The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Minato Namikaze, his heart tightened.
Ever since Danzo had approached him with the proposal to organize a team to capture the Five-Tails, Hiruzen had been tempted. However, he knew the prerequisite for such an operation was that Sakumo Hatake's front line had to hold firm. If not, the elites withdrawn from the Land of Grass would have to be diverted immediately into the war against Sunagakure.
The lure of a Tailed Beast was immense, and Hiruzen had been weighing his options even before the core units from the front had returned to Konoha. Seeing Minato return so abruptly, he couldn't help but fear that his greed had invited disaster—that Sakumo's line had finally crumbled under the Suna onslaught.
But as he listened to Minato's report, his anxiety dissolved into a wave of shock, followed by pure, unadulterated delight. It wasn't a catastrophe; it was a godsend.
When he heard that a passing Mist squad had actually wiped out Suna's entire logistics train and destroyed their supplies, he nearly leaped out of his chair in excitement. Fortunately, his years as Hokage allowed him to suppress the impulse, maintaining a mask of stoic calm.
"Oh?"
When Minato reached the part about Hatani's suggestion, Hiruzen couldn't hide an intrigued smile.
Would Suna be interested in the Five-Tails?
Hiruzen was certain of it. Even he, the Hokage with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki under his command, was tempted. How could Sugiyama Yasuto—that old sand-shuffler who only possessed the One-Tails—possibly sit still?
"Minato, if I were to have you and Hatani participate in the hunt, what do you think are the odds that Konoha could successfully bring the Five-Tails back to the village?"
Instead of answering Minato's question, Hiruzen posed one of his own, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"Hm?"
Minato blinked, slightly taken aback. He looked up at Hiruzen, his expression honest. "Reporting to Lord Third: Hatani and I know very little about Tailed Beasts. Whether it's tracking or capturing them... I'm afraid neither of us is suited for the task."
Hiruzen looked at him deeply for a moment but didn't press the issue. He steered the conversation back to the immediate crisis.
"I agree with Hatani's suggestion. If those Suna bastards have any sense, we'll proceed with his plan. Let the Suna army retreat to the Land of Rivers first. As for what follows... I will handle the rest."
"Understood."
Minato breathed a quiet sigh of relief and bowed. He activated the Flying Raijin Jutsu and vanished instantly.
Once the office was empty, Hiruzen's gaze lost its focus. He took a long drag from his pipe, his fingers tapping a rhythmic, thoughtful beat on the mahogany desk.
"Summon Danzo."
When the tobacco in his pipe finally burned to ash, Hiruzen stopped tapping. He removed the pipe from his mouth and spoke in a low, commanding voice toward the window.
A shadow flickered past. Hiruzen quietly refilled his pipe, lit it, and was soon enveloped once more in a shroud of drifting smoke.
By the time Minato returned to the main camp, the Suna forces—who normally would have launched their offensive hours ago—remained eerily still.
Minato felt another wave of relief. It seemed Suna was still paralyzed by indecision; he was still in time.
After giving Sakumo a quick heads-up that Hiruzen had approved Hatani's plan, Minato set off alone toward the Suna camp. Fearing that any delay might lead to a change in the situation, he didn't wait for an escort. With the Flying Raijin at his disposal, he was the perfect choice for an envoy.
Sunagakure Main Camp
"Lord Ryusa! Minato Namikaze of the Leaf is at the camp gates. He requests a parley."
Ryusa watched the sun climbing higher in the sky. The atmosphere in the camp was becoming increasingly suffocating and tense. He had been just seconds away from ordering a desperate gamble when a guard brought him this startling news.
"Is he alone?" Ryusa asked, his voice sharp with suspicion.
"Yes, my Lord."
The guard's answer allowed Ryusa's brow to unfurl. The tension in his face eased significantly. He had already guessed why Minato would come to see him alone.
Ryusa was a man who didn't want to bet his life and future on a "sink-or-swim" final battle. Now that a second path had appeared, his spirits lifted slightly.
However, he remained cautious. The other Namikaze brother had witnessed the entire conflict between Suna and the Mist the night before. Konoha definitely knew Suna's supplies were gone. If the Leaf tried to make outrageous demands, Ryusa—no matter how much he hated to gamble—would be forced to fight to the death.
Amegakure
Since the retreat from the Land of Grass, Hanzo of the Salamander had been missing. At first, there was only a mild concern, but as time passed, a thick shroud of unease began to spread through the village.
And beneath that unease, countless ambitions that only Hanzo could have suppressed were beginning to stir in the shadows.
Hanayu (Flower Rain).
She was a woman who lived up to her name—as beautiful as a blossom. Having moved past her teenage years, she was in the prime of her womanhood, radiating a charm that not even the relentless Rain could dampen.
She knew how to weaponize that beauty. During her training, she always had Jonin by her side for "personal instruction." By drawing on their various strengths, she had successfully risen through the ranks to become the only female Jonin in Amegakure.
Once she secured her rank, her charm helped her quickly cultivate a private faction.
However, very few knew that Hanayu, the "Flower of the Rain," was actually a Root spy planted by the Hidden Leaf.
Her rapid promotion to Jonin was partly due to the "efforts" of the Rain's senior shinobi, but it was Root that had done the heavy lifting. After all, those Rain Jonin were certainly dedicated to being "close" to her, but their actual instruction was lacking. If their student learned too fast, they wouldn't have an excuse for more "private sessions."
Most of Hanayu's progress came from resources provided by Root; the help from the Rain Jonin was mostly for show.
Because of this dual identity, while other powerful figures like Arau—the head of the Rain Anbu—were still hesitating because they weren't sure if Hanzo would return, Hanayu had already received definitive intelligence from Danzo.
Hanzo had attempted to assassinate the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and had been killed for it. His body had already been dissected by the Leaf's Intel Corps.
So, while the other Rain Jonin were still masking their movements and hesitating to expand their power, Hanayu had begun aggressively recruiting the young Chunin who formed the backbone of the village.
Having only been a Jonin for a short time, her foundation was shallow, yet she had even begun reaching into the territory of other senior Jonin. She showed zero fear of retaliation.
For along with the news of Hanzo's death, fifty of Root's finest elites had arrived to back her.
Now, she was ready. She couldn't wait to climb over the corpses of the men who had once looked down on her and finally seize the seat of power she had craved for so long.