252-Messanger

The night sky over Konoha was still dark, the only light coming from the dim glow of the village below and the faint sliver of a crescent moon that hung low on the horizon. Inside the Hokage's office, however, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

The faint sound of a lit pipe was the only sound in the room as Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, puffing quietly at his pipe.

Jiraiya sat across from him, unusually silent. His large frame was relaxed, legs stretched out beneath the table, but his usual carefree expression was replaced with something more contemplative. His fingers tapped lightly on the edge of his chair, a rare sign of impatience from the usually easygoing Sannin.

An hour had passed since they had sent Minato to deal with the approaching Kirigakure force. The two shinobi had exchanged few words since then. They didn't need to. Both men trusted Minato's abilities enough to know that he would return soon. There was no need for constant chatter when the Yellow Flash was involved.

And then, in an instant, Minato appeared in the centre of the room. His blond hair caught the moonlight for a brief second before settling as he stood tall, his face calm but focused.

Hiruzen didn't waste a moment. "Is it done?" he asked, his voice calm, but there was an edge of urgency beneath the surface.

Minato nodded, his blue eyes steady. "Yes, Lord Third."

A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of Hiruzen's mouth. He leaned back in his chair slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing.

"I never would have thought the Mizukage would stoop to needing Kusagakure's help to attack Konoha," he remarked, his voice laced with a hint of amusement, though the undercurrent of concern was still present.

"It seems like they're more desperate than I expected."

Jiraiya chuckled softly from his seat. "The Mizukage's always been ambitious, but this seems a little sloppy, even for him. But tells how were the forces"

Minato, standing at attention, shifted his weight slightly before speaking. "Jiraiya-sensei, Lord Third," he began, addressing each of them respectfully, "the Kirigakure forces consisted of four elite jōnin, each leading squads of jōnin and chūnin. They were spread across multiple teams, but they lacked any serious reinforcements."

Jiraiya's brows furrowed at this, and he leaned forward slightly. "Only four elite jōnin?" he asked, sounding perplexed.

"That seems... weak. Kirigakure's a formidable village. Why send such a small force?"

Hiruzen, too, frowned thoughtfully. "Indeed. Kirigakure is known for its aggressive tactics. It's unlike them to send such a modest force for an attack of this scale."

Minato nodded. "That's exactly what I thought, Lord Third," he said. "It seemed unusual. Perhaps that's why they needed Kusagakure's help in all this. They might not have the strength they once had."

Both Jiraiya and Hiruzen exchanged a glance, and a slow realization seemed to settle between them. The idea made sense—painfully so.

"Hmm," Hiruzen mused aloud, stroking his chin. "It's possible. The last Great Shinobi War left all of the major villages weakened, but Kirigakure was hit the hardest by far. Their losses were catastrophic compared to the rest of us."

Jiraiya chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Their thirst for war hasn't exactly helped them rebuild, either. The Third Mizukage challenged you to a fight twice since the war ended, hasn't he, Lord Third? They've been poking the bear every chance they get."

Hiruzen sighed, but there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Yes, twice. He's stubborn, I'll give him that." He shifted in his seat, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk.

"But sending a weaker force and relying on Kusagakure to assist them? That's not a good sign for them."

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, his easygoing demeanour returning.

"Well, it makes sense now. Kirigakure's too prideful to admit they need help, but that's exactly what they're doing by aligning with Kusagakure."

The room fell into a brief silence as the three men mulled over the situation. The tension, though eased by Minato's success, remained palpable. It wasn't every day that two major and minor shinobi villages cooperated to threaten Konoha. Though the Kirigakure forces had been taken care of, the underlying question still lingered: Why now?

Minato, sensing the shift in conversation, cleared his throat softly before speaking again. "Lord Third," he began, "what about the team stationed near Kusagakure's borders? They were monitoring Kusagakure's movements, correct?"

Hiruzen's gaze flickered toward Minato, and he nodded. "Thank you for reminding me." He reached toward the desk drawer beside him, pulling it open with a soft creak. From inside, he retrieved a small leather pouch, setting it down on the desk and sliding it toward Minato.

Minato blinked in surprise, looking down at the pouch before glancing back at Hiruzen.

"What's this?"

"Open it," Hiruzen said, his expression calm.

Minato picked up the pouch and carefully opened it. Inside, he found it filled to the brim with soldier pills. His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared down at the contents.

"Soldier pills?" he asked, puzzled. "Why are you giving me these?"

Hiruzen chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with the weight of unspoken knowledge.

"It's for your next journey, Minato."

Minato's confusion deepened, and he looked to Jiraiya for clarification. The white-haired Sannin was grinning, clearly amused by Minato's confusion.

"You're going to the border," Jiraiya explained, leaning back in his chair with a smirk.

"You need to relay a message to the team stationed near Kusagakure. We want them to attack Kusagakure's forces while they're still stationed there before they can retreat."

Minato's eyes widened slightly. "But…" He glanced down at the pouch again. "

The last trip drained a lot of my chakra. I'm not sure how many more long-distance uses of the Flying Thunder God Technique I can manage in such a short time."

Jiraiya waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, come on, Minato. I can still sense your chakra reserves, and you're fine. Besides, it's just a quick message relay. The soldier pills will cover whatever chakra you lose."

Minato frowned slightly, clearly hesitant. "I suppose…"

Hiruzen gave a slow nod, his eyes kind but firm. "You've done well, Minato, but this mission is crucial. With Kusagakure's forces still gathering, it's the perfect time to strike. If we let them retreat now, they may become a greater threat later."

They had already set things in motion to destabilize Kusagakure, so Hiruzen felt it right for them to see this till the end.

Minato paused for a moment, his mind weighing the situation. Then, with a deep breath, he relented. "Understood, Lord Third."

Jiraiya flashed him a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit!"

With a final nod, Minato placed the pouch of soldier pills into his bag and straightened his posture. Without another word, he performed a quick hand sign and vanished in a flash of yellow light, leaving the Hokage's office as quickly as he had entered.

'I didn't know that I'd also be a messenger when I mastered this jutsu.' Minato thought.

The room was once again enveloped in silence, save for the occasional sound of Hiruzen's pipe.

Jiraiya let out a long sigh, his earlier humour fading as the weight of the situation settled back onto his shoulders.

"It's closer than we thought," he muttered, his voice low and serious.

Hiruzen took a moment before responding, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed out the window into the dark night. "It seems so," he said softly.

There was a heaviness to his words, a quiet acknowledgement of the storm that was on the horizon.

=====

Meanwhile, as the meeting continued in the Hokage's office, far away from the peaceful quiet of Konoha, Renjiro was busy with his own task.

He stood alone in the basement of his house, the moonlight filtering through the window. The air was cool, but Renjiro barely noticed, his focus entirely on the scroll in front of him.

He had already covered the room with anti-monitoring seals for privacy as well as peace of mind. So he was sure that whatever he was about to do, won't be found out. Renjiro's sharp eyes glinted with determination as he knelt, retrieving the scroll from the folds of his cloak.

With a flick of his wrist, he unravelled the scroll, revealing intricate seals and markings that glowed faintly in the moonlight. Without hesitation, he formed a quick hand sign, his chakra flaring in response to the command.

"Poof!"

In an instant, a body appeared in front of him—a lifeless corpse, limp and cold on the forest floor. Renjiro's gaze flickered briefly over the body, his expression unreadable. It was Ohashi Kurogane's corpse.

"It's finally time," he murmured to himself, his voice barely above a whisper.

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