With Tsunade and the Hyūga Clan joining Kirigakure, the Village of the Hidden Mist finally reached its true peak of power.
It was the height of its ascendancy-radiant like the midday sun, unrivaled and unstoppable.
Before long, Chiba settled the Hyūga Clan's living arrangements, as well as the residences for Tsunade and Shizune. Once everything was in order, he did not linger for even a moment, immediately summoning all of Kirigakure's top leadership for a strategic meeting.
This Mizukage Council included not only the elders and elite shinobi as before, but also Tsunade and the Hyūga Clan's head, Hyūga Hiashi.
Chiba was the first to speak, formally welcoming Tsunade and the Hyūga Clan. Around them, Kirigakure's shinobi watched with undisguised curiosity and delight.
Tsunade's expression was complicated, yet she still managed a faint smile. Being forced to change her stance and identity so abruptly was no easy thing. Chiba noticed-and did not press the issue.
Hiashi, on the other hand, was resolute. For him, there was no path of return.
After responding politely to the warm reception, Hiashi's expression gradually turned solemn.
"Mizukage-sama, although Lady Tsunade and the Hyūga Clan's departure from Konoha and entry into Kirigakure could be called inevitable…" he paused briefly. "Sarutobi Hiruzen and Konoha will never let this go. I fear he will be driven to desperation and decide to tear all pretenses away, launching an all-out war against Kirigakure."
Chiba smiled and nodded.
"I agree. If I were Hiruzen, this would be the moment to stake everything. Otherwise, both he and Konoha would be left with nothing but a dead end."
Mei Terumī chuckled softly.
"Tsunade and the Hyūga Clan were probably the final straw. Not only did it humiliate him and Konoha before the entire ninja world, the losses alone are incalculable. As Kirigakure grows stronger and Konoha weaker, a desperate battle is likely his best-and last-chance."
Ao nodded in agreement.
"From the enemy's perspective, Konoha has truly reached its limit. But Kirigakure is already prepared. In just four or five years, the Mizukage turned the Blood Mist Village, once on the brink of collapse, into one of the strongest villages in the ninja world."
"And more impressively," he continued, "we've only fought one war-against Sunagakure-and won decisively with minimal losses. After that, through diplomacy at the Five Kage Summit, we extracted massive reparations and resources from Konoha. Our overall strength now surpasses theirs. This war was inevitable."
Chōjūrō spoke cautiously.
"Even so, Konoha is still Konoha. Though weakened under Hiruzen, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. We can't afford complacency."
Mei nodded.
"Especially since Konoha still has Sunagakure as an ally, as well as Orochimaru's Sound Village. And behind Jiraiya stands the power of Mount Myōboku. Last time, the Mizukage summoned the full might of Ryūchi Cave, but Orochimaru revealed his Edo Tensei, and Jiraiya summoned the great toads."
Kisame grinned darkly.
"After all, they're legends. One of the Three Legendary Sannin carries far more weight than our title as the Seven Swordsmen ever did."
Mangetsu Hōzuki agreed.
"Still, now we have a Sannin of our own. And more importantly, we have Chiba-sama. There's no need to fear them."
Chiba nodded calmly.
"Strategically, despise the enemy. Tactically, respect them. That has always been my principle. If Konoha declares war, they'll learn from Sunagakure's disastrous defeat. They understand our overwhelming advantage in naval combat."
"They won't fight us at sea again."
"That leaves them with only two options: lure us onto land, or infiltrate Kirigakure and attack from within."
Tsunade frowned.
"I agree. My teacher-no, Sarutobi Hiruzen-has many flaws, but he isn't a fool. He won't charge in recklessly like Sunagakure did. If I had to guess, he'll choose infiltration."
"That way, he can catch Kirigakure off guard, inflict heavy casualties, and stir up enough hatred to force us into attacking Konoha-achieving a decisive battle on land."
Chiba glanced at her and smiled approvingly.
"Exactly. That's what I believe he'll do as well."
Hiashi considered the matter.
"Still, infiltrating Kirigakure isn't easy. We're an island nation, surrounded by the sea. Unlike the wide plains of the Land of Fire, any invasion requires crossing the ocean."
"As long as we station personnel at every port and maintain vigilance, we can prevent their entry."
Chiba smiled.
"That will be done, of course. But Konoha won't send a large force-it would be too conspicuous. If I were Hiruzen, I'd send only one or two people on a small boat."
Frowns spread across the room.
"One or two people? That's practically suicide."
And with Kirigakure's current strength, they had every reason to say so.
"For ordinary shinobi, yes," Chiba replied. "But if it's someone like Orochimaru, who excels at Edo Tensei, or Jiraiya, who can summon an army from Mount Myōboku, that changes everything."
Tsunade nodded.
"Exactly. Either of them can raise an army alone. If Orochimaru cooperates with Hiruzen, he'll have access to detailed records of countless powerful shinobi who died in Konoha."
"It wouldn't be surprising if he created an entire Edo Tensei army."
"The Shodaime Hokage. The Nidaime Hokage. And many other legendary figures of Konoha could all be summoned back."
Her gaze swept across Uchiha Yashiro and Hyūga Hiashi.
"With all due respect, the deceased ancestors of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans would likely become pieces on Orochimaru's board."
Shock rippled through the room.
Yashiro and Hiashi froze for a heartbeat before erupting in fury.
"If that bastard dares to do such a thing, I'll tear him apart myself!"
"That would be unforgivable!"
Tsunade let out a bitter sigh.
"Orochimaru doesn't care about right or wrong. To him, only his research into ninjutsu theory and forbidden techniques matters. Nothing else exists in his world."
"So him doing something like this wouldn't be surprising at all."
Chiba understood Orochimaru all too well.
"He will do it. I know everyone is angry, but turning that anger into preparation is the only correct path."
Chiba possessed incomplete records of Orochimaru's Edo Tensei research, but he had already deduced the technique in its perfected form. Even so, he had no intention of using it himself.
Grave-robbing, desecrating the dead, and sacrificing the living crossed a line he would not step over. He wasn't a saint, but there were things he would and would not do. Countering the enemy's Edo Tensei, however, was another matter entirely.
He openly revealed all the secrets of the technique-and how to deal with it.
"Those summoned by Edo Tensei are already dead. They cannot be killed again."
"The only effective method is sealing."
In an instant, everyone's gaze turned toward a woman seated further back.
Uzumaki Mie-Karin's mother.
Rescued by Chiba during a previous journey, she had since settled peacefully in Kirigakure, finally experiencing a true sense of belonging.
"I do know some sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan," she said firmly. "They're not as powerful as Uzumaki Kushina's, but they're more than sufficient to seal the souls summoned by Edo Tensei."
Chiba nodded. The real difficulty lay in restraining the enemy first; the sealing itself did not require extraordinary power.
He decided to expand and refine these techniques. Turning to Mie, he smiled.
"I'd like to work with you to perfect them and teach them to everyone. Would that be alright?"
Mie took a deep breath.
"The Uzumaki Clan was annihilated. Uzushiogakure was reduced to ruins because of these techniques. There are no secrets left to protect."
"Karin and I wandered the world and suffered endlessly. Only the Mizukage-sama and Kirigakure accepted us. Keeping secrets means nothing to me anymore."
"I'll give everything I know, if it can contribute to Kirigakure."
"Good," Chiba said with a smile.
With that, the meeting came to an end.
In the days that followed, Chiba and Mie refined the Uzumaki sealing techniques. Though fragmented, they were more than enough for him. In no time at all, he completed and elevated them to perfection.
Sealing and barrier techniques spread throughout Kirigakure. A vast sensory barrier was erected around the entire village-broader, sharper, and faster to respond than Konoha's. A specialized unit was formed to maintain constant vigilance.
Everything was ready.
Meanwhile, unaware that they were walking straight into a perfectly prepared trap, Konoha had already readied small boats.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and several elite Konoha shinobi quietly crossed the vast sea, drawing closer to the Land of Water.
The decisive battle between Konoha and Kirigakure was about to begin.
And this was only the spark.
The long-standing peace of the ninja world was finally coming to an end.
Next came-
War.
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