Watching the endless rainy weather, Danzo felt somewhat irritated. Every day in the Land of Wind, he worried about water shortages, while every day in the Land of Rain, he complained about too much rain. After the war with Sunagakure ended, Danzo withdrew his troops and returned to the Land of Rain to recuperate.
Following the Hokage's recommendation, nearly half the ninja had been rotated back to the village. Even Tsunade and Orochimaru had withdrawn to Konoha. Only Jiraiya remained, though no one knew where he had run off to.
Just as Konoha's old strength had been spent and its new strength had yet to emerge, Iwagakure suddenly launched an attack. With lightning speed, it swept aside Konoha's ally, the Land of Grass, then invaded the Land of Rain in force. Danzo urged Konoha for reinforcements on one hand while decisively retreating on the other. With Hidden Rain's cooperation and its familiarity with the terrain, he waged guerrilla warfare against Iwagakure in the cities. After wearing down Hidden Stone Village's momentum, he established a standoff with them.
Danzo's plan was to keep draining Iwagakure's strength, then launch a large-scale counterattack once reinforcements arrived. For now, all he could do was wait patiently. At least he no longer needed to worry about matters behind him.
"Report. This is the latest dispatch." Danzo took it.
The Kazekage of Sunagakure, Keiko, and the Hokage of Konoha formally signed a peace and alliance agreement in the Hokage Hall on the afternoon of the 8th. The agreement was as follows... Danzo turned the page. He knew its contents better than anyone.
On the morning of the 9th, Kazekage Keiko, accompanied by the Hokage and relevant personnel, visited Konoha's Ninja Academy and sat in on a lively ninjutsu class. Afterward, the Kazekage expressed admiration for all the academy's faculty and staff. He said that Konoha's comprehensive educational system and the dedication of its teaching staff were plain for all to see, and there were many aspects worthy of study and emulation.
He also stated that he had specifically brought ten apprentice ninja for this visit, who would be arranged to study Konoha Ninja Academy's teaching methods. He hoped such exchanges would better promote the peaceful development of both villages. To express his admiration for the academy's faculty and staff, the Kazekage immediately picked up a brush and wrote: Where leaves dance, fire burns on without end. His bold, majestic calligraphy earned unanimous praise from everyone present.
"This kid sure knows how to dress up his words." Danzo savored the phrase before continuing.
On the afternoon of the 9th, the Kazekage visited Konoha's Sensory Division...
On the morning of the 10th, the Kazekage visited Konoha's Administrative Department...
On the afternoon of the 10th, the Kazekage visited Konoha's Medical Department...
"Is this guy planning to tour all of Konoha?" Danzo said impatiently. He skipped reports like these outright. At last, one piece of news caught his attention.
On the morning of the 12th, Konoha Jonin Torifu Akimichi and Jonin Renga Hyuga would lead three thousand elite troops to the Land of Rain to rotate the garrison...
"They're finally here." Only then did Danzo breathe a sigh of relief.
"You mean the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the report in his hand, his brows twisted into a knot.
"Yes. The ANBU sent this intelligence yesterday. Those warmongers definitely aren't here for anything good at a time like this," Mitokado Homura said.
"We finally formed an alliance with Sunagakure and stabilized the western border, while the war in the northern Land of Rain is at its most intense. We can't put out one fire only to start another. Notify the ANBU to raise Lord Kazekage's protection level. This diplomatic visit is nearly over. Nothing must happen at a time like this."
"What if something happens on the Kazekage's return journey?"
"I have arrangements for that. Call Tsunade."
"Ten years of drinking ice cannot cool hot blood." Gazing at the statue mountain illuminated by a crescent waning moon outside the window, Keiko could not help but sigh.
He first watched Naruto during the summer vacation of 2007. He had just finished the college entrance exams then, finally gaining great stretches of time to squander freely. After trying everything he could think of and play, he eventually set his sights on this hot-blooded anime that had already been popular for several years. Who would have thought that once he started, he could never stop? From his college years until he began working, he followed it for a full ten years!
Keiko had not missed a single episode, not even those flashbacks that circled around the plot. Ever since transmigrating here, he had dreamed of visiting Konoha. Today, that dream had finally come true. The only regret was that he had arrived decades too early to witness Naruto and Sasuke's passionate era. Still, it did not matter. The Naruto world was not without immortality techniques and resurrection techniques. He could slowly figure something out when the time came.
Over the past few days, he had visited the Ninja Academy, the administrative building, the Medical Department, and other places. He had even climbed the statue mountain and sat atop Hashirama Senju's head to overlook all of Konoha. He had even gone to the young Teuchi's Ichiraku Ramen and eaten a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, thoroughly fulfilling his wish. Honestly, it was merely average tonkotsu ramen. The broth probably had not been simmering long enough to develop any distinctive flavor. But no matter how wonderful a paradise might be, it was not home. Now that he was the Kazekage, Sunagakure naturally came first. Don't worry. Even though my homeland isn't beautiful, I'll build it into a desert pearl no less splendid than Konoha.
"Rasa, Pakura, we'll head back tomorrow morning. We'll follow the route I told you about. We won't return the way we came. We'll travel through the Land of Fields, pass through the Land of Crafts, and finally return home through the Land of Rain. I'll also pay Hanzo of the Salamander a visit while we're there. Rasa, set off in advance now. Help me send a formal diplomatic note beforehand. That old fellow is far too suspicious. Don't let him think we're interested in that damp, miserable place of his again. We'll meet up in the Land of Rain."
"Yes." Rasa vanished in an instant.
"Pakura, aside from the ninja staying behind to study, there shouldn't be many of us returning. Go make the arrangements for the journey home. Oh, and take good care of that kid Hidan."
"Yes," Pakura said.
Inside a cave outside Konoha Village, a group of oddly shaped ninja gathered around a fire, plotting something. In the flickering firelight, it was clear that they wore not Konoha forehead protectors, but Hidden Mist forehead protectors!
"Konoha has raised its protection level. Our arrival must have been exposed. But it doesn't matter. He has to leave eventually. As long as he comes out, we'll have our chance." A tall, bloated ninja spoke. His eyes were small and beady, his mouth full of sharp teeth, his face covered in flesh, and a massive sword wrapped in bandages rested on his back. If Keiko had been present, he would certainly have recognized him as one of Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen—the wielder of the great sword Samehada, Suikazan Fuguki!
"Will it really work if we don't make our move in Konoha?" asked a masked ninja with an explosive hairstyle. He was none other than Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the long sword Nuibari.
"It doesn't matter. This entire region is Konoha's sphere of influence. As long as the Kazekage suffers an accident in any of the nearby countries, Sunagakure will put the blame on Konoha. Jinin Akebino! Go secretly inquire about the Kazekage's return route."
"Yes." A ninja with a garlic-shaped nose answered in a muffled voice. He turned and vanished into the firelight.
"A great war is about to begin. This is precisely the time for us men of Hidden Mist to win glory and establish our merit. The Third Mizukage is too conservative. This is clearly the time for Hidden Mist to expand its influence, so how can we cower on our islands and let such an opportunity slip away? As long as we provoke another war between Sunagakure and Konoha this time, the Militant Faction in the village will speak up and answer our call. Konoha and Sunagakure alike will submit beneath Hidden Mist's feet!"
"Long live!" "Long live!" "Long live!" The crowd shouted around the fire. Their shadows reflected against the cave walls like vicious ghosts.
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