Land of Thunder.
Raikage Building, Conference Room.
The Third Raikage sat with a commanding presence at the head of the table, his serious face showing a rare expression of deep thought.
The Cloud Village higher-ups seated to his left and right also wore thoughtful frowns.
"Regarding the recent major defeat of the Hidden Rock in the Land of Grass, Torii, what are your thoughts?" The Third Raikage looked towards a Hidden Cloud Ninja wearing glasses.
Torii was the assistant to the Raikage in their Hidden Cloud Village, the deputy of the Third Raikage, and one of his most trusted people.
"My thoughts..." Torii adjusted his glasses.
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, before the major defeat, the Hidden Rock actually scored quite a significant victory, at one point causing Jiraiya's led troops to flee everywhere."
"From this piece of information, we can glean two things: the Hidden Rock is not as weak as previously perceived, and Konoha's actual strength is not as formidable as before."
"If the Hidden Rock were weak, they wouldn't be able to defeat the ninja squad led by Jiraiya in such a short period, and if Konoha were strong enough, they wouldn't have suffered a major defeat and then secured a victory."
The Third Raikage and other Cloud Village higher-ups nodded in agreement.
"Although both sides have their victories and losses, this time, it's clear the Hidden Rock suffered a greater loss, with their ninja squad suffering heavy casualties and retreating from the Land of Grass." Torii spoke with some regret.
The sudden onset and ending of the battle between Konoha and the Hidden Rock was unexpected.
If the Cloud Village had obtained intelligence in advance, this would have been a great opportunity for them to create chaos—done properly, it could have resulted in significant losses for both Konoha and the Hidden Rock.
"So do you think now is a good time to attack the Hidden Rock Village?" The Third Raikage pondered and asked.
The Cloud Village doesn't discriminate; as long as it's at the level of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and there's an opportunity, they will make their move.
Torii shook his head, "Now is indeed an opportunity to deploy troops against the Hidden Rock, but it's an even better opportunity to deploy troops against Konoha."
The Third Raikage looked puzzled at Torii, wasn't it said that the Hidden Rock Village suffered a greater loss?
"Although the Hidden Rock experienced losses, they aren't crippled—both Jinchuriki retreated safely to the Land of Earth, and the Hidden Rock Village is nestled deep within mountains, making it easier to defend and harder to attack," Torii explained.
Attacking the Hidden Rock would cost the Cloud Village considerable time just traveling, unlike the relative simplicity of an offensive against the Land of Fire.
"But in that case, shouldn't both sides have their advantages and disadvantages? Why would it be better to attack Konoha?" Dodai asked.
Not relying on his own perspective, Dodai couldn't find that so-called good opportunity by reflecting only on Torii's words.
"Because if we don't attack Konoha now, we might not get this chance again later." Torii's expression turned serious.
"Konoha first thwarted the Hidden Mist's attack, and now triumphs over the Hidden Rock. In the eyes of those commissioning, Konoha is still the most powerful ninja village it once was, and once the situation stabilizes, commissions for Konoha will undoubtedly increase."
"With greater financial power, Konoha will be able to develop more ninja, plus those genius ninja emerging during wartime—developing in sync, how could the Cloud Village compete with Konoha?"
Dodai looked at Torii with a surprised gaze, daring to express boldly that the developmental potential of the Cloud Village is inferior to Konoha.
While it's factual, some things, despite existing, cannot be spoken freely.
Dodai glanced at the Third Raikage.
The Third Raikage's expression remained mostly unchanged compared to before.
"Currently, frequent wars have depleted Konoha's ninja strength, and have created enmities between Konoha and other ninja villages, so if we take action, there's a strong likelihood other ninja villages might also attack Konoha; they can't possibly overlook the threat of Konoha." Torii continued.
This was Torii's true reason for considering now a good time to attack Konoha.
Since the start of war, the Cloud Village has engaged with three Great Ninja Villages, yet their probing offensives against both Konoha and the Hidden Rock were tentative—with only the Hidden Sand successfully escalating into heated conflicts.
However, should the Cloud Village decide to attack Konoha, whether passing through the Land of Hot Water or the Land of Grass, the Hidden Sand would find it difficult to intervene.
As for Konoha, they've certainly been harsh on both the Hidden Mist and the Hidden Rock; the Hidden Mist not only lost many ninja but also one Jinchuriki, while the Hidden Rock nearly lost a thousand-strong major squad.
If Konoha shows a flaw, Torii doesn't believe the Hidden Rock and the Hidden Mist wouldn't seek retaliation.
At the time of defeating Konoha successfully, the gains won't just be the satisfaction of revenge, but also reputation and wealth.
"In an ideal scenario, that's indeed the case, but Konoha's capability remains strong. If the Cloud Village goes all out against Konoha, we cannot guarantee other Great Ninja Villages won't target the Cloud Village." Dodai reminded.
Hatred is indeed a powerful driver, but compares less favorably to profit.
The Cloud Village's complete offensive on Konoha essentially is entering the fray, bearing its own significant risk.
"Hence, we shouldn't launch an all-out attack on Konoha immediately; we should first display our momentum, giving the impression we're preparing to go all out against Konoha, then observe the reactions of other ninja villages before deciding on a course of action." Torii explained.
The Cloud Village is reckless, but not mindlessly reckless.
The details of the Hidden Rock's defeat remain unclear; all they know is Konoha achieved an impressive enemy toll in that battle.
"During the Martial Arts Tournament hosted by the Ninja Sect, we didn't send many ninja, but both the Hidden Rock and the Hidden Mist sent numerous elites, yet..."
Seeing the Cloud Village higher-ups still thinking, Torii further articulated his Konoha threat argument, as if to suggest if they don't address Konoha now, Konoha will soon return to its invincible early village stance.