Chapter 101: A Web of Betrayal
A bitter smile touched Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips as he gazed at the overcast sky. A storm was coming, in more ways than one.
Soon after, the forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure completed their rendezvous. The moment the Fourth Raikage saw that only their two villages were present, his expression turned grim. "Sunagakure refused to participate?"
Ōnoki's face was equally dark. The Sand Village had completely ignored his ultimatum, a blatant sign of disrespect.
"What about Kirigakure?" Dodai asked, changing the subject. It was strange that no one from the Mist had arrived.
Ōnoki let out a weary sigh. "Don't ask. Kirigakure is finished. The Fourth Mizukage, the Hoshigaki Clan, the Kaguya Clan... Akatsurugi wiped them all out. I suspect the village is in complete chaos right now."
"What? When did this happen?" Dodai was stunned. From his perspective, Akatsurugi had appeared, fought his way through the Land of Rain, and then directly confronted his Cloud ninja. How could he have possibly annihilated the entire Mist invasion force at the same time?
Ōnoki shot Dodai a look of pure exasperation. In his mind, he was surrounded by incompetent allies. This fool didn't even realize Akatsurugi had given him the slip. If the Cloud ninja had pressed their attack against the Konoha forces while the Blaze God was absent, they might have actually secured a victory!
But judging by Dodai's clueless expression, the thought had never crossed his mind.
Of course, it was pointless to dwell on it now.
"Third Tsuchikage," Dodai said, his voice hardening with resolve. "Kumogakure has committed ten thousand shinobi to this fight. This time, we must ensure Akatsurugi dies here in the Land of Rain."
Ōnoki gave a sharp nod. "Iwagakure will match that number. Twenty thousand shinobi. We will bury him under our combined strength."
"The main problem is their mobility," Dodai countered, his strategic mind finally engaging. "If they choose to disengage, we cannot stop them. Furthermore, Konoha has over ten thousand ninja here, plus the forces Akatsurugi brings. I fear a direct confrontation will still be difficult..."
"What do you think Sarutobi Hiruzen thinks of Akatsurugi's return?" Ōnoki interjected, a sly glint in his eye.
Dodai was taken aback for a moment before understanding dawned. "You mean... we convince the Third Hokage to withdraw his forces? Leaving Akatsurugi isolated? Then we would have our chance!"
Ōnoki nodded, his expression profound. "Precisely. Hiruzen's prestige has been shattered by this war. If Akatsurugi dies, Hiruzen remains Hokage. If Akatsurugi lives, he will be forced to abdicate. I have already sent him a message outlining our... proposal. The choice is now his."
Dodai nodded, a flicker of admiration cutting through his gloom. "A masterstroke, Lord Tsuchikage."
He offered the flattery and returned to his camp to make the necessary, grim preparations. He had a sinking feeling he would not survive the coming battle. He needed to secure the future of his village. His first order was for Mabui to return to Kumogakure immediately.
Mabui's eyes widened in disbelief. "Lord Raikage, what do you mean? Why must I leave?"
Dodai's face was stern, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Mabui, I am giving you a direct order. Return to the village and assume command. If... if I do not return, you will guide Kumogakure as its next leader."
Mabui stood frozen, a storm of conflict raging within him. He was being ordered to flee the battlefield? He was a shinobi of Kumo!
"Lord Raikage, I don't understand!" he protested, his fists clenching. "I am a ninja of Kumogakure! I should fight to the end alongside everyone else!"
Dodai fixed him with a sharp, unwavering gaze. "This is an order! You will obey!"
Mabui flinched. He had always sought to emulate his father, the Third Raikage, and prove his worth on the battlefield. Yet now, he was being forced to abandon it. He gritted his teeth, frustration and helplessness warring in his eyes. He had seen Akatsurugi's power firsthand and knew the gulf between them was vast. A part of him still burned with the desire to face the Blaze God, but that dream was now out of reach. With a heart full of regret, he could only bow his head and accept his duty.
After Mabui departed, Dodai let out a slow breath. At the very least, he had preserved a seed of hope for his village.
Back in the Konoha command tent, Sarutobi Hiruzen held Ōnoki's secret missive, its contents placing an immense weight upon his shoulders. He was trapped in a moral prison of his own making.
If these twenty thousand enemy ninja succeeded in killing Akatsurugi, and if a significant portion of them survived the attempt... the war would be over. Akatsurugi would be dead, and he, Hiruzen, would remain the Third Hokage. With a decade or more to rebuild, Konoha might even recover enough to face the other villages alone once more.
The temptation was a venomous whisper in his ear. All he had to do was give the order to redeploy his forces, scattering them to other fronts under a plausible pretext. Akatsurugi would be left alone to face the twenty-thousand-strong army.
But...
But he was the Hokage of Konoha. To deliberately betray one of his own, the very man who was currently saving the village, to the enemy? Was that the act of a Hokage? Was that upholding the Will of Fire?
Would I be worthy of the village my teachers entrusted to me?
The conflict tore at him, a battle between a leader's desperate desire to retain power and a shinobi's sacred oath to protect his people.
Unaware of the turmoil in the Hokage's heart, Akatsurugi led his forces into the Land of Rain, swelling the total number of Konoha shinobi there to nearly twenty thousand. The air was thick with the tension of an impending, decisive battle.
"Akatsurugi, you've arrived," Sarutobi Hiruzen said as the Blaze God entered the command tent.
Akatsurugi nodded. "Hokage-sama. The Rock and Cloud have joined forces. They are preparing for their final stand."
Hiruzen merely grunted and tossed a scroll across the table. "This is from Ōnoki. He proposes using twenty thousand shinobi to surround and kill you."
Akatsurugi raised an eyebrow, took the scroll, and scanned its contents. So, Ōnoki was resorting to this. Surround and kill him? The man must have been kicked in the head by a donkey. Between his elemental intangibility and his ability to fly, their "trap" was a joke. What made them think he would just stand there and let them?
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