"What kind of nonsense is that, Kizaru?" Hiruzen snapped after hearing Kizaru's explanation.
His tone was critical, but the look in his eyes said something entirely different.
There was clear appreciation there. Relief, too.
After all, everything Kizaru had done had been for the sake of protecting the village's new generation.
Shimura Kizaru...
He really might grow into a Hokage worthy of the village one day.
The more Hiruzen thought about it, the more pleased he became. In the end, he could not help but laugh, despite himself.
And when he was in a good mood, he always wanted a smoke.
Hiruzen took out his pipe, packed it, lit the tobacco, then drew in a long breath. As smoke drifted past his face, he turned his gaze toward the slowly setting sun.
As the sun set and rose again, Konoha's future under Kizaru's leadership...
It really might become even more prosperous.
"Sensei, I'm heading to the Land of Rain now. You can all head back on your own."
The sense of relief that had just begun to settle in Hiruzen's chest vanished instantly.
Reality pulled him right back down.
"Your Uncle Danzō is already overseeing things in the Land of Rain, and Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya are there to support him. There is no need for you to interfere." Hiruzen said as he exhaled a stream of smoke.
He knew his own student well.
Kizaru was powerful, destructive, lazy... and far too willing to do whatever he pleased.
Hiruzen did not dare let him roam around too freely.
The last time Kizaru had volunteered to deal with Kumogakure, he had ended up capturing the Third Raikage and the Two-Tails and dragging them all the way back to the village.
And now he wanted to head to the Land of Rain.
Hiruzen was genuinely worried that if this continued, Kizaru might decide to capture Hanzō and the Third Kazekage next and bring them back to Konoha too.
If that happened a few more times, Hiruzen felt like he might as well host the Five Kage Summit in Konoha himself.
And the topic of discussion would probably be how to redistribute the tailed beasts.
The image that formed in his mind was so absurdly beautiful that Hiruzen refused to think about it any further.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya stood at the front of the fully assembled ninja forces.
Not long ago, Danzō had received word that Hanzō and Sunagakure had reached a ceasefire agreement.
The moment the information arrived, Danzō immediately ordered Tsunade and the others to lead the troops out and prepare to strike Amegakure.
He understood better than anyone how important speed was in war.
While continuing to dispatch spies to keep track of Hanzō's movements, Danzō also ordered Tsunade's forces to move out the moment their formation was complete.
"Danzō-sama, Hanzō is leading Amegakure's forces back toward the village," an ANBU operative reported immediately after confirming the latest movement.
Danzō looked in the direction Tsunade and the others had departed, then gave his next order without hesitation.
"Dispatch every ANBU unit. Harass the enemy with guerrilla tactics. Exhaust them. Destroy their supply lines."
"Yes, sir!"
"Remember this well. No guerrilla unit is to get dragged into a prolonged fight. The moment they launch their attack, they retreat at once, no matter the result."
"Understood!"
"After withdrawing, each team is to scatter and destroy every surrounding village and town near Amegakure. Burn all food supplies."
Danzō never showed mercy to his enemies.
He only cared about results, never the process.
"Danzō-sama... what about the civilians?" One of the ANBU asked carefully, clearly shaken by the order.
Danzō said nothing at first.
He only turned his cold gaze toward the man.
Those eyes were like those of a venomous snake.
"I am cutting off every possible source of supply for Amegakure's shinobi," Danzō said flatly, his tone carrying unmistakable pressure. "Do you understand?"
"...Understood!" the ANBU replied at once, lowering his head.
"Go."
Only then did Danzō's tone ease slightly as he turned his eyes back toward the direction of the departing army.
The stage had already been prepared.
Now it was up to Tsunade and the others to perform.
At that very moment, Hanzō, having concluded the armistice with Sunagakure, was leading his forces back toward the village.
That battle with Sunagakure—one in which he had first gained the upper hand, only to later be forced back—had left Hanzō with a deeper understanding of what it meant to be one of the great nations.
The strength of the Five Great Shinobi Countries did not come from one or two monsters standing at the top.
It came from the total foundation beneath them.
From the overall quality of their shinobi, to their wartime logistics, to the depth of their accumulated knowledge and technology...
The Land of Rain lagged behind in every single aspect.
And within all of Amegakure, aside from Hanzō himself, there was not a single shinobi who could truly stand alone as a pillar.
That was the tragedy of a small nation.
As his understanding of the gap between the Land of Rain and the Five Great Nations became clearer, doubt stirred within Hanzō's heart.
Could the Land of Rain truly rise and become the sixth great nation?
No...
It had to.
Under his leadership, the Land of Rain would become stronger.
Forcefully suppressing that fleeting hesitation, Hanzō's gaze hardened once more.
"Move faster. Konoha may strike the village at any moment," he ordered coldly, worried that their base might already be under threat.
"Yes!"
The Amegakure shinobi behind him answered in unison, their morale high.
Under Hanzō's leadership, they had fought Sunagakure—one of the Five Great Nations—to a standstill.
That alone was enough to make the shinobi of Amegakure see hope.
The hope that the Land of Rain might one day truly stand as the sixth great nation.
But just as Hanzō led his forces onward at full speed, dozens of kunai and shuriken suddenly flew in from nearly eight hundred meters away.
Immediately after that, a violent wave of flame roared out from the forest and crashed toward Hanzō's position.
It was a combined ninjutsu launched by two ANBU shinobi.
Wind Release and Fire Release fused together into a powerful coordinated attack.
As a master of Water Release second only to Tobirama Senju, Hanzō's response was instantaneous.
His hands flashed through seals.
A massive water wall more than three meters thick surged upward from the earth, directly intercepting the ambush launched by Konoha's ANBU.
The moment their first strike failed, the ANBU forces obeyed Danzō's orders and withdrew without the slightest hesitation.
"Stop."
Sensing his subordinates were about to give chase, Hanzō immediately called them back.
"Hanzō-sama," one of his trusted men came to his side, waiting for further orders.
"The enemy has already withdrawn. Stay ready for combat and increase our pace. We return to the village at once."
Hanzō had already guessed the attackers were Konoha shinobi.
And because of that, his concern for Amegakure's safety only deepened.
Without wasting another moment, he led the forces onward once more.
"Then I'll be off, Sensei."
Kizaru lifted Matatabi with one hand and set it back over his shoulder, then lazily waved with the other.
He had successfully talked his way past Hiruzen and left with that same relaxed smile on his face.
"Hokage-sama, should we inform Elder Danzō?" asked one of the elite jōnin of the Sarutobi clan, who also served as Hiruzen's guard.
Watching his student's departing back, Hiruzen could only shake his head with a helpless look.
He took another deep pull from his pipe, then removed it from his mouth and smiled faintly.
"Let Danzō deal with the headache."
If he could not keep his own student under control, then letting his old friend suffer for it was not such a bad thing.
After saying that, Hiruzen finally looked away from Kizaru's retreating figure.
"Nariya, once we return, tell Shinnosuke to make preparations."
Sarutobi Nariya blinked in confusion.
"Preparations... for what?"
"Prepare a few more prison cells. The kind used for holding powerful captives. And increase the guards as well," Hiruzen said as he smoked.
Nariya's eyes widened.
"Hokage-sama... you mean Kizaru?"
"Letting Kizaru act on his own is like releasing a tiger from its cage," Hiruzen said in a firm voice, though there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "There will definitely be results."
With Kizaru around...
Maybe, just maybe, he as Hokage really could accomplish something unprecedented.
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