Chapter 38: Chain Reaction; A Walk with Danzo
Konoha's iron-fisted response to the Cloud didn't just silence Kumogakure; it sent shockwaves through every other shinobi village.
The Hidden Stone Village.
Ohnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, hovered in the air with his arms crossed, his brow deeply furrowed.
"Our scouts confirm that Kumogakure sustained damage. Something definitely happened inside their walls."
"But that Raikage brute is posturing so hard I can't tell if they're actually wounded or just looking for a fight..."
Beside Ohnoki stood his son, Kitsuchi. While Ohnoki was a man of small stature and massive ego, Kitsuchi was a mountain of a man—broad-shouldered and stoic.
"Father, will there be a war?" Kitsuchi asked in his deep, rumbling voice.
Ohnoki shot his son a look of sheer annoyance. "Do you have no tactical intuition of your own?"
Kitsuchi was a perfect shinobi in terms of chakra reserves and Earth Style mastery, but his personality was too straightforward—bordering on blunt. For a Kage, "blunt" was a liability. Ohnoki worried about the future of the Stone; they had the numbers, but they lacked a "once-in-a-generation" genius to lead them. Even though Kitsuchi was his flesh and blood, Ohnoki wasn't sure the boy was ready to inherit the hat.
"I don't know, Father," Kitsuchi replied simply, waiting for an order.
"Sigh," Ohnoki shook his head. "There won't be a war. Not yet."
Ohnoki explained the logic to his son, mirroring the same analysis the Raikage and Hiruzen had conducted. Unless the Raikage had truly lost his mind, he would take the "exit ramp" Hiruzen had provided.
Kitsuchi nodded, dawning realization on his face. Ohnoki rolled his eyes—his son was a perfect executor of orders, but he had zero talent for the "Great Game."
"However, we must make our own move," Ohnoki commanded.
"We're going to back Hiruzen Sarutobi. We'll issue a statement condemning the Cloud's history of 'Kekkei Genkai theft.' Let's air all their dirty laundry."
"We have a blood feud with the Cloud. There's no chance of reconciliation, so we might as well use this opportunity to trash their international reputation. It'll make it harder for them to find allies if a real war breaks out."
Ohnoki's gaze turned distant. "Konoha is changing. I thought Hiruzen would offer excuses or reparations... I didn't expect him to sharpen his teeth."
"It's going to be a headache," he muttered.
The Stone had always coveted the Leaf's fertile lands and secret techniques. Every village did. But Hiruzen's aggressive retort was a warning to everyone: Don't touch the Leaf unless you're prepared to die.
"Kitsuchi, what is the status of Roshi and Han?"
"Roshi is still traveling the world. Han is currently in the village."
Ohnoki's voice turned cold. "Tell Roshi the village's tolerance has its limits. His 'travels' are meant for him to master the Four-Tails. If he fails to show progress, he can expect a formal reprimand."
Roshi and Han were the Stone's Jinchuriki. Hiruzen's transformation had made even the stubborn Tsuchikage feel the pressure.
The Hidden Sand (Sunagakure) reached a similar conclusion. The Third Kazekage, along with Chiyo and Ebizo, decided to "fan the flames." They would support the Leaf's stance, hoping to push Kumo and Konoha closer to a conflict that would bleed them both dry.
Meanwhile, in The Hidden Mist (Kirigakure)...
The Third Mizukage let out a cold, hollow laugh. He had been locked in a political stalemate with the Mist's bloodline clans for twenty years. The conflict was only getting worse.
"Excellent. Let the world descend into chaos," the Mizukage whispered, his eyes gleaming with madness. "We will use the 'deteriorating global situation' as an excuse to ramp up our internal training. Let the clans cull each other."
"The Mist doesn't need so many voices. It only needs one."
"The 'Village of the Bloody Mist'... yes. I like the sound of that."
On that isolated island, the Mizukage began sealing his borders, preparing to turn his own village into a human battle royale.
Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were walking through the village streets, conducting a hands-on inspection of the new Patrol Net.
Even Danzo, who was looking for any reason to complain, had to admit that Sakumo Hatake had done a flawless job. The "Hidden Sentries" changed their positions daily, and the "Visible Sentries" were placed with mathematical precision.
Danzo had personally tried to sneak past a unit as a test. He was intercepted by a combination of an Inuzuka hound's scent, an Aburame beetle's vibration sensing, and an Uchiha's Sharingan.
It wasn't that Danzo wasn't strong enough to kill them; it was that the multi-layered detection made it impossible to remain unseen. Unless a spy had a god-tier space-time jutsu, they were essentially walking into a dimensional-tier surveillance trap.
The two old friends walked shoulder-to-shoulder. Danzo felt a strange sense of nostalgia; it had been years since they had simply walked the village like this, discussing policy like they were still Genin.
"The only flaw is the Byakugan count. We only have Hizashi," Hiruzen noted, sounding satisfied but demanding more.
"Hiruzen, you want me to 'persuade' Tenzo Hyuga?" Danzo asked, his ears perking up. "Leave it to me. I have... methods for dealing with stubborn clan heads."
Danzo was in his element. To him, the Hyuga Soke was just a lock that needed a heavy hammer.
"Give it a rest, Danzo," Hiruzen laughed, shaking his head. "You think I don't have those same 'methods'? You probably think that if you do the dirty work, my reputation as Hokage stays clean."
"But that's irrelevant."
Danzo blinked. "What's more relevant than your authority?"
"Your methods are designed for enemies," Hiruzen said, his voice taking on a teaching tone. "The Hyuga Soke are part of this village. They've bled for us. They've fought our wars."
"If you treat them like enemies to get a short-term result, the long-term damage to the village's unity will be catastrophic."
Hiruzen reached into a small bag he was carrying and pulled out a couple of onigiri (rice balls). "Hungry? Eat while we talk. Biwako made them this morning. They're pretty good."
Danzo took the rice ball instinctively, his mind momentarily blank. What is this? Are we really this close?
Then he remembered. Right. We've known each other for fifty years.
"The core advantage we must maintain," Hiruzen continued, "is treating our shinobi like people, not tools. In this brutal world, only Konoha has the legacy of the Will of Fire—and more importantly, the resources to actually back it up."
"High-pressure tyranny and forced compliance? Sure, that gives you a quick boost in 'Military' stats. I don't deny that."
"But we are playing a long-term game. We are building a village that people want to protect, not one they are forced to serve. When our enemies see how we treat our own, they'll lose their will to fight. They'll want what we have."
Hiruzen bumped his shoulder against Danzo's, just as he had when they were boys.
"Killing an enemy is easy, Danzo. Winning their hearts? That's real power. Don't you think?"
Danzo chewed his rice ball in silence, nodding slowly.
He's teaching me again, Danzo thought. The 'Kage-level' mindset. Hiruzen... you really are a piece of work.
At that moment, a squad of veteran patrol ninjas spotted them from a distance. They recognized the Hokage immediately, their faces lighting up with genuine excitement.
"Lord Hokage!" they called out, waving.
Hiruzen beamed, waving back as he walked toward them. "Have you boys had breakfast yet? Come here, try my wife's cooking..."
Danzo watched Hiruzen's back as the Hokage joked with the rank-and-file soldiers. He took a deep breath.
I won't be left behind, Danzo vowed. I'll learn everything he has to teach. I'll be just as 'generous' when I take that hat.
In his mind, Danzo made a silent decree: When I become the Fourth Hokage, I'll make sure the history books give Hiruzen a few extra pages. He's earned it.
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