When Danzō left the Land of Fire, a letter was delivered to Jiraiya, who was wandering through the Land of Hot Water.
Jiraiya tore open the envelope. It contained only a single piece of information: after defecting, Danzō's destination was the Land of Rain.
Jiraiya let out a long sigh and stood from the corner of the bathhouse. His travels would have to be put on hold.
Farewell, beautiful things!
As screams and shouts of "pervert!" erupted from the women's bath, Jiraiya flicked his robe and vanished.
At the same time, Ōnoki arrived at Turtle Island with Han.
But they weren't alone. Another had arrived before them—a towering man, bronze-skinned, with a fierce face that radiated raw power.
It was none other than A, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure!
Behind him stood his partner and younger brother, Killer B—the current jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.
Unlike usual, Killer B was quiet, simply watching from beside Mabui.
"Haven't figured out how to undo the Snailfication yet?" A didn't bother with pleasantries. "Your whole damn village got punked by one brat. Fits you, Ōnoki."
"Shut it, brat!" Ōnoki's temper flared.
Had he not come here to talk rather than fight, he would've lobbed a Dust Release straight into A's smug face.
"Hmph." A didn't press further. His earlier jab was half insult, half provocation—to test the old man.
Kumo hadn't experienced the Snailfication firsthand, but their intel division had gathered detailed reports. The fact that Ōnoki, the cagey, battle-hardened Tsuchikage, treated it with such caution proved how dangerous Ishiki Kujo's jutsu truly was.
"If Konoha continues to grow unchecked, even a four-nation alliance might not be enough to restrain them. You don't want that, do you?" Ōnoki got to the point.
Today's meeting was about one thing: forming an alliance between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. They had a shared enemy—Konoha.
"Our war is still on. Yours is over. What do you even bring to the table?" A wasn't being diplomatic—he was stating facts.
His war with the Leaf continued, while Iwagakure had surrendered. What good was an ally who'd already tapped out? He wasn't about to let Iwa-nin march into the Land of Frost and potentially stab him in the back mid-battle.
"I know Danzō and Ishiki Kujo are enemies. Now that Danzō has defected, he still has connections inside the Leaf. If the timing is right, he could rise again," Ōnoki shifted the focus.
"You want to rely on that mangy mutt to deal with Ishiki Kujo?" A sneered.
In his mind, Kujo was only dangerous because of that indiscriminate Snailfication jutsu. As long as that was neutralized, taking him out was no big deal.
Kujo's jutsu had a fatal flaw: it was a wide-area, non-discriminatory effect.
That meant he couldn't use it freely inside Konoha without massive collateral. A's solution? Assemble a strike team of elites to assassinate Ishiki either near or inside Konoha.
He already had a pretext in mind—an inter-village jōnin exam co-hosted by Kumo, Konoha, and Iwa.
A showcase of the new generation's power, a symbol of friendship—and a perfect smokescreen for assassination.
Ōnoki didn't argue. In fact, he nodded in agreement. Given the current circumstances, if the Sandaime Hokage stepped down, Ishiki Kujo was the most likely successor.
And he was clearly not someone content to stay within the Fire Country's borders. If Kujo decided to expand, Iwagakure would be powerless to stop him.
The best option? Take him out while Hiruzen was still around—while there was still a leash.
Then Ōnoki brought up another idea: "Danzō becoming Hokage—whether for Iwa or Kumo—would be far more favorable than Hiruzen staying in power."
"All we have to do is support him from the shadows. If he succeeds, we reap the rewards. If he fails or double-crosses us, we lose nothing.
Because even if he just tries to claim the Hokage title, the chaos alone will weaken Konoha. This is a win-win. You and I win, the Fire Country loses."
"You're still the same sly old bastard, you damn Stone fossil." Despite the sarcasm, A couldn't deny it—the plan was solid.
And it really was a win-win. So he agreed.
Ōnoki's face darkened. Even if he'd kept his temper in check, A's constant verbal jabs still grated on him.
"That damn mouth of yours is gonna get you killed someday, you lightning freak," the Tsuchikage grumbled, cutting A off. "Now that we're done talking alliance, let's discuss the Truthfall."
"Hmph." A snorted but didn't insult him again.
The first insult had been to test him. The second, from irritation. A third would've led to a fight—and he knew it.
Damn old bastard. Hope you croak soon, A cursed silently.
…
Ishiki Kujo was preparing to return to Konoha.
It wasn't that he didn't want to hunt Danzō down—it was that the Hokage's direct order had arrived.
The war with the Land of Earth was over. He and Shisui had no reason to remain at the border.
This was a complete victory parade.
Not just for Ishiki and Shisui—Orochimaru too was being hailed as a war hero. Whatever had happened between him and Hiruzen, Danzō's betrayal hadn't shaken Orochimaru's position.
The victory over Iwa had slightly lifted Konoha's battered morale.
Years of war had left its ninja exhausted, their spirits dulled. Peace was the one thing every shinobi now longed for.
And they saw that hope in the next generation.
Shisui and Ishiki Kujo—the future of Konoha.
Danzō's betrayal had stirred no great waves in the village. Only a few from the Shimura Clan were having a rough time lately.
And with Danzō gone, the village atmosphere had visibly improved.
Even the usually overbearing Uchiha Police Force had mellowed out.
The Uchiha on patrol walked tall and proud, and the villagers' warm reception of Shisui softened their demeanor even more.
Uchiha Fugaku now bore a faint smile. But when his eyes drifted to the letter from Shisui lying on the table, that smile vanished. His expression hardened once more.