Thankfully, this internal inspection caught the problem. Otherwise, if spies from the Hidden Rain Village had managed to sneak into Konoha and kidnap Kushina, no one would have known until it was too late.
"So, what's your plan?"
Taking revenge on the Hidden Cloud Village won't be easy.
And with Konoha currently at war with the Hidden Sand Village, they couldn't just start another conflict with the Hidden Cloud under the pretext of battle.
The Third Raikage, with his infamous temper, would be all too eager for Konoha to strike first, giving him an excuse to drop his conflict with the Hidden Stone Village and focus all his efforts on attacking Konoha instead.
"If the Hidden Cloud tried to kidnap our Jinchuriki, then we'll target theirs," Danzo declared.
Using their own tactics against them—that was Danzo's plan.
The Hidden Cloud had spies in Konoha, but could they guarantee that Konoha didn't have any spies in the Hidden Cloud?
They dared to go after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Well, they'd have to live with Konoha playing the same game.
It was classic hawkish thinking, very much in line with Danzo's usual methods.
Though the Third Hokage wasn't as aggressive as Danzo, the fact that the Hidden Cloud had dared to target Kushina made retaliation a reasonable option—he certainly wasn't opposed to the idea.
The problem, though, was that while it was easy to talk about revenge, executing such a plan was far more difficult.
Even if Konoha had infiltrated the Hidden Cloud with a high-ranking spy, the risks were still substantial. If the plan worked, losing a few key spies wouldn't be a huge deal. But if the plan failed, Konoha would lose its vital assets, making it a major loss.
Cultivating a good spy, embedding them in enemy territory, and helping them climb the ranks wasn't easy.
The Third Hokage didn't reject the idea outright. Puffing on his pipe, he took a few deep drags, lost in thought.
Seeing his hesitation, both Koharu and Homura remained silent. They didn't object to Danzo's plan, recognizing that the Third Hokage was seriously considering it.
After a long pause, the Hokage spoke.
"Let's hear your plan."
Got him!
The plan itself was never the issue. The problem was getting the Third Hokage to agree. Now that he was on board, everything would fall into place.
Once the Hokage didn't object, Danzo knew the plan was a go.
"I suggest we bring Orochimaru back. He's the best person for a task like this. Our spies within the Hidden Rain Village can help Orochimaru make contact with the Hidden Cloud's Jinchuriki."
"Orochimaru, huh?"
It was indeed a fitting choice, though Tsunade or Jiraiya could handle it just as well.
However, in the Hokage's mind, Orochimaru had always been his most prized student.
His preference for Orochimaru had always outweighed his feelings for Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Tsunade was fine—being the granddaughter of the First Hokage and officially titled as the Princess of Konoha, she never suffered from a lack of favoritism. But Jiraiya had always been the one stuck in the middle.
Fortunately for him, Jiraiya had a stroke of luck when he stumbled upon Mount Myoboku, allowing him to catch up with Tsunade and Orochimaru's growth.
In time, he even managed to surpass them both.
"Very well."
After careful consideration, the Third Hokage agreed to Danzo's proposal.
Since the Hidden Cloud wasn't playing by the rules, Konoha would return the favor in kind.
Whether the plan would succeed or not, only time would tell—once Orochimaru was back in play.
The war in the Land of Rivers continued to rage on. Caught between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers had become an unfortunate battlefield.
The entire country had turned into a warzone, with Konoha and the Hidden Sand clashing relentlessly as they vied for territory.
As time wore on, Konoha began to push the Hidden Sand Village further and further back.
Being the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Hidden Sand's shortcomings were becoming increasingly apparent.
Their supplies were no longer keeping pace with the demands of war, while Konoha had an endless stream of resources being delivered to the camp.
Compared to the well-funded Konoha, the Hidden Sand simply wasn't in the same league when it came to provisions.
Looking at the supply logs, the Third Kazekage's head was practically splitting.
He'd much rather be out on the battlefield, trading blows with Sakumo Hatake, than sitting here dealing with these logistical headaches.
"Is there still no word from the Daimyo?"
The war continued, but their supplies were running out. The only options left were to loot what they could or buy it.
But making those purchases would depend on the Daimyo's negotiations.
After the Third Kazekage had assured the Daimyo of the Hidden Sand's imminent victory, the Daimyo agreed to purchase additional supplies and provide some support for the war effort.
"They're currently negotiating with the Daimyo of the Land of Fields. As for the Land of Fire, after what happened with the Hidden Rain, and considering the ongoing war, the Daimyo has refused to sell any resources to the Land of Wind."
When push came to shove, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire knew where his loyalties lay.
If his sale of resources caused Konoha to lose the war, he'd be branded as a traitor to his own country.
The situation had changed drastically since the early days of the conflict.
Even Konoha's resources were beginning to stretch thin. If the Daimyo started selling to the Hidden Sand, there would be plenty of outrage.
Not to mention, during the early days of the war, many Sand ninjas had infiltrated the Land of Fire, causing chaos and looting supplies. All of these factors combined had made the Fire Daimyo choose his side.
The Sand Village liked to stir up trouble, and now they were coming to Konoha for help?
Dream on.
Forced into a corner, and with no support from the Land of Fire, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was now turning to the Land of Fields, hoping to purchase large quantities of grain to support the Hidden Sand's war efforts.
As long as they won the war, the Daimyo stood to make a hefty profit, and they could carve out a chunk of the Land of Fire to make up for their losses.
But if they lost…
The compensation alone would be enough to bankrupt the Hidden Sand.
At that point, the Third Kazekage would be reduced to little more than a miner, constantly digging for resources to cover the village's losses.
Frustrated, the Kazekage massaged his aching temples and muttered through gritted teeth, "Has that brat made it to the frontlines yet?"
"..."
Ebizo hesitated, then answered, "According to the intelligence gathered by our spies, Konoha has shown no intention of sending Yagami Takuya to the battlefield. In fact, it seems they're trying to protect him. He's already been appointed as one of the village's guiding Jonin, responsible for training the new recruits."
"Damn it!!"
The Third Kazekage slammed his fist down on the table.
That brat had humiliated him once, and he wasn't the type to forget such slights easily.
Back in the Hidden Rain Village, the Sand Village had suffered numerous setbacks at Takuya's hands. His nickname, the "Silver-Haired Demon," struck fear into many of the Sand shinobi.
Tensions reached a boiling point when Chiyo sent her troops to ambush Takuya's team, only for them to be wiped out by two summoned beasts. The Kazekage hadn't seen that coming at all.
Ever since, the Kazekage had been hoping Takuya would show up on the battlefield so he could finally kill him.
Other people might fear giant summons, but he didn't.
After all, he had once subdued Shukaku, the One-Tail.
If even a Tailed Beast couldn't escape his Magnetic Release, what chance did a summoning beast have?
Giant snake? Huge fox? It didn't matter—in the face of his abilities, they were nothing.
"If Yagami Takuya sets foot on the battlefield, notify me immediately."
"Understood."
Back at the Konoha camp, Orochimaru and Nara Shikashige were busy discussing both defense and offensive strategies.
Sakumo Hatake, the overall commander, sat nearby, eyes half-closed in contemplation.
This kind of planning wasn't his forte, and he had no intention of interfering.
Unlike Danzo, Sakumo wasn't obsessed with glory or increasing his reputation.
All that mattered to him was winning the war. Everything else was secondary.
Much like Sakumo, Jiraiya was content to let Orochimaru handle things, enjoying the chance to relax for once.
**********
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