Chapter 28: The Decapitation Plan
Jiraiya exited the Hokage's office with a heavy expression, carefully shutting the door behind him. A soft sigh escaped his lips.
It was the second heated argument he'd had with Danzo in such a short time. This time, Danzo was completely unyielding, adamantly pursuing an alliance with Amegakure.
Only now did Jiraiya truly grasp the importance of authority. Back when his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was in power, Jiraiya had spent his days acting like a carefree wanderer. Yet, whenever he needed to, he could still influence the village. It had given him the illusion that being Hokage, or holding an official position, wasn't all that critical.
But reality had proven him wrong. Without any official power, even with his considerable strength and reputation, he was still just a lone wolf.
A sudden memory flashed through his mind—the image of a white-haired man, carrying a short blade, whose mastery of kenjutsu had once struck fear throughout the entire ninja world.
Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang. Despite his unparalleled contributions—greater even than the Legendary Sannin's at the time—the village had driven him to his death with little effort.
"Jiraiya," he muttered to himself, "how naive you were back then..."
Inside the office, Nara Shikaku cautiously spoke up. "Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama's concerns aren't without merit.
"Setting aside whether Amegakure had any involvement in the Konoha Crush, just the fact that they've harbored so many S-rank rogue ninja makes collaborating with them incredibly risky."
Danzo waved him off impatiently, signaling for Shikaku to hold his tongue.
Why do people always think they're smarter than me? Anything you've thought of, I've already considered.
It was precisely because Amegakure was powerful that they were valuable. Danzo smirked inwardly. He'd use the shinobi of Amegakure to spearhead his campaign—achieving feats that Hiruzen Sarutobi never could.
Then, even Tobirama-sensei would see that Danzo Shimura was the rightful Hokage. He'd only missed his chance back then because he hesitated.
Danzo turned to his subordinate. "Ryoma, inform Amegakure's representatives. The meeting will take place tonight at the Root base."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Danzo nodded, satisfied. Subordinates bound by the Curse Tongue Eradication Seal were far more reliable.
...
Nightfall.
While Zabuza and Haku had opted to rest, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame arrived at the Root base.
The atmosphere was cold and eerie, the silence oppressive. Their footsteps echoed clearly in the vast, empty corridors. It was obvious Danzo was trying to intimidate them—no one even showed up to guide them.
But to the trio, such petty tricks were laughable. In the ninja world, strength ruled supreme. Were it not for Konoha's current utility—and Danzo's knack for courting disaster—he wouldn't even be worth their time.
At the end of the corridor, Danzo sat elevated on a throne-like seat, flanked by two Root operatives on each side, with many more surrounding him. The arrangement was clearly intended to give the illusion of encirclement.
"Hokage-sama, here is the alliance agreement." Deidara produced a scroll, which Aburame Ryoma stepped forward to collect and deliver to Danzo.
Danzo unfurled the scroll, scanning it briefly before nodding. "Very good.
"I agree to this alliance. However, Amegakure must demonstrate its sincerity."
"Of course. What sort of sincerity does Hokage-sama require?" Deidara asked smoothly.
Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, his voice calm but deliberate. "The Land of Wind."
"The Land of Wind?" Deidara tilted his head, feigning surprise. "I expected Hokage-sama to aim for the more prosperous Lands of Lightning or Water."
"Hmph," Danzo snorted.
"The Land of Wind is full of treacherous rats. Every time Konoha takes action, they're the first to stir up trouble behind our backs.
"If we don't neutralize the threat they pose, any conflict with the Land of Lightning or Water would leave us vulnerable to an attack from Sunagakure.
"I won't allow Konoha to face a two-front war."
Deidara nodded in understanding. Danzo's cunning was no joke, earning him his title as the Dark of the Shinobi World. For Konoha, the Land of Wind was akin to the southern barbarians. No matter the situation, Sunagakure would always harass Konoha from the rear.
Without solving this issue, Konoha could never expand outward.
"And what's the plan?" Deidara asked curiously. He had no intention of minimizing Konoha's casualties, of course.
"Decapitation," Aburame Ryoma interjected.
"Decapitation?" Kisame grinned, his shark-like teeth gleaming. "Facing off against a strong opponent? Now that's my kind of plan.
"Perhaps the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, is a worthy target."
"We'll propose renegotiating the alliance treaty and additional cooperative ventures, inviting the Fourth Kazekage to a summit in the Land of Rivers.
"Once there, you three will disguise yourselves. Meanwhile, Root and ANBU elites will infiltrate the venue and eliminate Rasa on the spot," Ryoma explained.
The plan was simple but effective. With their overwhelming strength, once Rasa was eliminated, Sunagakure would be leaderless. Konoha's forces could march in unchallenged, and the conquest of Sunagakure would be a matter of time.
"Agreed. But as payment, we of Amegakure will claim the northeastern region of the Land of Wind, including Kazama City," Deidara stated, producing a map and marking a region that encompassed nearly a quarter of the Land of Wind.
The demand was excessive, vastly outstripping Amegakure's current territory. But that was intentional. They didn't actually care about the land. The real goal was to hide their true intentions—sparking a new era of war among the Five Great Nations while seizing Shukaku during the chaos.
Danzo, predictably, balked. "Impossible! That's far too much. Allowing rogue ninja to claim such a large swath of land is unacceptable."
"And what does Hokage-sama propose?"
"You may claim the region around Doru City." Danzo re-drew the boundary, slashing the area down to a third of Deidara's request.
Deidara smirked inwardly. Danzo truly believed himself the one in control.
After some back-and-forth posturing, they settled on a middle ground.
A few days later, Sunagakure finally responded, agreeing to the summit. However, they insisted the meeting take place within the Land of Wind, citing their mistrust of Danzo, the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi World."
Their caution was justified. Danzo, after all, was not to be trusted.
Still, considering the overwhelming strength they held, the location was irrelevant.
What could the weakest Kazekage in history possibly do?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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