In the Hidden Leaf Village, thousands of miles away, inside the Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, slowly set down the request for aid. His brow furrowed slightly.
Seeing the Third Hokage's troubled expression, an old woman sitting nearby cast a puzzled glance toward him.
"Hiruzen, has something serious happened?"
The speaker, being able to sit in the Hokage's Office and address the current Hokage by name, was clearly a person of high status.
Besides her, two other old men were present. One wore glasses and had a beard somewhat similar to the Third Hokage's. The other had a gloomy expression; his eye and one of his arms were heavily wrapped in bandages. These individuals constituted the current leadership of the Hidden Leaf: the Hokage and the Council of Elders.
Upon hearing his old friend's question, the Third Hokage pushed the letter toward them and took a long drag from his pipe.
"It is a request for aid from the Hidden Steam Village. They hope the Hidden Leaf can send ninjas to help them purge those monsters."
The Third Hokage's tone was flat, but the matter was far from simple.
Because the Hidden Steam Village possessed abundant tourism resources, it was extremely wealthy. Consequently, it had become obsessed with peace to the point of neglecting its ninja development. It was effectively a nation with a powerful economy but a very weak military.
Furthermore, dispatching ninjas to another country to perform a mission—especially one with its own ninja village—was a diplomatic event that could not be treated lightly.
After reading the contents of the letter, the gloomy old man in the corner snorted coldly. "God-Chosen People? How ridiculous!"
The other two advisors also expressed disdain. "Just a few monsters, and they dare to pose as gods?"
The Third Hokage did not offer his own opinion immediately. He waited for them to finish before speaking. "The Hidden Steam stated that if it is inconvenient for the Hidden Leaf to provide assistance, they might seek help from other nations."
At this, the expressions of the advisors shifted slightly.
"It seems the Hidden Steam Village is truly being driven into a corner," Koharu Utatane, the female high-level advisor, remarked.
If they weren't desperate, how could the Hidden Steam Village dare to speak to the Hidden Leaf in such a manner? The implication was clear: if the Hidden Leaf didn't help, they would look elsewhere, likely to the Land of Wind or the Land of Water.
Since the Land of Water was currently isolated from the world, the Land of Wind was the most likely candidate. If that happened, the Land of Rivers could be infiltrated by the Land of Wind, perhaps even becoming its vassal.
While the Land of Rivers was weak, it held immense strategic value.
Looking at the map, if the Land of Wind successfully infiltrated this country, they would gain the ability to deploy troops toward the Hidden Leaf in a very short time. This was something the Hidden Leaf was absolutely unwilling to see.
Therefore...
"We must help with this," a cold, raspy voice sounded. It was Danzo Shimura, the former Hokage Assistant.
"Since the Hidden Steam Village has asked for our help, we can use the opportunity after completing the mission to support certain people in taking power. I happen to have a nephew in the Hidden Steam Village..."
"Furthermore, I recall the Land of Rivers has a silver mine, right? The Hidden Leaf's budget has been a bit tight lately..."
As soon as Danzo spoke, he sounded like the veteran conspirator he was. In just two sentences, he had mapped out a plan to exploit the Hidden Steam Village.
The other two advisors frowned, hesitating. "Would doing this damage the Hidden Leaf's reputation?"
Danzo glanced at them and said indifferently, "Their tourism industry also seems quite developed. Many people visit every year to spend money..."
The two advisors looked at each other and tactfully remained silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three people before him, feeling a headache coming on.
Danzo noted his expression and added, "If you find this matter difficult to handle, Hiruzen, I can let Root take care of it."
"No!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the desk in opposition almost instinctively. If they were going to infiltrate the Hidden Steam Village, he had to ensure it was kept firmly under his own control.
Danzo did not look surprised. He knew that while he bore the darkness of the Hidden Leaf for his friend, Hiruzen always kept a guard up against him.
"Ahem."
The Third Hokage realized he had lost his composure. He coughed twice and explained, "The Land of Rivers is a vital buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. An area like this must never fall into the hands of the Land of Wind."
"Thus, the Hidden Leaf must aid the Hidden Steam Village. Furthermore, I already have a candidate in mind."
Danzo's brow twitched. The previous words were nonsense; aid was a certainty as the Hidden Leaf would never pass up such an opportunity. The real point was who would be sent.
"Let Kakashi of the Anbu lead a team there."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo and made his decision.
"Kakashi..."
Danzo narrowed his eyes but said nothing more. Kakashi held a special significance between him and the Third Hokage.
Kakashi had once served in Root. When the Fourth Hokage died and the Third Hokage went to the capital of the Land of Fire for reappointment, Danzo had once ordered Kakashi to assassinate the Third. Ultimately, Kakashi chose not to follow through. By bringing up Kakashi now, the Third Hokage was effectively giving Danzo a warning. After all, Danzo was likely the only person who could carry the stigma of an attempted assassination of the Hokage and still hold such power.
After the three high-level officials left, the Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and muttered softly, "God-Chosen People?"
Unlike his three old comrades who disdained the organization, the Third felt a trace of unease. That special power concerned him. It was precisely because of this concern that he chose Kakashi for the mission.
Soon, a silver-haired man wearing a mask appeared before him.
"Lord Hokage, is there a new mission?"
"Yes, Kakashi. I need you to make a trip to the Hidden Steam Village. This is the mission scroll."
The Third Hokage handed the newly prepared scroll to the young man. Kakashi took it, his single eye not covered by the headband scanning the document quickly to understand the details.
"God-Chosen People..."
Kakashi frowned. He was also curious and surprised by the special abilities described in the scroll.
The Third Hokage rested his chin on his crossed hands and spoke seriously. "Your mission this time is not just to deal with those monsters. You must find out where they came from. Also, investigate this Jashin Religion thoroughly."
"I understand. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Kakashi bowed to the Third Hokage and vanished instantly.
The Third Hokage looked out the window. On the streets, the villagers of the Hidden Leaf were shopping and chatting, a scene full of vitality. After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and refocused on the mountain of paperwork before him.