Chapter 7
'So I'm finally done with my training, huh?' Danzo thought to himself as he awoke from his rest, with him refreshing himself up before heading for the ROOT base from the Shimura Compound.
Danzo had mastered the Dream Lands version of Sage Mode around a year after he began training, as his exceptional Chakra Control and Chakra Volume allowed him to learn it in such a short amount of time.
The other two years of his training had been geared towards learning the special techniques that they had to offer, with Lady Bato informing him that he had learned all that they could offer that night.
'Perhaps I should visit Kakashi? That brat always has good tea. And I haven't seen him and his team in a bit.' Danzo contemplated to himself.
However, just as Danzo stepped outside of his home, an ANBU agent appeared before him.
"Lord Danzo, your presence has been requested at the Hokage's Office." The agent informed him before Body Flickering away.
Danzo simply sighed with an annoyed expression on his face, with him signalling for his two guards to follow him as he performed the Body Flicker, easily passing the prior ANBU Agent and arriving at the Hokage's Office.
Upon entering the room, Danzo narrowed his eyes upon seeing everyone present.
Their was the Fourth Hokage Minato, Third Hokage Hiruzen, Shikaku Nara, Orochimaru, Homura, Koharu and Jiraiya all present.
"What's the situation?" Danzo asked immediately, as he assumed that they were in some type of national emergency, though he wondered why he hadn't heard anything from his spies.
"We just received word from Kumo of them wishing for a peace treaty." Minato explained.
Danzo sat down in his seat, with him getting a slight headache as he firmly remembered the issue in the original timeline.
In the original variation of events, Kumo approached Konoha with a deal for a Peace Treaty, with it being viewed as a way to ease the tensions between the two nations and stop their proxy nations from being hostile to each other at their borders.
But, Kumogakure actually viewed this as a plot to sow discord into Konoha, with them planning for their Shinobi to abduct Hinata Hyuga and extract her Byakugan for their own use.
The Shinobi responsible for the plan was caught and then killed himself, with the blame for the incident somehow falling onto Hiashi due to the fact that he had attacked the man moments prior for stealing his daughter.
This ended with Kumogakure threatening war if the culprit was not handed over, yet the Hyuga Clan chose to sacrifice Hizashi, the Head of the Branch Family, to keep the peace.
However, this sequence of events only occurred in the original timeline due to the extreme level of weakness that Konoha stood at.
First, the Nine-Tails Attack likely crippled a great deal of the Village's high-level combat power, with most Jonin tasked with battling the fox alongside Hiruzen while the lower ranked Shinobi evacuated Civilians.
Second, the deaths of Minato and the known Nine Tails Jinchuriki led to the loss of two Kage Level Shinobi, and even if the other was only a rumor to Kumo, they could presume that since no signs of the new Jinchuriki had been seen.
And finally, there was the fact that the Sannins each had a limited presence in the war, as Tsunade had left following the Second Great Ninja War and Orochimaru defected after the Nine-Tails Attack.
These three facts alongside the growing level of apprehension that Hiruzen gained towards war gave them the confidence to perform such a threatening act against the Village viewed as the strongest.
And the result simply lowered the standard of Konoha in the eyes of foreign individuals, as Kumo likely boasted about it and claimed that they had become the new hegemony in the Shinobi World.
But, none of those events had occurred in this world, making Danzo even more on guard against Kumogakure.
'What could give them such confidence in being able to do such a thing.' Danzo thought to himself, as he highly doubted that Kumogakure would actually want a Peace Treaty.
"And what have you decided, Lord Hokage?" Danzoz asked.
"Nothing concrete yet. That is why I've gathered all of you here, as your input could help me decide what action to take." Minato said with a smile.
"I think we should sign it." Jiraiya spoke without hesitation.
"Of course you would. You are quite blind when it comes to situations dealing with a peaceful approach rather than making the hard decisions. We need to figure out what Kumogakure is actually playing at, as there is no way that they would truly wish for a Peace Treaty." Danzo spoke while taking a sip of the tea that sat on the table.
"I apologize for not proposing to go to war every time we have an issue arise." Jiraiya said while rolling his eyes.
"Perhaps they could truly wish to end our conflicts. This could be the spark needed to ignite a new era of peace in the Shinobi World. One reminiscent of the past eras." Hiruzen added.
"Since when were we ever at peace? I only remember the War simply being a fully sanctioned one or an unsanctioned one. In the same way that we have not stopped investigating new ways to wage war, the other Villages are likely doing the same. Allowing Kumogakure Shinobi inside our Village under the guise of a Peace Treaty could be the perfect opportunity that they may need to deal a major blow to us. And that's not remembering the fact that they have yet to disarm themselves even after the end of the Third Great Ninja War. But, I shall support whatever decision you may make, Lord Hokage. Though I will need to be alerted so that I can prepare adequately for the attack, apologies, I meant Peace Treaty." Danzo said before staring at Minato, with the yellow-haired man merely smiling at the old Councilor.
'Will Ay really attempt an attack on us through the disguise of a Peace Treaty? He doesn't seem like a fool, so he definitely knows he will have to deal with the full brunt of Konoha. Either way, us not accepting a Peace Treaty when it's the main factor we proclaim in our doctrine could harm our credibility and our mission rates.' Minato thought to himself as he looked deeply at everyone in the room.
"We will accept the Peace Treaty. But I expect the KPF, the ANBU, and the ROOT to all have people patrolling during their duration in the Village. Any hints of movement on their part outside of their designated lodging should be reported to me immediately and I expect the best ANBU squads to be on watch duty for them." Minato said.
The vast majority of the people within the room then began to disperse, yet Danzo and Hiruzen remained in the office, with Minato slightly narrowing his eyes at this.
While Hiruzen had fully abdicated his post at this point, the man still had a decent say in the politics of the Village, with him usually serving as a major bonus for getting Minato's legislation passed through the Council.
But seeing him stay around in his office with his closest ally indicated that they may have an issue with how he decided to handle the Peace Treaty.
"Don't be so defensive, Lord Hokage. We remained in your office because we wish to issue a mission to you, one that Lord Third and I wish to embark on ourselves." Danzo said upon seeing the strange gaze from Minato.
"What mission could that be?" Minato asked
Hiruzen sighed before he sat up in his seat, with him then gaining a firm look in his eyes as he looked at his successor.
"The Village needs to recall the services of the final Sannin. She has been allowed freedom from the Village for far too long, and her power is needed at the current moment, both as the head of the Senju Clan and as the best Medical Ninja in the Shinobi World." Hiruzen explained, with him growing slightly emotional near the end.
He knew firsthand how much pain was in Tsunade's heart, as the only thing that surrounded her during the entirety of her life was death.
From Hashirama and Tobirama, to her parents, to the majority of the active Shinobi in her Clan due to the wars and the others choosing to integrate with the Civilian population.
The deaths of her brother and Dan merely accelerated the level of pain in her heart, with them being the key reasons that she chose to leave.
He had not physcially seen her in over a decade, and the only news he had of her was the monthly updates that were given to him by her ANBU guards.
But he had given her enough time to grieve. She had to move on. He could no longer allow her to wallow in her own self-pity. Because he was like a Father to all of his students. And no Father could bear to see his only daughter live how Tsunade was.
"Very well. I'll approve the mission. You two can leave out today, since I'll need you both back before the Kumogakure Shinobi arrive with their treaties." Minato answered them.
Danzo and Hiruzen nodded, with them heading outside to prepare for their first active mission in decades.
"Do you think your old bones can still move like they used to, Monkey?" Danzo asked as the two walked towards the Villiage Gates.
"I'm sure I can move better than an old man with a cane." Hiruzen responded as they walked.
"I wonder if any problems will arise on such a mission?" Hiruzen wondered, with Danzo pausing and having to stop himself from blasting his old friend with a Wind Ninjutsu.
"Bastard!! Every time you wonder if their will be an issue, an issue will always come!!!" Danzo yelled, with him calming down and hoping that nothing to serious may occur.
~
'So the Third Hokage and Danzo are leaving the Village? This could be an opportunity.' Black Zetsu thought to himself as he moved to give this knowledge to Obito, with this being a major opportunity to weaken Konoha.
AN: Been sick and in the hospital for a while. But I'm back.