Urgency mattered more than any form of covertness for Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya as they sped along in the direction of Hidden Rain's encampment.
Frail and old, Mito was grudgingly being carried on Sakumo's back after realizing her stubbornness could potentially result in the death of her bullheaded granddaughter.
Jiraiya sported a swollen bruise above his left eye where Mito had punched him for his recklessness.
To listen to Tsunade's whims in a warzone was beyond simple recklessness, it was literal endangerment. No one came to Jiraiya's aid. Rather, Mito grumbled that Sarutobi had not done nearly as good of a job in teaching Jiraiya to resist being swayed by emotions.
Little Jiraiya definitely still had a crush on Tsunade. If Tsunade had asked Orochimaru, she'd never have been able to get away with this.
Clicking her tongue while Sakumo helped steady her, Mito focused on sensing Tsunade's Chakra signature. Her Uzumaki genes had certainly played a role in giving Tsunade chakra reserves large enough for most sensors to be able to pick up, and Mito was more than familiar with it even if Tsunade had been trained to conceal it.
"That way." Mito directed, eyes narrowing while Sakumo simply obeyed.
Ever diligent, Sakumo was the ideal Hidden Leaf Shinobi who followed the rules to the letter, and displayed maximum efficiency. There was no other active shinobi in the war that Hidden Leaf's council and Hokage trusted more to complete any mission.
No one other than Mito spoke, displaying a level of discipline expected of the small elite group that they comprised. Orochimaru was Sarutobi's best student, and he was just as prudent as Sakumo was.
Only Jiraiya seemed put off with the atmosphere, but he dared not risk drawing Mito's attention again.
The old granny's aged wrinkles were already deeply furrowed at Tsunade's antics. Her impulsive behavior was almost as bad as it had been in her academy days. It was too out of character for Tsunade.
…Something must have happened.
Mito grew suspicious.
"Where's my grandson?" Mito asked in the silence of their chakra enforced march.
Mito noted Orochimaru's neutral expression flicker with doubt, not knowing what to say, but Jiraiya was more than willing to break the silence.
"In there," Jiraiya said dryly, pointing at the barrier of mist within the land of Rain. "He was reportedly injured while out with the snake bastard, and he doesn't seem like his usual self. He actually dared to not listen to Tsunade when she yelled at him to stop."
"What do you mean by reportedly being injured?" Mito raised brow, this time glancing at Orochimaru.
"He died," Orochimaru said bluntly. "At least he should have when he set off an explosive seal."
"..." Mito's lips thinned, more wrinkles forming around her eyes and making her appear to age further. Orochimaur was not one to lie. "But you claim to have seen him?"
"Yes," Orochimaru said. "What the idiot said was the truth. Nawaki is within that barrier with our primary target of interest. There was no time to catch up to them as Hanzo was securing an area lock down, intent on concealing information. The three of us made it out, no one else did. Hanzo then turned to fortifying his position, making it impossible for anyone to slip into the barrier unnoticed by him. Alternatively, Nawaki was left behind."
"I see," Mito connected all the dots that would have unsettled Tsunade to the point of brash stupidity.
What the group ended up stumbling into was not what anyone expected.
The wreckage and cratered ground were tell-tale signs of Tsunade's work which meant Mito was definitely on the right track.
Sakumo took note that Tsunade had been hitting Rain's supply convoys which hinted that she wasn't being completely irrational. Ergo, not being suicidal, greatly increasing the odds of finding her alive.
Trying to break through Hanzo's perimeter on her own would have had the Senju princess's body delivered back to Hidden Leaf in a casket.
Instead, what Mito and the others found in the ruins of Tsunade's wake, was Tsunade pounding her fists into the ground in frustration. The pouring rain had dampened her bangs and stuck them close to her forehead protector, and her attire was in tatters from a fight.
As she was alive, it didn't seem as if she'd lost, yet the enraged flicker of her eyes revealed otherwise.
Mito knew Tsunade and could see right away that she was clearly venting. However, doing so in enemy territory was highly inadvisable.
Glancing at Sakumo, an awkward Orochimaru, and a clueless Jiraiya, Mito could tell that they weren't saying anything out of consideration for her.
"Enough, you brat!" Mito raised her voice as Sakumo landed beside Tsunade. She also didn't waste the time to get onto her feet and stride up to her granddaughter.
"G-Grandma?" Tsunade had a moment to realize who'd just yelled at her, and then another to feel her stomach drop. "Wait! Please just wait-!"
Mito grabbed Tsunade by the ear and pulled. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? NO I DON'T NEED TO HEAR IT TO KNOW YOU WEREN'T!"
"You damn hag, you'll pull it off!" Tsunade screamed, face going red as Jiraiya and Orochimaru glanced elsewhere. "Please, stop, just stop!"
"Hmph," Mito scoffed before wringing her hand loose off Tsunade's ear lobe. She glared. "Explain."
Tsunade swallowed, cradling her throbbing ear. She knew her grandmother wasn't asking about why she'd gone on her own, rather, she was asking why she was being so stupid as to vent in hostile land.
"I…I made a mistake," Tsunade finally admitted.
/-/
"You fools!"
The words echoed, emphasized by the harsh reverberation of a foot stomping on the ground from a new arrival that no one in the Hidden Leaf's base camp in Hidden Rain could ignore.
Hidden Leaf's War Hawk, Danzo Shimura, student of the Second Hokage Tobirama.
Mito was unimpressed at the outburst, but considering what Tsunade had shared, it was a warranted reaction. The timing could just not have been worse.
Sarutobi had sent Danzo to oversee the situation in Rain, and the first report Danzo is privy to is one of overwhelming disappointment that could not only set everything back, but had the chance to turn the target into an enemy.
Sakumo remained expressionless, but the same couldn't be said for Tsunade who was being grilled. Jiraiya felt like it was his fault for not stopping Tsunade. He tried to raise his voice, but he and Orochimaru were sent out as only Tsunade was brought in for further questioning.
Danzo had not looked so infuriated in years. His hair was graying, but the sharpness of his features and hardened mentality were distinct.
The weight of Danzo's stare made Tsunade feel like she was less than dirt.
"Get out," Danzo said to Tsunade with clenched fists.
The Senju heiress slinked out with hunched shoulders.
A vein popped over Danzo's temples.
Restraint was withheld solely due to Mito's presence in the command room, and out of respect for his teacher's sister in law.
"You've done good work Sakumo, but like Sarutobi, your methods are not strict enough." Danzo chastised. "Ready a squad of Jounins and have the Chunins stand at the ready. The day Hidden Leaf bows to the strength of Rain will be the day the great tree rots."
"An all out attack is too costly with Hanzo directly involved." Sakumo said with Mito's silent agreement.
"I wasn't considering a direct attack," Danzo raised his chin up and surveyed the land around him. "Hanzo can gather his forces to create a difficult barricade, but that spreads his influence thin. Massacre the nearby settlements. If Hanzo still doesn't give up his position, organize an elite squad to raid Hidden Rain's shinobi tower and purge all those living nearby. Unoccupied, it will all surely fall."
"Leaf's reputation among civilians will-"
"How many of Rock's forehead protector's have we recovered from corpses? Rain's? Lightning's? It doesn't matter. Think like a shinobi and conceal. Few look beneath the surface anyway and even then, so what? The turth will be what we make of it." Danzo spat, cutting Sakumo off
Sakumo shut his mouth and remained professional.
Morality had no place in war and its objectives. It was a standard rule in the shinobi rulebooks.
The same as to covet is to put one's self under fire.
Danzo was not above any means as one of Hidden Leaf's hardliners and proponent of crueler methods.
The legacy of the first and the bloodline of the Uzumaki were Hidden Leaf's and no one else's. That prerogative must be ensured regardless of the cost.
And Danzo was more than willing to pay.
Leaf was the strongest and would always be.
Silence stretched as Sakumo considered the order while Mito finally let out a weary sigh.
"Tobirama certainly rubbed off on you." Mito slumped her shoulders. "Pragmatism over morality. It was a choice Tobirama would have made, but we are no longer in the era of the clan wars, Danzo."
Danzo bowed his head to Mito, but his expression remained unchanged. "My teacher did well to teach me. I am not the one Lord Second chose as heir, but I'm willing to do what I must for my village. Sarutobi gave me full authority, do what I say. The roots of the great tree which pierce into the mud and dirt are what create the foundation of everything."
"Understood, Lord Shimura." Sakumo nodded and then left to carry out orders.
Mito coughed, feeling her age and stress getting to her. However, she maintained eye contact with Danzo.
"I won't say that this is a mistake." Mito eventually admitted, but there was an air of aloofness that came with age that stuck to her. Melancholy, sadness, or was it regret? Regardless, light flickered in her expression. "From a rational point of view thinking solely of Hidden Leaf, it may well be the best choice against Hanzo, but recall that it would also make Hanzo's ploy to paint Hidden Leaf as monsters from hearsay to reality. Give me a chance first Danzo. If I may speak with the boy, I may be able to avoid all of this."
Of course, that would imply that Danzo forgo his original order and create a strike team to pierce a small gap through Hanzo's fortifications instead.
Mito could then be escorted into the mist barrier.
Moreover, Mito would never speak empty words given what was at stake.
Torn between respect and rationality, Danzo could not give an immediate answer.
In the end, he did.
"Legacy is not what is done for one's self, but what is done for the next generation."
Danzo placed his hands behind his back and moved to leave the room.
"It was change and compromise that brought down Lord First and Second starting from the moment Leaf partitioned off the Tailed Beasts."
Danzo reaffirmed as he opened the tent flap and made his way out.
"The Great Tree will no longer bend under the support of its growing roots. Rest well, Lady Mito. You'll meet your kin and talk with him whether he wants to or not. I will handle the rest."
"..."
Sorry for smaller chapter. I had been intending to write more, but I got a headache and had to forego finishing the other scene I had planned out for this update. I still wanted to get something out though as I would be pressed for time if I didn't, so I posted what I had that wouldn't spoil what I was writing on the next scene.
Thanks for reading!
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