Aftermath Among the Powers, Prelude to War

Tsunade glared angrily at Danzo. In her heart, sending Hanma alone to provoke Hanzo was a blatant conspiracy.

Danzo clearly wanted to crush the momentum of the Uchiha's rise. It was a despicable scheme to kill with a borrowed blade.

Even though she and Hanma had clashed deeply in every respect, and she knew Hanma's strength better than anyone, she could not help feeling anger rise within her.

Hanzo was a ninja even more senior than Hiruzen Sarutobi, renowned throughout the Shinobi World for a long time.

The fact that he could maneuver between two great nations and establish such a powerful ninja village spoke for itself.

"This Old Man is the Hokage's Assistant. Why should I explain my actions to a junior like you? Obedience is a ninja's duty!"

Danzo coldly answered Tsunade's challenge. In his view, such a question should never have arisen in Konoha.

Seeing Tsunade on the verge of exploding, Third stepped between her and Danzo and slowly said,

"There is indeed something strange about this matter. My order was for him to scout Amegakure's terrain. I never ordered Uchiha Hanma to fight Hanzo."

Konoha's strange internal struggle had begun again. Third bluntly absolved himself, and the blame was passed back onto Danzo.

Danzo would not have taken anyone else's doubts to heart, but if Third was the one speaking, he had to set the matter straight.

"Hmph. This Old Man merely told him to keep an eye on Hanzo's son, and dispatched two Root teams to accompany him."

"With Uchiha Hanma's abilities, was this mission supposed to be difficult?"

Tsunade's expression eased slightly. If that was the case, Hanma must have taken the initiative to fight Hanzo.

That bastard had only told her he had fought Hanzo. He had made her worry for so long.

Third coughed and said, "Then we shall wait for Hanma to return to the village and ask him properly what happened."

Thus, the brief quarrel came to an end. Tsunade was overjoyed by her lover's safety, while Danzo and Third each had their own thoughts.

After all, a ninja who could fight Hanzo and retreat unscathed was someone any ninja village would have to invest heavily in recruiting.

Amegakure.

Inside Amegakure's headquarters building, Hanzo sat before the seat of honor, his entire body wrapped in bandages and his face dark, presiding over a high-level meeting.

Hanma's immense strength had severely injured his internal organs. Even the poison sac within his body had nearly ruptured as a result.

He had also realized that Amegakure's original expansion plan was no longer viable.

Hanzo had originally intended to annex the Land of Rivers. This vassal state of the Land of Fire possessed vast plains and an excellent climate.

As long as he displayed sufficient strength and annexed the Land of Rivers, Konoha would only put on a show.

He did not believe Konoha would deploy its entire army for the sake of a vassal state.

As long as they could withstand Konoha's first wave of attacks, Amegakure would be able to escape this miserable place for good.

But now, if even a single Uchiha Hanma could stand toe-to-toe with him, then the original plan had naturally fallen through.

Hanzo knew clearly in his heart that this man was entirely capable of killing him!

His expression grew even darker, while the high-ranking officials below could only lower their heads and await Hanzo's orders.

In this small nation, Hanzo was a god. No one could question his authority.

"Contact those people from Sunagakure. Their situation is also extremely difficult right now."

"As long as they send troops, we can split the spoils evenly. Not only will we have a chance to take the Land of Rivers, we may even obtain some supplies."

"Konoha cannot afford defeat. The loss of even a little territory would be a desecration of their previous Hokage."

"As long as we take only the Land of Rivers and supplies, without touching their bottom line, Hiruzen Sarutobi will compromise."

Hanzo had clearly grasped Hiruzen Sarutobi's mindset and limits.

Having immersed himself in the Shinobi World for more than fifty years while maneuvering between two great nations, he had his own unique understanding of war and politics.

Sunagakure.

The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and the others were studying the secret letter sent by Amegakure's Anbu, discussing the feasibility of the plan.

After a brief silence, Ebizo, known as the "Darkness of Sunagakure," was the first to offer his view.

"I believe this is feasible. The village has been shrouded by the shadows of hunger and poverty for too long. It is time to make a change."

Ebizo was Chiyo's younger brother and was in charge of Sunagakure's spies and Anbu operations. He was a standard hardliner.

He had long had designs on Konoha's abundance.

Chiyo looked at her younger brother and said thoughtfully,

"The key is that we must also assess Konoha's response. If we are defeated, can the Daimyo's Mansion provide the village with sufficient aid?"

None of the Sunagakure Ninja present raised any objections to Chiyo speaking of defeat before the battle had even begun.

Chiyo could be said to have exhausted herself for Sunagakure's development. She considered everything thoroughly and was the village's most dependable strategist.

The Third Kazekage picked up the intelligence report and remained silent. Going to war with Konoha required both courage and confidence.

Ebizo rose to his feet and looked around at everyone.

"Sunagakure's current state is a slow death. Eighty-five percent of our village is desert, and all our food can only be imported."

"The ninjas and residents also suffer from the desert's scorching heat. Their work and lives have been greatly affected."

"And Konoha occupies vast green lands, controls the smaller nations, and continuously bleeds us dry through its economy!"

Ebizo slammed both hands fiercely onto the table and roared,

"Sunagakure should not be born to suffer. Since Konoha has bread, we should get a bite too!"

"Since Hanzo is willing to take the lead, we have no reason to shrink back any longer!"

The Sunagakure high-ranking officials present all nodded in deep agreement. Sunagakure had endured hardship for far too long.

Ever since the First Five Kage Summit, the First Kazekage had demanded Konoha's land, only to be sternly rebuffed.

Then, would invading Konoha also count as inheriting the First Kazekage's will?

The Third Kazekage swept his gaze around the room and said in a deep voice, "My disciple Rasa has already awakened Magnetic Release."

"And unlike my Magnetic Release, he can extract Gold Dust from the great desert."

"So even if we are defeated, we will have sufficient funds to compensate our ninjas."

The Sunagakure high-ranking officials present looked exhilarated. If that was the case, they would have ample confidence for this war.

Perhaps even directly invading Konoha's homeland and tearing off a large chunk of rich meat was not impossible.

Chiyo rose and added, "My puppet poisons and Hanzo's Ibuse venom can effectively kill their lower-ranking ninjas."

"For the Land of Rivers, with Hiruzen Sarutobi's restraint, it will be difficult for him to wage a war of mutual ruin against us."

The Third Kazekage settled the matter with one decisive blow and made the final decision.

"Ebizo, notify Hanzo that we agree to the alliance. Go discuss a detailed war-preparation plan with him."

"Chiyo, Hanzo's intelligence says that Konoha's Blood Wolf has grown strong. Make preparations to deal with him."

"Gentlemen, Sunagakure's prosperity rests on this. Prepare for war!"

"Yes!"

The Sunagakure Ninja present looked invigorated and shouted in unison.

Sometimes, fate was just that wondrous.

What should have been the Second Shinobi World War, a chaotic battle among three villages, had become a joint attack against Konoha.

The emergence of a genius could bring prosperity to a village's future, but it might also bring about even greater conflict.

That was the cruel Shinobi World. Who was right and who was wrong? Who could truly say?