Year 25 of Konohagakure. Land of Rain.
The entire Land of Rain had turned into a warzone.
Ninjas from the Land of Grass, Land of Waterfalls, Land of Bears, Land of Hot Water, and Land of Rivers surged into the country, all under the pretense of taking down the so-called big boss—Hanzō of the Salamander.
Of course, most of them were just chaotic agitators.
The true main force was Iwagakure from the Land of Earth.
But Hanzō of the Salamander wasn't intimidated in the slightest. At the peak of his strength, every one of his abilities was top-tier.
Plus, the battlefield was his home turf—the Land of Rain—abundant in water.
For someone like Hanzō, a master of Water Release, it was practically a power boost. Add his powerful summoned beast Ibuse, with its devastating poison gas AOE, and he was a nightmare for untrained, low-level ninja squads.
As for the catalyst of the war—Seven-Tails Chōmei—it had long vanished without a trace.
...
That said, another formidable force also operated within the Land of Rain: the shinobi of Sunagakure, the Land of Wind.
But rather than engage in the fighting, these Sunagakure ninja spent their days evacuating civilians, ignoring the conflict entirely. Even when troublemakers appeared, they wiped them out on the spot without hesitation.
Escorted by them, the civilians of the Land of Rain left the homes their families had lived in for generations, anxious and uncertain, and made their way toward the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
Once there, they were shocked to discover—
The new Daimyō of the Land of Rain had already planned everything in advance!
The men dug trenches, the women cooked, and the kids played off to the side.
Same work, same effort—but here, digging ditches meant just eight hours a day, and they earned more in a single day than they used to in a whole week.
Not to mention, they had Sunagakure ninja to protect them.
It didn't take long for the displaced citizens of the Land of Rain to fall in love with their new life.
Especially the elderly, many of whom had suffered from chronic joint pain. They were overjoyed by the dry climate of the Land of Wind.
Damn! This place is amazing!
Knees that used to ache 365 days a year in the Land of Rain? Not a twinge here!
So this is what a dry desert feels like? I'm never leaving!
...
While the war raged in the Land of Rain, a high-level meeting was underway in the Hokage's office.
The topic: whether or not to get involved in the conflict.
Sitting on the sofa with a dark expression, Danzō swept his gaze across the three others in the room and was the first to speak.
"My view is, we should get involved. Send a few elite squads into the Land of Rain—
Secretly give Hanzō of the Salamander some support and incentives.
If possible, have the teams stay embedded and monitor the battlefield.
If Hanzō holds his ground, we pull out and leave him owing us a favor.
If he can't withstand Iwagakure's joint assault, we swoop in and take his head."
As soon as he finished, Koharu Utatane, still fairly young and attractive in her early thirties, nodded right away.
That hit the nail on the head for her.
Was this really Danzō? How had she never realized he was this clever before?
Beside her, Homura Mitokado gave her a quick sideways glance, barely suppressing a frown.
Sure, Danzō made a valid point—but damn it, Koharu, pick a side already! The real boss, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hadn't said a word yet!
At that moment, Hiruzen was frowning, puffing on his pipe, deep in thought.
Sending elite squads for covert support was a solid strategy.
With Reiji Sakuhō in place, it would be easy to steer Hanzō of the Salamander into becoming the Land of Fire's shield on its western front.
Just like now—he was helping to wear down Iwagakure's military strength.
But Hiruzen's thoughts ran deeper than that.
He was the Hokage. His mind worked on more complex, long-term levels.
And honestly, if he had to say it—this entire war had been orchestrated by Reiji Sakuhō from the beginning.
According to intel from Amegakure's embedded agents, the Land of Wind had been systematically relocating civilians out of the Land of Rain, and was now digging canals along their shared border.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki had appeared.
All in all, the entire operation felt calculated—like a pair of invisible hands were manipulating the course of the war from behind the curtain.
So, regardless of whether Konoha chooses to get involved in this war or not, Reiji Sakuhō—the one who set the whole thing in motion—his motives must be taken seriously.
But what exactly is Reiji's goal?
Based on everything that's happened, this kid was the first to sneak a peek at the Scroll of Seals and walk away with both the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Shortly after, the Two-Tails vanished from Kumogakure, and the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, turned up on the battlefield in the Land of Grass.
There's no need to guess—it's obviously Reiji's doing.
After all, he's the only one with mastery of a space-time jutsu as elusive as the Flying Thunder God Technique.
That alone suggests he must've already captured the Two-Tails. And on top of that, he picked up the Eight Inner Gates from me.
Judging by his previous mission alongside Jiraiya and the others, Reiji may have even snagged the Third Raikage's signature nintaijutsu—Lightning Release: Chakra Mode.
Putting it all together, it's clear this kid has a razor-sharp sense of purpose. Everything he's done has been about building power.
And for what?
Revenge.
To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want Reiji to go down that path.
He had a nagging feeling—once Reiji succeeded in taking his revenge, he wouldn't be standing with Konoha anymore. He'd stand beside it… as an equal.
After all, this kid was now the de facto Daimyō of the Land of Rain.
At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if he ended up as the next leader of Amegakure.
And between letting Reiji—a cunning and unpredictable force—take the reins of Amegakure, or keeping him in Konoha, Hiruzen would much rather have him stationed here, remotely guiding Hanzō of the Salamander.
Hanzō was powerful, sure, but his actions weren't especially dangerous.
Then, as Hiruzen pondered further, his brows suddenly furrowed. A serious problem came to mind.
During the "Raw Iron Crisis," there was one other village, just like Konoha, that not only came out unscathed—but profited immensely.
Kumogakure.
With that realization, Hiruzen turned to Danzō Shimura, his expression sharp and serious.
"Danzō, I want a full report on your recent diplomatic visit to Kumogakure with Reiji Sakuhō. Every detail. Don't leave anything out."
It was rare, but this time Hiruzen used an unmistakably commanding tone.
Hearing that, Danzō's expression hardened instantly. He gave a firm nod and began recalling the events carefully.
When he got to the part where Reiji got knocked flying three times in a row by the Raikage, Hiruzen couldn't help but find it a little funny.
But when Danzō described Reiji haggling with the Third Raikage in reverse—pushing back against the offer instead of accepting—Hiruzen's smile vanished, his face darkened immediately.
Nice going, Reiji… playing hardball with the Raikage right to his face, and slamming the Uchiha Clan Head while you were at it.
Then came the final blow. Danzō recounted how Reiji, right in the Raikage's office, had been openly flirting with his secretary—right in front of him.
At that, Hiruzen's face went completely black.
That shameless Third Raikage… using a beauty trap? Seriously? How low could you go?
But despite the ridiculousness of it all, Hiruzen now understood the big picture—and it left him with a sinking feeling in his chest.