Chapter 55: The Birthplace of "Uchiha Tobirama"; The Hyenas of the Hidden Grass
"Oh?" Hiruzen looked up.
A spar? It had been a long time since the Hokage and his Assistant had crossed blades. In their youth, they fought almost every other day—if they weren't in the infirmary recovering from a mission, they were in a training field beating the life out of each other.
The process was usually bloody, often dangerous, and always intense. But in fifty years, Hiruzen had never once lost.
"Danzo, what is your assessment of Kusagakure?" Hiruzen asked, suddenly shifting the topic.
He was already thinking ahead. Once he successfully revived Tobirama Senju in an Uchiha body, he couldn't just claim the man was a local. A teenager looking exactly like Izuna Uchiha appearing out of nowhere would trigger every alarm in the village.
He needed a "legend"—a back-story for a "Lost Uchiha" from the Warring States period. A survivor found in the ruins of a minor nation.
The Hidden Grass was the perfect choice for "Uchiha Tobirama's" birthplace.
"They are the ultimate 'wall-sitters,'" Danzo replied. Though he was annoyed by the sudden pivot, he answered with professional clarity. "They survive by studying the jutsu of others and constantly switching sides. Their style is exactly like their name—they bend with whichever wind is blowing."
"The Grass borders the Land of Fire on a flat plain, making it an easy invasion route. Conversely, their border with the Land of Earth is mountainous and difficult. Naturally, they have a biological 'tilt' toward infiltrating our territory."
"Furthermore, I suspect they've returned to their old habits. They're acting like Battlefield Hyenas again."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed, but internally, he was pleased. Hyenas? That's perfect. "Do you have evidence?"
"Battlefield Hyenas" was a slur used for minor villages that scavenged the front lines during Great Wars. They didn't fight the big nations; they waited for an S-rank Jonin to be mortally wounded or exhausted, then swarmed in to "capture" them.
It was a form of high-stakes piracy. By abducting dying elites, a tiny village like the Grass could steal secret scrolls, biological data, or even Kekkei Genkai bloodlines.
During the First War, the Five Great Nations had briefly stopped killing each other just to collectively stomp the Grass Village after catching them scavenging. If the Grass hadn't surrendered and begged for mercy instantly—and if four of the five Kage hadn't died in that war, distracting everyone—the Hidden Grass would have been wiped from history.
"No hard evidence, but the signs are there," Danzo said. "Before we hit the Cloud, my agents noticed a surge of Grass activity along our border. I reported this to you weeks ago, Hiruzen."
"But at the time, your stance was that the village was too tired from the Second War to pick a fight with a minor power," Danzo added, a hint of his old bitterness returning.
Hiruzen remained stoic. "That was my error."
"Fortunately, I have an Assistant who knows how to keep me on the right path."
Danzo's lip curled into a tiny, involuntary smirk. He knew it. Without him, Hiruzen would be lost. He finally recognizes how essential I am!
"Hmph. Don't beat yourself up, Hiruzen. You have a lot on your plate. It's natural to miss a detail or two," Danzo said.
The moment the words left his mouth, Danzo froze. Wait... since when do I make excuses for him?! I'm supposed to be calling him soft!
But he couldn't take it back. Hiruzen's recent performance as Hokage—the internal reforms, the Cloud strike, the psychological games—had earned Danzo's genuine respect. He found it harder and harder to be a contrarian when the Monkey was actually acting like a King.
He decided to move on before his brain hurt from the contradiction.
"The Hidden Grass built a facility called Hozuki Castle," Danzo continued. "Officially, it's an international 'Blood Prison' for rogue ninjas. In reality? I believe it's a centralized hub for their 'Hyena' operations. A high-security campus where they store their stolen assets."
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully. In the lore, Blood Prison was exactly that—a dark, lawless hole where the Grass conducted experiments.
"Danzo, should we dismantle them?" Hiruzen asked. "With the global situation so tense, an unprovoked strike might trigger a chain reaction from the Stone. Is it worth the risk?"
Hiruzen was testing him.
Danzo crossed his arms, puffing out his chest. "Don't underestimate us, Hiruzen! If we move, we move with purpose!"
"We gather intel first," Hiruzen commanded. "Danzo, this is your specialty. I want to know exactly who is inside that prison."
Danzo nodded. He liked this. Hiruzen was treating him like a partner again.
"Whether we 'leak' a few agents inside or hire them to 'spy' on us so we can catch them red-handed, it doesn't matter. I want a reason to move. We'll use the mission to test the efficiency of the new Patrol Net and the Police Force as well."
"Are we actually going to invade?" Danzo asked, his eyes glinting. "Do we start the propaganda machine?"
"No," Hiruzen said firmly. "If the Grass is acting like a hyena, they're offending everyone. We don't make a scene. We conduct a Lightning-Strike Mobilization."
"We seize the Hidden Grass in a single night. We liberate the prison. And then we invite the other Great Nations to come and collect their 'lost' comrades and stolen scrolls."
"What can they say? Konoha just rescued their people from a den of thieves. They'll have to thank us while we walk away with the lion's share of the Grass's resources."
"It's a 'Yield to Advance' strategy," Hiruzen smirked.
Danzo wanted to cheer. This was the kind of ruthless, high-IQ maneuvering he lived for. "Hmph. I was thinking the exact same thing. Let's do it."
"Good. But before you go," Hiruzen said, standing up and shedding his formal Hokage robes. "You mentioned a spar?"
Konoha. Training Field Three.
Hiruzen and Danzo stood forty yards apart.
The air was still. The sun was just beginning to climb over the trees, casting long shadows across the churned earth. Both men took a moment to center their chakra, a wave of nostalgia washing over them.
It had been decades since they had stood like this—two brothers-in-arms, looking to see who had climbed higher.
"Hiruzen!" Danzo barked, his cane hitting the ground with a crack.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen smiled, his body beginning to hum with an electric blue light.
In a blur of motion that shattered the morning silence, the two legends of the Leaf collided.
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