Tensions were brewing ever greater in the state of the war, but new variables and discoveries had made everything even worse.
Hidden Leaf forces were gathering in a forward base just shy of the fog barrier surrounding a certain part of Rain country, but their presence was far less inconspicuous than those of Rain's.
Hanzo had ordered for a full blockade of the barrier's perimeter, and day after day, his forces were growing to the detriment of Hidden Leaf, and the curiosity of Sand and Rock.
Increased attention to a seemingly unimportant location in the war would no doubt spur the need for investigation, and Sakumo was increasing vigilance because of it.
In order to deceive the other Great Hidden Villages, Sakumo had been subtle in his orders to amass troops to make it look like it was Hanzo alone who was interested in the barrier.
Logically, it made sense for Hanzo to investigate a matter concerning an anomaly in his own land compared to vying for it with Hidden Leaf.
However, the ruse would never last in a Shinobi War.
It could be a matter of days or weeks before the truth was revealed, and by then, all hell could break loose from vested interests in the reemergence of the Bloodline of the God of Shinobi.
Worse for Hidden Leaf, if Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru's reports were correct, the holder of the Bloodline of both Uzumaki and Senju was but a child younger than even Kushina Uzumaki.
This spelled trouble for Hidden Leaf, but unmitigated opportunity for the other Hidden Villages.
Children were impressionable, and given the current state of Rain where Kushina's brother had likely taken refuge after the fall of Whirlpool, his impression of Hidden Leaf must have deteriorated along with Sand and Rock.
But what of Rain, the battleground of the Great Hidden Villages?
Hanzo…that sly bastard.
It didn't take a Nara to understand Hanzo's intention by surrounding the area.
Fighting in Rain made it topologically clear that its lands were as unsuitable for agriculture and animal handling as Sand's deserts.
As good of a barrier erected or not, the land within would soon run out of provisions, and force the inhabitants within to venture out in search of life's necessities. Low and behold, Hanzo's retinue of Shinobi would be the first to meet them.
The only way to break the stalemate was either to sabotage Hanzo's efforts, or hope Lady Mito could arrive a little sooner to help decipher the mechanics of the barrier to grant Leaf full entry.
Patience in this situation was a virtue when the matters on the line were Bloodlines directly associated with the Senju and Uzumaki, both of which had roots in Hidden Leaf's founding.
Word should have already reached Hidden Leaf by now, and the Hokage should be issuing orders alongside Danzo and the Elder Council.
The consensus was predictable.
An S-Class secure and rescue mission was authorized, with permission to use any means necessary.
Danzo would personally take charge while Sarutobi managed logistics and planning in the Hidden Leaf as the Hokage.
Danzo left the Hidden Leaf village a week after Mito was requested to analyze the fog barrier. Given Mito's frailty, and Danzo's frenzied pace, the both of them should arrive within days of the other.
Of course, time was wasted in waiting for them.
None however, were as anxious about the entire ordeal as Tsunade Senju, glaring daggers at the Nara in charge of tactics in Sakumo's absence.
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" She seethed, nearly smashing the table the Nara was using to look over the field maps. "Why are we still here, and not actually doing anything?!"
Tsunade clutched tightly to her grandfather's necklace.
Everything was unbearable.
It wasn't just a little cousin trapped in that barrier, but her own little brother too!
Restless, her emotions were getting the best of her after days of stewing with inactivity.
"Tsunade-"
"Shut up." Tsunade hissed, interrupting Jiraiya.
Jiraiya sighed and Orochimaru gave him the side eye for attempting a futile endeavor.
Nothing stops the Senju princess when she gets worked up. Jiraiya should have known that considering he was one of Tsunade's teammates.
Tsunade pressed the Nara again, the full weight of her glare leveling on him, but the Nara was not one to lose his composure at the threat of bodily harm.
"Because going without a plan is a death sentence." The Nara said with an air of lethargy.
"…is not trying any better?" Tsunade understood where the Nara was coming from, but that was his job as a Nara to think of something. Not sit on his ass. "Day after day, neutral Rain is amassing their forces. They know what's in that barrier, and they want it!"
Veins popped over Tsunade's temples, but the Nara didn't lose his reason.
"Too much aggression, will only lead to worse outcomes." The Nara said. "Push Rain too much, and watch them break neutrality in order to side with Rock, Sand, or worse, leak intel to the other Great Hidden Villages spectating from afar. They'll all come swarming! There's already pressure from Hidden Sand on Rain's southwest border, if Rock decides to up the ante, the war will spill further on rivers of blood!"
"Tsunade." This time it was Orochimaru who took the initiative.
Tsunade glanced at the hand Orochimaru had placed on her shoulder and felt the fight ease off of her. The Nara wasn't worth it.
In fighting wasn't worth it.
A glint appeared in Tsunade's eyes as Jiraiya complained about biases. Orochimaru did the same thing as he did, but Tsunade didn't so much as flip the snake off.
"Tch." Tsunade turned away from the Nara and trudged off.
"Useless," she whispered under her breath.
"Sorry," Jiraiya was quick to come to Tsunade's defense. "She's been too worked up after…"
"No offense taken." The Nara said, much to Jiraiya's relief.
Jiraiya then excused himself as he took after his teammate to calm her down.
Left on his own, Orochimaru was the only one the Nara could reliably rely on.
"Is there word on Lady Mito's arrival yet?" The Nara asked.
Here, Orochimaru's expression lightened as a snake crawled up his leg and hissed into his ear.
"Hatake is leading a unit out to meet her." Orochimaru fed the snake a dead rat before it nodded in satisfaction and reverse summoned. "They'll be back within the hour."
Finally, some good news.
The situation was not what Mito was expecting upon meeting up with Sakumo and being escorted to a fortified Leaf encampment.
Her body was growing frailer and frailer.
Mito glanced at Sakumo whose expression remained unreadable. The man was a living legend in his deployment against Hidden Sand, earning the moniker of the White Fang, but the current matter was crucial.
Reputation meant nothing if the results didn't correspond to it. What was imperative now was the newest objective in the second Shinobi World War.
Mito grunted from creaking bones and stiff joints.
Uzumaki vitality or not, it would seem that nothing would beat the curse of old age. She was growing weaker by the day, which was why she'd had no choice but to pass her burden to Kushina as soon as she could. At the very most, she had a couple months left in her.
Rather than whittle away to her death, she'd rather contribute in the rescue of a clansman who shared her own blood, and was the direct relative of Kushina. With the Fox's influence, a little brother's presence could go a long way in keeping Kushina's mentality sound.
A great grand nephew was in need of saving.
It was a headache enough trying to get Kushina to stay in Hidden Leaf, but if she returned with no positive news, there was no telling what that head-strong brat would do.
Moreover, Mito certainly didn't need Sakumo fretting over her.
Regardless of her body's condition, her stubborn Uzumaki nature still urged her forward as it did from an age long past.
"Shall I carry you the rest of the way, Lady Mito?" Sakumo offered, only to get his hand slapped away.
"Hush you manchild," Mito grunted. "I've still got strength in these old bones."
"That's precisely why-"
"Hmm?"
Sakumo shut his mouth at Mito's side eye.
He was going to insist that she conserve her energy for later, but realized arguing with her would only make her more weary.
Entering the forward base, Sakumo immediately sought out the Nara he'd placed in charge in his absence while Mito glanced around for her granddaughter and grandson.
Oddly, neither were around.
Nawaki had no business in the command center, but Tsunade should have had clearance.
"Report," Sakumo said, simultaneously helping Mito into a chair.
"Hanzo and Hidden Rain's forces are continuing to build a defensive perimeter around the fog barrier. A dozen new units have arrived in your absence, and they show no signs of stopping." The Nara narrated with a tired sigh. "To prevent antagonizing Rain, we've been keeping our forces just out of sight of their Sensor Shinobi's range, but we can't allow them to continue bolstering their position."
Sakumo hummed in thought, glancing at Mito and then corroborating what he'd heard with the task of getting Mito close enough to analyze the barrier.
"Where are their defenses spread thinnest?" Sakuma asked tentatively.
Part of Sakumo was still unsure of Mito's temperament, and hoped she wouldn't be offended by his words.
Uzumaki were brash and bold. To suggest or even imply that they would have to skirt around away from the front would have had Kushina raising a brow. However, Mito wasn't that naive anymore.
She understood the direness of the situation from observation alone.
Morale and spirits were low from increasing tension and Hanzo's elimination of the exploratory unit sent into the fog barrier. The only survivors were Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya. And now, all Leaf could do was sit in place while Hanzo gloated by inflating his forces around their newest objective.
Mito represented a breakthrough point for Leaf, and she wouldn't jeopardize the situation out of stubbornness.
"I'll follow where I'm needed," Mito said.
Sakumo nodded in relief and urged the Nara to continue.
"Hanzo's forces are spread thinnest on the northeast of the barrier." The Nara solemnly leaned forward. "Rain doesn't possess as many forces as a Great Village, so they've compromised by building their units around key points. Notably, Hanzo has focused these key points in the direction of Rock, Leaf, and Sand, leaving other areas thin. With a strong enough force, we can break through them before reinforcements can arrive. For this, I suggest using Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade to break through the weak point while you simultaneously escort Mito to the barrier, and guard her for as long as necessary."
"If that barrier's indeed Uzumaki, Bloodline should be all that it would take to be recognized as an ally by it." Mito offered her input.
"Then the plan is feasible," Sakumo murmured.
"Feasible does not mean certain," The Nara cautiously advised. "Should Hanzo be nearby, I suggest aborting the operation entirely."
"That old man hasn't kicked the dust yet, huh?" Mito grumbled, neither Sakumo or the Nara daring to tell Mito to speak for herself. She was even older than Hanzo.
"Anyways, send the order down for Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru to gather," Sakumo said, readying his equipment. "We move as soon as preparations are made."
Nodding, the Nara left the meeting room and began issuing orders down the chain of command.
It wasn't long before everything was put to motion, and the required members began gathering together.
The problem was, only Jiraiya and Orochimaru arrived, the first of which appeared awkward, and the other confused and shooting daggers at Jiraiya.
"...Where is Tsunade?" Sakumo said flatly.
In the end, Jiraiya finally caved under the combined stares of Orochimaru, Mito, and Sakumo.
"She did what?"
Mito's eyes widened.
As the owner of his own barrier, it was no difficult task for Shirou's wood clone to escort Setsuna and her unit of Rain Shinobi out of large-scale sealing art.
The wood clone paused at the sight just outside the barrier.
Before it was a hive of activity where groups of shinobi surrounded the area around the barrier with barricades facing outward. Small teams manned the top while the bulk of the forces carried supplies and scrolls to various points around a controlled relay network.
The closest Rain shinobi tensed when he took notice of the wood clone, but eased when he then noticed Setsuna and the others.
The man signaled, and then called in to the other shinobi nearby. From the looks of it, he hadn't expected Setsuna or the others to have returned, and needed to differ to a superior to handle the matter.
The man was likely a Chuunin of Rain village then.
It wasn't long after the initial sighting, that another man in a Jounin flak jacket appeared and nodded at Setsuna's group leader.
"Well c'mon. What are you waiting for?" Setsuna asked, pulling the wood clone along, following the captain's pace.
The wood clone had his reservations.
As much as the wood clone's death meant little to the original, he had to somehow make it back alive to the original to convey its findings. Unlike the Leaf's Shadow Clone Jutsu, ordinary clones of other types didn't transmit their experiences back to the user.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Setsuna scoffed, reading the wood clone's hesitation. "To enemies, Hanzo is the most terrifying, but he won't be like that to guests or his own forces."
"Right," the wood clone said, far from comforted at the words. "I'll also remind you that if I fail to report back, the original will take it that negotiations have broken down."
"I'm telling you, the old man isn't that bad," Setsuna insisted. "At the very least, Hanzo's fighting for us and not for Leaf, Stone, or Sand. Just hear him out."
Setsuna patted the wood clone in the back, and with that, the wood clone found Setsuna retreating along with her unit to another briefing center.
Left alone, the wood clone stared silently at the location the Rain shinobi had led him towards.
It was obvious that Hanzo was inside if the sheer magnitude of the chakra signature within was anything to go by.
Resolving itself, the clone stepped into the room and noticed Hanzo seated in seiza with his back facing it.
In front of Hanzo was a small fire and a rolled out scroll that he was carefully writing ink over.
"Sit," Hanzo said.
The man looked exactly the same as when the original had first seen him. Wearing a respirator and carrying an imposing demeanor, Hanzo put away the unraveled scroll and ink pen before turning to face the wood clone.
"Now isn't this amusing." Hanzo rasped, his weathered voice distorted through the mask. "Pity it's just a clone though. So, why have you come out of hiding? Tuna tells me that you've an interest in an alliance?"
"She'd be wrong," the wood clone answered, nodding at Hanzo before tentatively sitting across from him. "What I want is an end to all the violence in Rain. Peace is what I seek."
Hanzo hummed, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second before he stifled a laugh. "Are we not fighting on the same side, boy? If peace is the goal, then what I can offer is a guiding hand. For there can be no peace without power."
"You aren't convincing me with the way you abandon the weak to survive in this war," the wood clone said, shaking its head.
"The Land of Rain borders three great Shinobi powers." Hanzo explained with patience. "The Hidden Leaf, Hidden Sand, and Hidden Rock. In a war we didn't start, our land has become the battleground, and its people and shinobi trampled by foreign interests. If I were to have focused on the safety and security of those who can't contribute to Rain's defense, Hidden Rain would have fallen years ago."
"That's not a reason for-"
"Child, what I desire is also peace." Hanzo preached. "Peace among the Five Great Shinobi Nations brings an end to constant struggle and animosities, but words carry no weight without backing. Look at the land of Rain as it is now. Do you think I wished it to be this way? A battleground? The hegemony of the Great Hidden Villages cannot be challenged by a smaller village. Logistics, manpower, economy, it all falls short unless we have a power or influence that overshadows all."
"At the cost of abandoning lives, and leaving children orphaned?" The wood clone couldn't believe it.
"There are some choices that must be made in times of war, and this was-"
"Lord Hanzo!" A Rain Shinobi abruptly intruded, earning a glare from Hanzo.
However, the situation appeared more pressing than expected…or should Hanzo say an opportunity?
"One of the Sannin are raiding the logistic supplies!"
The edges of Hanzo's lips curled, but it was hidden behind the mask he wore.
"Trying to starve us out, huh?" Hanzo mused aloud while glancing at Shirou's wood clone, intently listening in. "Do you see now how isolated Rain is amid this war? You may fault me for my lack of compassion to the weak and feeble, but we are surrounded by enemies as we speak. We don't even have the luxury to amass forces in our own land. Too much of a threat for a neutral force?"
Hanzo scoffed, putting away the supplies he was working over.
"Better to slowly constrict us into annexation."
"..." The wood clone could say nothing as the very ground beneath shuddered from terrifying impacts.
"We find ourselves at a crossroad," Hanzo said while urging the wood clone to see for itself.
"Against each other, there is much to lose," Hanzo rose to his feet, arming himself with his sickle. "But together, there is far more that can be saved."
Hanzo extended a hand.
"Let us momentarily put aside our differences."
The wood clone hesitantly stared at the hand.
"For the Land of Rain."
See the atrocity of the enemies for yourself, and judge who was worse.
The Defenders, or the Invaders.
Blood and gore splattered into a red smear on the dirt as Tsunade retracted her fist. The remnant of a corpse that once belonged to a Rain toppled over, its upper half blown away.
Around Tsunade were craters filled with shattered carriages, ruined perishables, and destroyed equipment among the bodies of the other Rain shinobi that had stood guard.
That was the sixth carriage.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, trying to recall the route of other supply convoys Hidden Leaf's intelligence forces had already mapped out.
The heavy rain constantly battered at her, her cheeks rosy from exertion, and bangs matted down from the moisture. The weather was a far cry from Fire country's temperate conditions, but she was too blinded by frustration and anxiety to put much care into her current appearance.
She had been unable to stay put in the Leaf forward base for any longer, and had guilted Jiraiya into helping her cover her absence.
For as much as logic and reasoning were on the Nara's side, he failed to consider the emotional aspect of impulsive behavior.
Tsunade understood every point the Nara had made, and still decided she had to do something within her own means that didn't cross Hanzo's final line.
Disrupting the supply lines was a basic among the basics of war, but given that Hanzo's forces weren't yet pushed to the brink of hunger, it shouldn't have been the most pressing matter.
Instead, the impact would show over time.
Tired of waiting, Tsunade had acted.
The only problem was that she'd never anticipated the leader of Rain himself to suddenly intercept her with the threat of the other Hidden Villages on the horizon.
"To be so bold on your own, it's actually quite commendable."
A shudder traveled down Tsunade's back, as retreat immediately flashed in her mind at the echo of the familiar voice.
It was one thing if Jiraiya and Orochimaru were with her to buy time and stall for reinforcements against Hanzo, but what could she do on her own?
"Hanzo…"
Tsunade's expression hardened at Hanzo's arrival.
Regardless, she readied herself for battle.
'Wait for me.'
She could not afford to fall here.
Nawaki and a cousin she didn't know were relying on her and Leaf to make a breakthrough.
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