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Isn't Sasori of the Red Sand the grandson of that old hag Chiyo? And her grandson was the one who killed the Third Kazekage?
"Indeed. What a shame," Shisui nodded. Sunagakure had searched for years and found nothing, yet the truth had ended up in their hands.
"Of course, as long as we wipe this town off the map, our intel won't be exposed."
But right then, Shuuzawa suddenly said something deeply disturbing.
"I can trap everyone with Wood Release."
"If I don't use chakra to shield it, Shisui, you can ignite it with Fire Release. One blaze and everything will be reduced to ash!"
Shisui and Tsunade were stunned. Tsunade especially, her face full of disbelief.
What the hell are you saying? Who even taught you this kind of thinking? Why does your way of handling things feel so much like Danzo's?
"What nonsense are you spewing?!" Tsunade grabbed Shuuzawa by the collar, fury in her eyes.
"What are you thinking? Is that what the old man taught you?"
"Lady Tsunade, I was just speaking hypothetically," Shuuzawa blinked, then nodded.
"Though I'm not sure who this 'old man' you're referring to is, back when I was training in Root... Danzo-sama taught me things like this."
"..."
Trained under Danzo? Tsunade was caught off guard.
She didn't press further because Shuuzawa continued, "Of course, I'd never actually do that. I've always felt Danzo-sama's methods were too extreme at times."
"..." Tsunade let go, momentarily speechless. Even Shisui was confused. "So, what are you trying to say, Shuuzawa?"
"It's simple. We must bring him back alive," Shuuzawa smiled, explaining.
"However, to avoid sparking war, we won't bring him into the village. I know there are Root or ANBU bases outside Konoha."
"Since the Fourth Raikage's men were injured, sending them there for treatment seems reasonable, doesn't it?"
But that sounded an awful lot like trying to cover things up. "And since so many people witnessed the battle, we'll spin it publicly," Shuuzawa shrugged.
"We'll say it was a bet between the Fourth Raikage and Lady Tsunade—if he won, she'd treat his subordinates."
"But we, as ANBU, didn't know the full story and intervened, resulting in half the town being destroyed. Luckily, the Fourth Raikage has agreed to compensate the town, and Lady Tsunade will help heal his men."
"With the legacy of the Third Raikage behind him, the Fourth shouldn't be too bothered. It might even earn him a reputation for valuing his comrades. See? That mostly solves the problem. As for the rest, we'll leave it to the Hokage to decide."
"..."
Both Shisui and Tsunade were dumbfounded. Shisui recovered quicker, being more experienced.
But Tsunade was still in shock—what kind of brain did this kid have to come up with something so outrageous?
Still, as a true Senju and someone who had been raised under Tobirama's pressure, not to mention taught by the Third Hokage himself, she couldn't deny that Shuuzawa's plan actually… worked.
It preserved Raikage's pride and earned him goodwill, achieved his goal, and avoided conflict with Kumogakure.
No Kage would willingly air such an embarrassing incident. And if Kumo did act out, they'd look unreasonable, while Konoha would have the moral high ground.
As for whether they could win a war… "Let's go with this. Leave the headache to the old man," Tsunade said decisively.
She didn't want to overthink this kind of political mess. Besides, if push came to shove, Konoha still had strength left.
Whether it was herself, or Jiraiya—wherever he was off womanizing now—or... Her eyes drifted to Shuuzawa and Shisui.
These two weren't exactly weak either. But this brat... she'd assumed he resembled Hashirama. Why did he suddenly feel more like Tobirama?
"Let's get ready. I'll go secure the target and head back to Konoha. This can't be delayed."
With a shake of her head, Tsunade turned and headed toward the Fourth Raikage. Shuuzawa and Shisui exchanged glances, then followed quickly.
"Done talking? Ready to let me go now?" When they returned, the Fourth Raikage looked up with a sneer. "I doubt Konoha can afford a war right now."
"We're done," Shuuzawa replied calmly. "I'm sure Danzo-sama and the Hokage will be very interested in meeting you."
Looking at the Raikage's disdainful expression, Shuuzawa suddenly chuckled.
"What's that supposed to mean? Where's Tsunade?" The Raikage stiffened, watching her walk off into the distance. Confusion filled his eyes.
"Lady Tsunade went to get your subordinates—or rather, take them back for treatment." Shuuzawa smiled even more brightly and repeated the plan he'd just outlined.
Inside, though, he felt a wave of relief. Thank goodness this wasn't the Raikage from the Fourth Great Ninja War.
That guy had been at his absolute peak—speed and power perfectly fused with Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
That version of the Raikage had shattered Uchiha Madara's Susanoo with pure brute strength.
Even if it was an Edo Tensei version with a lesser-level Susanoo, that feat alone was terrifying.
"There's no way I could compare with him right now," Shuuzawa thought.
"My physical stats are only Level 10, Wood Release at Level 6, and the rest haven't improved..."
His mood quickly brightened. There was still time. And after bringing the Fourth Raikage back, surely his mission reward would be generous, right?
"Shameless!" Even though he thought it internally, Shuuzawa didn't bother hiding his intentions.
There was no need. This was an open strategy. Saying it made it more effective.
But the Fourth Raikage couldn't hold it in anymore. The kid was shameless enough during the fight, but their whole plan was even more disgraceful!
"Shameless?" Shuuzawa tilted his head. He looked at the ruined town in the distance and sighed.
"Right back at you. Weren't you the ones who tried to abduct a Hyuga from Konoha? How's that not shameless?"
"Judging by this incident, I'm guessing you were stealing another village's secret technique again. So really—who's worse here?"
"Hmph!" The Raikage snorted. He couldn't deny any of it. It was exactly what they had done.
"Honestly, we get it. You're doing it for your village," Shuuzawa continued.
As Yuugao walked up, her eyes full of concern, he took her hand with a smile, then glanced at Shisui before continuing.
"I kept wondering why you targeted Konoha so much. But then it hit me.
From a shinobi's perspective, it makes no sense."
"But from a village's perspective? It's completely logical. You want Kumo to be stronger—so you'll do anything."
"Steal, kill, whatever it takes. You don't care about being called villains. And honestly? It works."
The Raikage fell silent. That was what they had done. For Kumo's sake, they were willing to do anything.
"But you know..." Shuuzawa spoke softly as a breeze drifted through. He turned toward the Raikage, a knowing look in his eyes. "The more you chase perfection, the dirtier your hands become."
"Listen. The wind... it carries the voices of those who longed for something they could never have." Everyone present went quiet.
There was something about his words—like they meant more than they seemed.
Everyone except the Fourth Raikage, who just stared at Shuuzawa like he was an idiot. "What the hell do you mean, 'voices on the wind'?"
"And yet Konoha didn't stop just because of some 'longing for what couldn't be obtained'—shameless to the core!" But Shuuzawa didn't respond. His attention was completely focused on his system interface.
[Mission Complete]
[Find Tsunade]
[Evaluating Mission Rewards]
Sigh... I wonder how things are back in the village? Back in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi was flipping through a stack of reports, quietly muttering to himself.
Shuuzawa and Shisui had been gone for some time now, and he had no clear idea of their current situation.
Although he trusted those two, the situation within the village was giving him a constant headache.
.....
-Hokage Office-
"Have the Uchiha truly gone mad?"
He frowned at the latest ANBU report on the Uchiha clan. Their internal meetings were growing more frequent, and there were even signs of stockpiling supplies.
That kind of behaviour was highly dangerous. No one could say for sure what they were planning, but there were certainly warning signs.
On top of that, more and more voices within the clan were demanding that Shisui return to them.
Even after Hiruzen had spoken directly with Fugaku Uchiha and explained that Shisui was acting of his own volition—and was currently on a mission outside the village—Fugaku still insisted on meeting him face to face.
"Fugaku... he seems to be changing." Hiruzen stared blankly at the report.
The issue with the Uchiha was like a storm brewing on the horizon—if not handled properly, it could erupt into a far greater crisis.
Personally, Hiruzen preferred the path of appeasement. He could never bring himself to order an attack on his villagers.
But if it truly came to that point, he knew he would have no choice but to act.
"For now, we'll try to calm things down. Fugaku's son... he shows promise."
Uchiha Itachi was a genius—Hiruzen would never deny that. At such a young age, he had already awakened the Sharingan and maintained a close bond with Shisui.
If that was the case, why not bring him into the ANBU? He could serve as another bridge of communication between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.
"Being the clan leader's son... the effect might be even better." Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe. Smoke drifted lazily through the air, clouding his office.
He could already imagine Danzo's reaction once he heard about this. That man had been fuming even when Shisui joined ANBU.
"Lately, he's been far from quiet, too." Ever since Shuuzawa had awakened Wood Release on his own, Danzo had started moving again.
Though his actions were discreet, nothing escaped Hiruzen's notice. After all, ANBU operated under his direct authority.
Did Danzo think he wouldn't notice the ripples? He had already warned Danzo once, but that old friend of his never seemed to take his words to heart.
It wasn't the first time Hiruzen had seen behaviour like this—especially when Wood Release was involved. The temptation was simply too great.
This was not the artificial Wood Release created through experiments. Shuuzawa had awakened it naturally, and that made it far more powerful.
If nurtured correctly and fully developed, they might truly have a chance at reviving the glory once held by the First Hokage.
"I need to keep a close eye on Danzo from now on."
Hiruzen shook his head. Thankfully, once Tsunade returned, he'd have someone else to help keep watch. That gave him some peace of mind.
Looking down at the untouched paperwork on his desk, Hiruzen sighed to himself.
He'd been distracted thinking about other things and had barely dealt with a single document.
Not that he was the type to slack off—though he did occasionally use his crystal ball to "inspect" the village...
Still, he was getting older now, and had developed a fondness for "pleasant sights." Just for the eye, of course.
Otherwise, with his wife gone for years now, he would've already found a new partner for his sons.
"Back to work, back to work!"
Refocusing, Hiruzen turned his full attention to the documents—only to frown the moment he glanced at the first one.
"The Fourth Raikage... in the Sugi Village?"
Sugi Village's secret jutsu scrolls had gone missing, and in retaliation, they'd sent the "Nokizaru Group" after the thief.
Reliable intel suggested the one who struck was none other than the Fourth Raikage. Hiruzen had been aware of this incident.
What caught his attention now was that Tsunade appeared to be in the very same town.
He wasn't all that familiar with the Fourth Raikage himself, but he knew the man's father very well.
They were both Third Kage and had clashed in battle before. That explosive speed and raw power had left a lasting impression.
Sadly, Raikage had been far too stubborn, and in the end, Iwagakure had worn him down until he died—but regardless, he was a true hero.
As for his son, intelligence suggested he had inherited all of his father's strengths. "Of all places... why did it have to be there?"
Pipe clenched between his teeth, Hiruzen cursed inwardly. All he could hope for now was that neither side had run into each other.
The Fourth Raikage was known for being even more extreme than his father. If he realized Shuuzawa and the others were present...
There was no telling what he might do.
"Lord Hokage!"
A sudden knock at the door pulled Hiruzen from his thoughts. His eyelid twitched.
"Come in," he said, extinguishing his pipe.
An ANBU operative rushed into the office with urgency. "Lord Hokage, I have an urgent report!"
"Speak."
"Sir... the Fourth Raikage has been captured."
"...What?"
The moment he heard the Raikage's name, Hiruzen's expression darkened.
He didn't even process the rest of the sentence at first.
But when the words clicked, he shot to his feet like a bolt of lightning.
"What did you say?! He's been captured?!" At that moment, Hiruzen felt as if the sky was collapsing.
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