"After dealing with me, Tatsuma, how do you plan to handle things?"
"You're one of Konoha's higher-ups. I'll give you a bit of credit as a meritorious figure. When someone like you steps into the underworld, how could there be no attendants to hold your reins and support your stirrups, guarding you at your side?"
Aburame Tatsuma's face turned ashen.
So I really can't trust you… you never intended to let me live.
Danzo-sama is still better…
"Danzo-sama, if I unfortunately die by your hand today, how will you arrange things for Tatsuma?"
"A traitor betrays once, and can betray again. Such a person cannot be kept alive."
Shimura Danzo and Aburame Shiken exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter, and once again clashed fiercely.
Only Aburame Tatsuma stood there at a loss.
Neither side wants me. Both want me dead… what am I supposed to do?
"Vacuum Blade."
Shimura Danzo stepped forward, swinging his wind blade.
Aburame Shiken didn't dodge at all.
"Insect Clone… explode."
The insect clone struck by Danzo erupted in a violent explosion, flames and smoke surging outward.
Aburame Shiken reappeared behind Danzo.
"Danzo-sama, I thought you'd use Izanagi. What's wrong? Reluctant to use it? Not enough Sharingan?"
"Damn it—where did you get that information?"
"I told you, Tatsuma said it."
"Nonsense. You think someone like Tatsuma is qualified to know that kind of intelligence?"
"Alright, my mistake… Aburame Tatsuma really is useless."
...
Outside the barrier,
Aburame Shiken's real body sat quietly, observing everything unfolding within.
At the same time, a small Jar Poison Technique formation hovered beside him.
"Danzo-sama, sending you off with something of this scale isn't too disrespectful, is it?"
A bright smile spread across Aburame Shiken's face.
Everyone knew Danzo had techniques meant for mutual destruction. Just how unwilling to live would Shiken have to be to confront him head-on?
Besides, compared to a bridge, insects have already raised your level of grandeur quite a bit, Danzo-sama.
...
Night fell.
At the border of the Land of Earth, the Hidden Stone Village troops, having retreated to defensive lines, rested peacefully.
But someone clearly didn't want them to rest.
A flash of red light flickered and vanished.
Inside one of the camps, more than twenty people fell into a deathly silence.
And this kind of thing kept happening.
"Ah! Ah! We're under attack!"
A scream tore through the quiet darkness.
Uchiha Kamito let out a regretful sigh.
"Only the seventh one and I'm already discovered… what a shame. Next time won't be this easy. Oh well, I'll leave you a little gift."
He piled a large number of Explosive Tags together with a big bag of itching powder.
"May you laugh happily every day."
"Earth Style: Underground Voyage."
As his body sank into the ground, Uchiha Kamito disappeared without a trace.
The patterns on the Explosive Tags left behind began to glow brighter and brighter.
Boom—
In the Hidden Stone camp, countless sparkling white powders suddenly scattered everywhere.
And then—
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Hahaha—Konoha—damn it—hahahahaha!"
The Hidden Stone camp was filled with laughter, waves upon waves of it.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kamito brushed off his sleeves and left, hiding both his deeds and his fame.
After just a few hours, he returned to the border of the Land of Fire.
As for the army advancing into the Land of Grass—
Uchiha Kamito figured that without a way to deal with tailed beasts, like Tsunade's necklace, staying in the Land of Fire was actually pretty good.
At worst, you can come attack Konoha.
My master's Dead Demon Consuming Seal isn't something to joke about.
The other member of the quartet, as famous as Danzo have mutual-destruction techniques too.
We're all on the same level—no way I have one and you don't.
Uchiha Kamito thought happily.
Konoha can send out three people.
You Hidden Stone only have two tailed beasts.
Fine, Konoha is generous—we'll even throw in one extra for you.
Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu: ????
"Tsunade-sama, is that kind of necklace really gone?"
"Hideki, when I say it's gone, it's gone! Asking dozens of times a day—aren't you annoyed?!"
Tsunade looked like she was on the verge of tears.
How was I supposed to know that thing would be so useful back then?
If I had known, I would've had Grandpa get me a whole box—no, a whole room full of them!
If I could go back to the past—
"Tsunade-sama, Hideki—you're here."
Uchiha Kamito lifted the tent flap and walked in.
"Kamito, how was it? Had a good time wreaking havoc in the Hidden Stone camp?"
"It was alright. Killed about a hundred people, left them a little gift—that's about it."
"A hundred people? Ōnoki probably won't be sleeping tonight. No matter how many they have, if you kill over a hundred a day and keep it up for half a year, you'd wipe them out."
"Seriously, Hideki, you don't do any of the work, so you just say whatever you want. How can you make it sound so easy?"
"Heh, it's not my problem anyway. As the saying goes, aim for the top and you get the middle; aim for the middle and you get the bottom. I'm just setting a grand goal for you."
"It sounds reasonable… but somehow it's really irritating."
After their exchange, both of them turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, the Hidden Stone has already retreated to the Land of Earth's border. They probably won't make a move anytime soon. But we can't do anything about it either—even if they start grilling meat over there, all we can do is watch from here."
"This war is just too frustrating. All we can do is run—and keep running."
Tsunade spoke angrily.
But Kamito and Hideki looked at her with strange expressions.
Why are we in such a miserable situation? Isn't it because of you?
If you could handle Ōnoki, the Hidden Stone wouldn't be a problem at all. We'd be playing them like fools—after all, nearly half of the original shareholders are here.
"Hey! What's with those looks?! Across the entire shinobi world, who dares claim they can deal with Ōnoki? He's the only one with a Kekkei Tōta! Do you even know what level that is?!"
Realizing their meaning, Tsunade immediately got angry.
What does this have to do with me? He can use Kekkei Tōta and he can fly—how am I supposed to deal with that? My main job is just a weak, gentle medical ninja!
...
On the Hidden Stone side,
Kitsuchi was leading people to tally the losses.
"Kitsuchi, 147 confirmed dead. Over 400 more have been affected by some strange powder from Konoha ninjas and are still laughing uncontrollably."
"Damn Konoha ninjas. Have you figured out how they infiltrated the camp?"
"Preliminary guess: Earth Style."
"Damn it! The great Hidden Stone Village of the Land of Earth keeps suffering losses to Earth Style techniques. What are our reconnaissance units doing—eating for free? Inform them: from now on, monitor the camp surroundings 24 hours a day. If this happens again, I'll use them as sacrificial banners in the next battle."
"Yes, sir."
After giving his orders, Kitsuchi looked up at the deep, dark night sky.
"Tsuchikage… you must succeed."