Sunagakure.
As the Hidden Village closest to Konoha, the Third Kazekage was the first among the Five Great Shinobi Villages to learn of the events that had transpired during the Chūnin Exams.
At this very moment, he felt genuinely fortunate for having resolutely maintained Sunagakure's alliance with Konoha.
The reason was simple: Konoha was overwhelmingly powerful.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was still in his prime. Alongside him stood Danzo Shimura, the infamous 'Shinobi of Darkness.'
Then there were the war-forged legends from the Second Great Ninja War—Konoha's White Fang and the Legendary Sannin. None of them were opponents to be taken lightly.
And now, yet another name had been added to that formidable list—Hirakawa Aoshi.
Though still officially a Genin, his strength already rivaled that of many veteran shinobi whose names echoed across the nations.
Moreover, beyond the anomalous Aoshi, Konoha's younger generation had also shown remarkable performance, outperforming both Sunagakure and Kumogakure during the Chūnin Exams.
A village like this had undoubtedly secured its position as the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Nations. No other village could shake that throne.
Not unless the Third Great Ninja War broke out and the remaining four villages joined forces to take down Konoha. But that was impossible.
The previous two Great Ninja Wars had left the Five Great Nations filled with mutual resentment, making true cooperation little more than a dream.
After letting out a long sigh, the Third Kazekage immediately sat down to pen a letter addressed to Rasa and Pakura, who were currently stationed in Konoha.
The message contained two key directives.
First, Rasa was to escort Sunagakure's Genin back home safely once the Chūnin Exams concluded.
Second, Pakura was to remain in Konoha—not only as a symbol of Sunagakure's continued support, but also to formally demand accountability from those responsible for the attack on Konoha.
This was a rare and valuable opportunity to strengthen diplomatic ties with Konoha—one that the Third Kazekage had no intention of letting slip away.
And Pakura was the ideal envoy for this mission, not just because of her strength, but because of her positive connection with Hirakawa Aoshi.
---
Iwagakure.
Though they hadn't sent anyone to participate in this joint Chūnin Exam, Ōnoki had been paying close attention to everything happening in Konoha.
The humiliation he had once suffered at Konoha's hands remained etched in his memory. From that day forward, he had vowed that Iwagakure would one day surpass Konoha.
Soon, he finished reading the latest intelligence reports.
He sneered at Sunagakure's actions, calling them dogs wagging their tails at Konoha, begging for scraps.
He also scoffed at Kumogakure's plan—just a bunch of muscle-headed brutes who knew nothing of strategy or subtlety.
But what troubled Ōnoki the most was Konoha's overwhelming strength. Especially the endless stream of geniuses that made him burn with envy.
"That genin who turned the tide... Hirakawa Aoshi."
"Why are geniuses always born in Konoha? In all of Iwagakure, I can't find a single one worthy of inheriting my position as Tsuchikage?"
"The heavens are truly unfair!"
Among the Five Great Nations, Iwagakure suffered the most from a severe generational gap. After venting his frustration, Ōnoki finally regained his composure and summoned the Anbu.
"Go to the black market and issue a bounty on Hirakawa Aoshi—set it at ten million ryō."
That was no trivial amount. It was more than enough to lure bounty hunters into risking their lives.
If someone actually succeeded in killing Aoshi, it would be a major victory for Iwagakure. And if they failed? It wouldn't matter—Iwagakure had nothing to lose.
Spending money just to make life harder for Konoha? That was exactly the kind of underhanded tactic Ōnoki loved.
---
Kirigakure.
Despite looking like a child, Yagura, already a fully grown adult, stepped into the office of the Third Mizukage.
In his hands was a stack of ninja profiles.
"Lord Mizukage, the selection for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist has concluded. These seven have been chosen as the final candidates." As he spoke, he handed the files to the Mizukage.
After scanning the reports, the Third Mizukage nodded in approval.
"Very good."
However, Yagura didn't share his smile. The village had suffered greatly over the years in its quest to rebuild the Seven Ninja Swordsmen legacy.
Many shinobi, unable to bear the infamous Bloody Mist Policy, had defected. In truth, Yagura himself disapproved of that policy—he found it senseless and cruel.
"Yagura, is there something you want to say?"
"Lord Mizukage, is it really worth making such heavy sacrifices just to reestablish the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
"Are you questioning my decision?"
The Third Mizukage's tone was calm as a still lake, but Yagura suddenly felt a wave of fear and quickly clarified that he hadn't meant to question him.
"Yagura, you mustn't only look at short-term losses and gains. You have to see the bigger picture." With a sigh, the Mizukage handed Yagura another intelligence file.
It was a report on Konoha.
"Konoha's geniuses keep emerging. That no-name Aoshi is now famous throughout the ninja world. This is the gap between us and Konoha."
"What good are countless ordinary shinobi? Without true elites, Kirigakure can never surpass Konoha."
After a brief explanation and giving Yagura a moment to reflect, the Mizukage added, "Rest assured, I am the Mizukage. I would never make decisions that would endanger the village."
"Now that the Seven Swordsmen have been chosen, we can gradually ease the Bloody Mist Policy."
---
Kumogakure.
Inside the Raikage's office, the Third Raikage was boiling with rage. "That damned Hirakawa Aoshi! Not only did he sabotage our entire operation, but he even killed Toroi!"
"This is unacceptable! Konoha must hand over the culprit—or we go to war!"
It was hard to blame him for his fury. Everything had been going according to plan. They had even successfully captured Uzumaki Kushina.
As long as Dodai and the others had managed to escape the Land of Fire, Konoha wouldn't have had enough justification—or manpower—to retaliate.
But Aoshi's unexpected intervention had shattered the entire operation and cost them a rare Magnet Release user. A loss like that was difficult for even Kumogakure to swallow.
Hearing his outburst, several Jonin immediately tried to calm him: "Lord Raikage, please reconsider! We can't afford a war with Konoha right now!"
No sane person wanted war. Even among shinobi raised to kill from childhood, everyone understood one thing—battlefields didn't care about rank. When kunai flew and jutsu clashed, death came swiftly and without discrimination. Jonin or not, anyone could fall.
"Are we just supposed to swallow this humiliation?!" the Raikage roared in reply.
That silenced the room instantly. With Dodai absent from the village, the remaining Jonin didn't have the power to openly challenge the Raikage's decision.
"Given the village's current condition," one of the older Jonin finally spoke, choosing his words carefully, "Going to war with Konoha is completely unrealistic… unless you plan to send the current Jinchuriki to the front lines for a suicide mission."
That statement finally stopped the Raikage cold. The Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki had long been regarded as the village's trump card. But he had failed to achieve perfect control over the Tailed Beast.
Physically and mentally, the current host of Eight Tails was already nearing his breaking point, constantly at risk of losing control.
Sending someone like him into battle—especially against Konoha—was the same as handing over the Eight-Tails on a silver platter.
"...We'll wait for Dodai to return," the Raikage growled. "Then we'll reassess the situation."
Which, in truth, meant one thing only—they were backing down.
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