Sunagakure's Betrayal

"After this battle, Amegakure was nearly destroyed. When the Demigod finally got the news, he went mad."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Sakuya and said, "He's drawing the Land of Wind closer to the Land of Fire. Sakumo suspects he may be planning to set the battlefield near the Land of Claw."

"The Land of Claw..."

Sakuya nodded. "Do you want me to go to the battlefield, Lord Hokage?"

He could more or less guess why Hiruzen Sarutobi had asked him to stay behind.

Hiruzen probably thought that now Sakuya had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, his combat strength had reached the pinnacle of Konoha's forces, and he needed to go to the front lines to ease the pressure on the army.

But Sakuya had already planned to go to the battlefield anyway.

"Sakuya... How would your current strength fare against Hanzo of the Salamander?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively.

"...I've never faced him directly, so it's hard to say."

Sakuya shook his head. "But if it came down to a fight to the death, I should be able to hold him off."

His Amaterasu burned anything it touched. In theory, it could feed on Hanzo of the Salamander's poisonous gas and grow without stopping. In a contest of strength between the two sides, Sakuya would actually have a slight advantage.

But only a slight one. If the battle dragged on, the strain the Mangekyō Sharingan placed on him would ultimately prove harder to endure than Hanzo of the Salamander's summoned beast.

"...I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Get some rest over the next few days, Sakuya."

"Understood."

"Knock, knock."

As the two of them spoke, someone knocked on the door of the Hokage Office.

"Come in."

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

"Sakumo? Why are you back?"

Seeing him, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked surprised.

Sakuya followed his gaze and saw a man with white hair and a haggard face. He looked not quite thirty, yet seemed older than his years.

Hatake Sakumo, the father of Kakashi Hatake, the original protagonist's classmate. Born into a samurai family, he was highly skilled with a sword. In the Shinobi World, he was known as the White Fang of Konoha. He was also the overall commander of Konoha's forces supporting the Land of Wind and Land of Rain front in this Second Shinobi World War.

If he had suddenly returned, had something happened on the battlefield? Or was it...

"This is only a shadow clone, Lord Hokage."

Seeming to understand the worry in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Hatake Sakumo explained, "It's urgent, and I was afraid the information might leak, so I could only send back a shadow clone."

"What's so urgent?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Hatake Sakumo glanced around. Seeing that only Uchiha Sakuya was in the room, he spoke without hesitation. "Have Sunagakure's people arrived yet?"

"Yes. It was Chiyo, a medical ninja known for her Puppet Technique."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"No wonder..."

Hatake Sakumo understood. "Lord Hokage, there's been some unusual activity in the Land of Earth recently."

"What?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze. "You mean Ōnoki..."

The current battlefield already involved Sunagakure and Konoha fighting Amegakure. Hiruzen Sarutobi had been wondering how Amegakure, a small nation, had dared to stand against two great nations.

Even with the Demigod's strength and the Small Nations Alliance behind him, he couldn't possibly have dared to challenge two great nations at once.

Now that Hatake Sakumo was back with this information, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood at once.

So the Land of Earth was backing Amegakure.

"Hah, that old Ōnoki."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry he laughed. "He's got some nerve!"

"There's another piece of news."

Hatake Sakumo frowned.

"What about Sunagakure..."

"What's happened with Sunagakure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback.

"I received word two days ago that Sunagakure seems to be plotting something. Their target is in the direction of the Land of Pupil."

"The Land of Pupil? Hmph."

At that, Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered.

The Land of Pupil bordered the western side of the Land of Fire. It was a friendly neighbor of Konoha's and an important trading partner. Most of the wooden products made in the Land of Fire were sold there, where they were greatly prized.

In other words, the Land of Pupil was an important commercial center for Konoha. Sunagakure's plan to target it was an indirect attempt to cripple Konoha's economy. Put another way, they were ready to stab the Land of Fire in the back at any moment.

The war was still going on, and they were still helping Sunagakure, yet it was preparing to betray them in return?

What, did they think Konoha would put up with it because of the Demigod?

If that was what the Third Kazekage thought, he was badly mistaken.

"Sakumo."

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "Get ready. If Sunagakure makes a move, you strike. If they dare reach their claws in here, cut them off!"

"But... according to the intelligence, Sunagakure plans to send Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law..."

Hatake Sakumo furrowed his brow. "Isn't Chiyo helping research the salamander's poison in the village? What if..."

"It doesn't matter."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand. "Do what you have to."

"Then what about the Demigod..."

Hatake Sakumo scratched his head, troubled.

For the past six months, he had been guarding the border against the Demigod and had even fought him. The poison from his salamander was indeed troublesome.

If Sakumo hadn't been so skilled in Wind Release and Earth Release, able to blow the poisonous gas away to some extent with the help of Konoha's ninjas, he would have died at the Demigod's hands long ago.

"Don't worry... We have Sakuya for the Demigod."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Uchiha Sakuya. "If it comes to that, Sakuya will be there. You don't need to worry too much."

"Sakuya?"

Hatake Sakumo was taken aback, but quickly understood. "You mean to use my Wind Release to assist Sakuya's Fire Release, Lord Hokage?"

Wind fueled fire. With the help of a Wind Release ninja, a skilled Fire Release ninja could expand the range of his techniques several times over. Sakumo's Earth Release could also counter the Demigod's Water Release. As two of Konoha's top elite jonin, he and Sakuya could join forces and deal with the Demigod to some extent, as long as they could handle the poisonous gas.

But could it really be that easy?

"Don't worry. Sakuya has learned a new Fire Release technique that can burn away the Demigod's poisonous gas."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reveal Sakuya's information, offering only a simple explanation.

They both had the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even if Sakuya couldn't match Madara Uchiha, his Black Flames that burned everything, combined with Hatake Sakumo's support, should still be enough to deal with the Demigod.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew what he was doing.

With Konoha's forces as they had been, he might have had to swallow his anger and wait until after the Second Shinobi World War to retaliate against Sunagakure for its betrayal.

But now Konoha had another Mangekyō Sharingan wielder, and its strength had risen to the top of the Shinobi World. There was no reason to hold back.

"Sakumo, go make your preparations. If Sunagakure dares to take even one step into the Land of Pupil, kill them!"

"...Understood!"

The White Fang of Konoha's expression turned stern, and he nodded firmly.