บท 326: Chapter 323 : Hiruzen's Response
After leaving the house, Ao said, "Lady Mei, I am afraid that he has abducted more kids."
Mei nodded and said, "Yeah. But seeing his confidence, they shouldn't be here. He must have already sent them to Konoha. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do. If we ask, they will deny it. Until the civil war ends, such cases will keep happening. What we need to do is end this war as soon as we can."
Ao looked at Mei. He could see the seriousness on her face. However, he knew that Mei couldn't end the war. He thought, 'Unfortunately, that isn't possible. The Terumi clan leader is too old, while the Sakai clan leader got injured in the 3rd Great Ninja War. The other clan leaders can't take on rank S ninjas. So we don't have anyone who can take on the Fourth Mizukage. At least until Mei becomes a rank S ninja!'
Renjiro wrote a letter and sent it to Hiruzen. His teammates approached him. Itaru said, "Sorry, Renjiro-san. Because of us, you got captured as well."
Renjiro replied, "I can't just leave my teammates behind to die. Besides, we will be fine. Don't worry."
His teammates nodded. Despite his statement, they knew that they were under a lot of risk. Kazuki thought, 'If another Elite Jounin from the Rebel faction arrives, then even Renjiro would have difficulty escaping.'
Renjiro was aware of the risks as well. He didn't want his teammates to let down their guard and warned them, "Though I am sure that they won't try anything funny, be on your guard. Mei's mother was from the Sakai clan. And there are rumors that she can use the Vapor release."
His words surprised his teammates. Kazuki asked, "She can use 2 Kekkei Genkai?"
Renjiro nodded and replied, "Most likely. Vapor release jutsus can harm us while we are inside the house, while Lava jutsus can submerge the entire house in an instant. Luckily, we can avoid both by entering the ground. So stay on guard."
His teammates nodded. They consumed soldier pills to stay awake.
Around 16 hours later, a messenger bird reached Konoha. As soon as the message was received, the ninja immediately rushed to Hiruzen and handed him the scroll. As soon as Hiruzen opened it, his eyes widened. He looked at the ninja and said, "Call Shikaku here immediately."
The ninja nodded and left while Hiruzen continued reading the scroll. In a few minutes, Shikaku appeared in the room. Hiruzen tossed him the scroll. Shikaku's expression became serious as he started reading. After he read the entire scroll, he sighed in relief and said, "Renjiro did well."
Hiruzen nodded. Shikaku added, "Still, what bad luck to have. They didn't encounter any Kiri ninja for months and then directly attracted one of their strongest units. But for Kiri to extort so much money from us…"
Hiruzen said, "40 million Ryo for the life of 3 Jounins and the safety of 1 Elite Jounin is fine. Even though Renjiro could have escaped, it's difficult to say whether he would have managed to do that without any injury. Besides, we do have a lot of funds lying around."
Shikaku nodded. Their excess money is why Hiruzen had sent Renjiro to pick up promising kids in the first place. He realized that Hiruzen had disregarded the costs the rebel faction would have had to pay to achieve that. But knowing Hiruzen, he didn't bother mentioning it.
Hiruzen said, "If everything went as in the scroll, then it won't be an issue. But what are the chances of the rebel faction attacking Renjiro and his team and setting up an ambush for the squad we send?"
Hiruzen's words made Shikaku fall into thought. For a few minutes, he properly analyzed all the information. Finally, he shook his head and said, "That is very unlikely. Doing that would force us to support the Mizukage faction. Even though we can't send many ninjas, we can provide them with substantial financial aid.
Considering that they have requested our aid several times in the past, they won't do something so reckless."
Hiruzen nodded. He had reached the same conclusion but wanted Shikaku to analyze it too. Shikaku added, "The only question is, who do we send?"
The first names they thought of were Kakashi, Eagle and the other two Elite Jounins from the Senju clan. But after some discussion, Shikaku said, "The Senju clan was very active on the Kiri front in the last war. If there is still some hate against them, the rebels might try to kill all of them. So sending them is risky.
As for Kakashi and Guy, the mission is too risky. They already have someone who has stolen a Byakugan. They might get greedy for Kakashi's Sharingan to gain both of Konoha's Dojutsu. As for Guy, they should still remember the humiliation his father inflicted on them. Not to mention, the way Kakashi and Guy are growing, both will reach rank S in the future. Risking them on the same mission isn't wise.
As for Eagle, he knows too many of our secrets to send him on a mission where things can go very badly. After all, even though chances of them making a move are minuscule, if they do, then they can easily assemble more than 500 ninjas there."
Hiruzen agreed with his analysis. Due to the history of each village, it was easy to set off a conflict between their ninjas. He said, "Then Fujin? He is Renjiro's student after all. And he has no history with Kiri."
Shikaku analyzed for a bit and nodded. He said, "He would work. He was able to escape from Roshi despite Roshi being able to use the Tailed Beast Bomb. So he shouldn't have an issue in escaping if things go wrong. Though his team might face their demise.
But he can't go as Fujin and instead should go as the Spectral Swordsman. Unlike Kakashi, the Spectral Swordsman is still covered in mystery, be it his identity or strength. The mystery can be a good deterrence, especially when combined with his high chakra reserves. And he did kill numerous Kiri ninjas from the Mizukage faction who pretended to be bounty hunters.
In addition to the money, we can also give them the information we gained from Higashi Renzo. The information will make them think twice before getting any funny ideas. And will make them indebted to us at the same time."
[A/N: Higashi Renzo appeared in chapter 242.]
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Alright. I'll dispatch his Anbu squad there."
Shikaku nodded and left while Hiruzen called for Fujin. Fujin's team had just returned from a mission and were about to leave for their home when they were summoned. All immediately left towards the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen looked at them and said, "A squad led by Senju Renjiro was active in the Land of Water on a humanitarian mission when they were intercepted and captured by Rebels."
Fujin's eyes widened. Hiruzen noticed it and said, "Don't worry, they are safe. Renjiro could have escaped but stayed behind as his team couldn't. They have reached a deal with one of the rebel leaders. Your mission is to complete the deal and bring them back to Konoha safely."
He gave Fujin the scroll that Renjiro sent and said, "This scroll has the information regarding the deal. See and memorize it."
He handed Yugao and Fumito a scroll each and said, "These scrolls have information on Mei and Ao, the two strongest Kiri ninjas there. Memorize their abilities."
Everyone began reading. Fujin let out a sigh and thought, 'Looks like he will be fine."
He handed the scroll back to Hiruzen and read up the information on Mei and Ao. It was quite similar to what he recalled in addition to some more information that wasn't very important.
After everyone was done, Hiruzen handed Fujin a couple of scrolls and said, "This scroll contains 40 million Ryo. Keep it properly. And the other scroll contains information we gained from the fake Bounty Hunter who targeted you. Read up. Provide this scroll to Terumi Mei. You can use this information to get an advantage over her or a favor from her."
Fujin nodded. Hiruzen's expression became serious. He said, "Though I believe there wouldn't be any conflict, there is a chance it might be a trap. If it is, then focus on surviving. Disperse in different directions and make your way back here somehow. I will have ninjas deployed along our coast with Kiri."
Fujin and his team nodded with solemn expressions behind their masks. They understood how bad the odds were if a conflict were to break out.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen thought, 'If Renjiro ends up falling because of being held back by his teammates, then it will be sad. If his student were to fall due to the same reason, then it would be a tragedy. Only by dispersing can they guarantee Fujin's safety.'
He said, "Fujin, you will inspect Renjiro properly. If he is placed under Genjutsu or some other means of mind control or if they are tortured, then I will give you the full autonomy to decide on how to proceed."
Fujin nodded though he hoped that situation didn't reach that stage. For one, he didn't want anything bad to happen to Renjiro. And secondly, he had no confidence in defeating Mei.
After explaining all the details, Hiruzen said, "Fujin, use your Hawk mask for this mission."
Fujin realized what Hiruzen's plan was. He nodded and asked, "Does Kiri have anyone who can fly?"
Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Not that I know. But their Mizukage is a perfect Jinchuriki. Flying against him won't be much help."
Fujin nodded. His team left immediately.
[A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week's Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.]
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