Forty: Sand Shadow's Backstab

"After this battle, Amegakure is nearly destroyed, and the Demigod has gone mad upon hearing the news."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Uchiha Sakuya: "He is pulling the forces from the Land of Wind toward the Land of Fire. Sakumo suspects he intends to set the battlefield near the Land of Claw."

"The Land of Claw, is it..."

Uchiha Sakuya nodded: "Do you wish for me to go to the front lines, Lord Hokage?"

He could roughly guess why Hiruzen Sarutobi had asked him to stay behind alone.

It was nothing more than the belief that since he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, his combat strength had reached the pinnacle of current Konoha, and he was needed on the front lines to relieve pressure on the main army.

However, he had intended to go to the battlefield regardless.

"Uchiha Sakuya... given your current strength, how would you fare against Hanzo of the Salamander?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment before asking tentatively.

"...I have never clashed with him directly, so it is difficult to judge."

Uchiha Sakuya shook his head: "However, if it were a fight to the death, I should be able to hold him off."

His Amaterasu burned everything it touched; theoretically, it could feed on Hanzo of the Salamander's poisonous mist and expand continuously. In a battlefield where both sides were locked in a struggle, he would actually hold a slight advantage.

But it would only be a slight one. If the battle turned into a war of attrition, the toll on his Mangekyō Sharingan would ultimately be unable to keep up with Hanzo of the Salamander's summoning beast.

"...I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded upon hearing this: "Rest well for the next few days, Uchiha Sakuya."

"Understood."

"Knock, knock."

As the two were talking, the door to the Hokage Office was knocked upon.

"Enter."

Hiruzen Sarutobi called out. The door pushed open, and a middle-aged man wearing a green flak jacket walked in.

"Hatake Sakumo? Why have you returned?"

Seeing the newcomer, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face showed surprise.

Uchiha Sakuya followed his gaze and saw a man with white hair and a somewhat haggard appearance. He looked to be under thirty, yet he carried an air of premature age.

Hatake Sakumo, the father of the original protagonist's teacher, Kakashi Hatake. Born into a samurai family, his swordsmanship was formidable. Known throughout the shinobi world as the White Fang of Konoha, he was also the overall commander of the Konoha forces responsible for supporting the Wind and Rain fronts during this Second Shinobi World War.

Now that he had returned suddenly, had something happened on the battlefield? Or perhaps...

"This is merely a Shadow Clone, Lord Hokage."

Seeming to read the concern in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Hatake Sakumo explained: "The matter is urgent, and fearing a leak of information, I could only send a Shadow Clone back."

"What matter is so urgent?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Hatake Sakumo scanned the room, and seeing only Uchiha Sakuya present, he spoke with confidence: "Have the forces from Sunagakure already arrived?"

"Yes, the person who came is Chiyo of Sunagakure, a medical ninja famous for her puppetry."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"No wonder..."

Hatake Sakumo realized: "Lord Hokage, there have been unusual movements from the Land of Earth recently."

"What?"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned: "You mean Ōnoki..."

Currently, the battlefield was already a clash between Sunagakure, Konoha, and Amegakure. Hiruzen Sarutobi had been wondering how Amegakure dared to challenge two Great Nations with the strength of only a small nation.

Even with the strength of the Demigod and the Small Nations Alliance, they shouldn't have dared to provoke two Great Nations at once.

Now that Hatake Sakumo had returned with this intelligence, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood instantly.

So, Amegakure had the Land of Earth backing them.

"Ha, that old fox Ōnoki."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry he laughed: "He certainly has some nerve!"

"Besides that, there is one more piece of news."

Hatake Sakumo frowned.

"Regarding Sunagakure..."

"What about Sunagakure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused.

"I received word the day before yesterday that Sunagakure seems to be plotting something, and their destination is the direction of the Land of Pupil."

"The Land of Pupil, hmph."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a cold sneer.

The Land of Pupil is situated directly to the west of the Land of Fire; it is a friendly neighbor to Konoha and an essential commercial partner. The majority of wooden products manufactured in the Land of Fire are exported to the Land of Pupil, where they are highly favored.

In other words, the Land of Pupil serves as a vital commercial hub for Konoha. Sunagakure's intention to strike at the Land of Pupil indirectly signifies their plan to sever Konoha's economy; put simply, they are preparing to backstab the Land of Fire at any moment.

We are still in the midst of a war, and we are still aiding them, yet they turn around and prepare to stab us in the back?

What, do they think Konoha will endure this just because of the Demigod?

If that is what the Third Kazekage thinks, then he is being far too naive.

"Sakumo."

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his fingers lightly against his desk. "Prepare yourself. The moment Sunagakure makes a move, you strike. If they dare to reach their claws in, you cut them off directly!"

"But... the intelligence reports state that the candidates Sunagakure intends to send this time are the son and daughter-in-law of Chiyo..."

Hatake Sakumo furrowed his brows. "Isn't Chiyo currently in the village assisting with research into the Salamander's toxins? If something were to happen..."

"It is of no concern."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "Proceed as ordered."

"And what about the Demigod..."

Hatake Sakumo scratched his head in distress.

He had spent the last six months guarding the border against the Demigod and had clashed with him; the toxins from that Salamander were truly troublesome.

If not for his exceptional mastery of Wind and Earth Release, which allowed him to blow away the poisonous mist to a certain extent with the assistance of other Konoha ninja, he likely would have died at the Demigod's hands long ago.

"Rest assured... as for the Demigod, there is still Sakuya."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward Uchiha Sakuya and said, "If it truly reaches that point, with Sakuya present, there is no need to worry too much."

"Sakuya-kun?"

Hatake Sakumo was stunned, but he quickly realized the implication. "Hokage-sama, you mean... using my Wind Release to assist Sakuya-kun's Fire Release?"

Wind fuels fire; a skilled Fire Release user can expand the range of their techniques several times over with the help of a Wind Release user. At the same time, his Earth Release could counter the Demigod's Water Release. As two of Konoha's top elite jōnin, if they joined forces and managed to neutralize the poisonous mist, they could indeed handle the Demigod to a certain degree.

But is it really that easy?

"Rest easy. Sakuya has recently mastered a Fire Release technique capable of burning away the Demigod's poisonous mist."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not leak the specifics of Sakuya's intelligence, stating it only in simple terms.

Both possess the Mangekyō Sharingan; even if he cannot compare to Madara Uchiha, relying on those black flames that burn everything to ash, combined with Hatake Sakumo's support, dealing with the Demigod should still be possible.

Hiruzen Sarutobi actually had a clear count in his mind.

If it were the original configuration of Konoha, facing a backstab from Sunagakure, he might have had to force a calm expression and wait until the Second Shinobi World War ended to retaliate.

Now, with an extra pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, Konoha's combat power has ascended to the strongest in the current shinobi world, so there is naturally no need to endure.

"Sakumo, go and make your preparations. As soon as Sunagakure dares to take a single step into the Land of Pupil, you kill them!"

"...Understood!"

The White Fang of the Leaf's expression turned stern, and he nodded heavily.