After Kakashi left, the Third Hokage rose from his seat, turned to gaze at the fine, misty rain outside, and sank into deep thought.
'Hanzō, what exactly are you plotting?'
For years, the Land of Rain had remained closed off to the world, allowing only the faintest whispers of information to escape. The spies Konoha had sent vanished like rain into the sea, leaving no trace.
Still, they had managed to glean some meager, almost useless details.
Rumor had it that Hanzō hadn't shown his face in ages, instead ruling Amegakure and even the Land of Rain by claiming to be a god. The Land of Rain Daimyo, now little more than a puppet, showed no signs of dissatisfaction.
'Claiming divinity, sidelining the Daimyo, usurping the country... has your ambition swollen to such monstrous proportions?'
'And now you're harboring rogue shinobi from other villages? Hanzō, are you planning to ignite another Great Shinobi War?'
The Third Hokage took a deep drag from his pipe, sighing at the ominous undercurrents stirring in the Shinobi World.
Knock, knock, knock!
A steady, deliberate knock echoed through the room.
"Come in!"
The door swung open, and a middle-aged man of average build, wearing a Jonin vest and with his black hair tied into a pineapple-shaped bun, strode into the room.
Nara Shikaku!
The current head of the Nara Clan, the leader of Konoha's Jonin Squad, and advisor to the Hokage.
Seeing the newcomer, the Third Hokage smiled. "Shikaku, it seems you have something important to report."
"Yes," Nara Shikaku nodded, handing over a scroll. His expression turned solemn as he stated, "Tazuna has safely arrived in Konoha under the covert protection of our Anbu ninja!"
Tazuna was just an ordinary old man. Without Konoha's covert protection, he would have been killed en route by the ninja assassins sent by Gato, never even getting the chance to traverse the long journey to Konoha and issue the so-called C-rank mission.
"Hmm," the Third Hokage took the scroll, but before opening it, he casually asked, "What is Tazuna doing now?"
Nara Shikaku replied gravely, "Upon arriving in the village, Tazuna immediately went to a tavern to eat, drink, and seemingly get deliberately drunk."
'Hmm?!'
The Third Hokage frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flickering across his face.
Tazuna was the man they had chosen, and their covert manipulation had led him to post a mission request in Konoha.
After all, Tazuna was one of the few people in the small Land of Waves who had refused to submit to Gato's coercion. Through their observation, they had determined that Tazuna was an elderly man with a strong sense of national responsibility and courage.
It was precisely this quality that had led them to select him.
The Third Hokage had initially admired Tazuna somewhat, but he was surprised to see the man immediately indulge in lavish drinking and dining upon arriving in Konoha, as if completely forgetting the crisis facing his country.
"Shikaku, analyze his behavior," the Third Hokage instructed, his displeasure concealed as he turned to Nara Shikaku.
After a moment's contemplation, Nara Shikaku replied, "He's doing it deliberately. He wants to portray himself as an ignorant old man from a backwater country, unfamiliar with the world and prone to drunken blunders. By creating this persona, he hopes the village won't react too harshly when his false mission rank is discovered."
"Then why is he doing this?"
"He's broke!"
Nara Shikaku responded directly, "While Tazuna is a renowned bridge builder in the Land of Waves, he has spent almost all his wealth constructing the bridge connecting his nation to the Land of Fire. Now, nearly every citizen in the Land of Waves is too afraid to oppose Gato. Tazuna came to Konoha without any support, making this a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble."
"As far as we know, his remaining funds barely cover the payment for a C-rank mission. So, he's betting on our village's reputation—gambling that even after his deception is exposed, Konoha will still honor the mission."
"A cunning old fox," the Third Hokage remarked calmly, taking a puff of his pipe. "But at least he's a patriotic old fox."
Every Ninja Village had strict criteria for classifying mission ranks, with rigorous evaluation procedures. They couldn't possibly assign missions based solely on a client's claims.
Falsely reporting a mission's rank was an act of gross negligence towards the lives of the village's ninjas. Any client caught doing so would immediately be blacklisted by the village.
In more severe cases—for example, when such misrepresentation resulted in casualties among the ninja—the client might even be hunted down and killed by ninja assassins!
Tazuna's actions were undeniably gambling with the lives of Konoha's ninjas.
However, the Third Hokage, already aware of the true circumstances, had no intention of refusing the mission. Instead, he planned to extract maximum benefit from the situation.
Adding flowers to brocade was easy, but providing charcoal in the snow showed true worth.
"Let's set aside the Tazuna matter for now," the Third Hokage said, turning to Shikaku. "Shikaku, what's your assessment of Gato?"
Nara Shikaku's gaze flickered slightly as he pondered for a moment. "Gato's public identity is that of the president of the Gato Company, a maritime transport corporation involved in ocean shipping and international trade. However, he secretly exploits his position, using the mafia and ninja to smuggle drugs and contraband, amassing enormous profits.
"Rumor has it that Gato has cultivated extensive connections in coastal cities across major nations. However, his sudden appearance in the Land of Waves a year ago, where he seized control of all maritime transport, is too convenient to be a coincidence. I suspect he's a black glove for some major power!"
The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "You mean Kirigakure!"
"Yes, Lord Third!" Nara Shikaku nodded and continued. "The Land of Water is an island nation isolated from the mainland. After Fourth Mizukage Yagura took power, he implemented a policy of exterminating bloodline limits within Kirigakure, plunging the village into constant internal strife. It's even rumored that the Land of Water Daimyo has survived multiple assassination attempts by unknown assailants. As a result, the entire Land of Water has maintained a strict isolationist policy, closing all its trading ports!"
"Gato's arrival in the Land of Waves coincided with Fourth Mizukage Yagura stepping down, citing illness, shortly before these events unfolded!"
A year ago, the Hidden Mist Village suddenly announced that Fourth Mizukage Yagura was suffering from health issues and was no longer fit to serve as Mizukage.
As a result, all authority in the Hidden Mist Village fell into the hands of Genji, the sole elder who had been serving since the era of the First Mizukage.
Notably, although the Hidden Mist Village had yet to elect a new Fifth Mizukage, Elder Genji promoted a young female Jonin named Mei Terumi to the positions of Jonin Squad Leader and Chief Strategist.
Judging by the Kirigakure elder's actions, it was all but certain that Mei Terumi would become the next Mizukage.
___
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