Chapter 58: The War Through Konoha's Eyes
Land of Fire, Hidden Leaf Village, Foundation Headquarters
A month ago, the Great Ninja War had begun, as everyone had expected. But it had started in a way no one had anticipated.
To the casual observer, it seemed the war had been sparked by the long-simmering conflict between the Sand and the Rain, with the Stone Village opportunistically joining the fray. But only Danzo knew that his Foundation had also played a part, though starting a war had not been his intention.
Danzo toyed with a Healing Talisman, his expression unreadable.
The Foundation had managed to bring back a large number of the talismans, but for some reason, most of them had become inert. At first, Danzo had thought his men had been duped with fakes. It wasn't until he had tried one himself that he finally believed that the Cloud had truly created such an incredible item. If his "ally" in the Cloud hadn't revealed its existence, the entire ninja world would have remained in the dark. This was something that could change the very nature of ninja combat.
But the hundreds of talismans he had acquired were inexplicably failing, one by one. Danzo was frantic. It took his men a long time to figure out the reason. The talismans could not be stored too close to each other, especially not touching, or they would interfere with each other and become useless. By the time they realized this and separated the remaining talismans, only a dozen or so were still functional.
Though he had obtained some valuable intelligence, the Foundation's losses had been significant. Danzo had hoped to reverse-engineer them, but with only a dozen samples left and a number of his best men lost, and with the talismans themselves being encrypted, the chances were slim.
His part of the deal with his Cloud "ally" had been fulfilled; the Cloud war hawks' stockpiles had been plundered. But Danzo was no philanthropist. He was not satisfied with just ten Healing Talismans for all his trouble.
As he was stewing in his frustration, an ANBU agent arrived to inform him that the Hokage was calling a high-level meeting.
Danzo carefully tucked the Healing Talisman into a hidden pocket in his chest and left the Foundation headquarters.
The Hokage's office, as always, was thick with smoke.
"Sakumo," Hiruzen said, "take your squad and reinforce Jiraiya immediately."
He had originally sent Jiraiya to the Land of Grass to watch for any movements from the Stone and gather intelligence. Compared to the Land of Rain, with Hanzo at its helm, the Land of Grass was an easier route of attack for the Stone. But the Stone had seized the opportunity presented by the conflict between Hanzo and the Sand, and at the perfect moment, had advanced through the northern part of the Land of Rain. Though Konoha had reacted and stopped them at the border, this had left Jiraiya's team, which was already on the front lines, in a precarious, almost surrounded position. The Stone was now trying to eliminate this thorn in their side, and Jiraiya and his men were barely holding on.
Konoha had many powerful ninja, but if there was one man who could single-handedly turn the tide of a battle, it was Sakumo Hatake, who was quickly making a name for himself as the "White Fang of Konoha." Of course, Hiruzen himself was another, but the Kage of a village could not act rashly.
Sakumo accepted the order without a word and disappeared from the office. Hiruzen then turned to his advisors. "What's the situation with the Sand?"
Homura Mitokado nodded slightly. "Although the Sand has declared war on us, their advance team was almost completely wiped out by Hanzo. They are currently reorganizing their forces. It's unclear if their next target will be the Hidden Rain or the Land of Fire. Tsunade is preparing for an attack. For now, the pressure is manageable."
Hiruzen nodded. The Sand had fired the first shot of the war, but their advance team had been annihilated by Hanzo. The "demigod's" reputation had grown even greater. They would likely not bother him again, especially since he had now withdrawn his forces and effectively ceded control of most of the Land of Rain. Attacking him now would be a losing proposition for the Sand. That meant Konoha had to prepare for an attack from them.
"There's one other thing," Homura added. "Our spies in the Land of Rain have reported that the Rain seems to be in possession of a special type of talisman, similar to an explosive tag, that can be used to heal injuries by infusing it with chakra. It is an incredibly valuable strategic asset. The Sand's sudden attack on Hanzo was likely motivated, in part, by a desire to obtain these 'Healing Talismans'."
Danzo's lips moved, but he said nothing. Not yet, he thought. He couldn't reveal the source of his information without exposing his connection to his Cloud "ally," one of his most deeply guarded secrets.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe. He felt a headache coming on. During the First Great Ninja War, he had been a student, watching the Second Hokage handle these matters. At the time, he had marveled at his teacher's calm demeanor in the face of crisis. Now that he was in that position, he felt the immense pressure, which grew heavier with each passing day.
With his experience, Hiruzen immediately understood the significance of such a healing talisman. He had to find a way to get his hands on some, bring them back to the village, and have Tsunade study them.
He stared at the large map of the ninja world on the wall. Of the five great villages, only the Cloud and the Mist had not yet joined the war. But he knew they were just waiting for the right moment. In a Great Ninja War, no village could remain on the sidelines.
"Has there been any word from Orochimaru?"
Homura shook his head.
Hiruzen wasn't surprised. It was difficult to send messages when you were deep in enemy territory, and he knew how difficult the mission he had given Orochimaru was.
He could only hope that his student would find an opportunity.