Chapter 149
Chapter 149: Taking Frost Ninja Village in Fifteen Minutes
The silence felt as heavy as an afternoon over Cambridge.
Not a single person in the conference room spoke, and the stillness was so deep that even breathing seemed loud.
Haneda scanned the room, smiling in satisfaction.
"Good. It looks like everyone is in agreement."
"Now that you all support an alliance with the Leaf, it's time to show your sincerity."
Haneda paused, then turned to Higashiyama Kisho, the Frost Village leader.
"As a representative of the Leaf, Uchiha Haneda is here in Frost Ninja Village, unfamiliar with its inner workings."
"Since you've agreed to ally with the Leaf, and there are no objections, it's necessary to verify everyone's loyalty to this alliance."
Haneda's three-tomoe Sharingan scanned the room as he announced loudly:
"As Uchiha Haneda, I now suspect that there may be spies for the Cloud here among us!"
Higashiyama Kisho immediately responded, "Lord Haneda is right. As the head of Frost, I fully endorse this measure!"
"Please, Lord Haneda, use your genjutsu to test the loyalty of everyone present towards our village and the Leaf!"
Another silence fell, nearly breaking any resolve the Frost ninja had to resist. With their leader now under Haneda's genjutsu, and the overwhelming power of the Leaf behind him, the Frost ninja were helpless.
One senior Frost ninja who leaned towards the Leaf stood up and declared, "That's right. News of an alliance between Frost and the Leaf must be kept secret!"
"We must fully secure this information!"
One voice led to another, with those who favored the Leaf and the neutral ninja falling into line. Under Haneda's bold yet calculated plan, the upper echelon of Frost Village reached a consensus, agreeing to an alliance with the Leaf.
In the conference room, blood began to flow.
The slain were those who had aligned with the Cloud, as well as spies placed by the Cloud Village.
Haneda's team then retired to the lodge assigned by Higashiyama Kisho, appearing as though nothing had happened. But the events surrounding Haneda's arrival quickly spread throughout Frost Village.
This foreign, arrogant attitude stirred anger among the village's people, with lower and middle-ranked ninja expressing frustration. However, they were unaware that Frost had already allied with the Leaf.
At the lodge, Asuma reflected on Haneda's feat of taking down an entire ninja village single-handedly, feeling deeply moved.
As soon as he entered his room and saw no one was around, he couldn't help but exclaim with excitement, "Incredible, Lord Haneda!"
"To single-handedly conquer an entire ninja village!"
"I can still vividly recall how commanding Haneda looked—so bold and fierce."
"Although he seemed arrogant and reckless, he was actually full of wisdom and strategy."
"First, he tested Frost's response with an arrogant stance, then subdued their leader with a calculated use of genjutsu."
"By leveraging the leader to control Frost, he subdued them without a fight and made them submit!"
Listening to Asuma's praise, Haneda said casually, "I was simply using force to gain the upper hand."
"If it came down to an actual fight, I could only guarantee that you and Kurenai would get away safely."
Asuma replied, "Using force alone, you already managed to sway Frost and turn their leader with genjutsu! Lord Haneda, you're unstoppable!"
But what truly concerned Haneda was something else entirely. He thought that if Cloud sent a key figure to Frost Village, this war could end quickly, and he and Sakumo could then focus on Iwagakure.
---
*At the Konoha Command Center on the Frost Battlefield*
A small orange cat wearing a Konoha forehead protector quietly entered Orochimaru and Sakumo's tent. It dropped a scroll and, after meowing a few words, swiftly departed.
It was Haneda's summoning animal, delivering news of Haneda's control over Frost Village.
After reading the scroll, Orochimaru licked his lips with a sly smile. "Impressive efficiency, Haneda. I thought it would take at least a day, but he finished in fifteen minutes."
Recalling the details about Haneda's handling of the meeting, Orochimaru couldn't help but praise, "And he executed it flawlessly, leaving no loose ends."
Hearing this, Sakumo's gaze flickered in surprise. For Orochimaru to call something flawless meant Haneda must have shown incredible skill. And it had only taken him fifteen minutes!
Sakumo took the scroll, curious to read the details. At first, he frowned at Haneda's seemingly arrogant and reckless approach. But as he read further, he marveled at Haneda's skillful manipulation—turning the situation around by locking eyes with the Frost leader, using him to intimidate the entire room.
Haneda's every move had one goal: to secretly ally Frost with the Leaf and ambush any incoming Cloud forces.
Sakumo couldn't help but say, "Looks like this operation is shaping up to be interesting. With Cloud's aggressive war tactics, they won't be pleased to see Frost aligning with us."
"Now that Frost Village is entirely under our control, any Cloud representatives who arrive will have nowhere to run."
"If Cloud sends an important figure, the war with them may end quickly."
Orochimaru, recalling certain… experimental matters, smirked and replied, "Perhaps."
---
*Cloud Village, Raikage's Office*
When news of Uchiha Haneda, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai's stay in Frost reached the Third Raikage, he frowned and turned to the AB Duo in his office.
"Uchiha Haneda and Sarutobi Asuma are currently in Frost Village. What do you make of it?"
Killer B burst into a rap: "Yo, yo, it's the Konoha Twin Stars, who captured the Fourth Kazekage, yeah, Kuruyaruka!"
"B! We're talking business here!" A snapped, slamming his hand on the table, causing it to break instantly.
A muttered an apology, "Sorry, Father…"
"This is the twenty-fifth table you've smashed this month!" the Third Raikage remarked in exasperation.
"Alright, Father, back to business."
Shifting gears quickly to avoid further scolding, A discussed the matter of Frost Village.
"Uchiha Haneda is a Jōnin and one of the most talented young shinobi of the Leaf. He's a top disciple of Sakumo Hatake and holds high status in the village."
"If we don't send a respected Cloud shinobi to Frost, Frost Village will likely ally with the Leaf."
The Third Raikage looked approvingly at his son but added a correction. "It's not just likely; it's certain."
"If Cloud doesn't intervene, Frost will have no choice but to accept the Leaf's terms."
"With Orochimaru commanding this campaign, he'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals."
"He will force Frost to take a side. Whether they wish to remain neutral or not, we must send a figure with sufficient authority."
Hearing this, Killer B broke into another rap, "Raikage-sama's talking about me, yeah, Killer B, let's go, can't you see, yo yo~"
"Fool! We can't just send the Eight-Tails jinchūriki!" A retorted, aiming a kick at Killer B.
But the Third Raikage intervened.
"Son, you and Killer B will lead the mission to Frost Village."
"With Uchiha Haneda and the Hokage's son in Frost, we have valuable bargaining chips."
"And we still have a score to settle with Frost for being so fickle last time."