Chapter 60-Crimson Sky!

Chapter 60

TSUNADE SENJU

Tsunade watched as a pale and weak Akihito, wrote his message on the missive, as Katsuyu surrounded him, constantly healing him, keeping him alive and conscious despite his injuries.

It had taken her a week to stabilize him enough, and even that had required liberal use of iryoninjutsu and his Uzumaki retainer's services. Yet even now, he would not survive out of the Shikkotsu forest, which was filled with vitality and sen-chakra, helping his body mend. Yet as soon as she took him out of there, she knew that he would die.

"Have this sent to Miyuki and the Prime Minister. They will know what to do with it. Give the second one to Minato," he said as he pushed forward the two missives, and she nodded.

"You are damn stubborn, you know that," she admonished, for despite his condition, he had insisted on working ad even now had spent hours making plans for the war.

"Dot chastise me, Tsunade-san," he said while huffing.

"I am depending on this very stubbornness to save me," he said as he winced in pain.

"Rest, I will be back with Jiraiya soon, and we can begin the sealing," and he gave her a thumbs up as he closed his eyes as Katusyu surrounded him once more.

"Keep an eye on him, Katsuyu-chan, and inform me if anything happens," she asked her summon, who nodded eagerly.

"Of course, Tsunade-san. I will be waiting for your return."

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato had never thought that there would be another war so soon after the last, beginning in the early days of his reign as a king.

Yet that was what had happened, and with Kumo and Iwa striking first, striking at their daimyo, all options at peace were exhausted, and they were in open warfare, and Konoha had emerged victorious from the first gamble.

And yet that victory had come at a cost, as everything in life did.

"Lord Third and his forces were able to strike at Iwa, while Iwa's own forces were stopped in Ame. Our gamble paid off, and now all routes from Ame to Konoha have been cut off. If Iwa and Kumo wish to strike at us they must do so using the longer routes," he announced to his councillors, which had expanded for the war effort.

And this was going to be the most consequential of the meetings if Lord daimyo's message was any indication.

"This is what Akihito-sama sought when he made his alliance with Ame," Lady Tsunade spoke up as she looked towards the Jounin commander.

"While we may have lost access to Ame's land as well, so have our enemies, and with Ame politically stable and united, none will be able to use it to attack us," she cut off the border between their lands and Ame on the map that was laid out on the table.

"Our alliance with Kiri also makes sure that our border to the West will also be secure, and so it is only the Easter border that we have to guard," she said, highlighting the border in question.

"That may be true, but there are reports that Iwa and Kumo have turned their eyes on Suna after they failed to attack us and are thinking of attacking them. Suna alone will not be able to handle this," Shikaku pointed out.

"We will need to send a unit to help them," Jiraiya-sensei added.

"Fugaku would have been perfect for the job but his fight with Iwa's jinchuriki has left him injured, it will be a few weeks until he is at full health and ready to be deployed again," Shikaku and that had been their biggest cost yet.

To carve out an escape route for the men retreating from the parlay's location, Fugaku had engaged Iwa's jinchuriki and his squad with a numerical disadvantage. Facing a jinchuriki, especially a complete one such as Roshi of the Lava Style, was a behemoth of a task.

And yet he had done his duty, despite being outnumbered, Fugaku had managed to keep them all occupied long enough to secure for them a passage to retreat, and yet the battle had cost him much, and right now he was in the hospital, stable thankfully but still out for the count.

"How about you, Tsunade-san?" Shikaku questioned, and she immediately shook her head.

"Both Jiraiya and I are unavailable for combat for at least a week," she informed him, and he knew the reason.

They were going to seal the two tails into daimyo-sama, to save his life. Through herculean effort, Tsunade-sama had been able to stabilize Akihito-sama's life, yet the attack had left him in a much weaker state, and the only way to save him was by making him a jinchuriki.

"Kiri will not be able to help either. The Mizukage had to face another jinchuriki to secure the retreat of her own forces, their forces must be exhausted as well," Shikaku added, as he tried to think of an appropriate plan.

"What if we redirect sensei's forces," Jiraiya-sensei advised, and he thought about that.

"He is pressuring Iwa's border at the moment, but if we send out two smaller platoons, one to take his position and harass Iwa's border forces while the other to reinforce his forces as he joins up the Suna border forces.

"But sensei is old now. Is it wise to ask so much of him at this point in time?" Tsunade-sama questioned, and Jiraiya-sensei scoffed.

"You underestimate sensei, Tsunade. He is not one to tire so easily, and if there is anyone who can pull this off, it is him," he said, and it was the most solid plan they had.

"He is not called the Professor for nothing," Shikaku san added.

"And we can also send one of you as his replacement once you are done with your task," Shikaku added and he nodded.

"Then that is it. Have a message relayed to Lord Third and begin assembling the two platoons," he said to Shikaku who nodded, and then he turned towards Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama.

"I leave the sealing of the bijuu to you," he said, and they nodded as Tsunade-sama left the room, taking Jiraiya sensei with herself as he leaned back and sighed, feeling weary from the pressure he was under.

Konoha's position was much better than one would imagine. They had struck first and had also captured an enemy bijuu, something that would have meant absolute victory at any other time in past wars.

Yet for this one, it was just the beginning.

"You seem to have something on your mind, Shikaku-san?" he questioned the jounin commander who still sat in his office.

"Is it truly wise, putting a bijuu in the daimyo-sama?" he asked, and that was a valid question.

A bijuu was an enormous war resource, especially to Konoha, who could not depend on Kushina for quite some time, given that she was pregnant.

And using it to save a daimyo's life was unorthodox but necessary in his own eyes.

"It is," he replied.

"And is it wise to support him in his other ambition? Until this point, all three Great Wars have been apolitical, with only the shinobi spilling blood. If we change that and escalate as he proposes, we will be entering uncharted territory," and indeed, it was unprecedented.

Previously, even during the war, trade and talks between the associated countries were affected little, even as the Hidden Villages fought, yet Akihito was set to change that and the whole world alongside it.

"Do you speak against it?" he asked, seeming to think about it for a second before he shook his head.

"No, but this would change the world as we know it," he said.

"That it will."

0000

HYAKUYA SOSUKE

Gathered in the Great hall were all the lords, High and low, along with all the Ministers and advisors to the daimyo, whose seat remained empty.

The war had begun in full, and word about the treachery of Iwa and Kumo had spread all around, and yet, despite it being a few weeks since the beginning of open hostilities, no major announcement had been made from the daimyo's castle.

And today,, that will change, as the doors to the Hall opened up, and there stood the Princess herself, clad in the finest of robes. Yet unlike before, she did not look down demurely but straight ahead with a fiery gaze as everyone bowed to her. She made her way to the throne and sat down on the seat beside the daimyo.

"Raise your heads," she spoke softly, as silence hung in the air.

"Today I have gathered all of you here on behalf of my husband and your daimyo, Akihito Shirahoshi, who even now fights for his life because of the treachery of our enemies, enemies who live and survive only because of our own mercy," she began, as everyone hung at her every word.

"They thought to cripple us, taking advantage of our mercy," she began, and mercy it was. Even after the war, the daimyo had imposed no new tariffs on Stone and Cloud country, allowing them to buy grain and other necessities from their markets at fair rates.

He had not imposed heavy sanctions, or recompense either allowing them to rebuild, their devasted lands, yet they had this mercy back at them.

"And now they shall suffer for it, as they never have before," she finished ominously. She took a blade offered by Lady Chiba, and he saw many realize the significance of this gathering.

"This will no longer be a simple war between villages," and then she pulled back her sleeve, and raised it placed the knife's edge on the skin.

"I, as the wife of the Fire Daimyo Akihito Shirahosi, call forth..." and she pulled the knife as blood spurted from the wound on her arm.

"...CRIMSON SKY!"

0000

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