"Again!" Naruto watched the twenty-foot tall boulder crumble from his last Vacuum Sphere and sighed in frustration. It had been two months since he came into the warhawk's tutelage, and even though the teen had learned two of the jutsu, it seemed he could not please the man. Danzo constantly derided his efforts because he believed that every accomplishment should have come earlier and was always quick to point out his flaws, "You may be satisfied after learning the two easiest jutsu in my style, but there is still a long way to go before you can claim mastery over either, let alone hope to learn the next one." Danzo formed the rat, rabbit, and dog seals with one hand and inhaled deeply before calling out, "Futon: Shinkogyoku," (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere).

The warhawk launched countless fist sized orbs of wind t towards the twenty boulders in front of the two. The first wave of microscopic wind blades shredded the smaller ones instantly, and Danzo had manipulated the pockets around a handful of the following spheres so they were dense enough to pierce the larger stone before bursting. This caused the massive boulders to explode outwards instead of crumble, which is what Naruto had been attempting to do. The crippled shinobi turned and glared at the impressed blonde with his one good eye, "You can barely create five acceptable sphere's on a good attempt, and still fail at the subtle manipulation needed to add extra potency to the jutsu. I easily created ten times that amount and make the shell density differ on each one too."

Naruto's lone blue eye met the stony gaze with no fear as he responded, "I'm trying as hard as possible Danzo-sensei. I only stop to sleep and get food, every other second of my time is devoted to learning this style. If I could at least use a Shadow Clone to forage my progress would increase."

The elder shinobi scoffed, "I will not allow you to rely on a handicap while under my tutelage. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is an incredibly useful technique to know, but there are times when it will be unusable. You must be prepared to think beyond that jutsu in those situations, and this whining is simply evidence of how far you still have to go in that aspect." Danzo turned and slowly started walking back towards his cottage while saying, "Perhaps your single-mindedness is only slowing you down. Gather more boulders for tomorrows training and then return to the cabin for an evening to recover. Every shinobi needs to rest and reflect to truly improve, even a Jinchuuriki."

Naruto bowed and forced a respectful tone onto his voice, "Yes sensei," before hurrying to his assigned task. Danzo watched the blonde's back as he sprinted past him towards the mountain and shook his head. The boy was greatly underestimating his own progress. The warhawk thought he would still be working on the Vacuum Wave, which was the most basic technique in his style, but Naruto had defied the man's expectations. It was a shame Hiruzen coddled him as a child. Madara and the Akatsuki would be no threat if he let Danzo train the Jinchuuriki from a young age.

The crackling of burning wood broke the silence as the two shinobi sat on opposite ends of a shogi board. The small cottage they were residing in was elegant enough to have finely polished floors and hand carved furniture, but still primitive enough to lack electricity and running water. Naruto did not mind roughing it though. The lack of those conveniences was the last thing on chunin's mind while his lone blue orb scanned the organized chaos scattered across the board illuminated by a few oil lanterns. The man in front of him was a much better shogi player than Jiraiya and had soundly defeated the teenager several times already. Danzo had abandoned any hope of an enjoyable game after the first few moves and had been working on teaching the intricacies of shogi to the blonde in front of him, "Deception is key in any strategy. If I can fool you into believing one thing is happening while masking another, it becomes possible to dictate your actions and set them up to be weak against my real plan."

Naruto nodded as he listened to the man while trying to apply the advice, "So if you are setting up an attack on the right, I should prepare for one on the left as well." The teenager bit his lip momentarily while observing before continuing, "But if a smart opponent knows that, then why not attack from the right because their forces will be spread out anyways."

Danzo remembered the few times he tried to play against the boy's father and rubbed his forehead agitatedly, at least Naruto had more aptitude for subtlety than that man did. "Tactics are never that simple child. Why not initiate the attack from the right, and then once the defenders swing back, attack from the left with your real force?" There are a thousand different levels of planning that can go on, and it is impossible to defend against every one of them. At some point it all comes down to picking a reality and dictating it to your opponent. My answer to an enemy gathering on my right would be to attack first and spoil any possible plan they want to execute."

Naruto thought back to some of his old pranks and the man's words made sense. When the blonde used traps and preplanned escape routes it was easy to evade his pursuers, but they always managed to catch up when his plans ended or fell apart. Danzo had been an excellent teacher so far, and the teen was beginning to think Jiraiya's distress was simply an overreaction. Still, the two of them had avoided talking on a personal level this entire time, and one of his godfather's rants came back to him. Naruto had been wondering why the legendary shinobi was so worried about his new tutor and asked him.

Jiraiya initially suggested asking Danzo about the White Fang, but after a few moments said not to. The legendary sennin claimed the blonde was better off having no personal interaction with the man than understanding him, which only ended up stoking Naruto's curiosity more. He looked over at the warhawk and decided to ask, despite his godfather's advice. The chunin hoped there was enough mutual respect that the arrangement would not blow up as Jiraiya feared, "Danzo-sensei," the crippled warhawk's lone charcoal eye looked up from the board and his new student asked, "what do you think about the White Fang?"

The elder snorted at the blonde's obvious fishing and moved one of his pieces forward, "Did Jiraiya put you up to this? I thought we had agreed to put aside our disagreement on Hatake Sakumo, yet his apprentice comes in here and opens up the old argument."

Naruto rapidly shook his head before responding, "Ero-sennin never mentioned anything about an argument. I was curious and asked what type of shinobi you were. He initially suggested asking about the White Fang before telling me not to, but I don't see the harm in asking."

Danzo leaned back and looked over at the flickering fire in the mantle while wondering how to answer the question, "I'm sure you've been told that our personal views differ. In my opinion, the will of fire that Hiruzen clings to acts as a coping mechanism that allows him to live with the deaths of shinobi under his command, something like a blanket to a scared toddler." Naruto leaned forward angrily to interrupt, but a bandaged hand stalled his protests.

"Unfortunately, this coping mechanism has become a foolish philosophy that has only weakened the village, and Hatake Sakumo is the perfect example. The man was a highly regarded shinobi on the level of the Sannin, but instead of accomplishing the final and most crucial part of a mission that could have ended the Second Great War, he saved his teammates. A noble gesture to be sure, but the team failed their mission and the war continued because of it. Countless lives were lost due to weakness inspired by the will of fire. Soon the shinobi of the village will be nothing more than simpering children afraid of their own shadow."

Danzo could see the blonde was shaking from anger, but still managed to keep his temper under control for the moment. It was time to test the boy's emotional stability. The man had been planning on planting some seeds using Shisui's sharingan, but they all seemed to roll off of Naruto whenever he tried. Danzo could not afford to be too risky with as the blonde also had a mangekyou, so the suggestions were all weak. Perhaps anger would allow the man to sink a tendril into his temporary pupil's mind without pushing too hard.

"The White Fang became a disgrace in the village, even the people he saved wanted nothing to do with him. The weakness in Hiruzen that inspired the will of fire has spread throughout Konoha like a cancer. His philosophy is a poison that has caused the village to rot from the inside out, and that sentimentality has allowed enemies like Orochimaru and Akatsuki to sneak up on us. It is only a matter of time before the mistakes of Hiruzen and Jiraiya destroy Konoha." Danzo had a smug grin as he looked at the fuming blonde, "Of course, there is some sentimentality in me as well. For some reason I think it is possible to talk you foolish idiots off your self-destructive course, even though every effort is for naught."

"You can't honestly believe that." Danzo began channeling chakra into Shisui's sharingan while staring at the fuming blonde. The cold blue orb glaring back never faltered though, and the old warhawk realized his mangekyou was having no effect. "If we aren't fighting for the people next to us and at home, then what's the point of fighting? Konoha would be nothing but walls surrounding empty buildings without the villagers, which is why we need to fight to save every single one. The White Fang may have failed his mission, but he did not make the wrong choice."

Danzo snorted and reminded himself of the child's lack of experience. He was still naïve compared to most shinobi who had seen comrades fall by the dozens on a real battlefield. "Then you would have failed too, and the blood of thousands of Konoha-nin and civlians would be on your hands."

Naruto shook his head, "I would not have failed." Danzo stopped breathing for a moment when the blonde set his jaw with determination and confidently slam his hand on the table, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Yondaime and container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Even if I need to go to hell and back to complete a mission, I will not fail."

Danzo knew that look on the blonde's face during his declaration. He had seen it on the Shodaime and Nidaime when he was a boy, and he saw it again later when Hiruzen volunteered to stay behind and fight the Kinkaku force on the day Senju Tobirama died. Jiraiya had donned it before stealing guaranteed victories from the grasp of a seemingly superior opponent, and so had the Yondaime on the day he unveiled the Hiarashin and slaughtered a quarter of Iwagakure's military within half an hour.

Danzo had been trying to imitate that look his whole life, but the only thing he could muster was an intimidating glare. The warhawk could never inspire confidence the way those shinobi could. His Root ANBU followed his orders, but not for the same reason that shinobi followed the past Hokage. That indescribable charisma was something Danzo could never create, but this young chunin had it in spades. Perhaps that was why the elder was never chosen to wear the hat, and likely never would. It was probably also why he was still alive. Danzo had a hard time envisioning himself willingly sacrificing himself for an ideal like the previous Hokage had.

Still, all of those great men had capable counterparts in the darkness behind them, and the next generation would be no different. The warhawks's sharp eye picked out the masked shinobi in the shadows behind Naruto. The young ANBU continued to defy expectations like the blonde bathed in firelight, and might make a worthy successor someday. Although that remained to be seen, there were many promising candidates he could take under his wing. Danzo refocused on the shogi board in front of him and moved his silver knight to take advantage of one of the blonde's many errors. That day was still a long ways away though. The old warhawk had quite some time before the next generation was ready to step up, and he would remain in the shadows to make sure Konoha stayed strong until that time.

Danzo took another sip of his tea and glanced down at the scroll he just read while thinking back on the past four months since the blonde's arrival. The warhawk had really stepped up the training after their argument over the shogi board, and Naruto had replied by soaking it in like a sponge. The teenager had mastered manipulating the Vacuum sphere's shell two days after their confrontation, though he could not create more than a dozen yet, and quickly learned the Vacuum Blade a few weeks later. Naruto still had some time before he could form the blades without a weapon, but once he did it would be possible to manufacture them anywhere in the air.

A loud cry of success broke the older shinobi's train of thought and he looked out the window to see Naruto spinning on top of the now frozen lake while exhaling a long blade of wind from his mouth that caused the ice to shatter around him. The Uzumaki leaped to shore as the ice collapsed and let out a whooping laugh that caused Danzo to shake his head with a look of disbelief stamped onto his bandaged features. The boy's progress continued to surprise him. It took years for Danzo to alter his clan's repertoire of futon jutu to match that of his Baku summons, and no other Shimura had been able to learn it since. It seemed his style would have to live on through Naruto, which inspired a sense of relief.

Danzo did not want his creation to become forgotten like so many other techniques, and no other wind user in Konoha had the capability of learning from him. Most did not have the natural affinity strength, and when Danzo finally found one that did, he lacked the motivation to truly learn. The Uzumaki was no Asuma though. His natural affinity was off the charts, and his motivation far outstripped the disappointing Sarutobi.

Danzo looked back down at the scroll once more while his thoughts drifted back to the village. He had been gone too long already. The warhawk had bet against the blonde succeeding and had not planned on being away more than a few months, but after realizing Naruto could truly learn the vacuum style, the elder knew it was his duty to the village to ensure the boy did. Still, Danzo's preoccupation with the training caused him to forget his most important responsibility, and he was unable to react to the rapidly changing events. The warhawk began forming a plan to assess the damage while looking west. It was quite disconcerting that something this historic happened under his watchful gaze. He would need to refocus his paradigm on the outside world.

The crippled shinobi's eye shifted back towards the blonde spinning gleefully on the glacial lake outside the house while expelling a deadly stream of wind from his mouth. It would be foolish to ignore this one's potential though. Naruto had shown great promise in the short time under his tutelage, and Danzo wanted to play a part in his development, even if Shisui's sharingan had no effects on the Uzumaki. He would have to find a way to better balance his two responsibilities until the training was complete. The warhawk's uncovered eye scanned the prominent words, "Yu no Kuni has fallen," on top of the scroll one last time before tossing it into the fire. Before that happened he needed to figure out what was going on in the Land of Hot Springs.

A young brunette waitress with long hair spilling down her bare back nervously smoothed the tight fitting apron that barely covered her ample assets before pulling it down to cover the front of her pink panties peeking through. She hated the uniform provided for teahouse waitresses as it made her feel like a piece of meat, but at least she was not one of the comfort women who literally served as a warm piece of meat to be devoured by the men venturing into the walls of the seedy establishment. The waitress looked over at the figure sitting in the far corner by himself and shivered, especially dangerous looking ones like him. She could not see any of the pale man's features through the strips of cloth hanging down from his kasa, and the high collared black cloak with long sleeves covered most of his body as well, but he still managed emitted a deadly presence, like a viper poised to strike.

Of course, Yu no Kuni had fallen on hard times, and a business could not afford to turn down dangerous customers, or their clientele would be dangerously thin. The attractive waitress breathed a sigh of relief when the man left enough silver coins to pay for three meals on the table without asking for a check and purposefully strode towards the door. She quickly separated the necessary amount to pay for the meal and looked at the pile of coins still sitting in front of her.

It was hard for a lot of people right now, but teahouses were making a killing with the excess of bandits and shinobi in the country. Even working here as a simple waitress netted the woman more than her husband and his father combined. This tip alone was more than either of them made in a week, even after she split it with the others. The waitress picked up the coins and let them run through her fingers while calling the floor manager over to fill the receipt, but the woman immediately regretted the decision once she did. She was the one that put up with that man, why should anybody else share the tip with her?

The waitress only left a few silver coins on the table and quickly shoved the rest into the dirty clay mug before stacking the small plates on top of it. When the burly, baldheaded man got over she put on a fake confused face and said she forgot the most recent silver exchange rates. The manager shook his head disappointedly and ignored the receipt while taking all the silver on the table for himself, even the extra she left for the other girls, "You're lucky, this barely covers the order."

She almost shook her head at the man's lie. He had no idea what this table ordered and pocketed the extra silver for himself, which made her feel justified in taking the tip. How long had he been ripping them off like this? Still, the waitress could understand his desire for more money. She been considering taking the promotion to hostess, which would easily double her highest weeks pay, but that was considered a stepping stone to becoming a full fledged whore. Many customers considered it a challenge to seduce or buy the hostesses instead of the available women. She heard many men bragging about it downstairs, and the position was constantly opening because so many of them succeeded.

The woman listened to the silver coins jingling happily in the cup and reconsidered the promotion. Her husband had been ignoring her needs lately because he was unhappy with who brought home the bacon, and her father-in-law was constantly deriding her for being a whore, despite her unwavering fidelity. Maybe she should do a short stint as a hostess to wait for a customer with deep pockets. After getting a big payday she could flee Yu with the mass of refugees abandoning the country to start a new life somewhere else. The woman brought the dishes back to the kitchen and left the plates, but she managed to conceal the mug until getting to the backroom. She dumped the silver into her coinpurse and covered it with a heavy jacket before going to the bathroom to hide the cup in the stuffed garbage can, but on the way out she saw the reflection of her cherubic face in the mirror and stopped to look.

Guilt at her thoughts and actions began to seep in, but she remembered the night when her husband stumbled home drunk and crying one night with lipstick on his neck and lips. He claimed that he only kissed her before leaving, and like a faithful wife she believed him at the time, but how did she really know nothing happened. Memories of her father-in-law's derision and her husband's lack of support—despite her supporting them financially—flooded the woman's thoughts.

A righteous anger bubbled up to replace the fading guilt, and the waitress realized she needed to think of ways to recoup the time and money her husband and father-in-law leeched off of her. Perhaps poisoning the food they forced her to cook after coming home from a job more stressful and longer than theirs would prove a point. The waitress was momentarily shaken by her dark idea. She had never contemplated killing somebody before, let alone the man she loved, and shoved the violent urge aside. Those poisonous thoughts continued to linger though, and eventually pushed the woman towards the brothel manager's door for that promotion by the day's end.

Orochimaru chuckled evilly after feeling the tug on the charmed coin he left on the table and wondered what dark fantasies were sprouting in his victim's mind. What good was immortality if you could not laugh at the ephemeral anxieties of these fragile human vessels? The serpentine shinobi devoted most of his time to studying ninjutsu, but he was not one to ignore inspiration when it strikes. One of Orochimaru's many agents used a subtle, mind-twisting genjutsu that required frequent interaction with the victim, and it piqued snakelike man's interest because he developed a similar method that relied on pills years before. It took some time, but he managed to deduce that his agent used some type of chakra storing device to keep the technique going between charge ups, which was an improvement over his genjutsu pills that were only good for short bursts.

After figuring that out he was able to reverse engineer and improve the technique in no time. The unfortunate waitress was his first victim, and he estimated it would last from two to three weeks due to his chakra's potency. It was her own fault though. Orochimaru had only wanted to order some dango for dessert, but the petrified woman did not back after delivering his meal, and the legendary shinobi could not wait forever. Orochimaru let out a short laugh after realizing he was falling prey to those same mortal trappings he laughed at earlier and brushed it aside. People like his sensei might dwell on the inconsistency, but the serpentine shinobi did not care. He was a force of nature pursuing his own ambitious goals, and mulling over an inconsequential thought would not help him achieve them. Right now the snake summoner had to find a pig to roast over the flames he had been fanning in Yu no Kuni.

His strategy to make the Yu Daimyo unpopular had almost worked too well. The urban centers across the nation, which contained many displaced peasants from the countryside, had openly rebelled against the Daimyo in the past few days. Bandits had completely destroyed their old homes and livelihoods, and any money they were able to eke out of tourists had disappeared as well. The country was making a slow recovery after the Oto-nin arrived and slowed the bandit attacks, but that changed in an instant. When the Daimyo did not pay the full price, which was already heavily discounted, Orochimaru had real firepower behind his propaganda. The manipulative shinobi made a big show of pulling back the Oto-nin under his command, who made sure to publicly express regret that the job was left unfinished.

Of course, most of them did not go far in reality. Some waited in hidden forts tucked into the forest of the Ta Yu border, but most looped back into the country and joined with the bandits to support the increase of attacks. Any economic relief felt by the people quickly disappeared, and many of the unemployed citizens began expressing their discontent in taverns. Instead of taking any sort of action like a capable leader would, the morbidly obese man panicked and fled on the back of an incredibly sturdy horse with his most trusted servants and bodyguards.

This allowed Orochimaru to insert more firebrands to further slander the man in public while his chosen puppet made moves behind the scenes to seize power. Most of the country was openly calling for the Daimyo's head now, and the snake summoner's ambitious pet had received his blessing from the country's military leaders, who would also be deposed very soon. All Orochimaru had to do was deliver the pig to his puppet and let the barbecue commence. It was somewhat of a challenge to locate the secret bunker where the obese Daimyo had holed up, as only his most trusted confidants knew the exact location, but after discovering their identities it was easy enough to extract the information.

Now he stood outside of a giant field of geysers that protected the southern part of the country's border with Hi no Kuni. The massive amounts of superheated water counteracted the biting cold, and Orochimaru removed his cloak before entering the field of scalding steam. The burns forming on his skin were quickly healed by his regeneration, and pain was simply an annoyance to the snake summoner after a long career as a high level shinobi. There was a route that allowed travellers to avoid the superheated steam, but following that would inform the Daimyo of his impending visit, and the man might flee by sea. Orochimaru wanted to end this quickly, and allowing the Daimyo to leave the country would give his enemies an opportunity to discover his involvement. Yu no Kuni was already his, but the extra eyes would mean a prolonged delay before Guren's forces could venture into Shimo, and it would make Kimimaro's job harder if the Daimyo found support to launch a counter-insurgence from abroad. This was an important mission, and he was leaving nothing to chance.

Orochimaru reached Yu's coast and turned east to see a strange silhouette in the distance. He ended up a little farther up than he liked, but it would not take too long to cover the small distance. Besides, it was better to be farther away from the Daimyo and his sensors than too close, he could leave nothing to chance here. The serpentine shinobi used a fuuin he prepared, which lowered his chakra level to that of a wild animal, and began walking towards the luxurious fortress in the distance. The snake contract allowed him to use their thermal vision, and he picked up the heat sources of a samurai patrol in the distance. When the red heat sources in the distance got closer, the traitorous member of the Sannin stealthily slid over the edge of the cliff.

The man's sharp eyes allowed him to pick up cracks in the rock where heat escaped, and his nimble fingers easily found holds in the sheer rock as he agilely moved along the cliff's edge like a spider. Orochimaru made quick progress despite having no access to his chakra, and soon heard the sounds of a patrol above him. The shinobi paid them no mind as he continued, and soon enough they faded away. After another few hours of traversing the cliff, Orochimaru heard the sounds of voices below being carried up to him by the wind. Orochimaru looked down at the beach and identified forty samurai wearing the pristine white armor of the Daimyo's guard patrolling the beach around a boat ready to sail at a moment's notice. Even with less chakra than a genin, the men would have found it impossible to kill Orochimaru, but it was not time to reveal his presence yet. This was not the only escape route available to the Daimyo, the obese man could still escape through an underground tunnel only he could access, or ride a horse through the safe path and into the wilds of the country.

It took less than five minutes to identify the pattern of the patrols before Orochimaru carefully descended the cliff face and casually walked across the beach and into the cave. He used no genjutsu or trick of any kind, the man was just experienced enough to know exactly where the blind spots were at every second, and quick enough to get there when he needed to. The serpentine shinobi entered the well-lit cavern without raising an alarm and ducked into a shadow created by the flickering torches. After a few minutes another patrol group passed him by without a thought, and the shinobi climbed the rocky wall before using the ceiling to cross the open grotto.

Orochimaru's muscles were beginning to ache after the exertion of the past few hours, and he almost breathed a sigh of relief when another patrol opened the door beneath him after waiting above it for nearly ten minutes. The shinobi slid through the closing door with practiced ease and hugged the wall until he was sure there were no approaching patrols coming down the hall outside of the doorway. After a few minutes the snake summoner left the archway and snuck down the passage until he found a staircase.

The legendary shinobi entered a nearby room used for storing food and made himself comfortable on a sack of rice. Orochimaru realized he made better progress than he thought after waiting for almost an hour, but eventually the stones around him shook when the first part of the ambush began. The man chuckled as he pictured the delicious look of betrayal on the samurai's faces after they realized what was going on and prepared to move.

Kimimaro nodded after Ranmaru used his doujutsu to make one of the guards ignite the gunpowder lining the walls and gave the signal for the hundred fifty soldiers under his command to remove the heavy rubber suits covering their body. The relieved shinobi all ripped the shells that protected them from the scalding steam, and covered their chakra signatures, but also served as a small oven that had been cooking them for the past few hours. The fatigued fighters popped soldier pills to boost their energy and crouched in the ready position while watching a close to a hundred arrows fall short of their position.

It took a few moments for the elite guards to overcome the shock at seeing their own blow up the gunpowder, but training soon kicked in and the archers launched a tight barrage of arrows into the thick steam at the direction of some sensors while a loud alarm went off in the courtyard. This was the signal for the next phase of the attack, and right on cue a massive spout of water rose up out of the ocean and crushed the ship while it rose over the two hundred foot tall cliff. The power of the jutsu shocked the Daimyo's guards and allowed Kimimaro's shinobi to cover the first two hundred yards without any resistance. Unfortunately a samurai turned around in time to see their approach and shouted out a warning before his throat was torn open by a bone bullet.

Fiery arrows lit up the night sky and managed to kill a few of the weaker shinobi under Kimimaro's command, but after a few seconds the arrows unexpectedly exploded and took several more members of the attacking force with shrapnel. Ranmaru used his doujutsu to make some of the archers drop their lit arrows, which forced the men around them to desert their positions as explosions rocked the walls. Soon the remaining Oto troops were at the base of the wall, and Doton users created dozens of earth spikes down its length, which would allow them to scale the seventy-five foot structure that was warded against wall walking. The Daimyo's guard consisted of some elite shinobi too though, and they quickly collapsed the earth spikes and killed several of the Oto-nin around them.

Kimimaro placed his hand on the ground and called upon his bloodline to create a nearly indestructible spike of bone that allowed him and the shinobi around him to reach the top of the wall and create a distraction for the others. The Kaguya grinned when Ranmaru launched himself onto the wall first and shattered the jaw of an attacking opponent with a powerful thrust of his steel staff. The 11 year old turned and used the black weapon to block a slashing katana with strength that defied his age, before spinning under the blade and slamming the butt of his staff into the man's gut. Kimimaro killed the staggered samurai with a bone bullet and followed his apprentice into battle. The Kaguya kept many of the trained samurai away from the boy with his lethal bone projectiles and allowed Ranmaru to test his mettle against a few opponents at once. The boy managed to hold his own and carve through them using his staff and basic jutsu like the Bunshin and Kawarimi.

Several shinobi burst out of the ground beneath their feet in an attempted ambush, but Ranmaru already knew they were there and jumped into the air while forming seals. The more experienced shinobi leapt away from stream of fire created by their young opponent, but they were all cut in half before touching the ground. Kimimaro looked over to see Juugo transforming the blade coming out of his right shoulder back into an arm and nodded to the older teenager before walking towards the castle and signaling for his lieutenants to follow. The remaining shinobi stayed behind to fight the small pockets of elite bodyguards still alive the courtyard, and Kimimaro entered the fortress with the others while screams echoed up from the beach below. His group was moving faster than necessary, but the Kaguya wanted the glory of delivering the Daimyo to Orochimaru personally.

Two bone swords extended out of the Kaguya's palms as he took the lead and made quick work of any opponent who dared to step in their way. The Oto-nin made good progress and soon found the staircase leading to the lower level. It was only a short walk to the escape tunnel's alleged location, and Kimimaro's triumphant attitude faded when they rounded the last corner to see Guren, Isaribi, and Suigetsu walking towards the door as well. The crystal and bone users shared an icy stare before Juugo kicked down the wooden portal. Guren and Kimimaro quickly took care of the shinobi guards in the room with a barrage of crystal and bone projectiles before approaching the Daimyo, who was frantically trying to enter the combination to the door. The morbidly obese noble seemed to jiggle as he worked faster after hearing the bodies hit the ground, but he froze moments later when slender fingers caressed his fatty cheek as a sinister voice whispered, "Hello again," into his ear.

Orochimaru waited for the sound of heavy footsteps to fade outside before casually opening the door and walking down the hall. The man knew the tunnel was in the lower levels, but only the Daimyo knew its exact location, though many of the Daimyo's confidants had theories. Every person he interrogated claimed it was sealed to look like a regular stretch of wall until somebody said the password to reveal it. The serpentine shinobi waited in a deep shadow near the bottom of the stairs until the Daimyo hurried past with ten of his personal bodyguards. Orochimaru waited until the last masked figure passed by before exiting the shadows and following in silence.

Even the Daimyo's best sensor could not detect the legendary man as he waited around the corner and watched the country's soon to be deposed ruler whisper something to the wall. A few second passed before cracks spiderwebbed across the ancient stone as light seeped through. The image of a solid stonewall shattered to reveal a simple wooden door with a ring attached. The Daimyo opened the portal and entered before the ten guards followed, and Orochimaru managed to slip through undetected as the door closed. He slithered across the ground like a snake and curled up in a dark corner while watching the show. The legendary ninja could not afford to reveal himself yet. These were all jounin level opponents at least, and it would be unwise for him to start the fight with no chakra. It would take a few minutes to release the seal containing his chakra in ideal conditions, but doing it too fast might rile up his chakra and tip off the sensor before he finished. Better to take it slowly and ensure he got it right the first time.

The serpentine shinobi slowly went through hand seals for several minutes while the obese leader's pudgy fingers attempted to enter the combination into the dial on the far wall, but panic would not let him get it right. Despite having no access to chakra, Orochimaru was still able to concentrate some killer intent towards the fat coward. The treacherous man heard one of the bodyguards speaking in an artificial voice through the steel mask covering her face, "Very strong shinobi are approaching Daimyo-sama. Please hurry, you know the dial will not move for anybody but you." The haughty noble was so panicked he did not even offer a quick rebuke. He simply ignored the warm feeling spreading across the front of his robe and continued to frantically twist the dial.

Orochimaru had to suppress a chuckle as the scent of urine permeated throughout the room and held the last seal in the sequence needed to restore his chakra. The sensor called out, "Get ready," a few moments later, but the bodyguards inside could do nothing to resist the barrage of dangerously sharp projectiles from his two most powerful subordinates that seemed to fill the entire room, despite the warning. The snake sennin made the final seal and vanished from the corner as his potent killing intent filled the room. Fortunately for the Daimyo, his muscles clenched when long, cold, and slender fingers gently caressed his cheek, otherwise he would have been shamed even more during his imprisonment. Orochimaru smirked at the thought and leaned forward while whispering, "Hello again," into his ear, causing the Daimyo's clenched muscles to give out.

The overweight noble fainted in a pile of his own mess moments after hearing the words, and Orochimaru pulled out a thin circle of metal charged with his chakra. The snake summoner made a small incision in the man's fatty flesh and inserted the disk into his neck before forming a seal. His new genjutsu went to work and began morphing the man's consciousness so he would forget Orochimaru's involvement in the coup and his capture. When the Daimyo's trial began next week, the man would be convinced that the bandits were agents of Eisai, who would go on to replace him as the Daimyo. Orochimaru planned to move suspicion away from Oto and create doubts about his puppet's legitimacy, which would ultimately strengthen the inevitable counter-revolution, and force the illegitimate ruler to rely on him more in the early stages.

The serpentine shinobi looked up to see the looks of surprise on his subordinates faces and let out a chuckle, "Did you think I would miss this important triumph?" He turned to the unconscious noble and used an earth jutsu to bind his hands and feet. "The plan worked to perfection and this part of the play has closed."

Guren and Kimimaro shared a betrayed look at the man's presence before the woman asked, "Did you not trust us to do the job Orochimaru-sama, why send us if you are here? Surely you didn't need our help to capture the Daimyo and kill his pathetic bodyguards."

The manipulative ninja smiled and shook his head, "You're correct Guren, it is unlikely I would have needed your help." He looked over his confused lieutenants before pointing to the fat Daimyo, "I could not take any chances that our portly friend might escape though. His existence threatens the next part of the plan, and I needed to make sure that there was no possibility of failure. You and Kimimaro were crucial actors that took away his two other exits while I waited for him to take the only one remaining. I trusted you both to perform admirably, and you did." The crystal and bone user could not fully contain their pride at the praise, despite the confusion gnawing away at them. Orochimaru waited a few moments for that sense of accomplishment to take hold before continuing, "What I could not trust was the other troops trying their hardest when they knew about my presence. The security I represent might have made them complacent."

The serpentine man made sure to choose his words carefully and create a barrier between them and their subordinates. He needed to convince these important pawns the disdain he felt for all inferior shinobi did not apply to them. The traitorous member of the Sannin put his all of his focus on Kimimaro while asking, "Would your ninja have run through the geyser field if they knew Orochimaru-sama was there?" He turned to face Guren with that same look, making her feel like the most important person in the world at that moment, "Would your soldiers have been willing to sail through the treacherous whirlpool field at night if they knew I was here?"

Orochimaru plastered on a fake smile when the tension left Guren's and Kimimaro's bodies. His two most loyal pawns were mollified, and the rest would hold their tongues now too. The serpentine shinobi smirked, mortals would believe anything to preserve the fragile paradigm through which they viewed of the world. It was truly terrifying to realize everything you loved was impermanent and your life had been constructed around false presumptions. People wanted to avoid this realization at any cost and twisted the world around them to keep it safe, but the quest for short-term happiness only hampered long-term pursuits.

The snake summoner looked at his subordinates standing in the shit and blood covered room while thinking what had just transpired. The life of a country's ruler had essentially ended tonight, despite his overwhelming wealth and political power. All of his bodyguards were ingloriously slaughtered like genin and lying in puddles of their own filth, and now their master was about to be publicly executed in a painful and gruesome spectacle designed to appease the masses. This abrupt and shameful ending to the ruler of a country did not upset Guren or Kimimaro. It was the thought that they were unimportant to Orochimaru that caused their worldview to falter, and he was able to restore it with proof of its falsehood literally lying right in front of them.

Guren and Kimimaro were right to believe that Orochimaru could have performed this mission by himself, but their desire to be necessary and precious to him made them believe his lie. It also made it impossible for them to grasp an important lesson, which is what he looked for in his subordinates. He wanted fighters, not thinkers. Orochimaru learned at the feet of the Sandaime Hokage during the Second Great War, and was one of his most trusted field commanders in the Third. He knew the importance of troop morale and how to manipulate it if necessary. Kimimaro was about to enter a prolonged battle with actual opponents instead of bandits and missing-nin secretly commanded by Oto. It would inject meaning and fire into the occupying Oto-nin if his troops returned with stories about the sacrifice of their comrades. The tales of the luxury they had never even considered inside a safe house might also galvanize some for the fight and inspire those motivated by greed.

At the same time, Guren's force was about to battle much stouter opponents than the fattened shinobi, secular monks, and drunk samurai of Yu no Kuni. The shinobi of Shimogakure were hardened by constant battle with their aggressive neighbor to the north and would not be caught unprepared. The samurai were outfitted by the best metals pulled from their extensive mines, while the monks were acknowledged as some of the best open area fighters on the continent. The Oto-nin about to enter this meat grinder needed a confidence booster to recall when times became tough, so he gave them the easier assignment, though it did not appear to be at first glance. The tides off Yu no Kuni's coast were notoriously treacherous and unpredictable, but Suigetsu was able to guide them through with his bloodline. Karin's ability to suppress chakra signatures also allowed the ships to sneak up on the unprepared guards on the beach. He doubted that Guren's casualties were high, which would only add to the luster of the stories told around the campfires in the upcoming campaign.

Orochimaru looked over at Suigetsu, who was doing an admirable job of hiding his fatigue after the heavy work he just performed. The serpentine shinobi already had enough Hozuki's DNA stored up that the teenager's presence was no longer necessary for his experiments, but Suigetsu possessed potential beyond Kimimaro. Orochimaru knew the former Mist-nin wanted to leave at the first opportunity, but the former Konoha-nin also knew the Hozuki was in a tough spot, and if he enticed him enough the formidable shinobi might remain here. "I also wanted to deliver a reward to one of you. Suigetsu did not get to share in any of the glory because his true role was kept secret, but it was his bloodline that allowed the boats to safely navigate through the treacherous tides. He also boosted the power of Karin's jutsu that helped demoralize the enemy fighting above. Because of this, he will be given command of half the blockade fleet, and be appointed to a position just below Guren and Kimimaro."

It appeared Orochimaru's plan had worked to some degree. Suigetsu was not doing as well hiding the apparent pride he felt, and the snake summoner guessed the jealousy radiating from the Sound Four only made it harder to contain. Kimimaro seemed to be eyeing the teenager with renewed interest while Guren gave Isaribi a stony stare that caused the girl to curl into herself slightly, as she probably recognized that her failure to improve opened the doorway for this promotion.

The only two that did not seem to care were Juugo and Ranmaru, but that was not surprising in the least. All of the orange haired teenager's efforts went to remaining calm, and Kimimaro's reputation had done a wonderful job of preserving Ranmaru's innocence. The boy was able to squeal with unadulterated delight when receiving an ice cream cone as a surprise, but his enhanced chakra allowed him to mercilessly slaughter fully grown men. It was no surprise though. For all of Kimimaro's fawning, there was not a sterner taskmaster in all of Otogakure.

Orochimaru was strongly considering giving Sasuke's child to the Kaguya for early training as well. Young Mamushi Uchiha was already showing signs of being a prodigy. His chakra was denser and in greater supply than most infants, and he reached points of development sooner as well. Despite being seven months old the child was already able to stand and walk around using the edge of his playpen as support. He was even able to say mama and dada to the guardians he was with. The legendary shinobi looked up to find the others waiting for his orders and the man pushed thoughts of his little viper aside, "Continue on with the plan as before, I have somewhere else to be." Orochimaru sunk into the earth as his lieutenants paraded the obese Daimyo outside to show to the gathered troops like a trophy.

Shiro looked proudly at the two massive ships being built in the secluded inlet on Ta no Kuni's coastline. Each one was just over two hundred feet long and almost stretched across the cove. The cliffs had been artificially widened to make room for the sixty foot wide vessels, and Shiro was beginning to wonder if it would be necessary to raise the cliff's height to hide the massive, castle-like structure being built on top of the deck that rose an additional thirty feet above the ship's height. Each one was capable of comfortably carrying three hundred men and was armed with seventy-two cannons. These—and the ones being built in similar inlets—would be the bruisers of the fleet, which was complemented by smaller and quicker moving ships.

Ta's navy would soon quite formidable when it was completed, and the Daimyo was loathe to give Orochimaru command of it, even temporarily. It was a necessity though, since it would be impossible to blockade Frost without help, even if Orochimaru's plan to commandeer and scuttle a majority of their navy worked. The offer of Yu's new Daimyo to loan out half of their ships would help, but still leave too many holes for potential informants to escape. It would be war if an outside nation heard of this aggression and found hard evidence, and since Ta and Shimo were in the same alliance, the Land of Rice Fields would likely find itself without any support in the conflict.

His nation still needed several more years before it could stand on its own, so secrecy was a must. It pained him to see the ships painted silver and gold instead of tan and red, but the outside world needed to believe that this was Shimo's navy. The black haired Daimyo waved absent-mindedly as the passing workers bowed and walked to the edge of the construction site. He did not want to expose these hard-working men to Orochimaru's sickening presence. The serpentine shinobi arrived right on cue and made an over-exaggerated bow, "Good to see you Shiro-sama."

The Daimyo raised an eyebrow at the man's unusual politeness while responding, "You as well Orochimaru-dono. Are you ready to see the ships?"

The traitorous member of the Sannin nodded, "That, and explain the next part of my plan. We need to create some sort of internal catastrophe in Frost in order to legitimize the blockade." Several blank sheets of paper with a wax seal at the bottom appeared in Orochimaru's hand and he handed them over to Shiro. "These are blank papers containing the seal of the Frost Daimyo. Since I have never had any communication with him, I need you to forge these documents to the other Feudal Lords for the best effect. They need to appear and sound like the Daimyo's writing, and I can think of no better person to handle this task."

Shiro looked down at the blank papers with awe. Each one of these was almost as valuable as the stack of gold Orochimaru gave him last year. With a stroke of his pen he could start another great war or crash multiple economies. The potential was almost limitless really. He looked out at the ships being painted and pushed those thoughts aside while asking, "What should each note contain."

Orochimaru shrugged, "I do not know yet truthfully, just keep your ear to the ground and write a proper reaction to whatever event happens Shiro-sama. The most important thing is that you include some sort of evidence that damns Konoha, though you think it is Kumo in reality. Make it seem the only option is a completely neutral investigation performed without any outside interference. The other Daimyo must believe you cannot trust anyone."

Shiro looked at the two-faced man who had somehow managed to become his closest ally. He could understand that sentiment all too well. "That won't be a problem Orochimaru-dono. Tell me though, what do you think of the ships?"

"Truly marvelous that something this size is capable of floating without any chakra. It is a shame that they are painted the wrong colors." Orochimaru's sharp eyes scanned the ships before narrowing, "There is one problem though."

Shiro gave the treacherous man a questioning glance before inspecting the ships closer. Each one of them was pristine in every way, the shinobi was obviously at a loss when it came to ship building, "I'm afraid I have to disagree Orochimaru-dono, these are perfect. Any sailor would be happy to sail one."

"Too perfect," was the smug response, "Any competent observer will be able to tell that these are freshly built, and Shimo has not created any new ships within the past three years. It would be a dead giveaway that something is amiss."

The adopted Amakusa stroked his finely trimmed goatee while staring out at the ships while considering the thought. A few weeks at sea would weather the paint slightly and create imperfections. Besides, there were already sections that seemed weathered compared to the glossy paint drying in the sun, "I have to disagree Orochimaru-dono, it might raise some eyebrows, but a fresh paintjob will not scuttle the operation."

Orochimaru frowned at the man's density, although it was a boon to his many plots beyond this, and a big reason he supported the adopted Amakusa over Kotaro. "It is not just the paint Shiro-dono." The serpentine shinobi pointed to the many unpainted spots, "The wood is all the same material has a consistent pattern, which reveals it is freshly made. Any used ship would have patches of different wood where repairs were made. Take the next few months to artificially weather the ships. Shoot out the sides to test the cannons, poke leaks in the pine tar under the water level and let it seep through for a little bit."

Shiro nodded, the idea made sense, but he did not look forward to explaining to the foreman that every ship would need to be damaged before sailing. The Amakusa looked sideways at Orochimaru and suppressed a sigh, he hated feeling reliant on the legendary shinobi and knew it would come back to haunt him, but moments like these showed exactly why he still needed the treacherous ninja. Shiro was a fighter and pursued his goals relentlessly, but he often missed the subtle tells and moves that illuminated a person's true intentions.

The Daimyo also lacked the vision to execute great plans. He never had the gall to overthrow his old family, but once the idea was presented it became too obvious. After claiming the throne, Shiro would have been happy restoring the country to its old prosperity, but Orochimaru thought to create a new superpower with the Land of Rice Fields at the center. Eventually the young Daimyo knew he would gain the necessary experience to think like that, but he needed Orochimaru's guidance for now. The day was coming where that would change though. The serpentine shinobi would be looking for a new home, or find his head on a pike.

Author's Note

Bad news everybody, it appears now I won't have enough time to complete the entire story as I have planned before my deadline of the end of summer, so there will be cuts. I am seriously debating which parts of the story to do that too, because I think all of them are vital to its advancement, so I will probably trim a little bit off of every arc until I get to the final one. Do not worry though, I will finish this story.

-Operaman Bye Bye