Rasa was gone. He had taken Gaara and left.
Sakura didn't try to stop him.
The reason was simple—Sakura couldn't fly.
"Sakura, are you alright?"
"Sakura, did you see that just now? I was amazing!"
"Even Sasuke couldn't compare to me this time!"
Naruto dispersed his Shadow Clone and grinned as he ran over to Sakura, speaking with an air of pride.
Nearby, Sasuke sheathed his sword, his expression full of disdain at Naruto's boastful words.
"Idiot. I clearly contributed the most."
"What?! Damn you, Sasuke! Are you looking for a fight?!"
Naruto exploded at Sasuke's remark, leaping up in irritation.
"Hmph. You're no match for me."
Sasuke arched an eyebrow as he stared at the agitated Naruto. A teasing glint sparkled in his eyes.
This guy… is actually kind of fun to mess with…
"Alright, alright, you two—cut it out already."
"There might still be enemies left in the village. We should head back and help."
Sakura sighed at the two boys. Naruto's behavior was expected, but even Sasuke was getting caught up in this?
— — —
Hokage Tower, Konoha
Hokage's Conference Room
After swiftly deploying shinobi to sweep out any remaining enemies, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately convened a high-level meeting.
At the large table, Sarutobi sat at the head. On his left sat Tsunade, and on his right, Jiraiya.
Surrounding them were Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane, as well as the clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Hyūga Clan, the Inuzuka Clan, the Aburame Clan, and others.
Anyone who held weight in Konoha was present.
The atmosphere in the conference room was thick with tension, so much so that some of the lesser clan leaders shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
After a long silence, Hiruzen's eyes—which were often clouded with age—were now sharp and intense, filled with a commanding presence.
This Hiruzen was far from the grandfatherly image everyone remembered. His gaze held the weight of iron resolve and aggression.
It made everyone present uneasy.
When had Hiruzen, known as the benevolent leader, ever worn such an expression?
Was this because of Sunagakure?
"Everyone…"
Hiruzen finally spoke. His voice held the authority of a monarch pronouncing judgment—unyielding, commanding.
The room fell utterly silent. Every word hung heavily in the air. No one dared to miss a syllable.
"Sunagakure has broken the alliance. Kazekage Rasa is the chief culprit."
"He conspired with the rogue Orochimaru and sought to assassinate me."
"Now tell me—how should we respond?"
A pin could be heard dropping. Not a single person breathed too loudly.
In that moment, the man at the head of the table didn't seem like a seventy-year-old elder.
He was the same fierce warrior from the Great Ninja Wars—the "Professor" of ninjutsu and a titan of strategy.
Danzo Shimura stared at Hiruzen in disbelief, almost as if seeing his longtime comrade for the first time.
When had this old monkey grown such steel?
"Right now, Konoha has just emerged from a crisis. We cannot act recklessly."
"Though Suna is at fault, we must not jeopardize greater stability for a moment of anger."
"The pain of war still lingers. I suggest we begin with a formal condemnation of the Sand Village and—"
Koharu's cautious suggestion was abruptly interrupted.
"Absurd!"
Homura Mitokado stood up suddenly, his voice laced with anger.
"They came to our doorstep with swords drawn!"
"If we respond with mere words, won't we become the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world?!"
"They'll say Konoha is weak!"
"That we're a paper tiger, all bark and no bite!"
"This isn't prudence—it's a slow death!"
"Strike!"
"Strike them hard!"
"Since the founding of the village, we have never suffered such humiliation!"
"This isn't just a home invasion!"
"This is someone defecating on Konoha's face!"
"If we swallow this, we lose everything! The dignity of being the foremost of the Five Great Ninja Villages will vanish!"
"Konoha will never recover from that!"
Homura's words were like fire in the room. No one had expected him, usually calm and reserved, to speak with such fury.
Even Koharu was stunned.
The two of them were known to be close allies. What was going on?
"Strike?!"
"And with what forces, exactly?!"
"Our enemy isn't just Sunagakure!"
"Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure all have their eyes on us like hungry wolves!"
"If we become mired in a drawn-out war, what will we do then?!"
Koharu shot to her feet, glaring daggers at Homura.
"They won't cooperate with each other!"
"They'll be at each other's throats before they unite against us!"
"If you believe they'll act as one, then stones might as well bloom flowers!"
Homura smirked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Our strength has returned. We have Jiraiya and Tsunade here. Kakashi and Might Guy have matured into the pillars of our village."
"And the new generation—Sakura Haruno, Rock Lee, Sasuke Uchiha—they represent the bright future of Konoha."
"If we stand united, how can we possibly lose?"
His confidence bordered on arrogance, but it had weight.
The room fell into an awkward silence, all eyes shifting between the two elders as they argued like actors on a stage.
Nara Shikaku sat quietly among the clan leaders, watching them trade words like verbal kunai. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
What a performance…
One plays the warmonger, the other the peacemaker.
He wouldn't be surprised if the two had rehearsed this beforehand.
"Ahem… If I may…"
Shikaku finally spoke, his voice calm and deliberate.
The moment he did, both Homura and Koharu fell silent, almost in sync, as if they had been waiting for this cue.
"Go on, Shikaku."
Hiruzen's eyes softened slightly as he looked toward the Nara clan head, his trusted strategist.
"As Elder Homura says, we cannot let this insult go unanswered."
"But Elder Koharu also makes a critical point—we must remain vigilant of the other Great Nations: Earth, Water, and Lightning."
"My suggestion is this…"
Shikaku paused, making sure all ears were on him.
"While Onoki of Iwagakure is still in Konoha, we form a temporary alliance with the Land of Earth. Together, we mount a joint campaign against the Land of Wind."
"At the same time, we station defensive troops at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Frost to guard against the Land of Lightning."
"We also dispatch scouts to the Land of Whirlpools to monitor any movement from the Land of Water."
"If either Lightning or Water moves against us, we respond immediately. Meanwhile, we send covert operatives into the Land of Lightning to stir internal unrest."
"Encourage them to seek vengeance for the death of their Third Raikage by launching an attack on the Land of Earth."
"Do the same in the Land of Water—send agents to reignite their anger over the death of their Second Mizukage, directing it toward the Land of Earth as well."
"If these plans succeed, we provide Iwagakure with material support to defend against Water and Lightning."
"Even if these operations don't bear fruit, they'll at least draw pressure away from us."
"In this way, we turn the Land of Earth into Konoha's shield."
As Shikaku spoke, his voice was steady but intense. By the time he finished, he was visibly parched.
Hiruzen at the head of the table gave a satisfied smile.
While this plan deviated somewhat from what Sakura had suggested earlier, it was nearly identical in intent and structure.
Around Shikaku, several clan heads instinctively scooted their chairs a little further away.
A man who thinks like this… you never know when you'll be sold out by him—and still thank him for it.
(End of Chapter)
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