[Konoha2] Chapter 104: Sarutobi Hiruzen Stands Firm!

Within the Forest Domain, Hajime opened his eyes. “As expected… it failed.”

Sneak attacks were satisfying, but their difficulty was anything but low.

Even with Ōnoki absent, and even during wartime, Iwagakure had not deployed a large portion of its forces—the village still had plenty of shinobi on standby.

Especially the Iwa-nin, masters of Earth Release—when it came to subduing the Five-Tails, they had plenty of experience.

Alter the terrain, restrict movement, then trap with barriers.

And finally—seal!

That said, casualties were inevitable.

“Ōnoki won’t be able to sit still after hearing about this,” Hajime thought to himself.

Danzo’s aim, aside from capturing the Five-Tails as a bargaining chip, was also to provoke Ōnoki into backing down, even if the mission failed.

The ultimate goal was to ensure that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn’t have to stay on the battlefield for long.

Without a powerful figure guarding Konoha, things were always unstable.

Just as Hajime stood, ready to report back to Danzo, Aburame Ryōma landed beside him.

“Captain, the Third Hokage has arrived!”

Hajime’s spirit lifted. “Got it. Let’s go.”

...

A short while later, inside a wooden cabin, Hajime met Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was fully geared for battle.

“Lord Third Hokage, Lord Danzo.”

After bowing respectfully, Hajime got straight to the point. “Just received memory feedback from my clone—mission to capture the Five-Tails has failed.”

Danzo had already informed Hiruzen about the plan, so the Third wasn’t surprised. He gave a slight nod. “It doesn’t affect the overall situation.”

“However—Alpha, are you certain you can fully control the Four-Tails?”

Hajime nodded. “Lord Third, absolutely. I’ve already mastered Sage Mode and can use the First Hokage’s sealing technique—Gate of the Great God. It’s more than enough to suppress the Four-Tails.”

At the mention of the Gate of the Great God, Hiruzen finally felt at ease. He’d also made his final decision—but he didn’t voice it just yet.

Instead, he turned to Danzo. “News of the attack on the Five-Tails will soon reach the Tsuchikage. Since that’s the case, let’s wait a bit longer before meeting him.”

Hajime was a little disappointed when he heard that.

Chances were, there wouldn’t be a fight.

He was actually hoping Hiruzen would throw down with Ōnoki.

Still, comparing their abilities, it was likely that even if they fought, neither would be able to overpower the other.

Ōnoki could fly, but his Dust Release had a slow start-up.

Hiruzen was an all-rounder—capable of using all five chakra natures, plus the Adamantine Staff.

...

Outside the cabin, Hajime saw Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru waiting.

“Hajime!”

“Hajime-kun!”

The four exchanged greetings and chatted briefly before going their separate ways.

Back in his own cabin, Hajime resumed training.

He needed to develop the Spore Technique as soon as possible. Once completed, his space-time jutsu would finally take shape.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

In the Iwa-nin encampment—

Ōnoki scowled at the intel delivered from the village. His expression was as dark as ever.

The Five-Tails had nearly been lost.

Though they’d managed to protect it, the cost was heavy.

Over fifty casualties.

Among the confirmed dead were five jōnin.

“That damned brat…”

Right now, Ōnoki wanted nothing more than to tear Hajime limb from limb.

Or better yet, return the favor and launch an attack on Konoha.

Unfortunately, that was clearly impossible.

Taking a deep breath and calming down, Ōnoki began to understand Konoha’s intent.

They didn’t want Hiruzen staying on the battlefield for long.

But the real problem…

Was that Wood Style user—far too troublesome.

Ordinary jōnin were completely ineffective against him.

Even elite jōnin had a hard time handling him.

Yami, a seasoned elite jōnin, had died at Hajime’s hands.

After thinking it through, Ōnoki could only come up with one solution:

Reinforcements!

Without hesitation, he immediately sent word back to the village.

Reinforce the front lines!

Then, Ōnoki began planning how to negotiate with Konoha moving forward.

There was no hope of reclaiming the Four-Tails now, but he had to ensure the possibility remained for the future.

More importantly, Konoha now had both the Nine-Tails and the Four-Tails.

Especially dangerous was that brat—who had so easily mastered the Four-Tails' power. He was becoming a serious threat.

“In that case…”

Ōnoki made a bold decision.

He would share the intelligence—free of charge—with the other three Great Ninja Villages.

Especially Kumogakure!

“No one wants Konoha to grow even stronger, especially not with that Wood Style user on their side.”

“Perhaps we can ally with Kumogakure and Sunagakure… and force Konoha to hand over the Wood Style user.”

It was a long shot—but even if it didn’t pressure Konoha into surrendering Hajime and the Four-Tails, there was still a strong chance the three villages could unite against Konoha.

Ōnoki immediately sent new orders—to deliver intelligence to Kumo and Suna and initiate talks of cooperation.

As for Kirigakure, they were currently closed off and isolated.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, after breakfast, Hajime followed Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others out of the Forest Domain.

Konoha moved—and Iwa moved with them.

Ōnoki appeared in the sky with his bodyguards.

“Lord Tsuchikage… is that—could that be the Third Hokage?!”

One of the guards was visibly shocked at the sight of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Clad in his battle armor, his Hokage robes draped over, and wearing the Hokage's hat—he couldn’t be more recognizable.

“It is the Hokage… I didn’t expect him to actually come.”

Ōnoki gave a soft snort and descended.

At the same time, Hiruzen advanced with Danzo and Homura Mitokado at his sides.

The two sides stopped ten meters apart.

“Hokage.”

“Tsuchikage.”

Ōnoki and Hiruzen spoke in turn.

Ōnoki immediately pressed forward. “Hokage, is Konoha intending to start an all-out war?”

“You took the Four-Tails and then tried to snatch the Five-Tails as well!”

Hiruzen responded calmly, “It’s simply one aspect of warfare.”

Ōnoki’s expression darkened. “Back then, Lord Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance power in the ninja world. And now Konoha is breaking the balance he established.”

“Is Konoha planning to recollect all the Tailed Beasts?”

Hiruzen frowned slightly, then replied, “Konoha has no such intention.”

“However, since the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki appeared on the battlefield, any outcome is possible.”

You can’t expect a Jinchūriki to be invincible on the battlefield.

And a captured spoil of war—just because it’s a Tailed Beast doesn’t mean it must be returned.

Of course, Ōnoki knew full well that his demands were unreasonable—but in this world, reason didn’t matter. Power did.

Right now, his “fist” wasn’t big enough—but...

“Hokage, Konoha must hand over the Four-Tails. Otherwise, both Sunagakure and Kumogakure will refuse to accept it.”

Ōnoki pressed on harshly. “If I recall correctly, the Eight-Tails went berserk in Kumo and its Jinchūriki died… That was the work of the Wood Style user, wasn’t it?”

Hiruzen’s eye twitched.

What he feared most was happening.

Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure were joining forces—massive pressure!

But—

Handing over the Four-Tails meant sacrificing Hajime.

“Tsuchikage,” Hiruzen suddenly hardened his tone, “Konoha will never abandon a comrade!”

“If Iwagakure wants the Four-Tails back, then you can either wait for the Jinchūriki’s life to end, or—defeat Konoha in battle!”

“But until the last Konoha shinobi falls—we will never give up one of our own.”

(End of Chapter)