The Hunt

Sarutobi Hiruzen was frowning.

There were very few things in the world that could make him frown.

A new Kazekage with the backing of the Wind Daimyo was certainly one of them.

Especially one rumoured to have defeated Onoki in single combat.

Even he wasn't fully assured of his chances against the fence-sitting midget.

Now, his sources in Suna informed him of incredible feats that made him seem inhuman.

A hidden village destroyed within hours?

And then rebuilt from scratch in the span of three days?

Even with the help of Rasa, it wasn't something within the bounds of possibility for someone within the realms of humanity.

As the leader of the Hidden Leaf, Hiruzen was privy to a few of the more secretive pieces of knowledge… like how the first Hokage's cells still seemed to live even yers after his death and his corpse refused to decay.

He knew that despite what the populace believed, there were existences that had once surpassed the peak of human capabilities represented by the Kage.

Why? Hanzo, after merging with his Salamander had taken a step in the right direction and the reason he sought more political power was to have more subordinates to help him seek for the direction towards the next, most essential step.

That towards the path to Godhood.

Unconfirmed rumours about the new Kazekage having merged with two of the tailed beasts lent credence to the view that he was something more than human.

Seeing that Iwa had lost the Four-tails in the war with Suna, he was inclined to peg the rumours as the truth.

Even the strongest Uzumaki seals couldn't hold more than a single tailed-beast. But, if the man was anything like Hashirama Senju, then nothing could be ruled out. Tailed-beasts had just been larger pets to the happy-go-lucky man.

Where was that idiot Danzo when you truly needed him? Ahh, of course, playing around in the Land of Rain, instigating the masses against Iwa.

A fat lot of good it was doing them now that the new Kazekage had blindsided them by seceding swathes of Wind country territory to the Land of Earth in return for a treaty of alliance and as 'payment' for the Four-tails.

Along with the Mizukage's thirst for the blood of the ninja of the Hidden Leaf for wiping out his Seven Swordsmen, it was turning out to be a tri-partite agreement of ceasefire to mount an offensive against the Leaf.

Any long-term plans like rousing public sentiment in the Land of Rain against Iwa was now useless.

Water in distant wells wasn't useful when the backyard was on fire.

Speaking of the seven swordsmen, Might Duy was a pleasant surprise. An oversight of the current system which neglected Taijutsu training in favour of the flashier chakra-based techniques.

Hiruzen personally had unlocked three of the gates before stopping as the investment of time required was too disproportionate for the gains.

Although, it was a very valuable trump-card to have against enemy powerhouses.

The reports on the might of the full eight gates were shocking and easily rivalled the destructive power of the tailed-beasts… maybe even more.

He had immediately signed a warrant for the transfer of Duy's son Guy to the fast-track to jonin.

Seeing that he had already unlocked five of his gates at such a young age, he had the potential to be one of the pillars of Konoha in the future.

But for that, the present crisis needed to be averted so they would have the time to grow and perpetuate the Will of Fire.

Sarutobi sank back into his chair with a sigh, blowing out smoke rings from his trusty mahogany pipe.

Top-quality tobacco from the Land of Rice. One of the perks of being the Hokage was that a lot of people felt it necessary to flatter you with gifts.

Luxurious gifts.

But, sometimes the gifts represented something else entirely. The arrangement and the quantity of the types of tobacco leaves told their own little story.

It was known to very few beyond his three-man squad that the current leader of the Land of Rice owed him his life and as such the Land of Rice had decided to become a double-agent of Konoha for as long as the old man was alive.

They were allied with the Land of Wind currently and knew the position of the meeting-place of the three Kage.

Given Konoha's contingent of the three Sannin, although Tsunade was unlikely to participate… the recently rising star Minato Namikaze and he himself, he was hesitant on whether to just attack them during the meeting and get the whole fiasco over and done with.

But, considering that he knew nothing of the new Kazekage… not even his name, he relinquished this warm-blooded course of action.

An ANBU ninja body flickered in and presented him with another report.

Reading it, the questions in his mind further increased.

Rasa had defected?

His bounty was only 10 ryo?

Was this psychological warfare from the new Kazekage?

An attempt to kill the other Kage with his toxic sense of humour?

10 ryo for a missing nin Kage? Hell, a bowl of Ramen at Ichiraku's cost more than that.

He felt sorely tempted to break something.

Sighing again, he massaged his throbbing temples. He was getting too old for this.

Then, suddenly, a heretofore neglected information registered in his vision.

"…. Illegible relations with Pakura of the scorch style… current location, guest of the Wind Daimyo's first wife, Lady Shin…'

A sharp light grew in Sarutobi's eyes, sweeping away all his prior dispiritedness like a bloodhound catching the first whiff of its quarry.

By the time the sun had touched the horizon, all information about the target was collected and compiled and a plan was ready and set in motion.

Donning his aged, yet well-oiled armour, he shook of years of inertia as an administrative worker.

Today, it was the turn of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the so-called God of the Shinobi World to take action personally.

Maybe, taking a lover was considered ignominious by the uptight Samurai, but he was no follower of Bushido.

A plan that worked, was a plan that would be used.

What use was honour to the dead?

His people's safety was his religion and he their God.

For Konoha, he had sacrificed his familial happiness with his wife, Biwako.

His son was unfamiliar to him… yet, he had no complaints for the Will of Fire burnt in him.

The sacrifice of the few was meant to benefit the many and the few martyrs would live forever in the hearts of their successors, igniting their Will of Fire, making it burn brighter generation after generation.

Personal happiness? Honour?

In front of the safety of Konoha, they weren't worth a red cent.

Striding out of his office through a hidden door, he reached a reverse-summoning based transmission to the heart of the Land of Wind.

A quick transformation jutsu and transmission later, a rickety old beggar emerged from an alley in the outskirts of the capital of Wind Country.

Shaking his wooden alms bowl at the passer-bys, he solicited donations as he meandered towards the palace of the Daimyo.

It was time to begin the hunt.