Naruto :Uchiha's Reincarnation

At the same time, in the Hokage's office...

"Third Hokage-sama, Elder Mitokado sent an urgent report from the Land of Rain. It seems that Hanzo of the Salamander is showing signs of joining forces with Iwagakure. The situation is critical. Please send someone to provide support."

An ANBU operative, kneeling on one knee, reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.

"I see. You may leave now. Inform Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade to come to my office."

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, indicating that the ANBU could withdraw. He leaned back, picking up his pipe, and took a deep breath, letting the smoke curl upwards as he contemplated the grim situation.

Konoha had been dealing with two major incidents recently—one well-known, and the other more discreet.

The first was widely celebrated. Hatake Sakumo, the "White Fang of Konoha," led an elite team behind enemy lines and eliminated two high-ranking officials from Sunagakure. This decisive strike had turned the tide on the western front, bolstering Konoha's morale and cementing Sakumo's reputation in the ninja world.

The second incident was more complex. The Hidden Cloud Village had attempted to invade the Land of Fire from the northeast. The Third Raikage, known for his immense strength, led the assault. Sarutobi Hiruzen had personally taken to the battlefield to stop the Cloud forces. After a lengthy standoff, the Hidden Cloud proposed peace talks, which Hiruzen cautiously accepted.

However, the "peace talks" had been a ruse, an attempt by the Hidden Cloud Village to kidnap Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Fortunately, Minato Namikaze, one of Hiruzen's brightest disciples, had foiled the plot and rescued the Jinchuriki in time.

Though the situation seemed to calm down afterward, tensions quickly reignited when the Hidden Cloud Village falsely accused Konoha of killing their envoy, giving them a pretext to prepare for war once more.

Now, with the looming threat in the Land of Rain, Konoha was facing battles on three fronts, which stretched the village's forces dangerously thin.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had already deployed a significant portion of Konoha's main force to the north to defend against the potential attack from the Hidden Cloud. To ensure that the village wasn't left defenseless, Hiruzen had begun accelerating the graduation of senior students from the Ninja Academy, sending them to the frontlines sooner than expected.

And now, Mitokado was requesting reinforcements for the Land of Rain. Hiruzen realized Konoha's resources were close to depletion.

With this in mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, signed an order, and instructed the Ninja Academy to begin graduation assessments for fourth and fifth-year students immediately. As for why there were no sixth-year students… they had already graduated early due to the ongoing war.

Suddenly, the door to the Hokage's office swung open with a loud bang.

The person responsible for the dramatic entrance was none other than Tsunade, followed closely by Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

"Old man, we're here!" Tsunade announced as she plopped herself down in the chair opposite Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Her casual behavior in the Hokage's office was nothing new. Though this was a formal meeting, Tsunade treated the office as if it were part of her own home, likely due to the fact that her grandfather, the First Hokage, and her granduncle, the Second Hokage, had once sat in this very room. She had grown up playing here.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, unfazed, removed the pipe from his mouth and looked at his three trusted disciples with a serious expression.

"I have a critical mission to entrust to the three of you," he began solemnly.

"In the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander is showing signs of allying with Iwagakure, and Sunagakure is involved as well. Elder Mitokado cannot handle the situation alone. I'm assigning the three of you to take 2,000 ninjas from the reserve forces and head there to provide support."

"The Land of Rain…" Tsunade muttered, glancing at Orochimaru with a somber look.

Her thoughts went back to her younger brother, Nawaki, who had been Orochimaru's student. Nawaki had fallen in the Land of Rain two years ago, killed by an explosive tag after being caught in a trap set by Iwagakure forces.

Orochimaru remained silent for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Old man, what do you want us to accomplish specifically?"

"The situation in the Land of Rain is chaotic. Armies from three major villages are fighting there, and Hanzo's influence in Amegakure cannot be underestimated. The area has become a quagmire for Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused and took another puff of his pipe before continuing.

"I want you to coordinate with Mitokado to stabilize the situation, but your priority is to preserve Konoha's main forces. I'll be taking another group of ninjas to defend the northern front against the Hidden Cloud. The western front has been stabilized, thanks to Sakumo's efforts. If we can secure breakthroughs on both fronts, we'll be able to improve the situation for the entire village."

"Sensei," Orochimaru suddenly interrupted, "why don't we focus on opening up the situation directly in the Land of Rain?"

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "The Land of Rain is more chaotic than anywhere else. It's too unstable."

"It's precisely because of that chaos that it's the most strategic place to make a breakthrough," Orochimaru responded.

Hiruzen stared into the eyes of his prized student. Orochimaru's gaze was calm, confident, and calculating—a look that reminded the Third Hokage of his own teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Orochimaru was a prodigy, brilliant beyond measure.

"Four countries, four major forces. As soon as one of them shifts, the entire situation in the Land of Rain will change dramatically," Orochimaru explained.

"What are you suggesting?" Hiruzen asked.

"We should seek an alliance with Hanzo. The three great nations—Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure—have deeply entrenched positions and conflicting interests. Hanzo, as the leader of a local force, is the one most likely to want to change the current situation. If the war drags on, the Rain Country will be completely drained of its military strength within a few years."

"But Hanzo is leaning toward allying with Iwagakure..." Hiruzen interjected.

"That's because Konoha is currently too strong, and Sunagakure is acting recklessly out of desperation due to their poor resources. Hanzo is looking for an ally that he can control. If we can convince him that Konoha is destined to win, he'll want to join forces with us," Orochimaru said.

Years ago, Iwagakure and Kirigakure had gone to war, and both the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage perished in the conflict. Since then, most of Iwagakure's main forces had been engaged with Kirigakure, leaving their remaining forces in the Land of Rain relatively weak.

"What's your plan?" Hiruzen asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It's simple," Orochimaru replied, his expression darkening as a slight, chilling smile spread across his pale face. "We need to make Hanzo believe that Konoha's victory is inevitable. Once he sees that, he'll turn to us of his own accord."

"Hanzo is incredibly strong—his power rivals mine," Hiruzen warned. "Even if the three of you work together, you may not be able to defeat him. But if there's a chance to negotiate, you should take it."

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't hide his worry, even though he trusted his students deeply. He knew that one day, these three would grow to rival the strength of the Kage. However, for now, they still had a long way to go.

(End of the Chapter).

----------------------------------------------------

Here Samurai💖

I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!

I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $5!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 20 extra chapters

🖤patreon.com/Samurai492🖤

Visit our Patreon for more:

https://patreon.com/Samurai492

Extra Content Already Available.