Two weeks later.
Tsunade stood fully geared up in the Senju Clan compound, ready to depart.
Although the main conflicts of the Second Great Ninja War had started to quiet down, the skirmishes never truly ceased. Ninja continued to die every day, and new ones constantly rose to take their place.
Today's mission took Tsunade to the Land of Water.
During the war, all four of the major hidden villages had gotten involved—except Kirigakure. While the others clashed, Kirigakure stood apart, showing no signs of engagement.
At first, Iwagakure had prepared to march on them, but midway, they clashed with Kumogakure instead, never even stepping foot into the Land of Water.
Even so, Kirigakure undoubtedly received the message loud and clear. No village's ANBU would be oblivious to such military maneuvers, and each of the Great Villages had planted enough spies to pick up on these signs.
Which made it all the more strange that the war-hungry Kirigakure never stepped onto the battlefield.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't deployed Uchiha Kagami—an elite shinobi with Kage-level strength—to the front lines. That wasn't without reason. Keeping such a trump card within the village was a strategic move to deter Kirigakure from acting rashly.
With someone like that in reserve, Konoha could remain flexible in responding to any battlefield.
And since none of the other Kage had taken the field themselves, Hiruzen had no intention of being the first to move.
The balance between the Five Kage could not be disturbed.
Although... wasn't it said that Ōnoki had injured Shimura Danzo?
Tsunade hadn't really understood the details. But when she saw Danzo in the Hokage's office, the man was wrapped in bandages from his eyes to his arm.
"Well well, Hokage Advisor—are you playing mummy today?"
Tsunade couldn't help but snort.
Danzo, looking like that, was admittedly pretty ridiculous. When he caught her smug expression, his face darkened. He scoffed coldly:
"Hmph! I won't stoop to argue with a brat like you."
I've bled for Konoha. Fought for Konoha. Just barely recovered from my injuries and returned to serve again—and this blonde brat dares mock me?
"Tsunade..."
Kato Dan, walking beside her, lightly patted her on the shoulder.
Mocking a Hokage Advisor wasn't exactly dignified. He'd heard that Danzo had made significant sacrifices for the village.
In Dan's view, anyone who devoted themselves to Konoha deserved at least some respect. He stepped forward and gave a small bow to show his regard.
"All right, everyone," Hiruzen said, stepping in to smooth over the tension. "You've all been summoned today because we have an important mission."
He paused, then continued, "The entire Root unit Danzo sent to Kirigakure has gone silent. That likely means Kirigakure has eliminated all our agents."
If even Root had been taken out, then the other, lesser spies—especially the ones without chakra—would stand no chance of surviving. At most, they could overhear local gossip, but never gather anything truly useful.
Hiruzen silently analyzed the situation.
Tsunade, after her battle with Hanzo of the Salamander, had clearly grown. Now, her presence exuded a sharpened edge—proof that she'd fully absorbed the experience. Hiruzen nodded to himself. She'd likely broken through to the next level.
As expected of his student.
Beside her stood Kato Dan—someone who shouldn't be underestimated either. For those unaware of his abilities, even Kage-level shinobi could fall victim to him.
The Spirit Transformation Technique—an S-rank soul-based forbidden jutsu passed down in the Kato Clan—was now sealed within the Scroll of Seals.
It allowed the user to separate their spirit from their body, becoming a phantom capable of possessing others and destroying their minds from within. Unless someone had formidable spiritual energy or was caught unaware, the jutsu was nearly impossible to defend against.
It also gave him the ability to detect spiritual presence, making it incredibly unique for reconnaissance and perception.
Unfortunately, no one else in Konoha had managed to master it—not even other members of the Kato Clan. Dan alone had the talent to use it.
Coupled with his innate Jonin-level ability, this forbidden technique made Kato Dan a threat to even the strongest enemies.
Along with Tsunade and Dan were two other elite Jonin—each formidable in their own right. As a team, they could even hold their own against a Kage.
"Tsunade. Kato Dan. Senju Natsuki. Kimoku Kudō. Sarutobi—are you planning to send them straight into Kirigakure to assassinate the Mizukage?" Danzo's eyes gleamed with intensity. "I can mobilize all of Root to assist them!"
These shinobi were Konoha's top-tier combat power. In a small hidden village, any one of them could lead as Kage. If they succeeded in assassinating the Mizukage and subjugating Kirigakure, Danzo wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice all of Root for it.
Konoha could always replenish its ranks with fresh blood.
Compared to the value of conquering Kirigakure, Root's losses would be insignificant!
"Ahem! Danzo—calm down!" Hiruzen was visibly startled by Danzo's bold proposal.
Kirigakure had already wiped out all of Root's agents. Their current strength was completely unknown. Launching a direct attack on the Mizukage now would be suicide.
The Mizukage wasn't some second-rate shinobi. The Third Mizukage had once been the personal guard of the First Mizukage. No one knew how many forbidden techniques he'd inherited from his predecessor.
...
And if they weren't careful, the Second Great Ninja War could reignite. After everything they'd gone through to end it, they needed to tread carefully.
"This team is being sent to the Land of Water for reconnaissance only. Root already lost one Jonin-level operative and several Tokubetsu Jonin. Have you not learned your lesson?"
"Hmph. You waste such excellent talent. You're too soft!"
Danzo let out another cold snort, narrowing his eyes at Hiruzen.
Of course, he knew his idea was a stretch. He'd recently seen firsthand what Kage-level power truly meant. The gap between Kage and elite Jonin was greater than that between Genin and Jonin.
Still, he'd raised the suggestion just to needle Hiruzen a bit.
Who knows? Maybe one day, Hiruzen would decide to go after Kirigakure.
"Kirigakure has assembled a full team of Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Every one of them is said to be Jonin-level at minimum—and they have the power of the blades on top of that."
"That's exactly why I'm sending your team to scout the situation," Hiruzen said. "Even against Jonin, I still worry when dealing with Kirigakure..."
He shared what intel he had with the gathered shinobi.
"If it's you four, even if you run into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, I trust you can handle yourselves."
To Hiruzen, the swordsmen weren't much individually, but as a group, they were the elite among Jonin. Their teamwork and synergy had earned them the reputation of being able to hunt down even a Kage.
That was probably exaggerated—but Hiruzen wasn't about to take chances. As Hokage, he had a duty to protect his ninja.
"Then why not add Orochimaru to the squad? With the five of them, they could definitely take out the Mizukage!"
Danzo still wasn't giving up. If Jiraiya had been around, he'd probably be pushing to send all three of the Sannin to assassinate the Mizukage.
"Don't let your hatred cloud your judgment, Danzo."
Hiruzen frowned. You were wounded by the Tsuchikage—so why are you so fixated on the Mizukage? Do you think he's easier to kill?
He really didn't understand Danzo sometimes.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Danzo knew he was being unreasonable, but his pride wouldn't let him back down.
"I'm the Hokage, Danzo."
Hiruzen saw through Danzo's bravado. His harsh reply gave Danzo an excuse to back off.
"Hmph!"
SLAM!
Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
In his eyes, Hiruzen was too indecisive. It was time to pay Orochimaru a visit.
If he wanted to fully recover from his injuries, he'd need something... a little more unconventional.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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