MTLNOVEL Chapter 14: Ch13 The Mission to Assassinate the Third Kazekage
June 1st -Year 48 Of Konoha
The Jonin Command Center loomed over its occupants like an ominous shrine of authority, its elevated platform casting shadows upon the shinobi gathered below. A subtle, calculated design—those above, the ones with power, looking down upon their subordinates, a silent reinforcement of the chain of command.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat at the highest seat, flanked by his three advisors—Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura. Their expressions were grim as they assessed the current state of what had become the bloodiest recorded conflict in shinobi history—the Second Shinobi World War.
The war had fractured the balance of power. Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure were locked in an unrelenting struggle, each believing they would claim victory before the year was over. Yet, Hanzo the Salamander had single-handedly derailed Konoha's early expectations, forcing them into a bitter reevaluation of their strategy. Resources were stretched thin, shinobi fell in droves, and the war had become an endless meat grinder of attrition.
But the most damning news had nothing to do with the war fronts Konoha fought on.
It was the annihilation of Uzushiogakure.
A combined force of Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure—calling themselves the Triumvirate—had launched a week-long assault upon the Land of Whirlpools. The Uzumaki, famed for their unparalleled mastery of sealing techniques, were overwhelmed. The village was razed to the ground, its people slaughtered or worse—captured. The enemy had stolen not only their land but their bloodline, forcing survivors into servitude and scattering remnants of the clan across the world.
Silence hung thick in the command room. Even Danzo, ever the pragmatist, had little to say at first.
"She's closed herself off," Koharu finally murmured, referring to Mito Uzumaki, the First Hokage's widow. "She won't see anyone."
"She's grieving," Homura said, arms crossed. "And likely disappointed in us."
"She has every right to be," Hiruzen admitted, his voice heavy with guilt. "We abandoned them."
"We were stretched too thin," Danzo countered, his lone eye narrowing. "We could not afford to send reinforcements while Hanzo was already proving to be an unexpected wall to our ambitions. You know this, Hiruzen."
"We could have sent someone," Koharu insisted. "A single team—"
"And who?" Danzo snapped. "What 'team' do you imagine would have made a difference in the face of three great villages? That's an army of 15,000 shinobi. 6 tailed beast. And 3 Kage's. They faced a combined assault so great that not even Konoha, the mightiest shinobi nation would easily raise its head so high. We lost Uzushiogakure the moment it chose to stand alone rather than integrate fully into Konoha. That was their mistake."
"Pure arrogance" Danzo yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
Hiruzen's fist clenched. "That's enough."
But Danzo was not finished. "No, it isn't. They relied too much on their own invincibility, thinking their fuinjutsu would save them. They should have cultivated more Kage-level shinobi instead of believing that this world of war would ever change."
"Their hubris," Homura mused, nodding in agreement. "Still, there are survivors. We could locate them."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "We have more pressing matters. This war is not yet over, and we cannot afford to send shinobi chasing ghosts of a dead ally."
It pained him to say this but as the Hokage, the leader of a nation, he could dwell on the past.
Silence once more. This time, it carried the weight of finality.
Homura nodded. Koharu looked away. Danzo merely scoffed.
Uzushiogakure was gone, and Konoha would move forward without them.
-------------------------
Danzo cleared his throat, catching the attention of the room. "Enough about the dead. Let's talk about how we end this war."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "You have a plan?"
Danzo nodded, leaning forward. "We push all our forces to break Iwa. Then, we create a specialized team to deal with Hanzo. And lastly, we leave Suna to one team."
Homura scoffed. "That's reckless. We don't have the manpower to commit to three separate fronts like that."
"It's madness," Koharu added. "Hanzo alone has been a nightmare for us, let alone splitting our efforts between Iwa and Suna."
Danzo remained unfazed. "I expected such resistance. But allow me to explain. I have planted a spy within the Kazekage's inner circle. This spy has access to their supply lines and knows the Kazekage's next location."
The room grew still. Even Homura and Koharu, usually Danzo's biggest skeptics, could not ignore the significance of such an asset.
"If we act on this intelligence correctly, we can cripple Suna's supply routes and possibly even assassinate the Kazekage," Danzo continued. "With one strike, we end their ability to fight."
Hiruzen's gaze hardened. "You're sure of this spy's information?"
"Positive. The supply line's location and the enemy's base of operations will be delivered to us within the week. We send a team to sabotage it. If luck favors us, we'll even eliminate the Kazekage himself."
The three advisors exchanged glances. The logic was undeniable. Cutting off an army's supply lines was a death sentence. Killing a Kage? That would end Suna's participation in the war altogether.
"Who would we send?" Koharu asked. "We'd need someone capable of taking on a Kage if we want to ensure the mission's success."
A shared realization dawned on them all at once.
There was one man who fit the description.
Sakumo Hatake.
The man who had bested the Hokage's own students—all of them geniuses in their own right. The White Fang of Konoha, whose mere name sent shivers through the ranks of their enemies.
Hiruzen sighed. "Sakumo... He's already given us enough headaches. But he might just be our best option."
Danzo smirked. "Then it's settled. We send the White Fang to end this war."
------------------------------
Sakumo Hatake.
The man who had bested the Hokage's own students—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—simultaneously. The man whose mere presence on the battlefield shifted entire strategies.
The man who, if victorious in such a mission, would return home not as a war hero—but as a legend.
And that was the problem.
Sakumo Hatake was, on paper, the ideal shinobi. Strong, loyal, dedicated, lacking political ambition, and without a powerful clan to back him. The perfect warrior.
But war had a way of turning men into kings. It could make a tyrant into a saint or an idealist into a monster. It had already broken the credibility of Konoha's elders. Homura's failure on the battlefield had forced the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Sarutobi clans to save him from complete disaster. Koharu had miscalculated enemy positioning, leading to the death of a prodigy before his time. Danzo had sent Hashirama's grandson, Nawaki, on a mission far beyond his ability, resulting in a loss that shattered the morale of the village.
And Hiruzen—Hiruzen had overseen it all.
Voices had called for his removal as Hokage. Danzo had silenced them, but even now, the whispers persisted.
If Sakumo returned victorious, Konoha's people would rally behind him. He was loved. He was admired. And, if given the opportunity, he could claim the Hokage seat before Hiruzen even realized it was slipping away.
Homura and Koharu were immediately against the idea. "You're insane," Koharu hissed. "The civilians adore the Hatake clan. If we give him this opportunity, they will demand he succeed Hiruzen."
Danzo merely smiled, his expression unreadable. "Then we ensure he never returns."
Silence.
"The mission remains as planned," Danzo continued. "But in the final moments of his battle with the Kazekage, my agents will ensure Sakumo Hatake falls."
Hiruzen frowned, hesitating. He wanted to protest. To reject such a plan.
But the others knew the truth about their old friend.
Hiruzen Sarutobi loved playing the hero.
But he could be just as ruthless as Danzo when the village demanded it.
------------------------------------
Later, the elder council called for Uchi, the number one ANBU team under the Hokage. This was mainly because of Hiruzen's own son, Shinnosuke Sarutobi, who was the lead ANBU captain on it. This four-man team consisted of Shinnosuke, Hyou Nara, Taji—a civilian ninja—and Kagura, a rising talent in the medic corps.
Shinnosuke knelt along with his team, bowing respectfully before the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, do you have a mission for us?"
Hiruzen smiled at the respect, even from his own son, and nodded. "I do. But you must wait for the final member of your team."
The doors opened, and in walked Sakumo Hatake.
A hush fell over the room. Even behind their masks, the ANBU members reacted visibly. Who didn't know of the legend in the making? The White Fang of Konoha, a warrior whose feats were whispered about even on the battlefield.
The elders wasted no time explaining the mission. The Land of Rivers was being used as a crucial supply line for Sunagakure's war effort. Danzo revealed that he had planted a spy close to the Kazekage. Their objective: infiltrate, sabotage, and destroy Suna's supply lines. If the spy succeeded in luring the Kazekage to the location, they might even assassinate him, effectively ending Suna's role in the war.
Realization dawned on the ANBU members. This mission had the potential to save thousands of their comrades. If successful, they would return as heroes.
Sakumo took the scroll detailing their orders and nodded. "Meet me at the gate in twenty minutes. We move then."
The four ANBU turned to leave. But before Shinnosuke could follow, Hiruzen spoke again.
"Stay a moment, my son."
No one thought twice about this. It was common for shinobi to be given only thirty minutes to prepare before deployment. Many used the time to say farewell to their loved ones, to write wills, to settle affairs… or simply to have one last moment of peace. Yes, have hot, steamy ninja sex with their wife, to leaving something behind for the next generation. The life of a ninja was unpredictable, and death loomed over every mission.
But as the others left, Hiruzen did not give Shinnosuke words of encouragement.
Instead, he told him the truth about the mission.
---------------------------------------------------------
Shinnosuke Sarutobi's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded, processing his father's words. He had long since come to terms with the kind of man his father truly was—a hypocrite. The Hokage projected the image of a wise and benevolent leader, but in the shadows, he made decisions as ruthless as any warlord. Shinnosuke's team was proof of that. They did missions others wouldn't or couldn't. Missions where comrades were deemed expendable, where failure was not an option because failure meant being seen as traitors, as the Hokage would never take the fall of his misdeeds. So, it meant their death. After all who would care about them, as their seen as commoners or orphans of their clan. No one they were sent to eliminate had ever returned alive.
Shinnosuke was confident—cocky, even—but he was not blind. He knew he stood just beneath the level of his father's legendary students. And against Sakumo Hatake? He didn't stand a chance. None of them did. But maybe, with his team, they could survive this.
With that in mind, he left the office, making his way to the designated meeting spot. Upon arrival, he wasted no time informing his team of the truth about their mission.
Hyou Nara, ever the analyst, grimaced but said nothing. Taji, the civilian-born shinobi, clenched his fists but swallowed his frustration. Kagura, the rising talent from the medical corps, showed no outward reaction, though her grip on her weapon tightened. They had all been through enough to know that hesitation meant death. Knowing the mission's true objective didn't change the fact that they still had to go through with it.
Moments later, Sakumo arrived, greeting them with a nod. He was met with silence.
The White Fang of Konoha immediately noticed the tension and grew serious. "Something wrong?"
No response.
His eyes narrowed slightly before shifting to professionalism. "Alright then. Let's do a general introduction. I need to know each of your specialties and weaknesses. The more I know, the better I can formulate our approach."
The four hesitated. Giving away weaknesses to someone they were meant to betray was a dangerous gamble. But withholding information could jeopardize the mission, and if they failed, none of them would live to regret it.
One by one, they spoke. Shinnosuke, the team captain, specialized in high-level fire release techniques and close-quarters combat. Hyou, as expected from a Nara, was an expert strategist and shadow manipulation user, though his chakra reserves were lower than average. Taji, despite being from civilian origins, was a master of infiltration and deception. Kagura was an elite medic-nin, skilled in both healing and poisons.
Sakumo listened carefully, nodding in understanding. "Good. That gives me something to work with."
Without another word, he turned, leading them toward the Land of Rivers.
The mission had begun.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The road to Tanigakure was a quiet one, the kind that put shinobi on edge. The village itself was nestled between rolling hills, its modest buildings blending seamlessly with the landscape. A smithing village by trade, its forges burned day and night, crafting weapons that fueled conflicts far beyond its borders. But beneath the clang of hammers and the hiss of quenching steel, a different trade thrived—espionage.
Taji and Sakumo, cloaked under a well-crafted Henge, pushed through the doors of a dimly lit bar. The scent of grilled fish and stale ale lingered in the air. A handful of patrons sat scattered across the wooden tables, but their focus zeroed in on a lone man in his thirties, quietly eating his meal.
Genno.
Sliding into the seat across from him, Taji and Sakumo offered polite nods. Genno didn't look up, taking another bite before speaking.
"You order something?"
Sakumo, his disguise solid, tapped the table. "We're here for a different kind of service."
Genno chewed, swallowed, and finally looked up. His eyes flickered with recognition, but his face remained unreadable. "That so? Well, you picked a good time. Finish your meal, then follow me."
They did as instructed, keeping their cool as they finished their food. When Genno stood, they followed him out the back door, down a winding alley, and through the outskirts of the village. The deeper they walked, the more abandoned their surroundings became, until they stopped at what appeared to be a dilapidated factory.
At first glance, it was nothing special—rusting metal, shattered windows, and creeping vines overtaking its walls. But a closer look revealed a different story. Figures moved in and out with precision, each one clad in Sunagakure attire, carrying sealed scrolls.
Genno gestured subtly. "That's what you came for. A major supply hub hiding in plain sight. Those scrolls? Each one holds a month's worth of supplies. Weapons, medicine, food. They're being sent to different fronts—Amegakure, the western border of the Land of Fire, and the northern post in Ishigakure. Suna's war machine hinges on this place. Destroy it, and you cut them off at the knees."
The weight of Genno's words settled in. This wasn't just another mission. This was the endgame.
Sakumo's jaw tightened. "If we take this place down, the war ends."
His team exchanged glances. A moment of shared realization. Then, the unspoken tension returned—the mission was to end the war, but for four of them, there was a second objective: Sakumo wouldn't be returning home.
He didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he did.
Sakumo's voice was steady as he laid out the plan. "We go in quiet. Kill every enemy shinobi inside except one. That one will live just long enough to see the explosion. Once the factory goes up, Suna loses its entire supply network."
No hesitation. No uncertainty. Only conviction.
The others nodded, each agreeing for their own reasons. The mission was clear.
End the war.
And for some, end Sakumo Hatake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under Konoha - Danzo's Office in Root
Danzo stood in his dimly lit office, the only sound the occasional shuffle of papers and the quiet murmur of the wind outside. His sharp gaze settled on the group of Root agents before him. Clad in their usual black cloaks and expressionless masks, they stood at attention, awaiting their orders.
"Your task is simple, but crucial," Danzo began, his voice cold and calculated. "There is a Root agent stationed in Suna. His mission is important, but I suspect he may have been compromised. Your first task is to confirm whether this is true. If he has betrayed us in any way… eliminate him."
The agents nodded, their faces obscured by their masks, but their bodies taut with the understanding of the gravity of the task. Danzo's gaze hardened, his single eye narrowing in thought.
"Once that is done, you are to stand back and observe the battle between the Kazekage and Sakumo Hatake. Do not intervene. Watch and wait for the victor. If the Kazekage wins, he must be dealt with swiftly. If Sakumo prevails, kill him before he can recover. Either way, neither side may leave that battlefield standing."
A chilling silence fell over the room, each agent absorbing the details of their orders. The weight of them hung in the air like a suffocating fog. It was a delicate balance, but the Root agents were trained for moments like this. There was no hesitation, no fear—just cold efficiency.
"Remember," Danzo continued, his voice darkening, "this mission is about maintaining control. Neither side must remain alive, and you are not to allow any escape."
One by one, the agents stepped forward, their movements synchronized, each giving a brief but firm salute before turning to leave. The door shut quietly behind them, and Danzo remained standing, his mind already focused on the next steps of his long game. The pieces were in motion now, and there was no turning back.
He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands. 'Let's see which side crumbles first.'
----------------------------------------------------------------
Land of Wind- 30 minutes away from Suna
The desert heat pressed down on the land, a harsh and unrelenting presence. The sun, high in the sky, painted the barren landscape in shades of orange and yellow, casting long shadows across the sand. In the distance, a small oasis shimmered like a mirage, the promise of life in the midst of the desolation.
Root agents—clad in their dark cloaks and masks—moved like ghosts through the harsh terrain. They were efficient, silent, and as unyielding as the desert itself. They were here for one purpose: to confirm the status of their own. A single agent, planted within Suna, now under suspicion of betrayal.
The agents reached the oasis as dusk approached, the air cooling slightly but still thick with tension. At the edge of the water, they saw her—a woman in her thirties, standing tall and confident among the palm trees, a weathered merchant's stall spread before her. Her name was Matsuri.
She had arrived in Suna years ago, a woman with little more than a few crates of goods, but with an uncanny ability to stand out. No one else had been able to bring in the kinds of foreign foods that Matsuri sold. Rare spices, exotic fruits, delicacies that no other merchant could procure. In a village starved for variety, she had quickly become popular with the locals, making a name for herself in the bustling market streets.
As the years passed, Matsuri's influence only grew. She married a man, a merchant from a competing business, and eventually he rose to become the head of the Merchant Council of Suna. It was from him that she learned of the Kazekage's movements and, with subtlety, began to influence his decisions. If ever the Kazekage became suspicious, she had a contingency plan: her husband's life. Kill him, and she would leave Suna behind, a sacrifice to maintain her cover.
But now, as she saw the Root agents approach, her expression hardened. The mask of the friendly merchant woman slipped away. Her eyes narrowed, assessing them, noting their deliberate steps, the way they moved as if they already knew her every move.
The silence between them thickened, until it shattered with a sudden flash of motion. Kunai flew through the air, a volley of sharp steel aimed for both sides. Matsuri, with a speed born of years of experience, met them mid-flight, her own kunai darting to intercept. The clang of metal echoed through the oasis, a sharp reminder of the stakes of this meeting.
In an instant, the agents closed the distance, unsheathing their tantos. The blades sang through the air, clashing in a flurry of strikes, each one a testament to years of brutal training. Matsuri fought with a deadly grace, her body fluid, her strikes precise and lethal. She had learned much during her time in Suna—about politics, about manipulation, about the art of survival.
The Root agents were no different. Their movements were calculated, ruthless, efficient. They had been bred for this kind of mission, trained to execute with cold precision.
The fight escalated from blades to a brutal clash of taijutsu. Matsuri's fists flew, striking with the power of someone who had fought her whole life to stay alive. The Root agents were no slouches; they adapted quickly, countering with an unyielding barrage of strikes.
The battle seemed to last an eternity. The dust swirled around them, and the sound of their combat echoed across the oasis. But eventually, both sides broke apart, panting heavily, eyes locked with mutual respect—and caution.
The head Root agent, his face hidden behind a mask, stepped forward. His voice was a cold, almost detached whisper. "You were the leaves, basking in the sunlight."
Matsuri, still catching her breath, narrowed her gaze, her voice like steel. "I am the roots that grow in the dark."
The two combatants exchanged a final, silent moment, a brief acknowledgment of the deadly dance they had just shared. Slowly, with deliberate care, they sheathed their tantos.
"Prove it," the Root agent murmured, though his words weren't for the fight—it was a challenge, a test. Had Matsuri kept up with her training? Was she still the same agent who had been sent here all those years ago? Had she kept her loyalty, or had the shadows of Suna begun to erode it?
She stepped closer, her eyes unwavering. "I have kept my place in the dark, and my loyalty remains," she said simply.
The agents remained silent for a moment, as if weighing her words. The Root agents didn't need speeches or grand gestures; they needed results. If she was still loyal, still capable, she would be an ally. If she had been compromised, she would be eliminated. Simple.
The head Root agent gave a short, curt nod. "Then we have business to discuss."
Without another word, Matsuri gestured for them to follow her to a small, hidden alcove nearby, where they could talk without the prying eyes of the village. She had known this test was coming—Root agents never trusted anyone completely, not even their own. She had passed. But for how long?
As they walked, she allowed herself a small, inward smile. The shadows were still her domain. She had just proved it again.