The Borders of the Land of Grass.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru moved with surgical precision, executing the
"Forced Expulsion" of foreign scouts according to Hiruzen's grand strategy.
In the shinobi world, a na carries its own gravity.
The title of The Sannin wasn't exactly a traditional rank of honor, but over the
years, it had beco a brand of terror. When the spies of the other Great
Nations spotted the Sannin approaching from the horizon, they didn't stand and
fight. They fled toward their own borders with everything they had.
The territory of minor villages like the Grass was effectively a geopolitical
"No Man's Land"—a buffer zone where skirmishes were common. Combat here didn't
necessarily trigger a world war; only crossing the actual national border of a
Great Nation was considered a formal act of aggression.
"Timing is perfect," Orochimaru mused, his eyes narrowing as he tracked a Suna
scout. He had driven the infiltrator all the way through the Land of Rain and
into the scrublands bordering the Land of Wind.
As Hiruzen had predicted, the Hidden Sand didn't just let their scouts be chased
away. They had sent a heavy-hitter to the border to intercept.
Standing on a sandstone ridge was Pakura, the legendary Scorch Style user. She
was a rising star in the Sand, often whispered to be the primary rival to Rasa
for the title of Fourth Kazekage.
"Orochimaru! You're standing on the edge of the Land of Wind," Pakura barked,
her arms crossed. "What is the aning of this pursuit?"
"We have a ceasefire agreent. Don't embarrass your Master—Lord Hiruzen is a
man who carries the noble spirit of the First Hokage! This reckless behavior
must be your own private vendetta!"
Orochimaru blinked.
Embarrass my Sensei? This WAS his idea, he thought.
"What exactly are you implying?" Orochimaru asked with a light cough.
Pakura let out a cold, self-righteous laugh. "Don't play gas with ! The
Third Hokage is known throughout the Five Nations as a dedicated man of peace.
Even when provoked by the Cloud, he stood by his principles and refused to start
a war. He would never authorize his student to hunt our shinobi like animals."
Orochimaru studied Pakura's face. He realized with a jolt of shock that she was
actually being sincere.
She really believes the PR, Orochimaru realized. Regardless of what the Sand
Council thinks, this woman is a total idiot.
Outside, she was a legendary warrior. But in terms of political intelligence,
she was a toddler. Orochimaru suddenly understood why Hiruzen dismissed the Suna
leadership. If this was their "Elite Candidate," they were dood.
In the old Konoha, if you talked back to Danzo like this, you wouldn't last a
month, Orochimaru thought. You'd be 'found' in an alley with twenty
self-inflicted kunai wounds in your back.
But simultaneously, Orochimaru felt a surge of awe for Hiruzen's reputation.
"A Man of Integrity." "A Lover of Peace." "The Heir to the First's Spirit."
Reputation was an invisible force. You couldn't use it to block a kunai, but it
functioned like a high-level Psychological Poison. It had successfully blinded a
foreign elite to the Leaf's actual movents.
"The Hokage is indeed an honorable man," Orochimaru said, a thin smile playing
on his lips. "But he is more than just a man of peace."
"I am not here on a personal whim. I am here as a representative of the Leaf to
invite you to the Grass Village."
"We have uncovered several black-sites where the Grass was illegally detaining
shinobi from all nations. We have breached their defenses and classified the
survivors. Among them are several Sand shinobi."
"We require you to retrieve your people and assist in the negotiation of
reparations from the Grass treasury."
Pakura stared at him, her brain short-circuiting.
Humanitarian aid? In the Ninja World?
"Reparations? For our people?" Pakura whispered. Then her eyes narrowed.
"Wait... what do you an you 'breached their defenses'? That's impossible!
Konoha didn't deploy a main army!"
"Less than an hour ago, Pakura-sama!" a Suna scout whispered, looking terrified.
"He's lying! The Grass Village was perfectly fine when I passed it an hour ago!"
Orochimaru let out a raspy chuckle. He didn't know the exact status of the
strike team either, but he trusted his Master's "One-Hour" mandate.
"If you don't co," Orochimaru teased, "we'll assu Suna has abandoned its
people. We'll simply hand their share of the Grass's gold to the Cloud or the
Stone."
Pakura grit her teeth. "Report this to the Kazekage imdiately," she ordered
her scout.
She gathered a squad of Sand ninjas and followed Orochimaru toward the Grass
Village. She had to see it for herself. What kind of ga is the Leaf playing?
The Hidden Grass Village.
By the ti the foreign delegations arrived—Pakura from the Sand, Kitsuchi from
the Stone, and Dodai from the Cloud—they were t with a sight that defied
everything they knew about warfare.
The Grass Village hadn't just been captured; it had been processed.
The captives had been sorted into neat, orderly blocks. Squads of ninjas from
the Sand, Cloud, and Stone sat cross-legged on the ground, guarded by the Leaf's
Anbu. In front of each block was a wooden sign: [SUNAGAKURE], [KUMOGAKURE],
[IWAGAKURE].
Nearby, a pile of Grass corpses—the "Fruit" faction elites—sat beside a group of
surrendering "Flower" faction mbers who were being treated with surprising
leniency.
In the center of the village plaza, the Grass's secret scrolls and treasury
crates were displayed for all to see.
"This is... impossible," Pakura whispered.
In less than two hours, Konoha had hollowed out a village, categorized its
population, and set up a "Fair Distribution" table. The level of organization
and logistical efficiency was terrifying. It wasn't just a win; it was a
Dinsional Strike.
Dodai, the Cloud strategist, felt a cold sweat on his neck. He saw the play
imdiately.
Konoha was "Flexing." They were showing the world that they could decapitate a
village in the ti it takes to eat lunch.
But he couldn't complain. Because the Leaf was currently occupying the moral
high ground. They had "rescued" foreign ninjas. They were offering to "share"
the loot.
Kitsuchi of the Stone walked up and gave a bear hug to an elderly Stone Chunin.
"Brother! I thought you were dead!"
"Those hyenas caught after the last skirmish... they were draining my chakra
for a month," the veteran gasped. "Kitsuchi... thank the Leaf. They saved us."
Kitsuchi turned to Orochimaru, his expression complicated. He wanted to hate the
Leaf, but he couldn't ignore the gratitude of his own n.
"The Leaf's stance is simple," Orochimaru announced, his voice carrying to every
corner of the plaza.
"The 'Fruit of Grass' were monsters who treated shinobi as cattle. We have
sanitized them. The peaceful 'Flower' faction will remain to maintain order in
their nation."
"Regarding the spoils: Konoha will take a 30% finders fee. The remaining four
Great Nations will receive 10% each as restitution for their kidnapped people.
The final 30% will be split among the minor nations, with a portion reserved for
the reconstruction of the Grass 'Flower' faction."
"This is the Will of the Hokage."
Dodai nodded slowly. "We accept these terms... for now. I'll report to the
Raikage."
"Konoha moved without authorization," Dodai added, trying to regain so
leverage. "But since you saved our people..."
"If you hadn't hired the Grass to spy on us," Orochimaru cut him off with a cold
sneer, "we never would have caught them. Check your files, Cloud-ninja. Your
fingerprints are all over their intelligence logs. Do you really want to talk
about 'authorization' in front of your own rescued soldiers?"
Dodai's face turned several shades of red and white. He knew the Raikage's
reputation was already on thin ice. If the world found out the Cloud was paying
the Grass to kidnap their own allies...
"My apologies. I spoke out of turn," Dodai whispered, signaling his n to take
the gold and leave as fast as possible.
"One more thing," Orochimaru called out as they retreated. "Rember: the Will
of Fire is for everyone. Not just the Leaf. The Hokage believes in a world where
no ninja is a tool. Rember that when you're counting your gold."
A Few Days Later. Konoha.
The village was processing the new arrivals. Families were being reunited, and
the Anbu were conducting rigorous vetting of the unknown survivors.
Fugaku Uchiha was overseeing the security of the repatriation zone, his chest
puffed out with pride. The Uchiha's role in the "Special Operation" had been
widely praised.
He spotted a boy standing near the vetting table. The boy was alone, his face
clean but his eyes sharp with a familiar, predatory intensity.
"Hey, lad," Fugaku said, walking over with a friendly smile. "Have you decided
on a na yet? What branch of the Uchiha do you belong to?"
The boy looked at him, his gaze like a blade. "I have no intention of joining
the 'Uchiha Clan.' I will live as an independent ninja. Is that a problem?"
Fugaku laughed. Such fire! Such stubborn arrogance! A true Uchiha!
But as he looked at the boy's face—the high cheekbones, the slight cleft in the
chin, the silver-flecked black hair—Fugaku's smile froze.
He blinked, rubbing his eyes.
No... it's a hallucination.
The boy looked like a high-definition reincarnation of Izuna Uchiha.
"Wait... you must join us!" Fugaku blurted out, losing his composure.
"Why? Does the Leaf practice forced conscription now?" the boy sneered.
"It's... it's not that! We're family! We share the sa blood!" Fugaku was
frantic. If this kid was who he looked like, he was a living treasure of the
clan. "Don't move! I'm going to get the Clan Head! Stay right there!"
Fugaku bolted toward the Uchiha compound at a speed that broke his personal
record for the Body Flicker.
Tobirama (as the boy) watched him go and shook his head. Idiots. So things
never change.
He turned his gaze toward the approaching Hokage squad. He saw Hiruzen, looking
majestic in his hat. And he saw Danzo Shimura.
Tobirama's red eyes narrowed.
Danzo? What the hell is he wearing?
He looks like a mummy with a fashion disaster. Why are there so many bandages?
He looks like an idiot.
Tobirama felt a surge of ancient, teacherly irritation.
I died for this?
☆☆☆
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