Hiruzen Sarutobi's current state of mind could only be described as a bittersweet tangle of relief and anxiety.
On the bright side, his most promising student, Orochimaru, had shown decisive ruthlessness. Despite the immense risk of the Hidden Rain striking their rear, Orochimaru had led every able-bodied shinobi in a daring midnight raid through the torrential rain. His successful strike had shattered the Suna camp, routed their forces, and effectively purged them from the Land of Rain.
Furthermore, the blow had thoroughly intimidated the ever-ambitious Amegakure. Rumors were already circulating that Hanzo was seeking an alliance with the Leaf.
On the dark side, there was his other student, Tsunade. In her desperate rush to find her brother, Nawaki, she had acted recklessly and abandoned her post. She'd walked straight into a Suna trap, facing a siege by nearly twenty Jonin, and remained missing to this day.
Following the policy established by his teacher, the Second Hokage, the Senju had largely integrated into the village, with most members giving up the clan name. However, "Senju" remained a vital banner for Konoha. Now that the only two remaining heirs to that name were missing, Hiruzen feared the remaining clansmen—who still carried the prestige of their heritage—might grow restless or even spark internal strife.
His position as Hokage was not yet the stable, unshakeable throne it would eventually become.
Still, with Orochimaru's monumental victory, Hiruzen finally felt he could hold his head high. Yet, a new concern gnawed at him: lately, Danzo and Orochimaru seemed to be growing a bit too close for comfort.
Normally, he might have overlooked it, but now...
Thinking of the massive credit Orochimaru had just earned—enough to stir the spirits of the entire village—Hiruzen narrowed his eyes behind a veil of tobacco smoke.
"Those Suna bastards are just as greedy as ever."
Deep within the Root base, Danzo Shimura was savoring his own sense of triumph. He knew far more secrets regarding this turn of events than Hiruzen did.
In his mind, if he hadn't leaked the news of Nawaki's departure to Suna, the boy wouldn't have gone missing. If the boy hadn't gone missing, Tsunade wouldn't have left the camp in a panic. If she hadn't left, Suna wouldn't have overextended themselves trying to ambush her, leaving their headquarters wide open for Orochimaru to seize the day.
Therefore, the credit for this victory belonged entirely to him.
Once again, the "Darkness of the Leaf" had performed a great service for the village in total anonymity.
The only thing that rankled him was the lack of intelligence from the front. Judging by Suna's movements, it appeared Nawaki might still be alive. And since Suna had lost their foothold in the Land of Rain, they were unlikely to pose a threat to the boy anymore.
It looked like his "Plan Woodpecker" was destined to fail.
"Hmph. I suppose I'll let you keep your life for now," Danzo muttered.
Akiren walked through the rain with grim determination, even though his forehead felt like it was on fire.
Big Brother Nawaki and Big Brother Hatani are counting on me. I can't fall!
Ever since he'd parted ways with the two Genin, he had focused every ounce of his soul on reaching the Konoha camp. Even when his exhausted body succumbed to a fever from the constant soaking—leaving his head spinning and his legs feeling like lead—he gritted his teeth and pushed forward on sheer willpower.
When those horrific "cannibals" had captured him, hope had vanished from his world. He would never forget that it was Hatani and Nawaki who had brought light back into his life.
Though he had felt abandoned and even tried to lash out in bitterness, the moment they forgave him and entrusted him with this mission, he had made a vow. He would complete this task even if it cost him his life. It was a debt he owed them, and the only thing he could ever do for them.
But as the sky grew dark and his body began to sway, he knew he had reached his limit.
The light was fading. If he kept walking in the dark, he would lose his way. But if he closed his eyes now, he was terrified he would never open them again.
Just as he was spiraling into despair, furious at his own inability to help, a voice barked out from the gloom.
"Halt!"
Akiren, the last spark of life nearly gone from his eyes, forced them open one last time. He exerted every remaining scrap of strength to lift his head.
The moment he saw the leaf-shaped swirl on a headband, a look of profound relief crossed his face. He smiled, his strength finally spent, and collapsed.
"The Will of Fire... burns eternal!"
Before he hit the ground, he forced out the shortest and clearest of the passwords Hatani had taught him.
"A war orphan?"
The Chunin leading the patrol, a man named Shinagawa with a jagged X-shaped scar on his left cheek, frowned as he looked at Akiren's skeletal frame and tattered rags.
While not all shinobi were monsters who enjoyed killing civilians, most encountered orphans like Akiren with a sense of weary indifference. They might feel a flicker of pity, but they rarely intervened. Shinagawa felt a moment of hesitation as he looked at the unconscious boy.
"Shinagawa, did you hear that? I think the kid just said 'The Will of Fire burns eternal' before he went out," one of his teammates said. He wore a hooded cloak and was accompanied by a silver-grey wolf-dog that stood nearly as tall as a man—clearly an Inuzuka.
The Inuzuka scratched his head and looked at his ninken partner for confirmation. The wolf-dog, Gin, whose hearing was far sharper than any human's, gave a human-like nod.
"Could he be one of our village's children?"
A third voice chimed in. A slender ninja in a silver trench coat and sunglasses materialized from behind the wolf-dog. Despite his flashy attire, his "presence" was so low he was almost invisible—the hallmark of the Aburame clan.
"The village isn't desperate enough to send kids who haven't even finished the Academy to the front lines," Shinagawa said, shaking his head as he noted how tiny Akiren looked from prolonged malnutrition.
"Gin tells me there's no scent of danger on him," the Inuzuka added after a quick exchange with his partner. "We should take him back to the camp. Let the medical ninja look at him. We can question him when he wakes up."
"Fine. If Gin says he's safe, I'll take him back to the base while you two finish the patrol," Shinagawa decided. He trusted the ninken's instincts implicitly. He scooped Akiren up, slung him onto his back, and accelerated toward the Konoha headquarters.