It was late. The rain outside the Command Tent had settled into a steady, rhythmic drumming, a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
The Third Hokage sat at his desk, the only light coming from a flickering oil lamp. In his hand, he held the blue Type 2: Restoration Tag. He stared at it, his eyes narrowing as he tried to peer through the ink to the secrets beneath.
Suddenly, the tent flap was thrown open.
Three figures walked in. They didn't ask for permission. They didn't salute. They just barged in and claimed the empty chairs around the desk.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. The Sannin.
"You're still awake, Sensei?" Jiraiya asked, kicking his feet up onto a crate.
"I could ask the same of you," Hiruzen sighed, placing the tag down. "But since you are here, let us discuss the elephant in the room. Or rather, the Uchiha."
Hiruzen slid the two tags—Type 1 and Type 2—across the desk.
"You have all examined them. You have seen the boy in action. Tell me... what do you see? How do these work?"
Jiraiya leaned forward, his expression unusually serious. He tapped the blue Type 2 tag.
"I don't feel anything special from the Type 1," Jiraiya rumbled. "It feels like standard chakra manipulation. But this blue one... the Type 2
"It has a residue," Jiraiya explained. "It's faint, but my senses don't lie. There is Natural Energy woven into the production of this tag. It's not just ink and paper; it's like he trapped inside the seal."
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. "So he is using Senjutsu principles?"
"Unconsciously or consciously, yes," Jiraiya confirmed.
Tsunade picked up the Type 1 tag. She rubbed the ink between her fingers, her brow furrowed in frustration.
"I've analyzed the Type 1," she reported. "The sealing script itself... it's complex, yes. It uses a recursive algorithm that mimics biological instructions. But it's not impossible. A master from the Sealing Corps could replicate the pattern."
"Then why did the Corps fail?" Hiruzen asked.
"The ink," Tsunade said sharply. "The ink is an advanced compound. It's a perfect suspension of Yin and Yang release. Without this specific ink, the script destabilizes and burns. So, in conclusion: we can replicate the structure, but we cannot replicate the medium."
Hiruzen leaned back, a dry chuckle escaping his lips.
"So, the claim that 'only a Three-Tomoe Sharingan can produce it'..."
"Was a lie," Orochimaru finished, a smirk playing on his pale lips. "Or at least, a massive exaggeration. The Sharingan likely increases his speed and efficiency, allowing him to mix the ink perfectly, but it is not a strict biological requirement for the seal itself. He bluffed you, Sensei. He bluffed the Council. And he won."
"Clever boy," Hiruzen muttered, though his eyes were cold. "And the Type 2?"
"That is a different beast entirely," Orochimaru said, his golden eyes gleaming with obsession. "If Type 1 is a house, Type 2 is a cathedral. The seal structure is over a thousand times more complex. And the binding agent... it's not just ink. It's held together by an unknown force. Something invisible but rigid. Even I cannot decipher it."
The tent fell silent.
A fifteen-year-old boy had created a technology that baffled the greatest minds in Konoha.
"I tried to recruit him," Hiruzen admitted softly. "After the meeting. I offered him a position in the Anbu, directly under my command."
"And?" Tsunade asked.
"He declined."
"He refused the Hokage?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
"He played the fool," Hiruzen said, frustration leaking into his voice. "He claimed he was 'scared' of fighting. He said his heart was too timid for the darkness of Anbu. This, coming from the boy who blasted an Iwa elite's head off with a point-blank fire jutsu."
Hiruzen clenched his fist.
"And then came the threat. He implied that if he was forced into Anbu—or if we tried to extract the blueprint by force—the production of the tags would stop. He didn't say it explicitly, but the message was clear: 'Touch me, and the village loses its miracle cure.'"
"He holds the supply chain hostage," Danzo's voice echoed in Hiruzen's memory.
"He has no Will of Fire," Hiruzen stated solemnly, looking at his students. "He does not view the village as his family. He views it as a market. His loyalty lies solely with the Uchiha Clan. If we are not careful, he will become the financial and military pillar that allows the Uchiha to separate themselves from Konoha entirely."
"So, what do we do?" Tsunade asked. "He's a war hero. We can't just imprison him."
"We convert him," Hiruzen decided.
He looked at Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya. You sensed the Natural Energy. He has an affinity for it. Try to recruit him again. Offer to teach him Sage Mode. The allure of power is strong. If he becomes your student, he enters our fold. He cannot deny the chance to master nature."
"I'll try," Jiraiya grumbled. "If he really is using Natural Energy blindly, he's a ticking time bomb. He needs guidance."
"Be careful, Jiraiya," Orochimaru interjected softly. "You assume he is using it blindly. But what if he has already mastered it? What if he doesn't need your toads?"
Jiraiya frowned. "Impossible. No one masters Senjutsu without a teacher."
Hiruzen turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade. Ren respects you as a medic. After this battle, I am assigning him to the Konoha Hospital under your direct supervision."
Hiruzen's eyes softened, but the order was iron.
"Make him feel good about the village, Tsunade. Show him that Konoha is worth more than just money. Create bonds that tether him to us. If he loves the people, he will serve the village."
"Emotional manipulation?" Tsunade crossed her arms.
"Guidance," Hiruzen corrected. "He is a lost leaf blowing in the wind. We must ensure he lands near the tree, not in the fire."
Outside, thunder rolled, shaking the tent poles.
"Are you ready to go?" Hiruzen asked.
"Our forces are ready," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "And Ren Uchiha completed the order ahead of schedule. The tags are distributed."
Hiruzen stood up, grabbing his helmet.
"Sakumo and the Uchiha should be near the Suna camp by now, ready to engage the One-Tails. We will leave in one hour to attack Hanzo."
He pointed to the map.
"Danzo has already left. He is waiting in the rear of the Iwa camp, waiting for my frontal attack on Onoki to draw their attention."
Hiruzen looked at his three students with a grim expression.
"You three don't have to defeat Hanzo. You just need to stall him and damage his army. Rain does not have the manpower of the Five Great Villages; attrition is their weakness."
"Go," Hiruzen dismissed them.