Border Breakthrough

Deep in the night, a group of six people moved swiftly through the dense jungle.

"Koharu, how much further to the [Land of Lightning] border?" the young Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a deep voice.

Utatane Koharu took out a map, observed it for a moment, and then replied:

"We should be close, about ten kilometers or so."

"There should be Cloud Ninja on the border responsible for lookout and alert. How should we break through?" Mitokado Homura suggested.

"The Cloud Ninja on the border probably don't know about the sudden change at the Alliance Conference yet, right? Maybe we can just pass straight through?" Torifu Akimichi proposed.

Koharu: "But what if Kumogakure has already informed those Cloud Ninja through some means?"

Homura: "Then we'll just kill our way through!"

Hiruzen frowned, thinking as he looked at Danzo beside him.

"Danzo, what do you think?"

"Huh?"

The latter woke up with a bewildered look.

"Danzo, why are you so listless? Are you too tired?"

"It's nothing, you don't need to worry about me."

"Then what do you think? Should we force our way through or...?"

"You're already the Hokage! You should make these decisions yourself!"

Danzo's tone was clearly tinged with a hint of unwillingness and jealousy. In his understanding, he had only lost the coveted Hokage position due to a moment of cowardice.

Because he was a small step behind Hiruzen, he missed out on the Hokage position he had dreamed of.

Naturally, he was extremely unwilling, and it became a lifelong nightmare of regret.

Hiruzen stopped pressing Danzo.

He wasn't stupid; he had always known that Danzo also wanted to be Hokage, which was why he had desperately competed with him.

It was understandable that he would have some minor emotional issues after missing out on the Hokage position.

He would slowly counsel him after they passed this difficult time and returned to the village.

"Kagami, what are your thoughts?"

Hiruzen turned and asked Kagami Uchiha.

Kagami frowned, troubled. "Should we really abandon the Hokage-sama? If he were here..."

When Tobirama, who had stayed behind to die alone, was mentioned, everyone fell silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his fists, but with a cheerful expression, he tried to comfort them. "Don't worry, trust the Second Hokage-sama, he won't die that easily! Maybe he's already escaped the encirclement and is catching up to us..."

The others remained silent.

They all knew Hiruzen's words were just meant to comfort them.

For the Second Hokage Tobirama to buy them enough time to escape, he would inevitably fight the Kinkaku Force to the death. With Tobirama's severely injured state, his chances of survival were extremely low...

A moment later, Kagami Uchiha spoke up.

"I'll go to the border to scout first."

"If I can pass safely, it will prove that the Cloud Ninja at the border are unaware, and you can proceed then."

"If I engage in battle with the Cloud Ninja at the border, you should take the opportunity to break through the defenses and escape!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "No, that's too dangerous."

Kagami: "There's no time to hesitate. Hiruzen, you've already taken the position of Hokage, you must make difficult choices. If you cannot return alive, all the Hokage-sama's efforts will be in vain."

Hiruzen: "I know, but..."

"Don't worry, my Sharingan isn't just for show. Even if we fight, the Cloud Ninja at the border may not be my match."

Kagami bared his white teeth and smiled easily, clearly having made up his mind.

He was promoted by Tobirama and was a ninja who had transcended clan loyalty, dedicating himself to the village.

He feared no sacrifice to protect his teammates and ensure the village's legacy.

"Kagami, you..."

Koharu was slightly moved, but none of them tried to dissuade him.

Having reached this point, everyone was rational and understood that some cruel choices had to be made.

"I'll go with you!"

Danzo suddenly volunteered.

"Danzo, you..."

"Hiruzen, I will hold off the enemy with Kagami. You must live well. Don't let down the Hokage-sama's hopes!"

"Kagami, let's go!"

After speaking, Danzo turned and left.

Perhaps to distance himself from Hiruzen, or perhaps to prove he wasn't a coward.

Kagami watched Danzo speed alongside him, feeling quite gratified.

"Danzo."

"?"

"I didn't expect you'd be willing to act with me."

"Hmph! I just didn't want that Monkey guy to hog all the glory by himself."

Danzo mumbled with a pouted lip, still holding a grudge about Hiruzen becoming Hokage.

"Danzo, you want to be Hokage too, right?"

"Who wouldn't want to be Hokage? Too bad that Monkey guy got it easy!"

"Yeah! I wanted to stay behind and cover the retreat just now, but the burden of my clan is too heavy, so I hesitated..."

Kagami sighed in agreement.

Like Danzo, everyone yearned for the position of Hokage.

Unfortunately, the clan's constraints from the Uchiha Clan made Kagami hesitate, unlike Hiruzen's decisiveness.

His willingness to act as a vanguard and probe now was partly out of guilt and a desire to compensate.

Danzo looked at Kagami, a hint of recognition and wistfulness in his eyes.

At the same time, the Cloud Ninja guards on the [Land of Lightning] border, having received advance notice, had indeed set up traps in an attempt to intercept the Konoha ninjas.

As Kagami and Danzo approached the border, They discovered a considerable number of Cloud Ninja surrounding them.

"Enemies are here!"

Kagami shouted, giving a warning.

"There really is an ambush!"

"There shouldn't be many of them. We can hold them off. As long as we delay these enemies, Hiruzen and the others can break through the border with ease."

"I don't have much Chakra left."

"Me neither..."

"Hmph, maybe I'll die with you."

"Danzo, if I fall in battle, please take my Sharingan back!"

"Kagami, you..."

"You know, this Dojutsu cannot fall into the hands of Kumogakure. This is my final request, please promise me."

Danzo stared at Kagami, a surge of anger rising in his heart once more.

"Alright, I promise you!"

There weren't many Cloud Ninja stationed in this border area, only twenty-something, and their strength wasn't considerable, mostly Chunin.

Under normal circumstances.

If Danzo and Kagami were at full strength, the two of them could absolutely cut through.

Unfortunately, neither of them was in good condition right now.

Or rather, all six of them, who had fled all the way from Kumogakure, had consumed a large amount of Chakra, and their condition had severely declined.

Not every ninja could fight for three days and three nights like Hashirama and Madara.

For ordinary ninja, even Jonin, fighting intensely for several tens of minutes was already quite good.

If ninjutsu were used frequently, this endurance time would be further shortened.

Thus.

In the first few minutes of the battle, Danzo and Kagami were almost unstoppable, quickly dealing with about half of the Cloud Ninja.

But as their Chakra depleted, they undoubtedly struggled more and more.

The accumulated wounds on their bodies also increased.

Kagami was even close to exhausting the power of his Sharingan, with two crimson bloodstains flowing down from the corners of his eyes.

At this rate, it would be difficult for them to hold on until the end.

Most likely, both of them would fall in battle, with a small chance of one escaping.

But there was still good news.

By attracting and delaying so many Cloud Ninja, Hiruzen's group must have successfully broken through.

As long as they left the territory of the Land of Lightning, the subsequent threats would be greatly reduced.

At least there was a high probability of returning to Konoha safely.

After all, on the border of the Land of Fire, there were Konoha ninja waiting to receive them.