After a brutal battle, Konoha had barely managed to withstand Kumo's massive assault. Despite suffering enormous losses, they had succeeded in holding their position without surrendering any territory.
Inside Konoha's command tent, the surviving generals and jōnin who were still capable of fighting gathered together.
—Do we have the casualty report yet? —Danzō asked.
His voice sounded weary and exhausted, making the toll of the battle painfully obvious.
—Yes, Lord Danzō. We lost approximately one-third of our total forces, but we managed to hold our position. What surprises me is that they withdrew even though they were winning —Shikaku replied.
Still exhausted, Danzō allowed a faint smile to appear before addressing everyone present.
—That means my plan worked.
The jōnin and clan leaders were surprised by his words. At the same time, however, they felt grateful to Danzō. Without his plan, more than half of their forces would likely have died. Perhaps even they themselves would not have survived.
One of the jōnin raised his voice.
—Lord Danzō, what exactly did your plan involve?
Upon hearing the question, Danzō began to explain.
—My plan was to send Root operatives to attack Kumo's supply lines and the settlements near their territory. By doing so, we prevented them from obtaining supplies quickly and forced them to withdraw. This will give us more time to gather reinforcements and prepare new strategies.
Seeing the astonished expressions around him, Danzō felt deeply satisfied.
"With this, my prestige will rise. It will become much harder for the clans to refuse when I request children to be trained within Root. Perhaps some of the jōnin here will even choose to join willingly."
An even greater ambition crossed his mind.
"Or better yet, this may bring me closer to becoming Hokage."
Danzō looked over everyone once more before continuing.
—That is all for now. Rest and recover your strength before the next battle.
After those words, the jōnin began to leave one by one until Danzō was completely alone inside the command tent.
"To think those damned Kumo shinobi dared to attack my Konoha. I will not forgive them."
Still lost in thought, he suddenly spoke.
—Rabbit.
—Yes, Lord Danzō.
A Root operative appeared immediately and knelt before him. Within the organization, he was known as its finest assassin and stealth specialist.
Danzō looked at him with a serious expression.
—Rabbit, I want you to travel to the capital of the Land of Lightning and assassinate the daimyō.
The shinobi remained silent, listening carefully.
—Move with extreme caution. If you are about to be captured or if the mission fails, take your own life and make it appear as though you were a shinobi from Suna.
—As you command, Lord Danzō.
After responding, Rabbit disappeared.
Danzō once again sank into his thoughts.
"If he succeeds and kills the daimyō of the Land of Lightning, a power struggle will break out in the capital over who will become the next ruler. That will create countless problems for the Raikage and force him to withdraw in order to restore order."
A look of contempt appeared on his face.
"Those so-called nobles never die or suffer during shinobi wars. They are nothing more than ordinary civilians with money. Why should I respect them? They should be generously giving their wealth to Konoha—or rather, to Root."
A small smile appeared on Danzō's face.
"Ah, Hiruzen… what would you do without me?"
Danzō was one of the few shinobi who held no respect whatsoever for nobles, or more specifically, for the daimyō.
Although he firmly believed that shinobi were nothing more than tools, he also believed that those tools should only serve someone truly powerful, someone like him. They should not serve simple parasites who possessed nothing but money, lacked strength, and still acted as though they stood above everyone else.
However, assassinating the daimyō of the Land of Lightning could provoke the fury of the daimyō of the Land of Fire.
Even so, Danzō did not consider that a genuine threat.
All the hidden villages were exhausted from war. Even if the daimyō attempted to pressure or punish Danzō, what could he truly do?
Sunagakure was currently so weak that it could not intervene. Perhaps this situation would even give Rasa the courage to assassinate his own daimyō, who continued to reduce the village's budget.
Kirigakure was in an even worse condition because of its internal chaos and the persecution of shinobi who possessed bloodline limits.
The only village that might be capable of taking action was Iwagakure. However, knowing Ōnoki's cautious personality, Danzō was certain he would do nothing.
For that reason, Danzō was confident that his plan would succeed.
He spoke again.
—Lizard, Frog, and Caiman.
Three more Root operatives immediately appeared before him and knelt.
—I want you to travel to Kirigakure and bring me orphans—or better yet, children who possess bloodline limits so they can be trained within Root.
The three shinobi remained silent, waiting for the rest of their orders.
—Complete the mission regardless of what you must do. You may kill their fathers if necessary, but try to bring the mothers as well. They may prove useful.
Danzō observed them coldly.
—And remember to act with extreme caution. You cannot be discovered.
He made a small gesture with his hand.
—That is all. Leave.
While Danzō continued developing his plans, another meeting was taking place inside Kumogakure's camp.
All of Kumo's jōnin and generals had gathered inside their command tent.
—Damn you, Danzō! —A roared furiously.
The Raikage struck the table in front of him and shattered it completely, sending pieces of wood flying across the room.
The Kumo shinobi barely reacted. After all, they were already accustomed to their Raikage's explosive temper.
One of them stepped forward.
—Raikage-sama, according to the reports, ten settlements were attacked, and our supplies were burned.
A's expression became even more furious.
However, before he could explode again, a commotion was heard at the entrance to the command tent.
A chūnin had arrived at full speed and was attempting to enter, but the ANBU stationed outside blocked his path.
—This is a letter from the daimyō! —the chūnin shouted in alarm—. I need to deliver it to the Raikage immediately! Let me through!
Upon hearing those words, one of the ANBU took the letter and quickly entered the tent.
Everyone present watched as he approached the Raikage.
—Raikage-sama, a letter has arrived from the daimyō.
Already in a foul mood, A took the letter and began reading.
The farther he read, the angrier he became, until he finally tore the letter apart in his hands.
—That damned daimyō! —he roared.
According to the message, Kumogakure had to resolve the situation quickly. If they failed, the daimyō would reduce the village's budget and order them to end the war against Konoha.
A wanted to strike and destroy another table, but there was nothing left in front of him.
With nothing else on which to vent his rage, he released a furious roar that echoed throughout the command tent.
—Out! All of you, get out!
The Kumo shinobi obeyed immediately and left the area, leaving the Raikage alone so he could calm himself and decide what to do next.