Amegakure.
"Lord Hanzō, the troops have fully assembled. We can depart at any time."
Rikuto and Kan knelt before Hanzō. "But… Lord Hanzō… are you really not leaving any forces behind to guard the village?"
"That's right, Lord Hanzō. Don't forget—our dungeon still has plenty of Konoha shinobi locked up. And that medical-nin… she's been roaming around freely outside. If they revolt, Amegakure will never hold out."
"You mentioning it reminded me—I'd forgotten."
"Give me twenty minutes. I'll be back."
With that, Hanzō vanished instantly in a Body Flicker.
---
Konoha Ninja Academy (in Amegakure ofc.)
Tsunade sipped her tea, rolled her eyes, and said, "What is it now? Why has the great 'Demi-God' come to visit his prisoner again? What do you want this time?"
"...So you do remember you're a prisoner."
Of course—the granddaughter of the First Hokage had never once shown him a pleasant attitude.
"Well? What is it? And let me say this first—if it harms Konoha's interests, forget it. If it's anything else, we can talk… about compensation."
"...Yeah, I figured I'd have to discuss something with you. But you'll be the one paying this time."
"What?" Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "You're not planning to threaten me again, are you?"
"No, no. This time it actually benefits you."
"Amegakure is preparing to launch an assault on the Land of Earth. We're mobilizing the whole village. We don't have spare forces to guard prisoners—and you hundreds of Konoha shinobi in the dungeon eat our supplies and require manpower to manage. It's a losing deal."
"Stop." Tsunade cut him off, eyes widening. "What was that first part?"
"Amegakure is preparing to attack the Land of Earth."
"That's impossible—are you jok—"
Halfway through speaking, her brain clicked.
"So the fighting on Konoha's side… is completely over?"
Hanzō tossed her a black scroll.
"See for yourself."
…
After a long silence, Tsunade closed her eyes.
"To think Konoha would ever… come to this."
"If that's the case, then what do you need war prisoners like us for?"
"I just told you—you're taking up Amegakure's resources."
"So…?"
"I'm planning to release all of you early. Except you. You'll return only when Konoha pays your full ransom and compensation."
"I think you know your actual value."
"Tsk. Then why come to me? You could've gone straight to the dungeon."
"I don't have time. I forgot about you all during the military reorganization, and now I'm about to depart. I don't have spare time for a dungeon visit."
He tossed her another document.
"Give this to the guards. They'll know what to do. Explain the situation to the other Konoha shinobi and arrange their return quickly—you're capable of that."
"You're really not afraid I'll just run away? You're not betting on me staying put again, are you? If so, this time you'll definitely lose."
"Sorry—yes, that is exactly what I'm betting on. I don't believe Senju Tsunade would break a contract."
Tsunade bit her lip.
"Ugh… you'd better hope I don't."
Before she could finish the sentence, Hanzō had already vanished.
"...Tch. What an infuriating man."
---
At another alley...
Yakushi Nonō opened her eyes as Hanzō appeared.
"You didn't come all this way just to check on me, did you?"
"You're awfully busy. Barely two days back and you're already leaving again. If I didn't come now, I might not see you again."
"It's war. Opportunity is everywhere. No time for rest. Now—what is it?"
"I brought intelligence."
She handed over a scroll.
"These are… Iwagakure's internal reports!"
Hanzō flipped it open.
"So fast? I thought they'd need at least another month to resolve their internal mess."
"It's been over two months. If they didn't choose a Tsuchikage, Iwagakure was heading for ruin."
"How reliable is this intelligence?"
"Most of Iwa's spy network was set up by me. After I 'died,' Konoha abandoned those assets. Some of them were loyal to me—they reached out and reported Iwa's current situation."
"You're not worried exposing yourself?"
"At this point, what does that even matter?"
"I never imagined Konoha would lose a war… and especially not to Amegakure."
"Not just Ame. Strictly speaking, the Suna–Ame coalition."
"With the intel I had back then, I never would've believed you'd ally with one of the Five Great Nations—let alone the weakest Land of Wind."
"They offered too much to refuse."
"And the new Tsuchikage… he's the Yonbi's jinchūriki. Aren't they afraid of a Tailed Beast rampage?"
"The Four-Tails' host—Rōshi," Hanzō muttered, eyes scanning the scroll.
"In a life-or-death crisis, Iwagakure has no other choice. But this means Iwa is no longer in disarray…"
"We missed the best timing for an attack."
"It's fine. Reports say Suna has already broken Iwa's border defenses. Konoha has penetrated deep into the interior. Even Kumo dispatched an elite squad to grab a piece."
"Kumo only sent a small squad? They're that obsessed with attacking Konoha? They let such a perfect opportunity slip… brutes."
Nonō handed him another scroll.
"This one has my chakra imprint. My agents in Iwagakure can contact you through it. The summoning creature you'll use is a gecko."
"You know the value of intel in war. This will help you."
"Then I thank you. I'll depart immediately."
"May fortune favor you."
---
Amegakure's Gates
"Lord Hanzō, you've returned," Hattori Murakami said, kneeling.
"Yes. It's handled." Hanzō turned to Rikuto and Kan. "The village is in your hands."
"And those two young ones—Shinda and Asuka—both show talent. Kan and Rikuto think highly of them. They've already started learning administration." Hattori added.
"Good." Hanzō let out a rare sigh of relief.
At least there were successors. Otherwise, Amegakure's future would be doomed to collapse.
Facing the gathered Ame shinobi, he shouted:
"Two months ago, during our deal with Iwagakure, they promised supplies in exchange for us blocking Konoha."
"To this day, we have not received a single grain."
"In a great war, such betrayal destroys trust and disrupts our plans, causing immeasurable harm to Amegakure!"
"The time for revenge has come. This time, the Land of Earth will taste our pain and our fury!"
"Move out! Destination—"
"—The Land of Earth!"
---
Half a day later — In a Certain Cave.
"Here's where I leave you. I promised Hanzō I'd return later than the rest of you."
"But, Tsunade—" Jiraiya began, only for Orochimaru to grip his shoulder.
"Konoha and Amegakure just signed a ceasefire. Hanzō releasing us early is already a gesture of goodwill."
"But…"
Orochimaru shook his head and addressed the Konoha shinobi behind them.
"Go on ahead. We'll catch up after speaking with Tsunade."
"Yes!"
Hundreds of Konoha ninja sprinted toward the Land of Fire.
"Tsunade, stay alert in Amegakure," Orochimaru said quietly. "I don't trust Hanzō. I think he wants us gone. When I left the village, there were barely two hundred guards—and Hanzō was nowhere to be seen."
"In a ceasefire, even one wrong step can be used against us."
Just then, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed sharply.
Chakra gathered in his hand, forming a Wind Style blade.
"Who's there? Come out."
From behind Tsunade, three children stepped out of the shadows—
An orange haired boy, a red-haired boy, and a blue-haired girl.
"We mean no harm. This has always been our shelter—you just walked into it."
Seeing they were only children, Orochimaru lowered his hand.
"He's right. They were already here. That's why we didn't notice earlier."
"But I saw the huge orphanage outside of Amegakure. Why don't you go there?"
The orange boy stepped forward.
"Because we want to rely on our own strength… to change this country… and create peace."
Jiraiya lowered his head, murmuring,
"…Create peace…"
"Ha." Orochimaru gave a short laugh. "Hanzō has the right to say that. You kids do not."
"That may be true… but my dream is to one day become a ninja as strong as Lord Hanzō."
The orange boy removed the basket from his back and offered it to Tsunade.
"What's this?"
"Amegakure gives large amounts of food every month to children who refuse to enter the orphanage. This is everything we have left from this month."
The other two children also set down their baskets.
"You're ninja, right? Please… take us as your students!"
"What a joke," Tsunade scoffed, lips curling. "You saw I'm a woman and assume I'm easier to flatter? Smart little brat."
"Please!"
All three bowed deeply.
"We beg you—take us as your students!"
"Who would pick up trouble like this?" Orochimaru said. "Jiraiya, let's go. Tsunade, take care of yourself."
But Jiraiya shook his head.
"No. I'm taking them."
"What?" Not only the kids—Tsunade and Orochimaru were stunned.
"What are you thinking, Jiraiya?" Orochimaru snapped. "This is not the time for jokes."
"The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku prophesied… that my student would bring peace to the shinobi world," Jiraiya said softly.
"I want to try. And I want to see for myself what kind of country Hanzō's rule has created."
"Have you forgotten we're in wartime? Konoha is stretched thin—we were only released because the village paid for us!" Orochimaru hissed. "You trust a frog's prophecy that much?"
"For peace, I have to try." Jiraiya turned to them."Please tell the Third Hokage I'll return as soon as possible."
Both Tsunade and Orochimaru sighed inwardly. Once this idiot committed to something, nothing could move him—not even common sense. Not a prophecy, not this decision.
"Fine. Just hurry. I'll explain things to the Third."
Orochimaru quietly cursed the Great Toad Sage.
"So," Jiraiya turned to the three kids with a warm smile, "what are your names?"
From left to right—orange, blue-haired, red-haired—
"Yahiko."
"Konan."
"Nagato."
----------------------------///
Damn, this book reached 2000 Powerstones this week. Although I did update more than usual but I guess its kind of worth it. Let's continue rolling!
150 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
300 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
500 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
700 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
1000 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
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