A long silence filled the room before Hiruzen Sarutobi finally nodded his head.
The pros and cons had been weighed thoroughly. Eight hundred million ryo—a staggering amount.
To put it in perspective, the bounty for a jinchūriki ranged from fifty million to one hundred million ryo. Eight hundred million? That could fund hunting down every single jinchūriki.
Well, except for the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. That one was a different story.
His gaze swept across the room and finally landed on Danzo Shimura, who sat with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.
"Brother Danzo, I entrust you with the critical mission of accompanying Rinjin to the Land of Lightning."
The moment those words left Hiruzen's lips, Danzo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It took every ounce of his willpower to swallow back a curse that was on the tip of his tongue.
Are you kidding me?! Of all times, you remember me now—when it's the absolute worst time to offend someone?!
He fumed internally. Even if this plan succeeded, the gamblers who lost everything would still glare daggers at Konoha and Kumogakure.
And when the time came, would Hiruzen Sarutobi, busy counting his money, step up to take the blame?
Hell no!
It'd all fall on me!
Everyone would say it was my idea, my scheme!
As for Rinjin? Who the hell even knows this guy? In all of Konoha, dead people included, fewer than twenty people might recognize him!
Damn it!
At this moment, Danzo felt as though he had been force-fed a mouthful of dog shit by Hiruzen and Rinjin. And not just any dog shit—this was the kind that would linger on his palate for the next forty or fifty years.
Fine! If I wasn't already "the Root," I'd have to become one after this mess!
For nearly half an hour, Danzo sat there, his face flushed red with suppressed frustration. His heart silently wept, but in the end, he nodded without a word.
Seeing this, Rinjin couldn't help but beam with joy internally.
Perfect! Danzo's caved. Now, who's next in line to take the heat?
To this, Rinjin could only think: Kagami, come to Daddy!
With Konoha's side settled, it was time to deal with Kumogakure.
The Next Morning
Rinjin showed up promptly at Danzo's place.
Danzo, however, looked like he hadn't slept a wink. His eyes were bloodshot, and a masked member of the Root was patting his back, trying to calm him down.
The moment Danzo saw Rinjin, he let out a cold snort and turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
"Let's go, old man! Don't drag your feet!" Rinjin called out cheerfully.
Without waiting for Danzo's response, Rinjin grabbed his arm and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A whirlwind of motion later, the two of them appeared on the rooftop of Kumogakure's Raikage Tower.
Danzo barely had time to steady himself before he grabbed Rinjin's arm, his eyes wide with shock.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!!! Teach me! Name your price!"
Danzo's voice was a low, desperate growl.
Rinjin rolled his eyes in exasperation and brushed off Danzo's hand. He spoke in a tone that was equal parts amused and condescending:
"Brother Danzo, it's not that I don't want to teach you. Have you ever read the Scroll of Seals?"
"No! But I've read the description of the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Rinjin nodded knowingly.
"If you've read about the technique, then you should know it requires an innate talent.
And me? I just happen to be one of those rare, naturally gifted individuals.
So, I honestly wouldn't even know where to start teaching you."
Danzo scowled and rolled his eyes, swallowing down his envy.
Flying Thunder God, huh? Damn it! To go anywhere, anytime! So unfair! Why don't I have that kind of talent?
Grumbling internally, Danzo followed Rinjin as they made their way into the village.
Oddly enough, Kumogakure's Anbu didn't seem the least bit surprised by their arrival.
After all, the Raikage himself had given orders:
If you see a dark-skinned kid with a Konoha forehead protector, don't stop him. Just let him head straight to my office.
With practiced ease, Rinjin led Danzo to the Raikage's office.
Before knocking, Rinjin stopped Danzo and whispered, "Hold up, old man. Don't go in just yet. Wait for me to come out, and then we'll go in together."
"Why? Do you have something private to discuss with the Raikage?" Danzo asked suspiciously.
"Heh, go ahead if you're not afraid of getting your ass kicked." Rinjin smirked.
Without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open and walked in.
The next second, a thunderous roar echoed from inside the office.
BOOM!
The wall to Danzo's left exploded, and a figure came flying out of the newly-formed hole.
Danzo instinctively took two steps back, his neck shrinking slightly as he watched Rinjin climb out of the rubble, dust himself off, and stride back to the door.
"Hold on, old man. He's still pretty pissed," Rinjin said casually before walking back in.
Moments later, another roar and another explosion followed.
Once again, Rinjin came flying out, unscathed and unfazed.
Danzo gulped nervously.
Damn it! The Third Raikage really lives up to his reputation! But this brat… he's surprisingly durable!
For the third time, Rinjin walked back into the office. His voice rang out loud and clear:
"Raikage! Big bro! Sir! Uncle! Enough already! That's twice now! Third time's the charm, right?!"
A deep, growling voice responded:
"To hell with that! Lariat!!!"
The sound of muscles colliding filled the air, followed by the shattering of glass.
A powerful gust of wind blew the office door clean off its hinges, scattering papers everywhere.
Danzo finally caught a glimpse of the scene inside.
The room was a mess. Papers flew wildly in the wind, and a massive floor-to-ceiling window had been completely shattered.
In the corner, a stunningly beautiful woman shielded her eyes with her hands, squinting as she tried to make out what was happening in the center of the room.
There, two dark-skinned figures—one large, one small—were locked in a fierce struggle.
Both were crackling with lightning chakra, their muscular arms wrapped tightly around each other's necks. The sheer force of their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the room.
When Rinjin noticed sweat starting to bead on the Raikage's forehead, he smirked internally.
Relaxing his muscles, he feigned exhaustion, allowing himself to be sent flying once more.
Climbing out of the rubble yet again, Rinjin waved casually at Danzo before strolling back into the office.
"Raikage-sama! Please, no more fighting. Let's talk this out like civilized people!"
The Third Raikage snorted disdainfully and slumped onto a massive sofa.
"Fine. Speak."
Rinjin glanced at the woman in the corner—Ayawai—and caught a playful wink from her right eye.
He smiled back, reassured. This is in the bag.
Clearing his throat, Rinjin began, "Raikage-sama, the man beside me is Danzo Shimura, a highly esteemed elder of Konoha. He holds a position just below the Hokage himself and wields significant authority."
Hearing this, Danzo straightened his back, puffing out his chest with pride.
"Danzo-sama is here on behalf of Konoha to… declare war on you!"
The room fell into a deafening silence.
Danzo's jaw slowly dropped as he turned to look at the Third Raikage, who was beginning to crackle with electricity once more.
Then, inch by inch, he turned to glare at Rinjin, his face a picture of utter disbelief.
What the hell?!
It's supposed to be a fake declaration of war, isn't it?!
Why the hell did you have to drop it like that?!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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