Hokage Building.
Tobirama Senju sat behind his desk, sharp-eyed and composed, as his most trusted disciples, war advisors, and key officials gathered in the office.
"Saru, Kagami, Torifu, Homura, Koharu, Danzō—you're coming with me to the peace talks."
The six of them nodded in unison.
"Now, about these talks with the Land of Lightning. What are your thoughts?"
As he finished speaking, Tobirama's red eyes swept across the room.
Koharu Utatane stepped forward immediately.
"Sensei."
"Speak."
With Tobirama's nod, Koharu continued.
"I don't think there will be much trouble this time.
First, we all know the Second Raikage's personality. He's warlike, sure, but more often than not, he's friendly and easy to get along with."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The Second Raikage's temperament was, frankly, unusual for someone from Kumo.
During the First Five Kage Summit, Tobirama had attended as Hashirama's escort and had briefly encountered the Second Raikage, who at the time was still the First Raikage's guard.
Seeing no objections, Koharu gained confidence.
"Second point: this war has dragged on for two years.
It's already exhausting for us—let alone for Amegakure, whose forces are weaker than ours.
Third: the talks will take place on the battlefield in the Land of the Moon, right on the border between our Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. It's unlikely they'll try to ambush us there."
"I agree," Homura Mitokado chimed in.
"If we temporarily delay troop withdrawals, we can maximize the safety of this meeting."
Well said.
A faint sense of relief began to spread through the office. Smiles tugged at the corners of everyone's lips—even Danzō Shimura, who had been in low spirits recently, cracked a rare smile.
"Ahem."
A familiar cough rang out, and everyone's smiles instantly vanished. They turned to Tobirama, whose expression remained cold and unreadable.
"This isn't the time to celebrate. Saru, write a letter to the Daimyō and request funding—some of it will be used to compensate the families of the fallen.
Make sure every body is brought home for a proper burial.
We owe it to these heroes to take care of their families."
After speaking, Tobirama looked up at the map of the Shinobi World hanging on the wall.
"One more thing. Danzō, what's the latest on the Land of Wind?"
Danzō Shimura quickly stepped forward and answered with respect.
"Sensei, a while ago, a border reconnaissance team reported that the Land of Wind has been shifting troops toward the Land of Rain.
According to intel from our spies, they've already made their move."
"And the outcome?" Tobirama asked calmly.
"The result..." Danzō's expression turned complicated.
"Hanzō of the Salamander led Amegakure's ninja into battle... and crushed Sunagakure."
"Crushed?! Amegakure won?" Koharu Utatane exclaimed, stunned.
"Yes. The scouts reported that Hanzō's summoning beast, Ibuse, released massive clouds of poison gas on the battlefield.
The Land of Wind didn't have a cure in time, and the casualties were devastating.
Later, Chiyo from Sunagakure developed an antidote, but by then, their forces were already decimated.
Amegakure suffered too, though. They lost a lot of ninja."
At that, even Tobirama's expression shifted.
Hanzō of the Salamander... The Demi-God of the Shinobi World. The only man after my brother's death whose title still bears "God."
Power-wise, we're probably about even. But on the battlefield? That man's lethality is overwhelming.
He's a walking war machine.
The thought ignited a fire in Tobirama's normally steady heart.
Reiji Sakuhō...
That brat must be kept firmly under control.
Tobirama was convinced—
If war ever broke out again, with Reiji's intellect, he could mislead Hanzō of the Salamander and turn him into Konoha's greatest shield in the west.
As long as he remained truly loyal to Konoha.
"Saru, what's the latest on Reiji Sakuhō?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a moment, then recalled how he'd been tricked by that little brat again last night. His expression immediately turned odd.
"Sensei, I handed in the intel from last night first thing this morning."
"Did you?" Tobirama Senju rubbed his temples. "I've been swamped lately."
"Alright then. You already know who you're meeting. Departure's in three days—go make your preparations!"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone in the office nodded in unison and filed out of the Hokage's office in an orderly fashion.
The once lively room fell silent. Tobirama slowly sat down and sifted through the mountain of documents until he found Saru's report.
After reading the detailed account of the previous night, Tobirama rested his forehead on one hand, his expression growing complex.
"Reiji Sakuhō... that brat was hiding his strength this whole time?!"
According to Hiruzen's assessment, Reiji's capabilities were somewhere between a Special Jōnin and an Elite Jōnin. What stood out the most were his Taijutsu skills and battlefield decision-making.
In particular, Hiruzen had issued a warning: "Avoid close combat unless absolutely necessary."
He had also noted Reiji's weakness—he lacked any means of defending against wide-range, long-distance ninjutsu. And large-scale area attacks just happened to be the specialty of the Senju Clan, thanks to their massive chakra reserves.
...
Three days flew by in a flash.
Early in the morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi and five others gathered once again in the Hokage's office.
Tobirama stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, arms crossed. He wore the Hokage's ceremonial cloak over his old battle armor, which, though a bit dated in style, was unmatched in defense. The "Fire" kanji-marked hat rested firmly on his head.
Hiruzen and the others were also geared up and ready for battle.
"Is everyone ready?" Tobirama asked without turning around.
"We're ready!" A kneeling ANBU, wearing an animal mask, responded with a firm voice.
"Half of the ANBU has been deployed per your orders to guard Mito-sama. The Konoha Police Force has also been reinforced and is conducting intensive patrols."
Tobirama nodded at the report and gave further orders.
"While I'm away, make sure the village remains peaceful. Anyone who tries to stir up trouble—execute them on the spot."
"Also, withdraw the ANBU's full force and focus entirely on protecting my sister-in-law. Do not let the Nine-Tails run wild!"
He turned to the others behind him.
"Anything else to add?" Tobirama asked with clear intent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing nearby with a serious look, stepped forward.
"Sensei, Reiji Sakuhō."
A flicker of approval flashed in Tobirama's eyes.
"Any concerns?"
Hiruzen reached up and tightened his Konoha forehead protector.
"Sensei, the ANBU dungeon." His tone was grim.
As someone familiar with Reiji's combat abilities, Hiruzen knew just how dangerous he could be. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if Reiji was hiding something, he'd strike the moment Tobirama and his team left the village.
Leaving someone with immense close-range combat power, an iron will, and a scheming mind alone in the village without any precautions was blatantly irresponsible.
Standing nearby, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement with Hiruzen's suggestion.
"Sensei, we agree too!"
"Reiji Sakuhō may have been behaving lately, but he's still not one of us."
Seeing all three disciples in agreement, Tobirama Senju turned his sharp gaze to Danzō Shimura, who stood silently at the back.
"Danzō, what about you?"
"Sensei, I support Hiruzen's suggestion." Danzō didn't say much. Ever since Reiji had verbally torn into him last time, he'd kept a low profile and rarely voiced his thoughts.
Finally, Tobirama's gaze shifted to Kagami Uchiha, who looked like he was holding something back.
"Kagami, what's your opinion?"
"Sensei, I have a different idea." Kagami bit his lip before speaking up.
"What if we let Reiji... I mean, Reiji Sakuhō stay temporarily in the Uchiha compound, where our clan can keep constant watch over him?"
Tobirama's brow lifted slightly.
He couldn't say whether the idea was good or bad.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan was, after all, a powerful surveillance tool.
Tobirama had always placed full trust in the handful of Uchiha who truly understood the Will of Fire—those he had trained himself. But as for the rest of the stubborn elders in the clan, he had no faith in them at all.
As Tobirama fell into thought, Kagami grew visibly uneasy and pressed his lips together.
His suggestion was partly a gesture of solidarity—hoping the Uchiha could shoulder some of the village's burden.
But more than that, he wanted Reiji to truly see what the Uchiha Clan was like.
Caught between his clan and the village, Kagami had never once shared his inner struggles with his teammates or his sensei.
Not because he didn't trust them, but because each of them had their own natural stance—rooted in who they were.
That's why he so desperately wanted someone who could think outside those lines.
Reiji's arrival had stirred real excitement in Kagami.
An outsider. A so-called undercover agent. In theory, Reiji belonged to no faction in the village—his perspective was entirely independent.
And Kagami admitted it—he didn't have Reiji's near-demonic strategic mind.
But more urgently, it was Reiji's enmity with Ryōta Uchiha that unsettled Kagami.
The longer Reiji stayed in the village, the more his view of its factions would be colored by personal bias.
And Kagami, a battle-hardened shinobi, knew all too well—personal bias was one of the greatest liabilities in a mission.
The hope in his eyes burned brighter at the thought.
Just then, as Tobirama was deep in thought, an ANBU appeared beside him in a flash, leaned in, and whispered.
"Hokage-sama, Reiji Sakuhō is requesting a meeting."
The moment the words landed, Tobirama's eyes sharpened with a flash of cold light, and his expression turned instantly grim.
Did that guy catch on to something?
"Let him in," Tobirama ordered in a chilling voice.
Moments later, while Hiruzen and the others exchanged puzzled looks, Reiji Sakuhō pushed open the wooden office door and swaggered in.
"Yo~ looks like everyone's here!"