The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

The bluish glow of the LED screen cast shifting shadows across the faces of the three men. Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe flickered softly in the darkness as he gazed at the 3D rendering of the Hidden Rain Village, exhaling a slow stream of smoke.

"Cough cough... Shikaku, Itachi, your idea has merit. Defending forever isn't a strategy."

"Cut off the source," Shikaku replied, tapping the screen. Two images popped up: on the left, the bustling streets of the Hidden Leaf; on the right, the steel-clad jungle of the endlessly rainy Amegakure.

"Based on projections from the Kumogakure ruins, if a battle breaks out in the Leaf, we'd lose at least seven commercial districts. As for Amegakure…"

He left the sentence unfinished, but the implication was clear: better their city than ours.

Itachi's gaze sharpened. "Pain wouldn't allow his so-called god-realm to be destroyed. The peace he envisions doesn't include sacrificing Amegakure."

Shikaku clicked his tongue. He still struggled to understand why leaders of terrorist groups always spoke of "world peace." Honestly, in a twisted way, they really did think like Hokage.

Hiruzen couldn't help but nod. The strategist and the shinobi prodigy were as cunning as ever.

"Then it's a matter of manpower," he said. "The Leaf still needs protection."

As one of the village's top assets, Itachi began calculating silently. Deidara was a minor threat. Hidan could be neutralized by separating him from Kakuzu. Kisame alone could handle Kakuzu. The real problem lay with the remaining three. Especially

"Pain's abilities are still far too troublesome. It might take several high-level fighters just to pin him down. Perhaps we should invite Chiyo from the Sand, Killer Bee from the Cloud, Mei from the Mist, and Ōnoki from the Stone to form a unified strike force."

Shikaku considered the proposal and quickly refined it.

It made sense. Fighting Akatsuki shouldn't fall solely to the Leaf. With the major five nations now aligned, mutual support was only natural.

If the others were committed, even that stubborn Ōnoki couldn't sit this out. After all, if they lost, fine. But if they won, and the Tailed Beasts ended up in Konoha's hands rather than Akatsuki's, he'd be even more uneasy.

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully, his gaze on Shikaku full of growing appreciation.

"Your suggestion is to form a Five-Nation Special Ops Unit to strike Akatsuki?" he asked.

"A strong anchor in the Leaf is still needed," Shikaku said. "With you remaining here, Lord Third, our top five commanders can march to war. Captain Yamato and his Wood Release can reinforce the team as well."

Itachi stepped forward. "I'll fight alongside Kisame."

Shikaku added, "The Ino-Shika-Cho trio can take down one of the enemy generals."

Hiruzen shook his head. "Not enough. I'll go myself."

A royal expedition.

Itachi, slipping into the role of a tactician, immediately tried to dissuade him. "If the others can create the right opening, I can confront Pain."

"With the Sword of Totsuka again?" Hiruzen raised a brow. "This time, there's no Marco. If you stab him, it might cost you your life."

Hiruzen rejected the approach. A one-time legendary card shouldn't be thrown away so casually.

He sighed inwardly. This child, Itachi on the surface, all seemed well, but he was clearly looking for an excuse to die. Especially now, with Konoha and Sasuke both finding stability, the last of his emotional anchors was slipping away.

He had to carefully consider the team composition.

Still, there was one thing Hiruzen was sure of.

He would personally face Kakuzu.

"Let me think over the deployment," he said. "Shikaku, notify the secretary to draft a formal letter to Chiyo and the newly appointed Mizukage, Mei. Then have them contact Ōnoki of the Stone. And finally, reach out to that Raikage, Mabui."

He added, "And while we're at it, check if Gaara's ready to be Kazekage. It's been long enough without one in the Sand."

—

In a hidden cave serving as their secret base...

"Obito, eat something," said Zetsu gently, placing a wrapped meal on the floor. He looked at Obito's hunched back and sighed.

Ever since that disastrous battle with Kakashi, Obito had lost his spark.

He kept muttering things like "This world is a lie," and "Even Kakashi is fake," and "Rin… what should I do?"

Zetsu was baffled. If he had been this weak-minded, he would've never survived a thousand years.

"Obito, it's not over yet. Even though your identity was exposed, you're still powerful. Konoha's net couldn't catch you."

He couldn't stand this version of Obito anymore, but his voice remained warm.

"Also, I've got intel. Itachi's reappeared in the ninja world! Just as we suspected, that old snake Hiruzen orchestrated the whole thing to frame us."

"It was a deliberate ploy to divide us!"

Obito stirred slightly but fell silent again.

"And that traitor Kisame? He's defected too. He joined Itachi and Konoha."

Obito felt the sting he had personally recruited Kisame.

"So all this wasn't your fault," Zetsu said gently. "It was your enemies being too deceitful. Who could've predicted those two would betray you?"

"They owe you everything. You found them when they were lost. You gave them purpose."

Zetsu's voice turned soothing. "You were the one chosen by Madara. Out of all the Uchiha, he chose you. He saw it the one who would reshape this broken world."

"You are the one chosen by the Eye of the Moon. You must rise again."

"I've received word: Konoha is moving against Nagato. This is the perfect opportunity to reach out again."

Obito finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "I've been waiting for this. Everything is still going according to plan. Let that puppet march forward once more."

Zetsu nearly cracked a smile but managed to restrain it. "Excellent. I'll contact Nagato right away."

Obito nodded. After a pause, he added:

"If Nagato doesn't cooperate… we'll take back the Rinnegan."

—

Private chat.

"Ace, I think Itachi's been… not quite himself since he got back. Like he's lost the will to live."

A reply came quickly.

"Really? That's strange he seemed fine with us. Is it Konoha depression or something?"

…That actually sounded about right.

"Marco says he drinks our liquor every night now. When Pops sails for the Leaf, I'll ask him to pack some of our ship's wine."

Numbing pain with alcohol… a temporary solution at best.

Hiruzen chimed in: "Alright. When's Whitebeard arriving?"

Ace: "After we finish this round of partying."

Suddenly, the long-silent Yoriichi popped into the chat.

"Gentlemen, after reading those fanfics you recommended, I feel… inspired. I'm going to visit Tanjiro in his dreams."

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