Rescue Plan

"Konohagakure ninja crossed the border and attacked my son. Everyone says Kumogakure is the Martial Faction, but I never expected Konohagakure to be the ones who truly acted without regard for consequences..." A said, resting his head on one hand.

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

"Whether it was a misunderstanding is no longer important. I dislike wasting words." As he spoke, the Third Raikage pulled out a scroll and tossed it toward Shimura Danzō. He secretly put force into the throw, sending it flying as fast as a Shuriken. Clearly, he intended to establish dominance.

The scroll flew toward Danzo with considerable force. Danzo had clearly not expected this. His heart tightened as he thought the Raikage had suddenly attacked him. By the time he reacted and tried to catch it, it was already too late. He actually missed the scroll, and his outstretched hand hung awkwardly in midair.

If the scroll fell to the ground, should he bend down to pick it up or not? That was the Third Raikage's display of dominance.

Once he came to his senses, Danzo's face turned ashen.

Just as the scroll was about to hit the ground, an unsheathed short sword caught it from beneath. The scroll came to a steady stop atop the sheath without the slightest tremble.

Hatake Sakumo handed the scroll to Danzo, then silently retreated behind him.

Third Raikage A raised his eyes slightly and said with interest, "Not bad."

Feeling that he had lost face, Danzo's expression turned ruthless. He stood second only to one in Konohagakure, above tens of thousands. Countless ninja were not exactly at his mercy to kill or spare, but he could at least manipulate them as he pleased. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

Did Kumogakure not fear war with Konohagakure after humiliating him like this? Konohagakure was the strongest ninja village!

Oh, they were not afraid... Then never mind. He should endure the humiliation for now.

Sigh! He had truly sacrificed far too much for Konohagakure...

Shimura Danzō forcibly steadied himself. Still wearing an impassive expression while moved by his own devotion, he opened the scroll—but he broke composure after reading only the beginning.

"Pfft!"

A list was written on it:

One pair of Hyuga Byakugan. Parentheses—Main Family.

Two pairs of Uchiha Sharingan. Parentheses—Three Tomoe.

One pair of Senju Clan corpses. Parentheses—must be ninja, one male and one female.

Second Hokage's secret technique scrolls. Parentheses—must be of sufficient value, with Kumogakure retaining final interpretation rights.

Issue a written pledge and announce it throughout the Shinobi World: never accept missions in the Land of Soup, Land of Sound, Land of the Waterfall, or Land of Iron.

As well as a materials list of unprecedented quantity and variety, enough to support an entire war.

Shimura Danzō did not even dare finish reading it. Even if the scroll had demanded that the Third Hokage come to the Land of Soup, kowtow three times, and call the Raikage Father, he would not have been surprised.

There was no sincerity to negotiate at all. This was purely fanning the flames!

Damn Kumogakure!!

Watching Shimura Danzō's ashen face from the side, Dada felt immensely pleased.

He had personally taken part in drafting this list. Konohagakure could not possibly accept any single condition on it, and he had written more than a dozen such terms.

"Lord Raikage, this is utterly without sincerity. Konohagakure cannot possibly accept such conditions," Shimura Danzō said angrily.

The Third Raikage was equally furious. "You were the ones who started this conflict. If you cannot accept it, then get lost! Wait for Kumogakure's declaration of war!"

In the end, the two sides parted on bad terms, and Konohagakure returned to its encampment.

"They are merely making outrageous demands to test our bottom line. We can still negotiate afterward. This fits Kumogakure's Martial Faction character," Shimura Danzō said, pulling everyone aside.

"Then was Kumogakure's so-called declaration of war merely an empty threat?" one accompanying ninja asked.

Danzo looked at him disdainfully. "They are called the Martial Faction rather than the Bluffing Faction because Kumogakure dares to truly start a war even when they say it casually..."

The ninja was rendered speechless.

At that moment, a ninja in a high-collared coat said, "Lord Danzo, the insects have told me that Princess Tsunade is in Kumogakure's encampment."

"Draw out the route," Danzo said urgently.

A few breaths later, countless tiny black insects crawled out of the ground and formed a simple map.

Looking at the position shown on the map, Danzo said, "It seems Tsunade's identity has not been exposed yet. Kumogakure has placed her in such an obvious location... It seems Hiruzen's plan succeeded."

According to their discussion before departure, Konohagakure had not once raised any demand to ransom the prisoner. They hoped this would mislead Kumogakure into believing Tsunade was merely an ordinary ninja. Then, once the other agreements were reached, Tsunade's release would only be a minor clause in the agreement, and the village would not need to pay much to rescue her.

Of course, if they truly could not reach an agreement, then rescuing her after lowering Kumogakure's guard was another option. As long as Tsunade was brought back, they could slowly haggle with Kumogakure afterward.

Danzo looked at Hatake Sakumo and asked, "You entered Kumogakure's encampment with me today. Are you confident you can rescue Tsunade?"

Hatake Sakumo closed his eyes and simulated the situation, replaying everything from that day before saying, "Based on Kumogakure's current deployment, they have not taken special precautions against Tsunade being rescued. As Lord Danzo said, they may consider her an ordinary ninja. The others are manageable, but I am not confident I can evade the Third Raikage himself. If we rescue Tsunade, someone must hold back the Third Raikage."

Shimura Danzō nodded. Although he disliked Hatake Sakumo, he acknowledged his ability. Since Sakumo said he was confident, it was worth trying.

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

The next day, Danzo returned to Kumogakure's encampment and stated that there was still room for negotiation, but Kumogakure should not go too far.

A said that since Danzo was so sincere, he would take a step back as well. He would give yesterday's list a fifty-percent discount. A single Byakugan was not unacceptable, and he could make do with half a Senju Clan corpse.

The result was naturally another parting on bad terms.

Over the next several days, Danzo came to Kumogakure's encampment every day and argued at length, but the negotiations did not advance at all.

Meanwhile, according to the Aburame Clan ninja, Tsunade's place of imprisonment changed almost every day.

Finally, on the seventh day, Danzo received word that Kumogakure had lost patience and the Third Raikage was preparing to lead his men back to the village. Shimura Danzō knew he could wait no longer.

If Tsunade was taken back to Kumogakure, then without them knowing her identity, she might simply disappear without a trace.

Danzo understood better than anyone how miserable the fate of captured enemy ninja could be. The human experiments he personally oversaw alone had consumed an unknown number of prisoners.

"Sakumo, tomorrow I will pretend to agree to some of their terms and use that to lure the Third Raikage out. I believe even any one item on that list will satisfy him. I will arrange to meet him on the western mountain and draw him out of Kumogakure's camp. You will seize the chance to rescue Tsunade. Be quick, make as little noise as possible, then withdraw toward the Land of Fire border. Someone will meet you there."

"What about your side?" Sakumo asked worriedly. Once his rescue attempt was discovered, Danzo, who would be facing the Third Raikage's fury directly, would not have an easy time.

"We will use a signal to act. Before you make your move, I will have already told that brute I need to return to the Land of Fire to report. We will exploit the timing difference. It is simple, but it will be enough for Kumogakure's lot," Danzo said with a smug smile.

He could hardly wait to see Kumogakure's expressions when they fell for it.