Minato
It was the same day that Minato and his team had returned to Konoha. After dropping Kazuto and Toyokuni off at the Hospital, Minato and his team had made their way to the Hokage tower, and now Minato was delivering his report. It was just him and the Hokage alone in the room now.
"I see." Hiruzen said after Minato finished detailing his mission report. "Most unfortunate, and regrettable."
Minato nodded. "Yes, it is, Hokage-sama."
"I believe you are correct regarding your theory that Kazuto-san was the target of the enemy's mission," Hiruzen nodded. "However, it still leaves many questions left unanswered, such as how the Hidden Stone came to know of our Intelligence bunker, or how they knew that Kazuto-san would be heading there."
"Unfortunately, I was unable to acquire any hostages for interrogation," Minato replied calmly. "Due to the destructiveness of Uchiha-san's technique, it killed all of the enemy ninjas save one."
"What happened to the enemy ninja that survived Kazuto-san's technique?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely certain," Minato admitted. "Uchiha-san claimed that he interrogated the Iwanin and got useful intel out of them, but he also claimed that is was classified, and that he was a spook… is that true?"
Hiruzen nodded. "I'm sure Koharu Utatane will share the necessary intelligence with me at our next meeting."
Minato nodded. Koharu Utatane was the Head of the Intelligence Department, so it made complete sense that Kazuto would give his intel to her.
"Still, the fact that Iwagakure knew that Kazuto was on his way there points to a number of possibilities too disturbing to contemplate," Hiruzen said thoughtfully. "It make sense why Iwa would target Kazuto, but..."
"But what?" Minato asked curiously.
"The fact that they knew he was coming indicates that we have a traitor in our midst," Hiruzen replied seriously. "An operation like this would have taken at the very least several weeks to prepare in advance, in order to take over the bunker and set up the sting operation. Not to mention the capture unit. This indicates to me that Iwagakure had the time to very carefully consider the resources that they would devote to this capture, which means they must have had weeks of advance notice that Kazuto would be in Iwa's territory at the right time and at the right place for them to capture him."
Minato paled at Hiruzen words. "But mission assignments are decided on the same day that the mission sets out, or at the very least, a few days in advance."
"Precisely," Hiruzen nodded grimly. "Which means that whom ever leaked this intel to Iwa has some say in missions assignments."
Minato frowned. "Do you know who is it?"
Hiruzen nodded. "I have a very good idea, but I would like for you to leave this with me for now. Put it out of your mind."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Minato nodded.
"Thank you," Hiruzen replied. "Now, is there anything else about the mission that you would like to tell me that you left out of your official report?"
Minato frowned in thought. "Actually, there were a few things..."
Hiruzen nodded for him to continue.
"When we got to the hidden bunker, Uchiha-san said that he could discover the identities of dead ninja just by looking at their teeth. He said that he had used the Sharingan to memorize Konoha's dental records one day," Minato shrugged. "Is that actually possible?"
"Hmm… yes, the Sharingan is well known for it's abilities of memorization and replication," Hiruzen nodded, before frowning wryly. "Though that is an unusual use for such an ability. Why do you ask?"
"He claimed that one of the bodies was his old teammate from his genin days," Minato explained. "He seemed rather upset by it, actually."
"Hmm… yes, Enji Shimura," Hiruzen nodded. "He joined the intelligence division a few months ago. It's unfortunate that he was killed."
"What about Kazuto-san's other teammate, are they still alive?" Minato asked curiously.
"No, Shizumi Aburame died last year," Hiruzen replied gruffly. "I was told that she stayed behind to distract the enemy force so that Enji and Kazuto could return to the village to deliver vital intelligence. She gave her life so that they would live."
Minato frowned. "What about their Sensei?"
"He is still alive," Hiruzen nodded. "Fujima Nara works in T&I now."
Minato's frown deepened. "I've lost a lot of comrades in this war, it's a pity that I'm not the only one."
"Konoha has lost many ninja in this war," Hiruzen said gruffly. "I can only be grateful that we haven't lost more. We all owe Kazuto Uchiha a great debt for teaching everyone his techniques. Without them, I fear the number of casualties would have been much higher. It's unfortunate that not all appreciate the gifts he has given Konoha."
Minato nodded seriously.
"Tell me, Minato, what do you think of Kazuto-san?" Hiruzen asked suddenly.
Minato frowned in consideration. "Hmm… it's difficult to say, I only met him a few hours ago."
"Then what is your first impression of him?" Hiruzen asked instead.
"He cares about his teammates, and he is resourceful in difficult situations," Minato replied thoughtfully. "However, he seems to have a vicious side to him, and he has a tendency to use crude language. Altogether I'd say he's like any other ninja in Konoha."
"A fair assessment," Hiruzen nodded consideringly. "Well, was there anything else you wanted to tell me about the mission?"
"No, that was all, Hokage-sama," Minato replied simply.
"Hmm… very well then, you're dismissed," Hiruzen nodded.
With that, Minato stood up and walked out of the room.
Danzo
He stood in the middle of the large training chamber at Root Headquarters, standing in the middle of the great crosswalk as he waited for his agent to appear.
Nagata Ichiyo appeared and bowed before him, wearing his usual Root attire.
"Report," Danzo said gruffly.
"Kazuto Uchiha survived," Ichiyo reported. "The Iwa retrieval team was completely eliminated. They also took over the Intelligence Department's bunker in the area and set up a sting operation, but it was eliminated as well. There was an indication that Kazuto managed to interrogate one of Iwanin before they were eliminated."
"Causalities?" Danzo questioned.
"Two members of Kazuto's courier team, as well as the entirety of the hidden bunker's residents." Ichiyo reported.
In other words, the operation was an unmitigated disaster. Danzo had managed to achieve one of his aims, but for the most part, the operation had mostly failed.
"Anything else," Danzo asked gruffly.
"Kazuto mentioned to Minato that he had another technique that was limited to his bloodline. He mentioned that helped him escape the retrieval team, and he mentioned that it gave him the ability to reconnoiter entire area in an instant."
Danzo frowned thoughtfully. So Kazuto had indeed activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. That was probably the reason why the operation was such an unmitigated disaster.
"Very well, you may go," he said dismissively to his agent.
With that, Ichiyo disappeared.
Danzo stood quietly, considering what he had learned. He had known that there was a significant chance that Kazuto might survive when he started this operation, but he had felt it was necessary to maintain the balance of power in Konoha.
With the Uchiha having such a well known and popular member in their ranks, their influence had increased significantly within the village, allowing them to demand concessions from the village leadership, demands that they otherwise wouldn't have dared to make if Kazuto hadn't existed.
Danzo didn't have anything personal against the Uchiha. So long as they remembered their place and kept within their Konoha Police corps, he could maintain a cordial relationship with them. But as his teacher, the Second Hokage had taught him, it was dangerous to allow the Uchiha to gain too much influence and power within the village, lest they try to take it over.
After all, Tobirama was right when he said that they were too emotional to remain rational in a leadership position. It was best that they remained where they were, in the Police corps, without stepping out of the boundaries set for them by the village.
That was why Kazuto Uchiha was so dangerous. Instead of going into the Police corps like he should have after his team broke up, he leveraged his teacher's influence to get a position at the Intelligence Department.
At the time, Danzo hadn't had a problem with it, as one Uchiha stepping out of their bounds didn't seem like a problem. But then Kazuto started sharing his escape techniques with other Konoha ninja, and those techniques started saving lives, and thus Kazuto had gained his reputation as The Escape Artist, the one man responsible for saving hundreds of Konoha Shinobi lives simply by sharing his techniques.
Danzo grumbled to himself. Why couldn't Kazuto be like every other ninja and jealously horde his knowledge to himself? It certainly would have made things much easier.
Of course, Danzo couldn't deny that Kazuto's teachings had saved many lives and left Konoha in a much better position than the other Hidden Villages, and Danzo would have been fine with it, if Kazuto had been from any other clan than the Uchiha.
But he was from the Uchiha clan, and that was the sole reason why Danzo had risked so much to try and have him eliminated.
Of course, it was too risky to try and eliminate Kazuto from within Konoha. Hiruzen would immediately suspect Danzo's involvement, and he would be forced to act since Konoha would be baying for blood at the death of one of their legendary heroes.
So he had to be subtle, and he had to cast the blame on another village. For this reason he had devised a simple but clever plan that he hoped would eliminate Kazuto Uchiha once and for all.
The plan was simple, he would leak intelligence to Kiri that Kazuto would be heading to the Land of Earth in a month, then arrange for Kazuto to go there at the right time, then arrange for Minato to go after Kazuto to clean things up.
The plan was simple in it's execution, and it relied on a lot of factors going right. Danzo knew that Kiri would give the intel to Iwa, and that Iwa was desperate to get their hands on Kazuto's escape techniques, and he also knew that Minato was competent enough to handle the fallout.
He even arranged for one of his own agents to go with Minato to make sure that he would know the necessary details to handle the mission, and to make sure that Kazuto died if the retrieval team was successful at capturing him.
He was even careful to take into account the possibility that Iwa would take over the Hidden Bunker in the area by arranging for Ueda Sarutobi to go on the mission as well, as Ueda was a known Earth Release practitioner.
And he had done all of this as carefully as he could to avoid suspicion. It would have been clean, it would have been quick, and if it had worked, no one would have suspected him.
But it didn't work, and now Danzo knew Hiruzen would suspect him, because Danzo himself had been the one to push for theses mission assignments.
Hiruzen would suspect… but would he take action? That remained to be seen.
After much consideration, Danzo decided that he would need to feel Hiruzen out first before taking any further actions.
Decision made, Danzo left the Root building and quickly made his way to the Hokage Tower. He would be there under the pretense that he wanted to hear about the latest mission.
Danzo stepped into Hiruzen's office, and noticed that Hiruzen was in his chair, which was turned to look out the window. The room was a bit hazy with smoke.
"I wondered if you would turn up, Danzo," Hiruzen commented as he puffed his pipe.
"I heard about the recent mission," Danzo said carefully. "I wished to read the official mission report."
"Very well, it's on my desk," Hiruzen replied without turning around.
Danzo nodded and walked up to the desk, picking up the report and reading it. It didn't contain anything he didn't already know.
"Hmm, it is unfortunate that so many Konoha nin gave their lives for the cause," Danzo said carefully. "but at least a great deal of Iwa nin paid for their arrogance. Really, attacking one of our preeminent ninja and expecting to survive, what were they thinking?"
"You and I know exactly what they were thinking," Hiruzen said as he turned around and glared at Danzo balefully. "The questions is, what were you thinking?"
"Do you really expect me to implicate myself?" Danzo asked curiously.
Hiruzen frowned. "No. I just find it curious that you hold Kazuto Uchiha in such high regards, considering you tried to have him killed."
"Are you accusing me of attempted murder, Hiruzen?" Danzo asked lightly.
Hiruzen suddenly looked old, as he sighed and gave Danzo a frustrated look. "I could investigate this, you know. I would be well within my rights, and if I did, anyone I found to be responsible would be put to death."
"But you won't," Danzo replied carefully. "The war is not yet over, and you need me far too much to investigate a minor matter such as this."
"Careful, Danzo, careful!" Hiruzen warned. "You might consider the death of of 11 Konoha nin to be a minor matter, but I do not! The only reason I'm not fully investigating this is because Kazuto-san survived, and the fact that your meddling resulted in the death of several high level Iwa nin."
"Very well," Danzo nodded. "Now, with your leave, I will return to my duties."
"Hmm… very well then," Hiruzen nodded back, before fixing a sharp glare on him. "But I'm warning you, Danzo, stay away from Kazuto-san. I'll let you go in the name of our past friendship, and the fact that you're right, I do still need you, but I would warn you, even a single step out of line will now result in your permanent… end."
Danzo nodded, and with that, he left Hiruzen's office and returned to Root Headquarters.
Ōnoki
Ōnoki scowled angrily as he waited in his office. He had received word that the backup team he had sent out to help the retrieval team had now returned, empty-handed and alone, and he was now awaiting them in his office.
Ōnoki directed a sharp glare the singular scroll on his desk. That, and the recent bad news he had gotten was causing his blood pressure to rise.
Eventually the returning ninja arrived and shuffled into his office, their shoulders hunched and faces carefully blank. They were probably expecting a severe tongue-lashing from him, as Ōnoki was legendary for his temper.
"Well we don't have all day, spit it out," Ōnoki said eventually. "Tell me what happened."
"Lord Third…" The middle one said hesitantly, some Kunoichi named Yuna or other. "When we arrived at the bunker, everyone was gone. It seemed like there was some massive lightning technique used to take out the whole fighting force at once. The Konoha nin stole all the bodies and it seemed that the Escape Artist was responsible for their deaths."
Ōnoki's nostrils flared. "So in other words, the mission was a complete failure?"
"Yes, Lord Third," Yuna nodded carefully.
"Get out," he barked, and the ninja make haste to follow his orders, leaving as quickly as they came.
It wasn't their fault the mission had failed, it was that damned Konoha ninja's fault, Kazuto Uchiha. He had sent some of his best ninja on that mission, and now they were all dead. That's what he gets for underestimating a Uchiha. He should have sent a larger retrieval team, but no, he just had to trust in the competence of the ninja he selected instead of trusting in the strength of numbers.
With their pride on the line, the Hidden Stone had sent one thousand of their ninja to invade the Land of Fire and put an end to the Hidden Leaf once and for all, but it had taken just one of Konoha's shinobi to put a stop to the invasion.
The failed invasion had made Ōnoki reconsider the idea of safety in numbers, so instead he had sent his most competent ninja on the retrieval mission, and now they were all dead.
Sometimes Ōnoki wondered if the Hidden Stone would ever be able to properly compete with the Hidden Leaf, but then reminded himself that they were at war, and thus far Iwagakure had managed to survive regardless of Konoha's population advantage.
But the truth was, Konoha was steadily gaining ground in the war, and it was all because of those stupid escape techniques that Kazuto Uchiha had devised and spread throughout the Hidden Leaf.
Ōnoki found himself eyeing the scroll on his desk again. It was an offer of peace, sent by the Third Hokage two weeks ago. Konoha was tired of war, and was willing to sue for peace.
Ōnoki had yet to bring the scroll to the attention of the Iwa council, but he had to soon. Something like this had to be carefully considered by the full council, not just him alone.
However, Ōnoki found himself less than willing to consider it, considering the fact peace would simply be to Konoha's advantage, since their population would grow quicker in peace than would the populations of the other ninja villages.
It was all due to those damned escape techniques! Because of them, more Konoha ninja were surviving missions than Iwa ninja, which mean more Konoha children, which meant a larger Konoha population in the future.
It was all about the future generations. If Iwa was going to be able to compete with Konoha in the future, they needed those techniques, or else they were doomed.
Suddenly, an idea formed in Ōnoki's mind. There was a way to get his hands on those techniques, and it all depended on the peace treaty, and how far Konoha was willing to go for peace.
With that thought in mind, Ōnoki grabbed the scroll and left his office.
Konoha would have their peace, but it would come at a high price.
