Internal Strife

Fugaku glanced at Elder Shinsuke in surprise. Despite being an elder, Shinsuke had not sided with the Elders Council. He had considered the village as a whole, and that alone put him ahead of most elders.

The Third Hokage's decision to release Danzo came as no surprise to Fugaku. The two had been comrades for years, and freeing Danzo now would give Konoha another ally.

The Third Hokage meant well, but Fugaku knew how treacherous Danzo was. He would not act without a plan of his own. If he could not get what he wanted, he might not act at all.

"With Danzo's help, our chances will improve," Hatake Sakumo said.

"Once this is over, we need to revisit our proposal to ally with the Rain shinobi. If Konoha keeps fighting alone, we'll have to face the full strength of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth,

"while also fending off surprise attacks from the Land of Rain. Konoha's forces are stretched too thin," Elder Shinsuke said.

"Elder Shinsuke is right. In a few days, I'll ask the old man for permission and make the trip to Amegakure myself," Jiraiya said.

"Hanzō won't be easy to deal with," Orochimaru said. "The Rain shinobi show Konoha shinobi no courtesy these days. Hanzō is known throughout the Shinobi World as the Demigod. He's powerful, and far prouder than most.

"If you go alone, he may kill you before you can persuade him. An alliance with the Rain shinobi is a good idea, but we'll need to plan it carefully."

"Orochimaru is right," Fugaku said. "The Wind, Earth, and Fire Countries have fought in the Land of Rain for some time. Countless civilians and Rain shinobi have died.

"It won't be easy to convince Hanzō to set aside his grievances and