Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

Konoha Village.

Today, the Hokage's office was particularly lively. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat at the head of the room. On either side of him were his advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, as well as the man who claimed to guard Konoha from the shadows—Danzo Shimura.

Standing nearby were Shikaku Nara, the Jonin Commander and long-time strategist for the Hokage, and the masked leader of the ANBU.

"Hiruzen, I've received reliable intelligence. That group of rogue ninja from the Land of Water will pass through the Land of Rivers on their way to the Land of Rain," Danzo began, his tone sharp and decisive.

"We must eliminate this group of rogue ninja!" Danzo was the first to speak, as always the most aggressive voice in the room.

"Indeed. This group includes one-third of the Mist Village's ninja, as well as members of the Hōzuki Clan. If we can take them out, it would be a significant advantage for Konoha," Homura added, adjusting his glasses in agreement.

"Even if they don't want to join Konoha, we should eliminate them before they reach the Land of Rain. We absolutely cannot allow them to establish a foothold there," Koharu continued.

Though she didn't finish her sentence, everyone understood her meaning. If these rogue ninja were to settle in the Land of Rain, they would become a potential threat to the Land of Fire in the future.

Small nations were meant to serve as buffers between the great nations. They could not be allowed to grow strong.

Shikaku Nara and the ANBU leader remained silent. The fact that they were standing rather than seated made it clear that they were not part of Konoha's true core leadership. They were more like figureheads, meant to give the illusion that the Third Hokage did not run Konoha as a dictatorship.

But everyone knew the truth. After decades of ruling Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi's authority was deeply entrenched.

In the past, representatives from the major clans had been able to participate in such meetings and have a voice. But after the Uchiha Clan was wiped out and the Hyuga Clan retreated into isolation, the power of the clans had been completely reclaimed by the Third Hokage, solidifying his control over Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced around the room but did not speak immediately. Instead, he picked up his pipe and began to smoke.

Seeing this, everyone knew the Hokage was deep in thought, weighing his options.

But what was Hiruzen Sarutobi thinking about?

Was he questioning whether this course of action was right?

No.

He was merely calculating the pros and cons, as well as the likelihood of success.

To the people of Konoha, he was a relatively benevolent leader. Even with absolute power, he had not resorted to tyranny. While Konoha had faced many issues over the years, none of them could be attributed to his personal greed.

Internally, he was respected.

But externally, it was a different story. Mercy and compassion had no place in a village's foreign policy. In this era, all ninja villages operated the same way—any other village was either an enemy or a potential enemy.

"If we were to intercept this group of rogue ninja, how many forces would we need?" Hiruzen finally asked.

"At least 5,000 ninja, including a minimum of 100 Jonin. Additionally, we'd need at least 10 elite Jonin," Shikaku Nara replied.

That many?!

The others frowned. This was no small-scale skirmish—it was practically a full-scale battle.

"Yes. After all, the enemy has 2,000 ninja, including many elite members of the Mist Village and the Hōzuki Clan," Shikaku explained, noticing the doubt on their faces.

"To minimize casualties, we would need to deploy at least twice their numbers."

Hearing this, Hiruzen nodded. He realized he had underestimated the situation. Unlike the battles of the Ninja World Wars, the goal here was a swift and decisive victory, not a prolonged conflict with heavy losses.

"No! My intelligence indicates that the enemy also has near-Kage-level individuals escorting them. I will deploy some of my Root operatives for this mission," Danzo interjected.

"And furthermore..."

Danzo's uncovered left eye locked onto Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hiruzen, I hope you will personally lead this operation to secure a decisive victory."

Danzo's suggestion shocked the room. Even Homura and Koharu, who often sided with him, voiced their objections.

"No way! A village's Kage cannot leave so easily!" Koharu protested immediately.

"What if something happens to you?"

"Humph!" Danzo slammed his cane against the ground with a crisp "thud," ignoring his so-called "teammates." He continued to fix his gaze on Hiruzen, his attitude unmistakable.

"Danzo-sama, are you certain there are near-Kage-level individuals among the rogue ninja?" Shikaku Nara asked hesitantly.

"Of course!" Danzo replied curtly, though he did not elaborate on the source of his information.

The truth was, this intelligence came from the mysterious outsider who had helped during the Uchiha Clan's massacre. Obito had explicitly told him that the group included Kage-level individuals.

But Danzo didn't believe it.

Do you think Kage-level ninja are as common as cabbages?

Even in Konoha, there was only one Kage-level ninja—the Third Hokage. And now you're telling me there are three in a group of rogue ninja? What nonsense!

Danzo figured the mysterious man was probably from a small ninja village and had no real experience. He must have mistaken near-Kage-level individuals for actual Kage-level ones.

Still, near-Kage-level opponents couldn't be taken lightly. Danzo had initially planned to handle the situation himself but decided it would be better to send Hiruzen instead. If Hiruzen went, the enemy would be crushed outright!

That was Danzo's reasoning. But he had overlooked Hiruzen's cautious and conservative nature.

Hiruzen wasn't afraid of dying; he was worried that if they failed to eliminate the enemy completely, Konoha would end up with a powerful new enemy.

This isn't good. Not good at all!

Maybe we should just pretend we didn't see them and let them pass. After all, we could always try to recruit them during the next Ninja World War. They might not even be enemies then.

Damn it!

Danzo could tell from Hiruzen's expression that his old friend was retreating into his usual ostrich-like mindset.

Damn it all!

Konoha will only grow weaker under a timid Hokage like Hiruzen! What this village needs is a strong leader like me!

Just as Danzo thought the plan was doomed, there was a sudden knock at the office door.

After receiving permission to enter, a ninja from the Intelligence Division handed a freshly translated report to the Third Hokage.

"What?!" Hiruzen's pipe tilted upward in surprise.

"What's the matter, Hiruzen?" Homura asked.

"The Sand Village has also received intelligence about the rogue ninja passing through the Land of Rivers. They've invited us to join them in hunting down the group," Hiruzen explained.

"Excellent!" Danzo stood up immediately. With the Sand Village's involvement, their chances of success would increase significantly.

"I'll return to organize the Root operatives and the Shimura Clan's ninja."

"Shikaku, inform the other clans to send their elites as well."

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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