Around 5:30 pm, Tobirama appeared with Jiraiya in the safe house located in Tsuchiyama village. It was a small settlement a couple of hours away from the Earth Capital. The room was modest, with wooden walls and sparse furnishings, but it served its purpose of secrecy and seclusion.
Jiraiya glanced around and spotted familiar faces. Kakashi stood near a window, his single visible eye observing the surroundings with a practiced calm. The Sannin could see that while Kakashi was keeping an eye on the outside he was also keeping an eye on a certain one eyed, one armed occupant inside the room.
Near him was Daichi who was going through various documents laid out on a table. Upon seeing him, the Genin gave a subtle nod.
"Well, looks like the gang's all here," Jiraiya remarked with a grin. He wasn't surprised to see Kakashi and Daichi. He had expected their arrival. 'Looks like their trip to the Fire Capital was completed faster than I thought.'
Kakashi turned to face him. "Lord Jiraiya" he greeted. "Any news?"
"Plenty," Jiraiya replied, tapping the scroll tucked into his robe. His gaze then shifted to the figure seated quietly at the corner of the room. Danzo. "I see you guys are getting acquainted."
Meanwhile Daichi's eyes moved to Tobirama, standing beside Jiraiya. 'I still can't believe the Second Hokage was brought back by the Reanimation Jutsu.' He thought. 'Seeing a legend in person... it's so surreal.'
He recalled their first meeting just an hour ago.
Flashback.
Earlier that afternoon, Daichi and Kakashi waited in a secluded forest clearing outside the Fire Capital. The sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. They were expecting someone to escort them, but the details were scarce.
"Who do you think is coming?" Daichi asked, keeping his senses alert.
Kakashi glanced at him. "If Lord Hokage arranged this, it must be important."
At precisely 4:17 pm, a figure materialized before them. It was a ninja in full Anbu gear with his face concealed by a mask.
Daichi's senses sharpened. He suddenly detected the faint scent of dust and ash emanating from the newcomer. He quickly used his senses to identify the mysterious man and he was shocked by what he found.
'What incredible chakra reserves. I've never sensed anything like it. His chakra is even greater than the Hokage or Tsunade sensei. His chakra signature is potent and it has a strong affinity towards water nature. Just as strong as mine, if not stronger. This isn't an Anbu operative. No way.'
"Don't you know not to pry into Anbu shinobi's secrets, child?" A cold voice suddenly emanated from the masked man.
Kakashi was tense as he sensed a different air around the man and he glanced at his student. 'Daichi, I warned you before.'
The Genin stepped forward cautiously. "You're a reanimated ninja aren't you?" Daichi stated, his eyes fixed on the masked ninja.
Kakashi's eye widened in surprise. "What?" He was on the defensive and the only thing that kept him and his student from attacking the masked ninja was the knowledge that the Hokage had arranged this.
"What makes you say that?" The masked ninja crossed his arms. He ignored the elite Jonin and looked at the boy.
"You… You don't have a heartbeat. Or at least I can't hear it. And mind you, my senses are sharp. I can also smell dust and ash from your body. I've only sensed something like this once before. On one of Orochimaru's experiments."
Seeing the confident look on the boy's face the masked Tobirama nodded to himself. 'He has a good sense of awareness. His senses are sharp. But how much?'
"What else have you deduced about me?" The Second Hokage asked in a calm tone.
Daichi was calm thanks to his years of training and his Gamer's skills. "Your chakra reserves are the highest I've sensed. Even greater than the Third Hokage, Lord Jiraiya or Tsunade sensei. It has an extremely strong affinity towards Water Nature. Far greater than anyone I've come into contact with. But I'd wager you can use other chakra natures too. And you just used a teleportation jutsu to get here. Based on all this, I'm sure you're the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, brought back by the reanimation jutsu. You haven't attacked us. So I'm betting you're not an enemy. So the only ally I can think of that can bring you back to life is the Third Hokage… Am I wrong?"
The masked figure regarded Daichi for a moment before removing his mask, revealing the stern visage of the Second Hokage. "Your perception is impressive," Tobirama acknowledged. "But you must keep my existence a secret."
Kakashi recovered quickly from his shock. "Lord Tobirama, how… why?"
"As he said, I was summoned temporarily by the Reanimation Jutsu," Tobirama explained. "Once this crisis is resolved, I will return to the Pure Land."
Daichi nodded slowly. 'So that old man used the Reanimation Jutsu to bring this guy back. Things going on behind the scenes must be more serious than I thought… Wait a minute. Now I know why the Hokage finally took action against Danzo. It all makes sense.'
Tobirama continued, "We have little time to waste. I will take you both to the safe house in the Land of Earth."
He placed a hand on each of their shoulders. In a flash of chakra, they vanished from the forest and reappeared inside a modest room.
Daichi took a moment to steady himself from the sudden teleportation. His eyes scanned the room and landed on an unexpected figure. Danzo Shimura.
'What the fucking hell? Why is he here? I thought the Hokage would have killed this guy. Or at the very least put him in prison.'
Kakashi's surprise was evident in his voice. "Elder Danzo? I thought you'd be under guard after... recent events."
Danzo looked up, his single eye meeting Kakashi's gaze. "Certain circumstances require my involvement," he said evenly. "Personal matters must be set aside for the greater good."
Daichi maintained a neutral expression, though internally he was on high alert. 'Danzo being here might complicate things. I need to be cautious. He must have some other plans of his own.'
"Finally, we meet. Daichi Hekima." Danzo looked at the Genin in the room without showing any emotions on his face.
Kakashi kept a cool nonchalant attitude but he was on high alert. He didn't trust the old man one bit. 'I wasn't expecting this.'
Daichi was on guard and was silent as he looked at the man. Now that he had several hours to process what had happened, he kept a cool face.
Danzo studied the boy's expression and came to a conclusion. 'Even though this is our first meeting, he recognizes me. Kensei must have warned him.'
"How much did your grandfather tell you about me?" Danzo asked the boy out of mere curiosity.
"Enough to paint a clear picture." Daichi gave a short cryptic reply and became silent.
At that moment Tobirama spoke up. "Danzo is here to assist with rescuing Tsunade. Nothing more. Nothing less."
From the man's tone, Daichi realized that Tobirama was also weary and keeping an eye on the man, so he slightly relaxed.
They spent the next hour exchanging information. Maps and documents were spread across the table as they discussed strategies and shared intelligence. Daichi cleverly got Jiraiya's whereabouts and secretly sent it to his clone.
Shortly after, Tobirama suddenly vanished using his teleportation jutsu, leaving the three of them in the safehouse.
Flashback End.
Back in the present, Jiraiya cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I had an interesting encounter on my way here."
"With whom?" Kakashi asked.
"A man calling himself Dragon," Jiraiya replied, placing a scroll and a small recording device on the table.
Danzo's eye narrowed slightly and he sat straight. "So, you met him."
Daichi's gaze flickered to the items on the table. 'The recordings and maps have been delivered as planned. Good.'
"Dragon, huh?" Kakashi mused. "Isn't he the one who…" The Jonin looked at his student and then changed the wording of what he was going to say. "Caused a commotion last night?"
"Yeah. The very same." Jiraiya confirmed. "He approached me and handed over these. Claims its evidence of the Finance Minister aiding Orochimaru."
Danzo remained silent, his expression unreadable. "He helped you?"
"Yeah. Not sure why." Jiraiya nodded and replied.
Just then Daichi spoke with a raised hand. "Um yeah, for those of us not in the know how… Who is Dragon?"
Hearing his question Danzo, Kakashi and Jiraiya glanced at Tobirama since he was the highest authority in the room. The Second Hokage, after a few seconds of silent contemplation, replied. "He is a very dangerous man and an enemy of the Leaf village. He caused an incident last night and escaped with several sensitive items belonging to the village. For now, that's all you need to know."
Daichi nodded. 'So they've decided to keep it a secret huh. Guess they don't want me to know about the Raid on Root. Makes sense. Despite the circumstances, I am still a Genin in Rank...'
Kakashi picked up the scroll, scanning its contents briefly. "This is detailed."
"You don't actually believe this information do you?" Danzo looked at the scroll and then frowned at the Toad Sannin. "For all we know he could be trying to mislead us."
Jiraiya crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah. I'm not an idiot. It's why I want to cross reference all the intel we've gathered and see if there are any discrepancies."
He opened several documents and maps and laid them out on the table. "He provided maps, blueprints, and a recorded confession from the minister himself."
Daichi kept his face impassive. 'This should help me find them much faster.'
"We don't have much time. The dilemma is, can we trust this information?" Kakashi asked, looking at Danzo.
"Jiraiya is right." Danzo leaned back in his chair. "Regardless of his motives, we should verify the data. If accurate, it could be invaluable."
Tobirama stepped forward. "Agreed. Time is of the essence."
Jiraiya sighed. "Dragon said he wants to stop Orochimaru from gaining more power. Claims our goals align."
"Did he reveal anything about himself?" Kakashi inquired.
Jiraiya shook his head. "Not much. He did show his face, but I didn't recognize him. He's... an enigma."
"He showed you his face?" Tobirama was slightly taken back by that move. 'Why? Why remove that anonymity? Or is it just a false identity?'
Daichi glanced at Jiraiya and the others and secretly took in their expressions. 'Their reactions are well within my expectations. Everything's going as planned.'
"So what's our next move?" Kakashi asked, directing the question to the room.
Tobirama folded his arms. "We need to confirm the information about the Minister of Finance. If he's colluding with Orochimaru, exposing him could disrupt their plans."
Danzo interjected, "We should also consider the political ramifications. Accusing a high-ranking official in the Land of Earth could lead to international tensions. Especially since we're not even supposed to be here."
"We don't have much choice," Jiraiya argued. "Besides, right now our priority isn't the minister. It's rescuing Tsunade and Shizune. If Orochimaru succeeds in whatever he's up to, then the consequences will be far worse."
"Let's hear the recording. I want to know what the minister's plan is." Daichi spoke up and the others agreed.
Jiraiya placed the recording device on the table and the others gathered around. He looked at everyone and pressed the play button.
"..." Everyone could hear a tired and shallow breathing coming from the recording. From the sound of the voice they all concluded that the minister was under duress. Then came the minister's voice.
"My name is Kuroda Michinori, Finance Minister of the Land of Earth. Three months ago, I was approached by Orochimaru, the rogue ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village."
Danzo listened intently. A few seconds later he paused the audio and nodded his head. "That's the minister's voice. I've met him once. So I recognize it."
"Are you sure?" Jiraiya asked just to confirm.
"I'm certain." Seeing Danzo give a definite answer there were no more questions and they continued to listen.
"He came to me after I lost the bidding war for the northern lands," Kuroda took a few moments and continued. "He knew of my ambition and frustration. Orochimaru offered me power. He promised to make me as strong as a Kage. In exchange, I was to assist him in acquiring advanced technologies and resources from the Land of Snow."
Kakashi sighed and crossed his arms. 'Orochimaru always knew what to say to get what he wants.'
"I used my authority to import secret shipments from the Land of Snow," Kuroda admitted. "I bypassed customs and official channels, ensuring no records existed. The shipments contained medical equipment, experimental devices... things Orochimaru needed for his forbidden research."
Kuroda stopped talking and silence filled the air before another voice came from the recorder.
"Continue,"
"That's Dragon's voice." Jiraiya exclaimed. "So he really did it." 'He really attacked an official of a royal court and got a confession. Isn't this guy afraid of anything?'
"I also helped Orochimaru acquire rare bloodlines," Kuroda said, his voice tightening. "I orchestrated the kidnapping of individuals possessing unique Kekkei Genkai. Using my connections, I identified targets, men, women, even children and had them delivered to Orochimaru."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed. 'He's admitting to kidnapping innocents. This will seal his fate.'
The audio kept playing and the Leaf ninjas listened to the voice of the minister and they were all shocked by what he and Orochimaru had planned. About his plans to stage a coup, kill the Tsuchikage and start a war with the Land of Fire.
Daichi glanced at Jiraiya's face and saw that he was livid when he heard their plans about Tsunade. He himself was angry but he was better able to control himself since he already knew everything.
"We intended to wage war against the Land of Fire," Kuroda admitted. "Their resources, their territory—we wanted it all. With Orochimaru's power and my leadership, we believed we could conquer them."
"You're confessing to high treason, kidnapping, conspiracy, and intent to start a war," Dragon voice asked.
"Yes," Kuroda replied.
"Is there anything else?" Dragon prompted.
"I kept records—documents, maps, correspondences with Orochimaru. They're hidden in a safe behind the painting in this room."
"Thank you, Minister."
The audio came to an end and everyone looked at each other. The situation was far more serious than they thought. Danzo suddenly began going over the documents and maps Jiraiya brought.
Soon he found the map of an underground tunnel and then compared it with the maps he had in his possession.
"What are you looking for, elder?" Kakashi asked.
But Danzo was silent as he analyzed the blueprints in front of him. Several seconds later he sighed.
"What is it? What have you found?" Tobirama asked his former student.
Danzo looked at everyone and finally gave his thoughts. "I think this information that man gave Jiraiya is accurate… This is the map of the underground network of tunnels he took from the minister. They perfectly match the blueprints I got from Sanada. This is the precise route the shipments were transported through."
Jiraiya, Tobirama and the others quickly compared the information on the maps and came to the same conclusion. "So this Intel really is accurate… First he steals from us now he's helping us… What a strange man." The Sannin muttered.
Daichi had an internal smirk. 'It's not strange. I'm just looking after my own interests.'
The Toad Sannin suddenly looked at Danzo. "That reminds me. How did you get Sanada to cough up this information? I doubt he just gave it to you the moment you asked."
"I have my methods." That was all the answer Danzo gave him. Soon they began formulating a rescue strategy.
-----------------
Author's note:-
Apologies for my silent absence these last three months. For all those who are worried if I have simply dropped this story, the answer is no. I'll give you all an explanation for my absence at the end of this month. For now, I'll just say this. Sorry for keeping you all waiting...