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Danzo POV

Danzo sat in his dimly lit office, the weight of his schemes settling over him like the shadows cast on the walls. His collaboration with Hanzo the Salamander in the Hidden Rain was proceeding smoothly. Under Danzo's guidance, Hanzo had begun to regard the Akatsuki—a new organization in his territory—as extremists, a group plotting a coup d'état. If all continued as planned, Hanzo would move against them within a few months, eliminating potential opposition and cementing Danzo's influence in the Land of Rain as an ally.

Beyond that, Danzo's reach extended across the borders. His Root agents, disguised as Hidden Stone shinobi, had been stoking the fires of discord, their actions igniting tension in key regions. Every step aligned with his larger vision: to reshape Konoha in his image, prepared for the conflict he was brewing. War was coming, and Konoha would be ready.

He picked up the latest report concerning the Land of Rivers, detailing a mission led by Sakumo Hatake. A prominent Konoha-aligned merchant had been assassinated there, and his son—the sole survivor—was now under Sakumo's protection. Intelligence indicated that the Hidden Sand assassins were still in the area, likely preparing to finish what they'd started. Sakumo's mission was to ensure the son's safety, but among his team was someone else of interest to Danzo: Haruto, the young chunin who had become an unexpected thorn in his side.

Danzo's expression darkened at the thought of the boy. After a single, well-placed essay, Haruto had effectively unraveled years of Danzo's covert work within Konoha regarding the Uchiha. Following a failed assassination attempt—an incident that had also resulted in the death of the woman who had raised him—Danzo's intuition told him Haruto knew more than he could prove. A threat like that, no matter how young, couldn't be allowed to grow.

Sakumo, too, was a complication Danzo would prefer to see gone. The man's unwavering loyalty and values, his dedication to his comrades and their ideals, had placed him firmly within the Hokage's circle. With each mission, Sakumo's reputation only grew, and there were whispers that he could be a candidate for Hokage. That clash of ideals infuriated Danzo—Sakumo's methods, his loyalty to his team above all, were the opposite of what Konoha needed.

Danzo's gaze fell back to the report. This mission had presented him with an ideal opportunity. Through carefully planted intelligence, he had led the Hidden Sand to believe their assassins were compromised, encouraging them to send reinforcements. Chiyo herself would be leading them, driven by a deeply personal vendetta. A couple of years ago, Sakumo had killed her son and his actions led to her daughter-in-law death in battle as well, Intel also indicated leaving her grandson, Sasori, orphaned and irrevocably scarred by their deaths.

A faint smile tugged at Danzo's lips as he tapped his finger against the report. Sakumo and Haruto were about to face an overwhelming force, one driven by revenge and manipulated by Danzo's hand. If everything went as planned, Konoha would receive two KIA reports soon enough.

Chiyo's POV

The desert wind carried with it the sting of old memories as Chiyo and her team made their way toward the Land of Rivers. Officially, they were reinforcements, but her presence was personal. Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, was in the area, and Chiyo had waited years to face him.

Her team consisted of another jonin and three skilled chunin, all of whom respected and feared her reputation. They knew of the White Fang, of his skill and the blood he had spilled. But they also knew of her wrath, and of the reason she had volunteered for this mission. Sakumo had killed her son and his wife, leaving her young grandson, Sasori, without parents. That day, she had lost not just her family but a piece of Sasori as well.

Since their deaths, Sasori had changed. Once a bright child, full of curiosity, he had grown distant, withdrawn into the world of puppets. Puppetry had once been a tradition, a revered art in their family, but for Sasori, it had become an obsession. He no longer built puppets with life in mind but with destruction. Sakumo's blade had not only taken her son and daughter-in-law but had carved a wound into her family's soul, one that Chiyo knew would never fully heal.

Her fingers tightened around her staff as she led her team onward. She couldn't restore what she'd lost, couldn't undo the pain that had driven Sasori to such dark places. But she could end the man who had caused it.