Konoha: Uchiha's Two-Way Travel in One Piece

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After the ANBU delivering the latest reports left the room, the Third Hokage sighed and walked to the side, donning his battle armor. As he did so, he turned to Danzo, voicing his frustration.

"Danzo, this mess is entirely your fault! If you hadn't pushed to delay informing Lady Mito and suppress the news, we wouldn't be in such a dire position!"

He frowned deeply. "Lady Mito is undoubtedly aware of our underhanded actions by now, and the consequences will be severe!"

It turned out that the village had indeed already received news of the Uzumaki clan's plight.

"She'll treat us even more harshly—perhaps far more than we anticipated," the Hokage said, shaking his head.

Back then.

The Third Hokage had intended to notify Uzumaki Mito immediately upon learning of the situation. However, Danzo had intervened, urging him to hold off.

"Let's wait," Danzo had insisted. "Delay the news as long as possible. The ideal timing would be when we arrive in Uzushiogakure to find the Uzumaki clan already devastated, their losses irreparable, teetering on the brink of extinction."

Danzo's reasoning was cold but calculated. In such a scenario, Konoha could easily seize the Uzumaki clan's remaining assets. At the same time, it would sever the last ties of support for the Senju clan, crushing any lingering hope of their resurgence.

"If we save the Uzumaki clan in full," Danzo had reasoned, "Lady Mito, with her personality and the Senju's current state, would undoubtedly push to relocate the entire clan to Konoha."

"And if that happens, the Senju and Uzumaki would inevitably unite, working in tandem, breathing as one."

"Their unity would make them an unstoppable force. With the Uzumaki's backing, the Senju would quickly regain their strength and influence."

Neither Danzo nor the Third Hokage wanted to see such an outcome. Convinced by Danzo's arguments, the Hokage had reversed his original decision, setting the stage for their current predicament.

"Complaining about it now won't change anything," Danzo retorted. "You agreed to this plan, didn't you?!"

"Let's focus on catching up to Lady Mito before it's too late," he added impatiently.

"I didn't expect her to act so quickly," Danzo admitted grudgingly. "The Senju don't have such an extensive or effective intelligence network anymore. This must be the Uchiha clan's doing!"

"The Uchiha?" the Hokage echoed, his expression darkening.

"Isn't it obvious? The Uchiha have also mobilized their forces. And isn't Uchiha Jiri currently with Lady Mito?"

"They've clearly struck some kind of deal behind our backs. Lady Mito must have enlisted the Uchiha to support her in aiding the Uzumaki clan!"

Danzo's frustration boiled over. "Damn it, the Uchiha again!"

Their carefully laid plans were now in shambles.

"Who could have predicted that Lady Mito would ally with the Uchiha?" the Hokage muttered, his tone bitter. "It's clear she no longer trusts us. To think she would rather collaborate with her long-time rival than place any faith in us..."

"What terms did the Uchiha demand for this cooperation? What promises did she make to them?"

The thought sent chills down the Hokage's spine. If the Senju and Uchiha truly formed an alliance, his position would be in jeopardy.

"Let's go!"

With that, the Third Hokage and Danzo hurriedly left the Hokage office. After regrouping with a contingent of ANBU and ROOT ninjas outside, they made their way toward the village gates.

---

By the time they arrived at the gates, Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Jiri had already led the elite forces of their respective clans out of the village.

"Lady Mito, please wait! Where are you planning to go with such a large force?" the Hokage called out, pretending to be puzzled.

"Heh," Uchiha Jiri scoffed, unable to hide her disdain.

Even at a time like this, the Hokage was still putting on an act, treating Uzumaki Mito as if she were a fool.

Especially laughable was how quickly they had mobilized so many ANBU and ROOT members to intercept them.

Did they think Uzumaki Mito couldn't see through their little tricks?

Jiri shook her head in disbelief. She had clearly overestimated the intelligence of the Third Hokage and Danzo.

Lady Mito wasn't blind to their actions either. Her expression turned icy as she glared at the Hokage.

"You've known all along, haven't you? Yet here you are, feigning ignorance. What is the meaning of this? Do you take me for a fool?"

"No, Lady Mito, you misunderstand!" The Hokage felt a pang of regret. He had underestimated the situation.

Desperately trying to salvage his dignity, he explained, "You must be heading to Uzushiogakure (Land of Whirlpools) because of the recent news. We only just received the same information ourselves and were preparing to act. We had no idea you were already mobilizing!"

Turning to Uchiha Jiri, the Hokage added, "Though I must admit, I didn't expect the Uchiha's intelligence network to be so advanced—more efficient than the village's own, really amazing."

"Heh," Jiri sneered. "Don't flatter the Uchiha. We don't need your empty praise."

"We simply assigned people to monitor the Land of Whirlpools days ago. The warning signs have been apparent for over a month now. Even Lady Mito requested the village's attention, hoping you would act swiftly should something occur."

"But clearly, not everyone shares the same priorities," Jiri said pointedly, her sharp gaze cutting into the Hokage and Danzo.

"Now you're trying to delay us? What's the goal—giving the other villages more time to destroy the Uzumaki clan?"

"That's not true!" The Hokage's voice faltered under Jiri's accusations, her words hitting too close to home.

Lady Mito's piercing stare only deepened his unease.

"Of course, we're here to join forces with you!" the Hokage insisted, scrambling to cover his tracks. "Lady Mito, you see, Danzo and I have brought a majority of our ANBU and ROOT forces. We can handle this matter."

"Perhaps you should stay in the village, for safety's sake. Your presence is vital here."

"You're Konoha's pillar of stability. If you leave, it could draw unwanted attention from our enemies."

Mito cut him off coldly. "Enough! I'm going, and that's final."

"No one can take my place in this matter. If the Uzumaki clan is to survive without becoming a target again, I must convince them to relocate. Only I can achieve that."

"Since you've brought your forces, you might as well come along. You're not staying behind."

Lady Mito's words were resolute. She wasn't naive enough to leave the Hokage and Danzo unsupervised in the village, especially with most of the Senju clan's elite—and even Tsunade—departing.

'I can't take the risk of leaving these two here to scheme against the clan or my family. The Senju can't endure any further losses.'

Similarly, the Uchiha had taken a significant portion of their elite forces, leaving their village presence weakened. Mito wasn't about to give the Hokage and Danzo an opportunity to exploit this.

Bringing them along was the safest option.

As for whether they might sabotage the mission in Uzushiogakure?

That was a risk she'd rather take than leave them behind to plot unmonitored.

Keeping things under close watch is undoubtedly the best choice.

"Huh… this…"

The Third Hokage was stunned for a moment.

He hadn't expected Uzumaki Mito to say that.

He immediately felt as though he had miscalculated again.

On the side, Danzo's face darkened, but he hid behind the Third Hokage without saying a word.

After all, most of the actions targeting the Senju clan over the years had been orchestrated by him.

Danzo was still somewhat afraid of Uzumaki Mito. He feared that she might snap and deliver a fatal punch to him right then and there.

Thus, he decided it was better to let the Third Hokage handle the situation or to take the fist hit.

Even so, he couldn't help feeling uneasy and a little resentful.

"This isn't appropriate, is it?"

The Third Hokage's expression turned grim as he said, "The village also needs protection. Especially now, with the other great ninja villages showing signs of unrest."

"What if their target isn't the Land of Whirlpools but Konoha instead?"

"If that happens, Konoha's defenses could be left vulnerable to a surprise attack!"

"I am the Hokage—I can't just sit idly by and let such a situation unfold."

"How about this? Danzo can lead the ANBU and the Root members to go with you?"

"Or perhaps, you stay here, and I'll go with Danzo instead?"

His concern for the village's stability was genuine.

Especially today, with Uzumaki Mito and the Uchiha suddenly gathering a large number of elite forces and hastily leaving the village.

At this point, many of the ninja clans and individual shinobi in the village were likely alarmed, wondering what was happening.

"Hmph!"

Uzumaki Mito snorted coldly and glanced at both the Third Hokage and Danzo. She sneered, "Fine then. You stay here, and Danzo will lead the ANBU and Root members to accompany us!"

"Let's go! There's no time to waste. Keep up!"

With that, she waved her hand and, together with Uchiha Jiri, led the elite forces of the Senju and Uchiha clans, quickly departing once again.

Danzo's expression was dark as he glared at the Third Hokage, looking as though he wanted to bite him.

"Hiruzen, you really… Damn." Danzo was left fuming.

Wasn't this just the Third Hokage pushing all the responsibility onto him and throwing him into the fire?

If he had to accompany Uzumaki Mito, who knew if she might lash out at him along the way and beat him senseless?

"Cough, cough…"

The Third Hokage coughed awkwardly, fully aware of Danzo's grievances. He tried to console him, "Relax, Danzo. Mito-sama is actually very reasonable!"

"As long as you don't provoke her and cooperate properly, nothing will happen to you."

"Go now! I won't see you off. The village is already in an uproar, and I need to calm everyone down."

"As for the rest, you'll have to handle it yourself."

"If things can't be done, don't force it!"

After giving these instructions, the Third Hokage ordered the ANBU to assist Danzo and Uzumaki Mito on their mission.

He then waved Danzo off and headed back toward the village.

Danzo: "…"

This bastard.

But what could Danzo do?

"Hmph! Follow me!"

He could only snort coldly and order his Root members and two squads of ANBU to speed up and catch up with Uzumaki Mito's group.

Once they were gone and out of sight, the Third Hokage let out a long sigh.

"Sigh. I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have been so calculative!"

"Now even Mito-sama can't be stopped. This is going to be troublesome."

Most likely, the Uzumaki clan won't be annihilated this time.

At worst, they'll lose some members and influence.

Judging from Uzumaki Mito's earlier demeanor, it's clear she intends to forcibly relocate the Uzumaki clan to Konoha afterward.

When that happens, the Senju clan's strength will surge.

Adding to that, the Uchiha clan's involvement in the rescue…

The Third Hokage could already foresee the close alliance that might form between the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans in the future.

The mere thought of it gave him a splitting headache.

"Hiruzen! What is going on?"

"We heard the Senju and Uchiha clans are mobilizing. And leading them are Mito-sama and Uchiha Jiri?"

"Where are they now?"

At this moment, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura arrived with several guards in tow.

Behind them, representatives from various ninja clans also began to gather one after another.

Clearly, they were all eager to understand what was happening.

They were also worried about potential internal conflicts or changes in the village.

If such a situation arose, they would need to act quickly to stabilize things and prevent any weakening of the village's strength.

After all, if Konoha's strength diminished, the other ninja villages, having already recovered from the last war, would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to attack.

"The Land of Whirlpools is in trouble. Mito-sama and Uchiha Jiri have led most of their clans' elites to provide assistance!"

"I also sent Danzo with two ANBU squads and some Root members to join them in the rescue mission."

The Third Hokage addressed the crowd that had gathered, his tone steady.

"What?"

Koharu's and Homura's expressions changed immediately.

Koharu frowned and asked inwardly, "Why didn't Hiruzen stop Mito-sama? And why is the Uchiha clan involved?"

With so many elites going to aid the Land of Whirlpools, was it really possible for the Uzumaki clan to be wiped out as they had planned?

Most likely not.

Unless Uzumaki Mito's group arrived too late.

This was completely contrary to what they had discussed earlier.

Their original plan was for Konoha to send a small rescue force.

But it would "just so happen" to arrive too late to prevent the destruction of the Uzumaki clan.

The only thing they needed to bring back were the clan's assets.

But now, things had taken a turn they hadn't anticipated. Clearly, they had miscalculated.

So Koharu and Homura decided to speak privately with the Third Hokage later to clarify things.

---

"Alright, that's the situation!"

"Everyone, pass this information to your clans and help stabilize the village as soon as possible."

"Meanwhile, increase our vigilance. We mustn't let other villages take advantage of this situation. That's all!"

With that, the Third Hokage motioned for Koharu and Homura to follow him as he walked toward the Hokage office.

The others dispersed after seeing this.

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Due to the ongoing wave of intense copyright strikes, I've decided to publish the chapters daily on my Patreon and Scribble Hub (under the same name) for public access so you have options if this book got deleted. 

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