The Hidden Sand Village, Land of Wind.
The Third Kazekage sat behind his office desk, his gaze deep and inscrutable as he regarded the ANBU kneeling before him.
"Other than Wakkanai Bridge and Hōrō Outpost, any fresh news from Hidden Rain Village?"
"Reporting, Third Lord: Hidden Rain Village has opened its borders. All passing merchants can now resupply there."
"And ninja units?"
"They're welcome as well. I've already sent an ANBU squad to test it—Hidden Rain seems to be completely open now."
"What about the Tenmei Gate Bridge connecting to the Land of Earth?"
"Still closed."
The Third Kazekage's questions were meticulous, as if he wanted to chew up every signal Rinjin was sending, piece by piece.
He waved the ANBU away, then spread a map of the ninja world across his desk. On it, three bridges radiated from Hidden Rain: Hōrō Outpost leading to the Land of Wind, Tenmei Gate Bridge to the Land of Earth, and Wakkanai Bridge to the Land of Fire.
Scribbling notes, the Kazekage muttered to himself:
"If Hidden Rain becomes our supply frontline, the march to Konoha will shrink from three days to just half that. And to the Fire Country's border, only half a day.
With that, even a mid-sized unit of twenty or thirty could charge straight in.
Hmm! Right now, most battles are small-scale skirmishes—nothing our Sand puppet masters can't handle.
But if Tenmei Gate Bridge to the Land of Earth opens, Ōnoki will be grinning in his sleep!
No, the Rain's true stance is still unclear. Better send Chiyo to probe their intentions."
Narrowing his eyes, the Kazekage rapped the table and summoned an ANBU.
"Bring Chiyo here. Now!"
...
While the Third Kazekage was itching to deal Konoha a heavy blow, elsewhere the bounty exchange—the ninja world's most bustling black market—erupted in celebration.
Konoha's classified intel was now up for grabs. Information brokers, long eyeing Konoha like a fat prize cow, rushed to put their secrets up for sale.
Konoha's intelligence was more valuable and scarce than that of any other major village. Not because Konoha was the strongest, but because demand was sky-high.
Cloud, Stone, and Sand had all been coveting the Land of Fire for ages.
To these info dealers, they were the biggest buyers of Konoha secrets. With so many customers, prices could soar—they'd make a killing.
Intel from other villages, even during wartime, always sold for peanuts.
Take Cloud, for example: apart from secret techniques, even the dogs wouldn't touch their troop movement reports.
As time passed and the hidden hand churned up chaos, the pressure shifted to Konoha.
Since the war began, Konoha had handled everything with ease. But now, panic was setting in.
Yes, there'd been leaks before—but now things were getting out of control.
Frontline squad movements were being tracked piece by piece by a swarm of info peddlers.
Civilians, orphans, merchants—it seemed every pair of eyes was watching Konoha, hoping to sell a scrap of intel for a bit of pocket money.
The bounty exchange, that massive beast lurking in the ninja world's shadows, was slowly stretching out its tentacles.
Everyone under heaven hustles for profit; everyone under heaven bustles for gain.
Konoha's squads began suffering heavy casualties.
And with pig iron prices slashed, the cost of war plummeted. Blacksmiths in every village worked overtime, pouring ninja tools onto the battlefield.
Meanwhile, though Hidden Rain in the west hadn't joined the war, it could no longer serve as Konoha's shield.
Suddenly, bad news came pouring into the Hokage's office like a blizzard.
Bang!
A thunderous fist hit the desk.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at the files before him, rage boiling, his brows knotted tight.
This was big.
Of the twenty-plus squads sent north, nearly half had gone silent.
To the west, the previously quiet Hidden Sand was stirring again.
The stress between his brows only deepened.
Konoha had been doing fine—peaceful, harmonious, the village bustling with life.
Ninja teams rotated smoothly, everyone got proper rest.
They'd even managed to keep some elite units in reserve, just in case.
But now, with disaster after disaster, those precious elites had to be thrown into the fray.
At the same time, a name surfaced in Hiruzen's mind.
Sakuhō Rinjin.
Beside him, Danzo leaned on his cane, looking as composed as ever on the sofa. The one eye not wrapped in bandages was narrowed, never leaving Hiruzen.
His heart thumped in steady rhythm, as if playing a war drum.
He'd been in a great mood lately.
The Uchiha clan was a mess—thanks to him, the rift between them and the village only widened.
That bastard Rinjin was either busy raising kids or playing the role of demon dad, too occupied to bother him.
Now, with the village in crisis, it was the perfect moment to throw Hiruzen under the bus at the next high council.
The Eighth Hokage? How long was he supposed to wait for that?
Danzo thought: Old man Sarutobi, you've been at this long enough. Step down and hand the hat to the Fourth.
Let the Fourth run things for a few years, then pass the torch.
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh—each does three years, that's twelve total.
Then I'll take over as the Eighth Hokage in Konoha's forty-seventh year, run the show for a decade, and retire right when Boruto's story kicks off!
Wait... what the hell is Boruto? Oh well, who cares!
Everything's going according to plan!
Just as Danzo was about to start drooling, Hiruzen's dark gaze swept over.
"Danzo, have you pissed off that Rinjin guy again lately?"
Danzo snorted to himself.
Me? Offend him? I'd rather gouge out my own eyes than see him again!
This is all your doing—teaming up with your wife, trying to squeeze info out of that brat Rinjin brought back.
Damn it! I warned you—he's the pettiest bastard alive. Holds a grudge like nobody else.
I snapped at him once, twenty years ago. Look at him—still after me!
Most people say revenge is best served cold. He serves it morning, noon, and night.
Serves you right~ Now you want to pin it on me again?!
Thinking this, Shimura Danzo grinned and nodded.
"Yeah, sure, I've offended him again lately."
Seeing Danzo admit it so easily, Hiruzen was momentarily stunned.
What's up with this old fox? Why is he taking the blame so quickly?
Right then, Danzo put on a pained expression and started spinning a tale:
"Ai, it's just—funds have been a little tight lately. I saw how loaded that bastard Rinjin was, so I thought I'd squeeze a bit out of him. Didn't think he'd catch on~"
Hiruzen's mouth twitched twice in speechless frustration.
This old coot is getting sneakier by the day—damn, he's infuriating!
"Ahem..." Hiruzen cleared his throat, tamping down his irritation and speaking earnestly:
"Dan... Danzo, you... you've worked hard. If you're short on funds, just say so. No need for these crooked schemes!
Here, I'll approve a budget. Go talk to Rinjin and see if he can get Hidden Rain to hold the line a little longer."
Watching Hiruzen force a friendly smile while his face twitched uncontrollably, Danzo felt deeply satisfied.
That mutt Sakuhō Rinjin bullies me, so I'll take it out on you!
Heh heh~
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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