The Hidden Blade
Jinghang had been holding this card the entire time.
Waiting for exactly this moment.
The Wind-Cloud Alliance's "troop rotation" had been a lie. Twelve thousand shinobi quietly vanished from the roster. Seven thousand coastal forces—claiming to be twelve thousand—followed Kakuzu straight to Takigakure's doorstep. Twenty thousand main forces kept the Wood-Waterfall Alliance pinned in the desert.
And five thousand?
Five thousand circled the Wind-Fire border and struck Konoha itself.
The commanders weren't Earthly Branches or Alphabet Squad. Too recognizable. Konoha ANBU had files on all of them. Their absence would raise flags.
So Jinghang "borrowed" Pain's generals instead.
Aotu Tailuo. Kazama Xu.
Five thousand elite versus three thousand reserves—elderly, injured, barely combat-ready.
Could they take the village?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But the threat alone?
That could give Hiruzen a heart attack.
Tobirama's voice cut through the silence.
"Jinghang." His tone was measured. "You know Flying Thunder God, correct?"
Jinghang nodded.
"Do me a favor." Tobirama's eyes were steady. "Go to Konoha. Call off the attack. If we're negotiating, we negotiate properly. Fighting while talking is—" He paused. "—dishonorable."
You're DEAD. What honor do you have left?
But Jinghang's expression didn't shift.
Five thousand couldn't actually take Konoha. Not with its hundred-thousand population and fortified walls. Even if they breached the defenses, street-by-street fighting would bleed them dry.
The attack's purpose was psychological.
Break their will. Add leverage.
Mission accomplished.
"Tobirama-sama." Jinghang's tone was respectful. "You're asking if we can negotiate?"
Tobirama nodded.
Jinghang turned to Hiruzen. "And you?"
Hiruzen's eyes closed. Long breath.
"Then I'll honor your request." Jinghang stood. "You're my wife's great-grandfather. I owe you that respect." He snapped his fingers. "Sasori—chakra mic."
Sasori tossed it.
Jinghang caught it.
Konoha's ramparts were chaos.
Koharu Utatane's blade clashed against Aotu Tailuo's kunai. Again. Again. Her arms screamed.
Aotu knew warfare. He'd concentrated all five thousand at a single point. Kazama Xu's Dust Release carved through stone. They'd scaled the wall in minutes.
Both Koharu and Homura fought personally now.
(If the wall falls, we fight in the streets. Block by block. House by house.)
Aotu was spreading his forces. Expanding the breach—
Jinghang appeared.
Chakra mic in hand.
"STOP!" His voice boomed across the battlefield. "Everyone—STOP FIGHTING!"
A Konoha chunin—young, desperate—lunged at him with a kunai.
Jinghang's foot launched him off the wall.
Both sides froze.
"Listen up!" Jinghang's voice echoed. "Peace talks are happening in the desert. Konoha and the Wind-Cloud Alliance. Cease fire. Now. Wait for the results."
Murmurs. Confusion.
Koharu stared at Homura.
Homura's face was stone. "If that's true, Kazekage-sama, please withdraw your—"
"Are you insane?"
Jinghang's voice was ice.
"You withdraw. Get off the walls. Wait in the village. We'll hold the perimeter."
"Ridiculous!" Koharu's voice cracked. "You just want us defenseless! This is a—"
Jinghang's eyebrow rose.
His body blazed blue.
Chakra coalesced in his palms. Larger. Larger. A sphere bigger than his torso—
Spiraling. Howling.
He slammed it into the wall.
Stone exploded.
Dust. Rubble. A section of rampart—dozens of feet—collapsed like sand.
When the smoke cleared, Jinghang stood in the crater.
"Do I need tricks?" His voice was soft. Lethal. "You're old. Weak. Broken. With me here, you think you can hold anything?" He gestured at the ruins. "The ceasefire is mercy. Refuse it—" His smile was cold. "—and I'll bury you all. Right now."
Homura stared at the destruction.
We have no one who can stop him.
"...Withdraw." His voice was hollow.
Koharu opened her mouth—
The Blade and the Fish
Half an hour later, Konoha's forces retreated into the village.
Civilians huddled in homes. Shinobi gripped weapons with white knuckles.
Please. Please let the talks succeed.
Please don't let them come.
Homura stood at a window. Watching the walls.
We're fish on the cutting board now.
And Hiruzen's holding the knife.
The "Concession"
Back in the desert tent, Jinghang leaned back in his chair.
"You know—" His tone was thoughtful. "—Konoha helped Suna once. Two billion ryō. Interest-free. When we were desperate." He smiled. "Wasn't much. But it mattered."
He waved a hand.
"So I'll be generous. Suna's reparations? Ten billion. Symbolic. Call it even."
The Third Raikage grinned. "If the Kazekage's feeling charitable, so am I. Fifteen billion for Kumo. Half off. We're very forgiving."
Hiruzen blinked.
Looked at Jinghang. At the Raikage.
Twenty-five billion total.
They're... letting us off easy?
"...Agreed." His voice was tight. "Twenty-five billion."
Jinghang and the Raikage exchanged glances.
(Twenty-five billion is pocket change compared to what we looted from Fire Country. And Konoha's got maybe seventy billion left—total. Push harder, and they'll collapse. Better to take the win and leave them functional.)
"Amegakure's sixty billion." Pain's voice was ice. "Not. One. Cent. Less."
Hiruzen's face fell.
"I know we wronged you. But we don't have sixty billion in—"
"Installments." Jinghang's tone was helpful. Generous. "Pay over time. Or—" His smile widened. "—Suna can loan you the money. Very reasonable interest rates."
Final agreement:
Hiruzen declined the loan offer.
(Jinghang looked genuinely disappointed.)
[Strategic Mastery: Three-pronged deception = main force in desert (visible threat), Kakuzu raiding Taki (removes Konoha's ally), hidden force at Konoha (creates two-front crisis). Wall destruction = demonstrates Jinghang could end siege instantly, makes "ceasefire" a mercy rather than negotiation. False generosity = "concessions" still extract 85 billion total (nearly Konoha's entire treasury), while appearing magnanimous.]
[Power Dynamics: Tobirama's "honor" request = gives Jinghang excuse to demonstrate power (wall destruction) while appearing respectful. Homura's despair = "fish on cutting board" metaphor, complete helplessness. Coordinated allies = Jinghang and Raikage's "generous" reductions pre-planned, make Pain's "inflexible" sixty billion seem reasonable by contrast.]
[Psychological Warfare: Konoha civilians praying = emphasizes village's vulnerability, makes Hiruzen's acceptance inevitable. Loan offer = adds insult (Konoha now owes Suna again, role reversal from ten years ago). Jinghang's "disappointment" at declined loan = shows he WANTED to trap them in debt cycle, turning past "generosity" into future leverage.]
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