The following day, contrary to everyone's expectations of a violent clash, the trade between the merchants and the Hidden Waterfall went surprisingly smooth.
The Waterfall ninja quickly verified the quality and quantity of the Military Rations Pills. They paid triple the standard market rate—a steep price, but typical for the black market during times of high tension. After a swift exchange of currency for goods, the Waterfall shinobi departed as quickly as they had arrived.
The team breathed a collective sigh of relief. Had a fight broken out during the transaction, Danzo's squad of four would have faced slim odds. Once the deal was finalized, Danzo immediately led the merchants and his team away from the meeting site and back to their inn.
Inside the room, Danzo surveyed his team. "I miscalculated before. During the acquisition of military supplies, the Waterfall wouldn't dare commit a blatant robbery. Doing so would scare off other black-market merchants. However, our problem starts now. Once we leave this village, we are fair game. The sheer amount of gold we're carrying is enough to drive anyone to madness. There is no way they'll let us walk away."
He turned to Kagami. "Kagami, scout our return path immediately. Stay in contact." Kagami nodded and vanished.
"Torifu, guard the merchants. Aki and I will cover the rear. They'll likely wait until we are deep in the forest to strike."
As the distant roar of the village's Great Waterfall grew faint, Aki turned to Danzo. "Captain, are we being too cautious? Would the Waterfall really risk a diplomatic incident for this gold?"
Danzo glanced at him. "Aki, you are an Uchiha noble; you've lived with a silver spoon in your mouth. You don't realize what this money represents to a small nation like the Waterfall. A family can live for a month on twenty thousand ryo. We just sold seven thousand pills for twenty million. That is nearly two months' worth of tax revenue for this entire country. In a brewing war, these supplies are life and death. Now do you understand?"
Aki frowned. "If they are so vital, why is the Second Hokage selling them to a potential enemy?"
"The Land of Fire is the wealthiest nation on earth," Danzo explained. "In Konoha, we don't rely on these pills. They restore chakra but carry heavy side effects. By selling them at these prices, we aren't just making money—we are economically bleeding our rivals dry. It's a form of financial warfare."
Before he could continue, a Water Dragon erupted from the foliage to their left. Danzo flickered away just in time. Several Waterfall ninja appeared in the trees.
"We found your Uchiha scout ahead, and now we find the rearguard," the leader sneered. "So it was the Leaf scamming us all along. Today will be the anniversary of your deaths!"
"We'll see who dies today," Danzo replied coldly. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" He unleashed two razor-sharp gusts that forced the Waterfall ninja to scatter. He drew the enemy Jonin away, shouting to Aki: "End it quickly! If you can't win, retreat. Their reinforcements won't be far behind!"
Aki faced an enemy squad of one Chunin and three Genin. Knowing he couldn't win a direct four-on-one clash, he activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and created three Shadow Clones.
One clone used the Manipulated Shuriken Technique while another unleashed Phoenix Sage Fire to create a chaotic screen of flames and smoke. Under the cover of the haze, the real Aki used Hiding in Dust and Ashes to ignite the surrounding trees, further blinding his opponents.
Aki's clones successfully baited the enemy Chunin away into the deep woods. Meanwhile, the original Aki flickered behind the three Genin. He drove his short blade into the first one's heart before the boy could finish a counter-attack.
The remaining two Genin reacted with Water Style: Wild Water Wave, creating a massive cloud of steam. Aki used another Shadow Clone as a decoy; the Genin exhausted their chakra attacking the smoke, allowing the real Aki to strike.
He drove a blade into the second Genin, but the third lunged at him, piercing Aki's right hand with a kunai. Ignoring the agonizing pain, Aki used his impaled hand to grab the enemy's arm, pulling him close. With his left hand, he drew a kunai from the previous victim and drove it into the last Genin's skull.
Three kills in under a minute.
Aki felt the mental feedback of his decoy clone being destroyed by the Chunin. He moved fast, setting a trap with Explosive Tags and placing a Shadow Clone in the center to look like a wounded survivor.
When the Chunin rushed in to finish the job, the trap detonated. As the Chunin tried to defend against the blast with a Water Wall, Aki unleashed his ultimate move: "Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Dance!"
The spiraling dragon of flame swallowed the Chunin whole, launching his charred remains into the air.
Meanwhile, Danzo was being pushed back by the enemy Jonin and two remaining Chunin. Despite his mastery of Wind Style, the sheer volume of Water Style attacks was overwhelming.
"Hand over the money, and I'll give you a clean death," the Jonin barked.
"You're too late," Danzo coughed, blood trickling from his lip. "The gold is already across the border with our couriers. You've lost."
Enraged, the three Waterfall ninja unleashed a combined assault: Evil Mouth, Wave War, and Explosive Water Wave. The mountain of water crashed down, slamming Danzo into the earth.
Just as the Jonin moved in for the kill, a shadow loomed over him. "Partial Multi-Size Jutsu!"
A giant fist slammed into the Jonin, knocking him unconscious instantly. Kagami appeared in a blur, his blade finding the throat of one Chunin, while Aki—exhausted and bleeding—delivered a surprise Great Fireball to the last one.
The final survivor fled into the woods. Torifu started to give chase, but Danzo, supported by Kagami, shouted, "Let him go! They know we are Leaf ninja now. We must move!"
Torifu finished off the unconscious Jonin, hoisted the injured Aki onto his back, and the four shinobi vanished into the shadows of the forest, racing for the safety of the Land of Fire.