The Third Raikage had wanted to solve the Tailed Beast problem once and for all, but things hadn't gone as planned. The village ravaged by the Eight-Tails was taking a long time to rebuild. The operation had been a diversionary raid to begin with, and now that the fighting had stalled, supplies couldn't keep up.
More importantly, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was growing dissatisfied. The supplies had been spent without anything to show for it, which meant they'd gone to waste.
The Third Raikage sighed and glanced toward the Land of Fire. With no other choice, he could only withdraw his forces.
The northern front had dragged on until it simply came to an end.
In the Land of Whirlpools, Cloud Village stabbed Mist Village in the back, seized a large amount of their supplies, then sailed back to the Land of Lightning.
Mist Village was furious. They cursed Cloud Village for having no honor and pulling a backstabbing move. Their short-lived alliance had been fragile from the start, and Mist Village had planned to betray Cloud Village once the mission was over.
But Cloud Village had struck first, leaving Mist Village enraged and regretting that they hadn't made the first move.
With Cloud Village gone, Mist Village was left to face Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan alone. Outnumbered and struggling to hold its own, it could only slink back to the Land of Water in the end.
The mission had failed. Mist Village had gained nothing, lost men, and suffered heavy casualties. Its clans mocked the Third Mizukage mercilessly, and their conflict with him grew even more intense.
The only winner in this war was the Land of Fire.
The crisis facing the Uzumaki Clan had been averted, but as long as the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki system remained in place, the clan would continue to face danger.
After much consideration, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, who was also the head of the Uzumaki Clan, sent a letter to the Land of Fire, making his country a vassal state.
Konoha Ninja could now openly deploy shinobi to be stationed in the Land of Whirlpools.
Hatake Sakumo left half the shinobi behind and returned to the Hidden Leaf Village with the other half.
The Land of Fire and Konoha had scored a huge win, gaining a vassal state and the Uzumaki Clan.
"Senior Sakumo, is there still no news about Nagato?"
As Hatake Sakumo walked out of the Hokage's office, he saw Uchiha Chonhua waiting for him.
At the question, Hatake Sakumo sighed and shook his head. "No. We don't know what method the enemy used. There isn't a single clue. I'm sorry, Chonhua. We couldn't find the missing children."
Even now, Hatake Sakumo had no idea which faction had taken the Uzumaki Clan's children. They had rescued one child, but he had gone missing later, too.
They still didn't know how he had disappeared.
The whole thing had become an unsolved mystery.
Chapter 54: Toward the Land of Fire, We Declare War!
"Lord Hanzō, our supplies... are running low."
At his subordinate's report, Salamander Hanzō tapped his fingers on the desk. The clear sound echoed through the quiet room.
The Amegakure ninja swallowed nervously.
After a long while, Salamander Hanzō stopped tapping. His eyes narrowed, and his voice turned rough as he shook his head. "Even if we had enough supplies, we still wouldn't be able to defeat Sunagakure."
After all, they were up against the military might of one of the Five Great Nations. Sunagakure had far more ninja, and they were far stronger than Amegakure.
If Salamander Hanzō's poison hadn't given Sunagakure so much trouble, Sunagakure would have already swept through the Land of Rain.
"Heh. Sunagakure really is persistent. They still haven't given up after all this time."
Mockery glinted in Salamander Hanzō's eyes.
By now, this had long since stopped being about the Daimyo of the Land of Iron hiring them. He hadn't been satisfied with that mission, so he'd cut their payment in half.
Sunagakure was unhappy about it, but they wouldn't dare challenge the Daimyo. Instead, they had invaded the Land of Rain to make up for the missing half of their pay.
That had been their original goal. But after years of fighting, Sunagakure now wanted nothing more than to crush Salamander Hanzō.
Sunagakure was a military power on the level of the Five Great Nations, yet it couldn't take down a tiny country like the Land of Rain or defeat Salamander Hanzō. It was a massive blow to their pride.
In the eyes of the other great nations, Sunagakure had become a laughingstock, and they were being mocked mercilessly.
Sunagakure had suffered humiliation, and everyone from top to bottom was seething. They were determined to silence the mockery and crush Amegakure!
"Salamander's poison won't hold them off much longer. Sunagakure is getting closer and closer."
That old puppet master had spent years studying the poison and had finally learned a thing or two.
She couldn't completely neutralize Salamander's poison, but she could resist it to a degree. Given enough time, the old puppet master would surely find a way to break it!
If Salamander's poison were completely neutralized, the last barrier would be gone. What would happen next went without saying.
The poison was growing less effective by the day, supplies plundered from the Land of Iron were nearly depleted, and Amegakure had lost a third of its ninja...
Salamander Hanzō frowned. The situation was growing more and more dangerous.
"We can't just sit here and wait to die. Pass the word down. Have everyone prepare—we're going to attack the Land of Fire."
His subordinate looked up in shock.
"Lord Hanzō, please think this through. Sunagakure is already on the Land of Rain's territory. If Konoha joins them—"
The Daimyo of the Land of Rain would probably be fine, but Amegakure would be finished!
What was Lord Hanzō thinking, provoking the wrath of the military forces of two great nations?
"Fool." Salamander Hanzō snorted. Couldn't this subordinate use his head?
He couldn't see through such an obvious plan. This man was useless.
"When two tigers fight, we'll have room to survive."
Another subordinate pondered this, then understood. He looked at Salamander Hanzō with excitement and received an approving glance in return.
That only made him more excited.
"If you understand, go make the preparations. From now on, you'll work by my side."
The subordinate who had seen through the plan stood straight and answered loudly, "Yes!"
"As for you, don't come back."
"Huh?"
The subordinate who'd been called a fool stared blankly.
Year 34 of Konoha, spring.
Salamander Hanzō led a force of ninja in a surprise attack on the Land of Fire. He poisoned every ninja stationed along the border, leaving the defenses wide open.
Amegakure ninja pushed deep into the Land of Fire, slaughtering and looting on a massive scale and leaving devastation in their wake.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was furious. He immediately contacted Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a single demand: he'd provide all the money and supplies they needed, as long as they killed Salamander Hanzō and wiped out Amegakure!
At the same time, the furious Daimyo of the Land of Fire sent people to question the Daimyo of the Land of Rain, wanting to know what the hell was going on.
The answer only made him angrier.
The Daimyo of the Land of Rain had been placed under "protection" by force!
The ninja had acted on their own, defying their superior and starting a war without the Daimyo's consent!
This... broke the unspoken rules between the Daimyo and the hidden villages.
The Daimyo provided the supplies; the village provided the force.
In essence, it was just a large-scale hired mission. The Daimyo was the client, and the village was the contractor.
Salamander Hanzō's actions violated their agreement and amounted to placing the client under "protection" by force.
By the rules of the hidden villages, this violated the Ninja Code and meant he should be branded a missing-nin.
And missing-nin were to be killed on sight! The same applied when it came to a country and its hidden village!
"Hiruzen, my time has come."
Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was pinching the bridge of his nose, and sneered inwardly.
Retire? He couldn't retire. There were plenty of secret, unsavory jobs that only Shimura Danzō could handle.
The leaves basked in the sunlight; the Root devoured the darkness.
"Danzō, I'm reinstating you to your former position. Take the Root Division to the Land of Rain at once and act as you see fit."
Sabotage, assassinations, support operations, sowing discord... These underhanded tactics didn't fit Konoha's public image.
Only Shimura Danzō could handle dirty work in the shadows. It was right up his alley, and he'd do an excellent job.
"Hiruzen, I need Uchiha. Their genjutsu will make it easier for me to carry out my operations."
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him, knowing exactly who he wanted. "Anyone but Uchiha Chonhua."
Shimura Danzō's eyes narrowed. He said nothing more and turned to rebuild the Root Division.
You really were protecting him like your life depended on it. But once the fighting started, how much longer could you protect Uchiha Chonhua?
"Grandmother, Konoha has declared war on Amegakure."
Ebizo came in and reported the news to his sister, Chiyo.
A few wrinkles had appeared on Chiyo's face, but she was still nowhere near as old as she would later become.
Hearing her brother's words, Chiyo perked up and laughed. "Come on. We'll follow Amegakure and take advantage of the chaos!"
"Grandmother, is that really a good idea?" Ebizo frowned. "Wouldn't that be like declaring war on Konoha?"
Chiyo sneered. "The Daimyo is so stingy that we have to find food for ourselves."
"The resources in the Land of Rain alone aren't enough. And just when we were running short, someone came along and handed us what we needed. Salamander Hanzō has attacked the Land of Fire."
"Little brother, Salamander Hanzō wants to pit two tigers against each other. He'll do everything he can to make Sunagakure and Konoha fight."
"If we're going to clash eventually, we might as well take something from Konoha now."
Chiyo shook the glass bottle in her hand. The liquid inside was crystal clear—the poison of the Salamander.
"Salamander Hanzō's poison is hard to deal with. We know that from experience. The battle between Amegakure and Konoha won't end quickly. If we take some pressure off Amegakure, we'll be helping ourselves, too."
"Grandmother, we're still enemies with Amegakure."
"Not for now."
Ebizo sighed. "Grandmother, what does the Kazekage say?"
Chiyo tossed Ebizo a scroll. He caught it in a fluster and opened it, then froze.
"Salamander's poison is troublesome, but Konoha's ninja might not be."
Chiyo touched the scroll at her waist. "Our supply of resources is so scarce that we've reached the limit of how much military strength we can develop. If we want to grow any further, we have to expand."
"For the survival of Sunagakure, this war must be fought!"
The scroll from the Third Kazekage made it clear...
Toward the Land of Fire, we declare war!
Chapter 55: The Height of Extravagance!
"How is it, Tsunade? Can the antidotes we brought handle Salamander Hanzō's poison?"
Hatake Sakumo looked over at Tsunade, who frowned and shook her head.
"No. We've never encountered Salamander Hanzō's poison before. It's a completely new kind of toxin, and none of the antidotes Konoha currently has can counter it."
"That makes things difficult."
Hatake Sakumo sighed and looked toward the Amegakure ninja force led by Salamander Hanzō in the distance.
They didn't have many men, but they made quite a show. That poison of Salamander's was a real nuisance.
"Unless we deal with Salamander Hanzō's poison, we'll be just as hamstrung as Sunagakure."
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse. "Senior Sakumo, close-quarters combat is out of the question. We should fight from a distance."
"The Daimyo has provided ample supplies, so we can make extensive use of long-range weapons."
Jiraiya chimed in with a hearty laugh. "We've got Kunai and shuriken to spare, and as many Explosive Tags as we can carry! Let's just hurl them all at once!"
The Land of Fire was rich in resources and the wealthiest country in the Ninja World.
Resources that made other hidden villages gape in disbelief were nothing special to the Hidden Leaf Village.
While Sunagakure struggled along, slowly maneuvering its puppets through the poison, Konoha could simply throw money at the problem and overwhelm them with it.
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