Pfft!"

He saw a list written on it:

A pair of Hyuga Byakugan, in parentheses—Main Family.

Two pairs of Uchiha Sharingan, in parentheses—Three Tomoe.

A pair of Senju Clan corpses, in parentheses—must be ninjas, one male and one female.

A scroll of Second Hokage secret techniques. In parentheses—must be of sufficient value, and the final right of interpretation belongs to Kumogakure.

Issue a formal pledge to the entire ninja world, promising never to accept missions in the Land of Soup, Land of Sound, Land of the Waterfall, or Land of Iron.

And a list of supplies in quantities and varieties unheard of, which looked sufficient to sustain a war.

Shimura Danzō didn't even dare to finish reading. At this point, even if he saw a demand for the Third Hokage to come to the Land of Soup, kowtow three times, and call the Raikage Father, he wouldn't be surprised.

This was not a negotiation in good faith; it was pure provocation!

Damned Kumogakure!!

Dada watched Shimura Danzō's ashen face and felt incredibly satisfied.

He had personally participated in drafting this list. Konohagakure couldn't possibly agree to any single item on it, and he had written over a dozen such conditions.

"Lord Raikage, this is completely devoid of sincerity. Konohagakure cannot possibly agree to these terms," Shimura Danzō said angrily.

Third Raikage A also flew into a rage: "You were the ones who started this conflict! If you can't accept it, then get out! Wait for Kumogakure's declaration of war!"

In the end, both sides parted on bad terms, and the Konohagakure delegation returned to their encampment.

"The other side is just opening their mouths like a lion, trying to test our bottom line. We can continue to negotiate; this is very much in line with the character of Kumogakure's Martial Faction," Shimura Danzō said with a dark expression.

"Then, is Kumogakure's so-called declaration of war just empty talk?" an accompanying ninja asked.

Shimura Danzō looked at him with disdain and said, "The reason they are called the Martial Faction rather than the Bluster Faction is because Kumogakure is actually capable of starting a war even when they are just talking..."

The ninja was left speechless.

At this moment, a ninja wearing a high-collared coat said, "Lord Danzō, my bugs tell me that Princess Tsunade is at the Kumogakure encampment."

"Draw the route," Danzō urged.

A few moments later, countless small black bugs crawled out of the ground, arranging themselves into a simple Map.

Danzō looked at the position shown on the map and said, "It seems Princess Tsunade's identity hasn't been exposed yet. Kumogakure has placed her in such a conspicuous position... It seems Sarutobi's plan has succeeded."

According to the discussions before they set out, the Konohagakure side had not once requested the ransom of the captive from start to finish. They hoped to confuse Kumogakure, making them believe Princess Tsunade was just an ordinary ninja. That way, once other agreements were reached, Princess Tsunade's release would just be a minor detail in the treaty, and the Village wouldn't need to pay any price to save her.

Of course, if negotiations truly failed, finding an opportunity to rescue her after lowering Kumogakure's guard was also an option. Once Princess Tsunade was rescued, they could slowly bicker with Kumogakure later.

Danzō looked at Hatake Sakumo and asked, "You entered the Kumogakure encampment with me today. Do you have the confidence to rescue Princess Tsunade?"

Hatake Sakumo closed his eyes to simulate the scenario, reviewing today's situation, and said, "Based on Kumogakure's current layout, they are not particularly guarded against a rescue attempt for Princess Tsunade. It may be as Lord Danzō said—they believe she is just an ordinary ninja. The others are easy to handle, but I am not confident I can bypass Third Raikage A himself. If we are to rescue Princess Tsunade, someone needs to hold him off."

Shimura Danzō nodded. Although he didn't like Hatake Sakumo, he acknowledged his ability. Since he said he had confidence, it was worth a try.

Sarutobi entrusted such an important matter to me; I must handle it beautifully.

The next day, Danzō returned to the Kumogakure encampment, stating that there was still room for negotiation and that Kumogakure shouldn't go too far.

A replied that since he was so sincere, he would take a step back: he would give a fifty percent discount on yesterday's list. A single Byakugan might be acceptable, and he could make do with half a corpse of a member of the Senju Clan.

The result was, naturally, another unpleasant parting.

Over the following days, Danzō came to the Kumogakure encampment every day to argue, but the progress of the negotiations didn't move forward at all.

And according to the Aburame Clan ninja, the location where Princess Tsunade was being held changed almost every day.

Finally, on the seventh day, when Danzō received news that Kumogakure had lost patience and Third Raikage A was preparing to lead his team back to their village, Shimura Danzō knew he could wait no longer.

If Tsunade were taken back to Kumogakure, and the enemy remained unaware of her true identity, she would likely vanish without a trace.

Danzo knew all too well how miserable the fate of a captured enemy ninja could be; he himself had presided over human experiments that had consumed countless prisoners.

"Sakumo, tomorrow I will feign agreement to some of the terms in order to lure the Third Raikage out. I believe that any single item on that list will be enough to satisfy him. I will arrange the meeting on the mountain to the west to draw him away from the Kumogakure camp. You must seize the opportunity to rescue Tsunade. Be quick, try not to cause too much of a commotion, and then retreat toward the border of the Land of Fire. There will be people there to meet you."

"What about you?" Sakumo asked with concern. If his rescue attempt were discovered, Danzo would be in a dire situation facing the full fury of the Third Raikage alone.

"We will use a signal to initiate the plan. By the time you make your move, I will have already requested to return to the Land of Fire to report back to that brute. It's a simple time-gap tactic, but for these people from Kumogakure, it will be more than enough," Danzo said with a smug laugh.

He could hardly wait to see the look on the faces of the Kumogakure ninja when they realized they had been tricked.

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