Konoha's hardline retaliation against Kumogakure also drew attention and debate from the other hidden villages.
In Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, hovered in midair, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Kumogakure is suspected to have been damaged—this is confirmed intelligence from our scouts."
"But with that brute putting on this posture, I can't tell what's real and what's not…"
Much like the Third Raikage, his son Kitsuchi was also at his side.
Ōnoki was small in stature, while Kitsuchi was broad and heavyset—an exceptionally tall, imposing man.
"Father, will there be a war?" Kitsuchi asked in a low voice.
"Don't you have your own judgment?" Ōnoki shot Kitsuchi a sidelong glare and replied irritably.
In terms of chakra reserves and mastery of Earth Release, his son was flawless.
But his personality was far too rigid—so much so that it could be called honest to a fault.
For a village's Kage, that was absolutely not a complimentary trait.
Thus, Ōnoki felt a faint, lingering worry about Iwagakure's future. Although in sheer numbers the village held an advantage among the major hidden villages—it still could not find anyone truly outstanding!
Even if Kitsuchi was his own son, Ōnoki would not let that be the reason to pass the mantle to him.
Back then, his sensei—the Second Tsuchikage, Mu—had taught him Dust Release not because of blood ties…
"I don't know, Father," Kitsuchi said without annoyance—simply listening quietly for orders.
"Sigh!" Ōnoki shook his head. "There won't be a war…"
Immediately after, Ōnoki explained the reasoning to Kitsuchi—more or less the same as what the Third Raikage and A had said.
As long as the Third Raikage wasn't out of his mind, he wouldn't further press Konohagakure; instead, he would give both sides a way to step down.
Kitsuchi nodded in sudden realization.
Ōnoki rolled his eyes. He truly had no way with his son.
He was suited to be a perfect executor, but as for being one—he didn't have even a shred of talent as a decision-maker.
"But we need to speak up…"
"We'll give Hiruzen a hand—forcefully condemn Kumogakure, and expose all that business about them coveting bloodline limits."
"There's no possibility of reconciliation with Kumogakure given our generations-old feud. If we use this opportunity to ruin their reputation, it will be of some use no matter what."
At the very least, it could reduce the chances of war breaking out again—and the probability of Kumogakure forming an alliance with the other hidden villages.
"Konohagakure has become different, too."
Ōnoki's gaze was profound. "Has Hiruzen finally wised up? I thought he would explain…"
"What a headache!"
Iwagakure had long been covetous of Konohagakure's bloodline secret techniques and the fertile land of the Land of Fire.
Or rather, every hidden village was like that…
It was only that the lingering might of the First and Second Hokage still remained; after the Second Shinobi World War, those thoughts inevitably sprouted again…
Hiruzen's hardline retaliation seemed to be a warning against that kind of thinking as well.
"Kitsuchi—how are Rōshi and Han doing now?"
"Rōshi is still traveling the shinobi world. Han is in the village."
Ōnoki said in a deep voice, "Tell Rōshi that the village's tolerance toward him exists so that he can master the tailed beast's power. If he can't do that, then he can wait for punishment!"
Rōshi and Han were Iwagakure's two great jinchūriki—one wielded the Four-Tails, the other the Five-Tails.
Hiruzen's change also put Ōnoki on guard.
When a Hokage became hardline, the effects spread in a chain reaction…
Sunagakure was no exception.
The conclusion reached by the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and Ebizō was this:
They would support Konohagakure's hardline response toward Kumogakure, and their stance had to be firm—better yet, they would fan the flames and push the situation between Konohagakure and Kumogakure to further deteriorate.
As Konohagakure's opponent in the previous Shinobi World War, Sunagakure did not want Konohagakure to become hardline. But since the reality had already taken shape, they could only hope to pit Konohagakure against multiple factions.
Otherwise, if a hardline Konohagakure were to grow strong—and if war were to break out again—toward Sunagakure, a former enemy, they feared there would be no mercy.
And in Kirigakure—the Third Mizukage let out a cold smile.
He had spent twenty years maneuvering among Kirigakure's various bloodline ninja clans, yet not only had he achieved no good results—the conflict had only grown more intense.
The Third Mizukage had already decided to launch a major purge.
Any power he could not control deserved to be struck down by him, the Mizukage!
"Very well. We'll take the further deterioration of the shinobi world's situation as the pretext—declare an increase in the village's combat strength, and let those clans tear each other apart!"
The Third Mizukage slowly clenched his fist. "Whoever opposes me—dies."
"Kirigakure doesn't need that many voices!"
"The plan will be called the Bloody Mist…"
On an isolated island of the shinobi world, the Mizukage sealed off the village, preparing to launch a real-life battle royale.
...
Konohagakure.
Hiruzen and Danzō were inspecting the village, checking the results of the patrol force's formation.
Even the fault-finding Danzō had to admit that Sakumo had done a solid job.
The hidden sentries changed every day, and the positions chosen for the overt sentries were also being adjusted.
The combination of Inuzuka, Aburame, and Uchiha—Danzō personally tried to approach them, and was even detected by these seasoned veterans…
It wasn't that Danzō was weak; rather, this kind of combined reconnaissance—scent, insects, and semi-penetrative vision—was dimensional suppression unless one possessed extremely special techniques.
Danzō and Hiruzen walked shoulder to shoulder. He felt a twinge of emotion— it had been a long time since the two of them had discussed village affairs in such a strolling manner within the village.
"The only shortcoming is that there aren't enough Byakugan—there's only Hizashi," Hiruzen said, offering a fairly satisfied evaluation.
"Hiruzen, should I go make Hyūga Tenzō submit?"
Danzō's ear twitched. "Leave it to me. This is what I'm good at."
Just a Hyūga main house, isn't it?
Given the village's current situation, Danzō could think of no fewer than nine methods with a single slap to his forehead!
"You should rest for now…"
Hiruzen shook his head with a wry smile. "Danzō, those methods of yours—couldn't I use them as well? You might be thinking that if you handled it, my reputation as Hokage would be better…"
"That's actually beside the point."
Danzō asked in confusion, "Then what exactly is important?"
"You going would indeed give you a buffering role, but the essence wouldn't change."
Hiruzen shifted the topic. "The Hyūga main house is, after all, part of the village. They've gone onto the battlefield, shed blood for the village, and fought like everyone else."
"If you use methods meant for enemies, you might gain short-term benefits—but the damage brought about will be far greater."
Hiruzen took out a bundle of rice balls. "Hungry? Eat while you listen. My wife made them—the taste is decent…"
Danzō took them instinctively, momentarily dazed.
What was this about?
Were they really that close?
…Well, actually, they were.
"Treating the village's shinobi as 'people'—that's the core advantage we need to put into practice."
"In the shinobi world, only Konohagakure possesses the inheritance of the Will of Fire, along with the organizational structure and resources capable of truly carrying it out."
"High-pressure rule and brutal coercion can indeed yield short-term dividends—I won't deny that."
"But our gaze must be set further ahead. We must understand that this is a silent war: one of jointly building Konohagakure's spontaneous cohesion, and at the same time striking at the enemy's centripetal force."
"Of course, toward those who pose a real threat to the village, I will show no mercy!"
"With the other hidden villages as a comparison, even if our lead isn't great, the results will be twice the effort for half the work… and besides, this is our duty as the village's leadership."
Hiruzen bumped Danzō's shoulder, just as he had decades ago when they were still youths: "Killing people isn't hard. What we need to do is strike at the heart… don't you agree?"
Danzō chewed on the rice ball in his mouth and silently nodded.
Teaching me these high-level Hokage ways of thinking again, on the sly?
Hiruzen… there really is nothing I can do about you.
And at that moment—another group of patrol veterans spotted Hiruzen from afar.
They called out excitedly, "Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen responded with a smile. He walked forward a few steps and waved, saying, "Have you eaten breakfast yet? Come—have a taste of my family's cooking…"
Danzō watched Hiruzen's back and took a deep breath.
He would not be left behind.
Nor would he admit defeat!
Yet in his heart, Danzō quietly made a decision…
When the day came that he became Hokage, he would allow a few extra pages to be added when compiling the textbooks about Hiruzen!
Let Konoha's children understand him a little more…
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