The black-clothed man returned to the underground exchange, intending to demand a higher bounty. He felt cheated. The intelligence he'd received only mentioned assassinating Tsunade, not that another of the Sannin would be present. This was a clear deviation from the mission parameters, and he wouldn't lift a finger for free. He planned to make the employer double the payment.
However, upon arriving, he found the place a scene of utter carnage. Not a single soul remained alive. A slight flicker of surprise crossed his face. There were plenty of skilled fighters within these walls. While, in the black-clothed man's opinion, they were all weak compared to him, that was only in comparison to him.
He searched room after room, discovering that not only had everyone been killed, but the scrolls had been completely cleared out as well. While this wasn't the only underground exchange, this particular mission hadn't seemed to be listed in all of them. Could it be connected to the mission itself...?
His instincts screamed at him to leave. He retreated silently, only to realize it was too late. A large contingent of ninjas had surrounded the building.
"Heh, looks like we have a straggler," a Sand-nin, judging by his forehead protector, said, addressing the black-clothed man.
"~So it seems the Sand Village was responsible for cleaning out the underground exchange," the black-clothed man replied, showing no sign of panic despite the large number of Sand-nin. "Was the mission to assassinate Tsunade, one of the Sannin, issued by your Sand Village?"
"Heh... We are acting under the orders of the Daimyo to eliminate this den of vipers, this underground exchange," the Sand-nin team leader stated. Their team hadn't known about the assassination in the first place. They were lying in wait here because their team's intelligence ninja had said there might be survivors, and so they had been waiting here for a day.
The leader of this mission was also puzzled. Although he was nominally in charge, all actions were actually dictated by the intelligence ninja on the team. He suspected it was another one of those shady dealings, but ninjas were professionals who followed orders. All he had to do was carry out his duty.
"Hmph, so it was you..." The black-clothed man had already figured it out. The Sand had no intention of paying from the start. He probably would have met the same fate even if he had completed the mission. There was nothing more to say. It was time to fight. He hadn't been intimidated facing two Sannin; he certainly wouldn't be frightened by these small fry.
"Attack!" the team leader ordered, seeing the black-clothed man prepare for action.
"The Sand Village will regret this foolish act..." The black-clothed man ripped off his outer garment, revealing a torso crisscrossed with densely sewn black threads and masks on his back.
........
As the sun set, the exterior of the underground exchange mirrored the interior: a field of corpses. Only, the bodies outside were all Sand-nin. The black-clothed man, having put his coat back on, was now rifling through the bodies, searching for any ninjas with bounties on their heads.
"Yo, yo, yo, so here you are. I figured you'd be here..." A slightly mocking voice came from behind him.
The black-clothed man ignored it, continuing to search the bodies.
"Hey, hey, at least say something. You ditched me all by myself. I thought you were going to abandon me..." The voice continued, dripping with exaggerated drama. "Say, you didn't do all this, did you? That's so unfair! It's been ages since I've made a sacrifice to Lord Jashin..."
"Shut up, Hidan, unless you want me to take you apart," the black-clothed man said, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Haha, I thought all you did was kill and kill. This is the first time I've seen you actually angry, Kakuzu," Hidan chuckled, delighted by the hint of anger in Kakuzu's voice.
"Do you want me to dismantle you?" Kakuzu threatened, hearing Hidan continue to tease him.
"Don't be so angry. What happened here, anyway? These are all Sand-nin, aren't they? What's your beef with the Sand?" Hidan, sensing Kakuzu's foul mood, stopped his prodding.
"Help me carry these bodies," Kakuzu said, ignoring Hidan's question.
"What are we going to do with these corpses?" Hidan, seeing Kakuzu's sullen expression, obediently hoisted several bodies onto his shoulders.
"Exchange them for money," Kakuzu replied casually, also carrying some corpses as he walked away.
There was no way Kakuzu would admit to being played by the Sand Village. Collecting a few bounties was better than nothing, he supposed. It was a huge waste of time and effort, all for nothing. Kakuzu had never suffered such a significant loss before. He silently vowed to remember this incident with the Sand Village.
Inside Konoha Village
In an underground space perpetually hidden from the sun, not far from Konoha Village, there used to be a place where countless ninjas gathered. These ninjas were the backbone of Konoha, meticulously carrying out their missions. They dedicated their efforts to the great tree that stood in the sunlight, contributing to Konoha's strength.
They shared a common trait: no names, no surnames, loyal only to one person: Danzo.
But now, the place was desolate, its former prosperity a distant memory. The original members had been dispersed and integrated into the ANBU. However, as former members of Root, their loyalty remained with Danzo, ensuring he still had access to a considerable amount of information.
Danzo's face betrayed no emotion as he examined the mission report in his hand. Without looking up, he spoke, "I understand. B, you may leave."
"Yes," replied the masked ninja.
Although Root had been disbanded, Danzo still had some operatives at his disposal, unbeknownst to the Third Hokage.
The scroll contained both good and bad news. The bad news was that the Sand Village's operation had failed, and the underground exchange that hired the ninja had been destroyed by the Sand Village before Danzo could get to it, putting him a step behind. The good news was that the ninja hired by the Sand had not been killed. His corpse could be used to make Tsunade lower her guard and force the Sand to pay even more compensation.
Danzo never acted without a backup plan. If the Sand succeeded, so be it. If they failed, he could collect evidence of the Sand's assassination attempt on Tsunade. This would make Tsunade lower her guard against him and force the Sand to pay a hefty sum in compensation.
Danzo's actions this time were a blend of personal and public interests. No matter how much the Sand squirmed, they couldn't escape Danzo's calculations.
"A"
"Yes, Lord Danzo," another masked ninja appeared before Danzo.
"Go and retrieve the ninja who attempted to assassinate Tsunade. Dead or alive," Danzo ordered.
"Yes," without another word, the ninja vanished.
Four factions were locked in a struggle, both in the open and in the shadows. The Sand wanted to wait for Tsunade's return to the village to renegotiate. Kakuzu, having been double-crossed by the Sand, was planning his revenge. Tsunade was returning to the village to purge Konoha's corruption. And Danzo intended to obtain Kakuzu's corpse to make Tsunade lower her guard and extort a large sum of compensation from the Sand.
Meanwhile, Sakura was currently lazing in bed at the inn, thoroughly enjoying the after-effects of Lady Tsunade's healing treatment from the previous day. It had been absolutely heavenly.
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