Ebizo had expected a cold welcome on his return to Suna, but he never imagined this. Rasa refused to see him, ordering him thrown in a cell without a word. He had been transferred from a Konoha prison only to be locked in one of his own village, now branded a traitor. The sheer injustice of it left Ebizo so consumed by rage that he wanted to smash his head against the stone walls.
He had endured this humiliation for the sake of the village, and this was his reward. 'Despicable,' he thought, grinding his teeth. His greatest fear was that Rasa's pride would make him too stubborn to listen, that he would drive Suna to ruin rather than heed a warning.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Rasa appeared less than half a day later, when Ebizo had resigned himself to waiting until at least the morning.
Rasa wasn't alone. Pakura and a squad of Anbu flanked him.
Ebizo met his gaze and spoke without preamble. "Kazekage-sama, Konoha's strength is greater than we anticipated."
Rasa sighed. 'Just as I thought. Orochimaru brainwashed him and sent him back for this very purpose.' He waved a hand, and the Anbu moved in.
Ebizo didn't resist as they held him down, their hands glowing with jutsu as they ran every diagnostic they knew. He stared at the ceiling, enduring the humiliation in silence. After a few minutes, the Anbu captain shook his head. "Kazekage-sama, he is not under any genjutsu."
"My apologies, Elder," Rasa said, offering a short, formal bow. "It was a necessary precaution. Since you are free of any influence, please continue your report."
"It's nothing," Ebizo said, his voice flat. "I pursued them, hoping to rescue Chiyo. I believed Minato Namikaze and the cat would be low on chakra after their fight, but I was wrong. They were still in fighting condition, and I was no match for them." He lowered his head, a clear admission of his failure.
Rasa gave a slight nod. This part, at least, was believable. 'If I were in his position,' he considered, 'I would have given chase, too. Who would expect an enemy to have any fight left after a battle that intense?'
A sliver of tension left Ebizo's shoulders when the Kazekage didn't immediately refute him. He proceeded to recount everything he had seen and heard in Konoha's main camp, detailing the Uchiha's surrender, the black cat's mastery of the Flying Thunder God, and the presence of both Tsunade and Orochimaru. He even offered his own theory on why the Uchiha had submitted so willingly: the death of Danzo Shimura.
At first, it sounded plausible, but the longer Ebizo spoke, the more Rasa felt a knot of suspicion tightening in his gut.
'Why is he singing Konoha's praises?' He knew all about Danzo, the so-called Darkness of Shinobi and the head of Root. The man had been a thorn in the side of every other village for decades. 'Danzo is dead, and somehow Konoha has grown stronger? What poison did they feed you over there?'
Seeing the hostility hardening Rasa's face, Ebizo knew he had failed. His words were not being heard as a warning, but as an insult. The Kazekage wasn't just displeased, he was furious. If not for Ebizo's long years of service, he would likely be facing execution right now.
'He must have been bribed,' was the thought that surfaced in Rasa's mind, ugly and immediate. It was a dishonorable accusation to level against a village elder, but it was the only thing that made sense. A few seconds later, he forced his anger down and spoke, his voice cold. "Elder, you will remain here for a few days. We will speak again after we have rescued Chiyo."
Rasa turned and left.
Pakura's expression was a complicated mix of doubt and duty, but after a moment's hesitation, she followed him. 'What else can I do?' she wondered. 'Are we really supposed to surrender to preserve our strength, just as the Elder says?'
--**--**
Back in the Konoha camp, the situation in Suna was unfolding just as Orochimaru had predicted.
'How could a newly appointed Kazekage possibly tolerate such a cowardly strategy?' he mused. 'To take a cheap shot and then advocate surrender the moment the enemy looks your way... It's suffocating. That isn't how the new generation operates. The times have changed.'
The camp was quiet for most of the day. Orochimaru simply ordered patrols to heighten their surveillance against a sneak attack and then sent a dispatch to Jiraiya, telling him to hold his position and wait. He knew Jiraiya would have cursed him for it under normal circumstances. 'Stay put? Why don't you come over here and tell the furious Onoki to hold on a minute!'
But thankfully, Kura Uchiha had arrived on that front. Already a powerful shinobi, Kura's strength had skyrocketed after awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan, and his presence had been a massive boon to Jiraiya's forces. They could now hold the line without crumbling, and Jiraiya knew much of the credit belonged to his Uchiha allies.
Kura was more than just holding his own, he was a true force on the battlefield. This was why the Third Hokage had felt confident in the strategy: let Jiraiya hold the line while Orochimaru finished things with Suna once and for all.
Still, Orochimaru didn't sit idle. That evening, he dispatched a portion of his forces to reinforce Jiraiya's position. He no longer needed so many shinobi here. 'No matter how strong Suna is,' he thought, 'their next wave will be the Kazekage and his jonin at most. At worst, a jinchuriki. With Takeshi and Minato here, they can handle one, and I will have no problem with the other.'
Rasa did not choose a nighttime assault. Night belonged to the Hyuga, whose Byakugan rendered any attempt at a sneak attack meaningless.
So the attack came at the break of dawn.
--**--**
The next morning, at the break of dawn, signal flares shot up in the distance. A piercing whistle followed, and the camp erupted into action.
"Everyone, move out!" Orochimaru's voice cut through the early morning quiet.
Minato was out of his sleeping bag in an instant. The black cat scrambled out right behind him, and the two of them hurried from their tent.
"Meow?" Takeshi was still half-asleep. 'What time is it...?'
He looked up to see the sky just beginning to turn from black to grey, the last of the stars still faintly visible. A moment later, Kakashi, Guy, and the others were at their side. Kakashi calmly dispelled Pakkun's summoning as they gathered.
"Everyone's here? Let's go. Sunagakure is attacking," Minato said, waving them forward. He pulled the black cat onto his shoulder, and before Takeshi could fully register what was happening, they were already moving. The cold wind rushing past his face did a good job of waking him up.
He shook off the last of his grogginess. 'I'm not actually that grumpy,' he admitted to himself. 'The whole morning routine is half real, half just an act to farm points.' He glanced around at his teammates running alongside him.
"Takeshi, are you okay?" Rin asked, her voice laced with concern. Even if he wasn't injured, entering a major battle in poor condition could be fatal.
"I'm fine, meow," Takeshi replied. "Just make sure you all are careful when the fighting starts. You remember what I told you, right?"
"Mhm," Genma and Ebisu muttered, nodding quickly. They remembered his advice and didn't dare forget it.
But Guy...
Everyone turned to look at him. Guy seemed startled for a second before he, too, gave a firm nod.
The Kakashi from before would have scoffed at the sentiment. A ninja's mission always came first, and anyone, including himself, was an acceptable sacrifice for its completion. But now... he had to admit, Takeshi was usually right. In their current situation, there was no need to fight to the death. They all had long futures ahead of them. This didn't mean they would be reckless, of course, but that they would rely on more stable tactics to win. Risks were still necessary at times, just like the one Kakashi himself had taken earlier.
"Just be sure to listen to Kakashi and Rin," Minato added. "Takeshi and I might not be able to watch over you."
They ran for a while longer before catching up to the main force, where they met the frontline scouting party led by Hizashi, who had been the first to spot Suna's advance.
"Orochimaru-sama, Tsunade-sama," he said, bowing his head.
"No need for formalities," Orochimaru said, his gaze shifting between Takeshi and Minato. "Rasa brought the jinchuriki. You two handle one of them."
Takeshi raised a paw without hesitation. "Meow~ I'll take the One-Tail jinchuriki."
"Can you handle him?" Tsunade asked, a flicker of worry in her eyes. Only she and Takeshi understood the true weight of her question.
"Much better than yesterday," the black cat replied with a slight nod. 'I already mastered Sage Art: Gate of the Great God,' he thought. 'Yesterday was just for show.'
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, darting between Tsunade and Takeshi. He recalled the cat mentioning "Sage Art" the day before. 'It must be a technique connected to Tsunade,' he deduced, 'one that's particularly effective against Tailed Beasts, which would explain her confidence.' What could it be? Jutsu flashed through his mind, and after ruling out Wood Release, only a few possibilities remained. 'Could it be... Sage Art: Gate of the Great God?' A look of genuine shock crossed Orochimaru's face.
Minato noticed the expressions on both his and Tsunade's faces, but he knew this was not the time for questions. As chunin and genin, Rin and the others had even less right to ask.
"Alright," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "Minato, you support Takeshi's perimeter."
"Support him?" Obito whispered, his voice tight with worry. "Does that mean she's letting him face the jinchuriki alone? That's too dangerous!"
He took a step forward to protest, but Kakashi's hand on his chest stopped him. Obito glared, but the silver-haired boy just shook his head, silently telling him to be quiet.
Orochimaru took over. "Hizashi, you and your squad will accompany Takeshi. Intercept anyone who tries to interfere with his fight. Minato, your strategy is your own." His gaze lingered on Kakashi and the others for a moment. "As for your team... act as you see fit. Stay safe," he added, the words uncharacteristically gentle. He seemed to be reminded of something from his past.
With that, he vanished in a flicker of movement.
Besides the jinchuriki, there was still Rasa. The man wouldn't be Kazekage if he were weak, but Orochimaru was confident he could handle him. As long as nothing went wrong on Takeshi's end, Konoha's victory was assured. And even if something did happen, they still had Minato.
The One-Tail jinchuriki.
Takeshi licked his paw, a thrill of excitement running through him.
'With Sage Art: Gate of the Great God, pinning him down will be easy,' he thought. 'Afterward, I might even be able to help gang up on Rasa and rake in a ton of points.'
Excellent. The plan was set.
===============
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