Three days later, on the left flank of the battlefield, just as everything was ready for a full-scale attack on Suna, Orochimaru suddenly received an order from Hiruzen: halt all military operations and wait for further instructions.
At the same time, Hiruzen gathered his guards and set out toward the border encampment.
Two days earlier, he had received a letter from the Third Kazekage. In the letter, the Kazekage expressed his desire to negotiate a ceasefire.
That, in itself, was nothing unusual.
But at the end of the letter, the Kazekage had attached the content of the anonymous letter that Chiyo had received.
When Hiruzen saw those familiar words, his eyelids twitched, and a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart. He realized that Suna had likely figured out that the anonymous letter was connected to him.
But up until now, he'd been confident. So what if they know? Do they have any proof?
Back then, he genuinely believed he could deal a serious blow to Tsunade. He also thought Danzō would win a major battle and thus boost Hiruzen's prestige.
If Tsunade lost influence, and his own reputation rose again, then even if Suna made a fuss about the letter, it wouldn't amount to much. And if rumors began to spread, and Tsunade, stepped forward to accuse him...
He could even turn the tables, accusing Tsunade of colluding with Suna to slander him. After all, the information had come from Suna, it was clearly a spy tactic.
But times had changed.
Her influence was growing stronger, while Danzō was now reviled, despised by nearly everyone in Konoha. And with that, Hiruzen's own position as Hokage was visibly crumbling.
If this news got out now, Tsunade would be fine, but he would be in serious trouble.
She wouldn't even need to say anything. She could just quietly stir public opinion, then publicly state something like "I have no evidence, so I will not comment."
That alone would be enough to destroy Hiruzen completely.
He deeply regretted it, why had he colluded with an enemy and tried to sabotage Tsunade in the first place?
But at the time, he felt he had no choice.
The people of Konoha were already secretly trying to force him to step down and support Tsunade's rise to power.
If he hadn't seized the opportunity to start a war, he probably would've been ousted already.
Now, to determine whether Suna really held solid evidence of his treason, Hiruzen had no choice but to make this trip.
If it turned out the Kazekage was bluffing, then he could relax.
But if the Kazekage really did hold something concrete... Hiruzen would have to pay a steep price.
---
Inside the command tent of Konoha's left flank camp, Orochimaru asked as Shin suddenly appeared beside him.
"Is the recon complete?"
"I went personally. What do you think?" Shin replied. "Our investigation confirms that Suna has indeed dropped their guard, likely waiting for the outcome of the two leaders' negotiations."
"But if we launch an attack now, wouldn't that be... improper?" Orochimaru said that, but he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
The war was finally coming to an end. He could finally return and continue his research.
"This is Suna reaping what they've sown," Shin said coldly, showing no sign of sympathy. "They started the war. And now they think they can just end it whenever they want?"
"They even want to use this chance to gain some benefits? The world doesn't work like that."
"But why were you so lenient with Ame?" Orochimaru asked, puzzled.
Shin smiled and explained, "Because Hanzō's existence benefits us. I believe I can keep him under control and prevent him from turning on Konoha again."
"But Suna is different. They're desperate and insane, they'll do anything. That's why we need to crush them completely, so thoroughly that for the next twenty years, they won't even think of war or invasion again."
"But Hiruzen is still negotiating," Orochimaru added mockingly.
"Let him talk, we'll fight. One doesn't affect the other." Shin said indifferently. "Besides, his good days are almost over."
"He really thinks that after stabbing us in the back, he can just sit back and relax? He's even more naive than Suna."
"Didn't you say I should keep playing along with him until he handed over all the power he still holds?"
"That was then, this is now," Shin shook his head. "I thought about it. If I were him, and I wanted to control you better, I'd just keep making empty promises, stringing you along, turning you into his puppet. But I'd never share the real core secrets."
"Dragging it out like that would just waste too much time and get in the way of our research. It's better to take him down now and deal with the rest later."
Orochimaru nodded in approval. "I actually thought the same. I just didn't want to rain on your parade at the time, so I didn't say anything."
"Well then," Shin said, "For the sake of Tsunade's future, we'll need to borrow your name for this decisive strike."
"Hahaha, no problem at all. Fame means less to me than a ration pill." Orochimaru laughed. "But let's be clear, I want more of them brought back alive this time."
"Don't worry, I'll personally be your logistics captain."
After finalizing the details, Orochimaru immediately began arranging the operation.
Shin, meanwhile, used a body flicker to appear on the right flank.
"Shin!" Though Tsunade saw Shin nearly every day, she was always delighted to see him.
After all, war was always stressful. She constantly worried that one small mistake could lead to unnecessary losses for their ninjas.
She hadn't been through many storms yet, emotionally, she was still inexperienced. Only when she saw Shin did she feel truly grounded.
"How are things arranged on your side?" Shin gently wiped the sweat from her face and asked.
"Everything's ready. This time, Suna is going to pay a price they can't afford."
As they spoke, the two of them walked through the camp, making final checks for any overlooked issues.
"You're here?" Not far away, Minato walked over quickly. He'd been discussing coordination tactics with Fugaku and Hizashi.
"Getting bold now, huh?" Shin teased. "I heard the three of you wiped out over 500 Suna infiltrators in just one month?"
"It's not like I had a choice!" Minato replied with an innocent face. "Those Suna ninjas refused to surrender, and they even fought back."
Shin: "..."
Tsunade: "..."
Fugaku: "..."
Hizashi: "..."
Everyone fell silent. Do you even hear what you're saying?
"You're getting way too full of yourself!"
---
Somewhere on the border of the Land of Fire, inside a hastily erected tent, Hiruzen suddenly stood up, glaring at the Third Kazekage with a look like he was ready to kill.
This guy, how could he be so outrageously greedy?
As the defeated party, he had the gall to demand the victors provide him with food worth a billion, and other supplies worth another billion, all under the pretense of "aid."
This was robbery, naked, shameless robbery.
"You think I'll agree to this?" he said coldly.
"Suit yourself," the Third Kazekage replied casually. "After all, I'm not the one about to lose the Hokage seat and be reviled for eternity."
Hiruzen's chest heaved. "Even if I lose my position as Hokage, I'll never let you succeed!"