Konoha had initially stationed more than a thousand shinobi in Sunagakure.
The garrison served two primary purposes.
The first was to deter Sunagakure's militant factions, particularly those that remained openly hostile toward Konoha. The second was to monitor Sunagakure's leadership while gradually drawing influential officials to Konoha's side.
Over the past three years, Konoha had combined military pressure with financial assistance to steadily expand its influence within Sunagakure. During that time, it had gained the support of numerous high-ranking officials and helped elevate several pro-Konoha figures within the village.
Once the situation began to stabilize, Konoha withdrew part of its garrison. It was both a gesture of goodwill toward Sunagakure and a means of reducing unnecessary military expenditure.
At present, approximately six hundred Konoha shinobi remained stationed within the village.
The commander of the garrison was Dan Katō, one of Konoha's elite jōnin.
Dan possessed the Spirit Transformation Technique, a secret technique that allowed him to separate his spirit from his physical body and move freely in that form. It was exceptionally useful for gathering intelligence and rapidly delivering urgent information.
Should a major disturbance occur within Sunagakure, Dan could use the Spirit Transformation Technique to send his spirit back to Konoha within minutes and report the situation directly.
It was precisely because of his strength and his unmatched ability to transmit intelligence that Konoha's leadership had appointed him commander of the Sunagakure garrison.
However, now that such a serious scandal had erupted within the forces under his command, Dan was naturally the first person held responsible.
There was no escaping that fact.
Ever since the incident came to light, Dan had been in a grim mood.
He immediately launched an internal investigation and discovered that forty-one Konoha shinobi had been involved. Among them, five had engaged in adultery or maintained improper relationships with married women.
Dan confined all forty-one shinobi within the garrison compound. At the same time, he ordered the entire base to enter a state of combat readiness in case Sunagakure's shinobi allowed their anger to drive them into taking reckless action.
Once those arrangements were complete, there was nothing left for Dan to do but wait for Konoha to send someone to handle the matter.
After two anxious days, the person he had been waiting for finally arrived.
Danzō Shimura.
"Have you uncovered everything?"
Seated at the head of the conference room, Danzō regarded Dan with a cold expression.
"Was Sunagakure's militant faction involved behind the scenes?"
As the man responsible for much of Konoha's covert intelligence network, Danzō had spent most of his life dealing with matters that could never be brought into the light.
No matter what situation he encountered, his first instinct was to search for the darkest possible motive behind it.
With the exception of the garrison's senior officers, the Konoha shinobi stationed in Sunagakure were rotated once every year. None of the ordinary shinobi involved had been living there continuously for the full three years.
Sunagakure also had licensed entertainment establishments. The garrison's senior officers had never forbidden their subordinates from entering the village during their leave, spending their money, or satisfying their personal needs through legal means.
These shinobi had been stationed far from home for long periods. It was understandable that some of them would struggle with loneliness and desire.
However, when such matters could be settled with money, why would they involve themselves with women they clearly should not have touched?
"I have already interrogated everyone involved," Dan answered. "It is true that some of the women from Sunagakure approached and seduced them deliberately."
He understood the meaning behind Danzō's question.
"What happened with the daughter-in-law of Sunagakure's elder?" Danzō continued.
The other women were relatively easy to deal with.
The heart of the scandal—and by far its most troublesome aspect—was that one of Konoha's shinobi had impregnated an elder's daughter-in-law.
No one could be expected to calmly tolerate such humiliation within their own family.
Hearing the question, Dan gave a bitter smile. After carefully arranging his thoughts, he began to explain.
"She is the daughter-in-law of Elder Iwatani. Her name is Chinatsu, but she is actually a widow. Her husband died on the battlefield in the Land of Rain not long after they were married."
Dan paused briefly before continuing.
"More than two years after her husband's death, Chinatsu fell in love with a Sunagakure shinobi named Takato Kuwata."
"Elder Iwatani believed that his daughter-in-law's behavior was disgracing the family. He therefore arranged for Takato Kuwata to be sent on a mission where he would be killed."
"In retaliation against Elder Iwatani, Chinatsu deliberately seduced Kōsuke Uchiha and began a relationship with him."
"Where did you obtain this information?"
"Part of it came from Kōsuke Uchiha. I confirmed the rest through Chinatsu while using the Spirit Transformation Technique."
Danzō nodded without saying anything.
His expression remained completely unreadable.
"Elder Danzō."
Dan lowered his head.
"This incident occurred because I failed to properly manage the garrison. I am willing to accept full responsibility. However, I ask that you show some leniency toward the shinobi involved."
Dan knew very well how ruthless Danzō could be.
That was why he chose to speak in their defense before any punishment had been announced.
"They call themselves shinobi, yet they cannot even restrain their own desires?"
Danzō's voice was cold.
"What right do such people have to call themselves shinobi?"
Dan lowered his head even further.
He did not dare argue again. Continuing to plead might only have the opposite effect and worsen the punishment awaiting them.
"I will decide how the involved shinobi are to be punished after speaking with Sunagakure's leadership," Danzō said. "You may leave for now. Make the necessary preparations and accompany me into Sunagakure this afternoon."
"Yes."
Dan quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew from the conference room.
At five o'clock that afternoon, Danzō left the garrison compound with Dan and two Root shinobi before heading deeper into Sunagakure.
The village's senior officials had already received word of Danzō's arrival.
Under Chiyo's leadership, they arranged to receive him.
Considering the resentment currently spreading throughout the village toward Konoha's garrison, the meeting was conducted in complete secrecy rather than being announced publicly.
There were no lengthy greetings or unnecessary formalities.
Chiyo took Danzō directly to the Kazekage's private reception chamber, where the first round of negotiations began.
As Danzō had expected, Sunagakure's senior officials were furious.
Throughout the meeting, they made numerous demands that Danzō considered completely unreasonable.
They demanded that Konoha surrender its right to station shinobi within Sunagakure.
They also demanded the cancellation of the remaining reparations Sunagakure still owed Konoha following its defeat in the previous war.
Danzō firmly rejected every one of those demands.
The senior officials of Sunagakure slammed their hands against the table and glared at him, especially Elder Iwatani, who considered himself the direct victim of the entire scandal.
Danzō gave them only one answer.
They wanted compensation?
Very well.
He would give them Kōsuke Uchiha's head.
However, the lives of a handful of Konoha shinobi were not what Sunagakure's leadership truly wanted.
Naturally, they were dissatisfied with Danzō's proposed settlement.
What use was there in executing several Konoha shinobi?
What Sunagakure wanted was the restoration of its autonomy and tangible political benefits.
In the end, neither side was willing to yield.
The meeting concluded without any agreement because of Danzō's uncompromising attitude.
"Elder Danzō."
While accompanying him back toward the garrison compound, Dan cautiously voiced his opinion.
"Were we not being too forceful?"
From Dan's perspective, Danzō had been far too aggressive during the negotiations.
He had not behaved like the representative of the side responsible for the incident. Instead, he had acted like an unreasonable tyrant who expected Sunagakure to simply accept whatever terms he offered.
Danzō stopped walking.
He turned his head and looked at Dan beside him. A trace of disappointment appeared in his eye.
"Did you not notice that something was wrong, Dan?"
Dan's expression showed a hint of confusion.
At Danzō's prompting, he began recalling every detail of the meeting.
"Are you saying this entire incident was a conspiracy arranged by Sunagakure?"
Dan searched through his memories but could not identify anything that proved such a possibility.
Danzō shook his head.
Rather than answering, he resumed walking.
He continued until they returned to the same conference room where he had first questioned Dan after arriving at the base.
Danzō sat at the head of the table and looked toward Dan, who had followed him inside.
"I will ask you again," Danzō said. "Did Sunagakure's leadership not seem unusually confident during that meeting?"
Unusually confident?
Dan still did not understand.
Was that not natural?
Konoha's shinobi had committed the offense, while Sunagakure was the injured party.
Danzō released a quiet sigh.
The performance of Konoha's younger generation left him deeply dissatisfied.
With the exception of Kizaru and a small number of others, the younger shinobi emerging within Konoha had become increasingly disappointing.
The difference was not necessarily in their strength.
It was in their judgment—particularly their political judgment.
These young shinobi had never experienced an age of true chaos. They had grown complacent beneath the illusion of peace.
Yet the shinobi world remained a place of disorder.
In turbulent times, morality and rules certainly held some value, but the factor that ultimately determined everything was strength.
Right and wrong?
What meaning did such things truly possess in this era?
The shinobi world recognized only strength and weakness.
When great nations clashed, the strong continued to grow stronger while the weak were swallowed and destroyed.
Where, in that struggle, was there room to speak of fairness?
Konoha was unquestionably at fault in this incident.
However, where had Sunagakure found the confidence to create such an uproar?
It was natural for Sunagakure's senior officials to be angry. They could have displayed anger born from humiliation, or even exaggerated their outrage in an attempt to seize additional benefits.
Instead, their attitude had been different.
They had shown the confidence of people prepared to overturn the entire table and confront Konoha directly.
Sunagakure appeared to possess some unexplained source of confidence—enough confidence to oppose Konoha without fear.
That was what Danzō had sensed during the meeting.
"Elder Danzō…"
Dan's expression gradually changed as he understood.
"Are you suggesting that Sunagakure has found a new ally?"
Dan was not a fool.
After Danzō's repeated guidance, he finally reached the same conclusion.
"It has not been confirmed," Danzō replied coldly. "However, the possibility is extremely high."
Dan's expression immediately became tense.
If Sunagakure had secured a new ally and intended to turn against Konoha, then this scandal would no longer be a simple matter that could be resolved through negotiations.
One mistake could ignite another great shinobi war.
"Elder Danzō, how should we respond?"
"Prepare for war, but do not make the first move."
"Yes."
"Use the Spirit Transformation Technique to report my suspicions to the village. Konoha must also begin making preparations."
"Yes."
"Order every spy the garrison has placed within Sunagakure to cease all activity and remain hidden. They are not to take any further action for the time being. We cannot allow Sunagakure to capture any of them."
"Yes."
"You may leave."
After issuing his orders, Danzō dismissed Dan.
Once Dan had left the room, Danzō turned toward the Root shinobi standing to his left and gave him a silent signal.
The Root shinobi immediately formed hand seals and activated a sensory ninjutsu.
After confirming that no one was lurking near the conference room, he shook his head toward Danzō.
Seeing that the surroundings were secure, Danzō turned toward the other Root shinobi.
"Ryōma."
The shinobi standing on Danzō's right wore dark sunglasses and a black hood that concealed most of his head.
"You will infiltrate Sunagakure tonight. Find the Fourth Kazekage and inform her that I wish to meet with her privately."
"Yes."
Ryōma Aburame answered calmly.
He was one of Danzō's most trusted Root operatives and frequently served as his personal bodyguard when he traveled outside Konoha.
Ryōma's greatest talent lay in infiltration.
Even when compared with the finest members the Anbu had produced over the years, his ability to penetrate a guarded location was exceptional.
With the arrangements complete, Danzō fell silent.
He remained seated, quietly considering his next move.
If Sunagakure had truly found a new ally, would Chiyo, the Fourth Kazekage, choose to stand with Konoha?
Who could Sunagakure's new ally be?
Iwagakure?
Kumogakure?
Kirigakure?
Or had all three villages become involved?
The thought did not frighten Danzō.
Instead, a faint excitement began to rise within him.
If the other major hidden villages truly intended to unite against Konoha, perhaps Konoha could defeat all of them in a single war.
It might even be possible to destroy them completely.
While Danzō considered the possibilities, Fugaku Uchiha was rapidly making his way toward Sunagakure under Kizaru's orders.
Fugaku had departed from Konoha only half a day after Danzō.
By now, he had already entered the Land of Wind and was steadily closing in on Sunagakure.
"Danzō wishes to see me?"
"Yes. Danzō-sama has requested a private meeting."
Inside Chiyo's residence, the Fourth Kazekage sat in a chair while Ryōma Aburame stood before her.
"Very well. Let us go."
Without hesitation, Chiyo rose from her seat.
For the first time, a visible change appeared on Ryōma's otherwise expressionless face.
They were leaving immediately?
There was no need to arrange a time?
No need to plan the route or confirm the meeting place?
"What are you standing there for?"
Seeing the faint confusion on Ryōma's face, Chiyo gave him a mischievous smile.
"Have your insects left you speechless?"
"…Understood."
Ryōma quickly recovered and responded.
He did not understand why everything had suddenly progressed so quickly, but there was no reason to object.
After putting on a simple disguise, Chiyo followed Ryōma out of her residence.
Chiyo understood perfectly well why Danzō wished to speak with her in private.
The cunning old man had evidently noticed that something within Sunagakure was amiss.
That same disturbance was precisely why Chiyo had decided to meet him.
Certain factions within the village—remnants of the political forces once loyal to the Third Kazekage—had secretly made contact with other hidden villages.
Both Chiyo, as Kazekage, and her younger brother Ebizō, who oversaw Sunagakure's intelligence network, were already aware of their actions.
What a gathering of fools.
Chiyo was furious at their suicidal behavior.
Could those shortsighted idiots truly not understand the situation?
During the Second Shinobi World War, Kizaru had ended the conflict almost single-handedly.
The Raikage had been captured.
The Kazekage had fallen in battle.
Were those achievements not enough to make the difference in power obvious?
Did they truly believe that betraying Konoha and joining forces with other hidden villages would allow them to defeat both Konoha and Kizaru?
They could not win individually, so they believed gathering together would somehow change the outcome?
Even during the previous great war, Konoha had never committed the entirety of its military strength.
Where had these people found the courage to believe they could win?
In Chiyo's eyes, the fools attempting to betray Konoha and collude with other villages were simply rushing toward their own deaths.
Worse still, they intended to drag every shinobi and civilian in Sunagakure into the grave beside them.
Chiyo would not stand aside and watch the people of her village throw away their lives because of the decisions of a handful of idiots.
That was why, immediately after Ryōma contacted her, she chose to accompany him directly to Konoha's garrison compound and meet Danzō in person.
There was no time to waste.
If the situation continued much longer, those fools might take even more extreme measures and provoke an open conflict between Sunagakure and Konoha.
Inside the Konoha garrison compound, Danzō waited in the residence Dan had prepared for him.
He expected Ryōma to return alone with Chiyo's answer.
What he did not expect was for Chiyo herself to accompany the Root shinobi back to the compound.
The moment Danzō saw her, a single thought entered his mind.
Had the situation within Sunagakure already deteriorated beyond Chiyo's control?
"Sunagakure remains under my control."
The two of them had known each other for many years.
The instant Chiyo saw Danzō's expression, she understood exactly what he was thinking.
"You came here without being discovered?"
A faint smile appeared on Danzō's face.
"Enough pointless questions, Danzō."
Chiyo walked into the room.
"I came here tonight to tell you that certain people within Sunagakure have indeed established contact with other hidden villages."
"It appears you have already made your choice."
Danzō's smile deepened as he heard her words.
"I only form alliances with intelligent people."
Chiyo did not bother with further pleasantries. She pulled out the chair opposite Danzō and sat down.
Taking her words as a compliment, Danzō's smile grew even wider.
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