Crash!
A cup smashed against the wall.
Bang!
Several reports were thrown across the room.
The Hokage's office was a mess.
Hiruzen stood behind his desk with a dark expression.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Homura and Koharu sat quietly.
Neither of them looked surprised.
They were angry too.
But both had spent years dealing with the Daimyo and the nobles.
They know getting angry wouldn't solve anything.
After a while, Homura spoke.
"Hiruzen."
His voice was calm.
"Breaking things won't help."
Hiruzen didn't answer.
"It might make you feel better for a few moments," Homura continued, "but the problem will still be there."
Hiruzen slowly sat down.
His face remained gloomy.
"We need to think about what to do next," Homura said.
"The Daimyo's envoy will arrive soon."
"We need an explanation before that happens."
Koharu nodded.
"And the Hokage election will have to wait."
Hiruzen immediately looked up.
"Wait?"
He almost laughed.
"You want to postpone it?"
His expression became even darker.
"So the clans and villagers can tear us apart while we sit here doing nothing?"
Neither elder answered immediately.
The original plan had been simple.
After the war, they would begin selecting the next Hokage.
That would give the villagers something else to focus on.
It would also buy them time to deal with the war's aftermath.
But now everything had changed.
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead.
"Have both of you forgotten how bad this war was for us?"
His voice sounded tired.
"How many promises did we make?"
"How many people are waiting for answers from us?"
He looked at the reports scattered across the floor.
"Are we even ready to fulfil all of them?"
The room became quiet.
Everyone knew the answer.
The village was already struggling with the losses of war.
Now the Daimyo had become involved as well.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"One problem after another."
His jaw tightened.
"And somehow it's always the same people causing them."
"Either it's Danzo."
"Or it's the Uchiha."
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances.
Neither of them argued.
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
"They can't even let me breathe."
A few moments later, he opened them and looked at Homura.
"Any news about Danzo?"
Homura shook his head.
"Nothing."
He frowned.
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
That was the last thing he wanted to hear.
A missing Danzo was already a problem.
A missing Danzo when the Daimyo was investigating Root was a disaster.
Because if Danzo couldn't be found...
Then sooner or later, someone else would have to answer those questions.
And that someone would likely be him.
"Just where the hell did that bastard disappear to?"
Hiruzen slammed his fist onto the desk.
The papers scattered across the table jumped from the impact.
His face was dark with frustration.
"He should've been back by now."
Koharu rubbed her forehead.
"After meeting Hanzo, he just disappeared."
She shook her head.
"No message. No report. Nothing."
A sigh escaped her lips.
"How can all this trouble come at the same time?"
Hearing her words, both Hiruzen and Homura fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't only Konoha that was facing problems.
The other hidden villages weren't doing much better.
As the war ended, each village had received notices from their Daimyo.
The message was clear.
The war had started because of a dispute between the shinobi villages.
Therefore, the Daimyo and the nations would not pay compensation for the damages.
Kumogakure.
' A ' looked at the notice in his hand.
The more he read, the uglier his expression became.
To him, this wasn't a notice.
It was a clear threat from the daimyo.
Bang!
His fist slammed into the table.
"What the hell does he mean by this?"
The Raikage's voice echoed through the office.
"We fought this damn war for the Land of Lightning!"
The advisors and elders exchanged helpless looks.
Everyone knew that wasn't entirely true.
The war had started because the gap between the great ninja villages was becoming wider day by day.
Konoha was receiving more missions than everyone else.
More missions meant more money.
But nobody said it aloud.
A snorted.
"Hmph."
"As if I'm paying any compensation to Konoha."
His eyes narrowed.
"If they push too hard, we'll just fight them again."
The room became awkwardly quiet.
Several advisors rubbed their foreheads.
Nobody wanted another war.
Especially not after the one they had just survived.
Then a familiar voice broke the silence.
"Fool, ya fool."
Killer Bee leaned back in his chair.
One leg rested casually on the table.
"Big bro, listen, don't be a fool."
"We just finished a war, that's the rule."
He pointed toward the window.
"People are tired."
"People are beat."
"A second war right now?"
"That ain't sweet."
The room became silent.
Bee nodded to himself.
Clearly pleased with his rhyme.
The Raikage's eye twitched.
"Bee..."
The warning tone was completely ignored.
Bee continued anyway.
"Soldiers need rest."
"The village too."
"If another war starts..."
"We're all screwed, fool."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then one of the advisors quietly nodded.
As annoying as Killer Bee could be...
He wasn't wrong.
"You bastard!"
The Raikage grabbed the chair beside him and threw it at Killer Bee.
"Shit!"
Bee jumped out of the window without even turning around.
Boom!
The chair smashed against the wall.
The veins on the Raikage's forehead bulged.
That only made him angrier.
"Don't let me catch you, you bastard Bee!"
His roar echoed through the office.
Several advisors immediately looked away.
Nobody wanted to get caught in his mood right now.
Samui looked at the furious Raikage.
"Bee is right."
The room became quiet.
The Raikage slowly turned toward her.
His eyes narrowed.
"Our shinobi need rest."
"We are not ready for another war."
The glare in the Raikage's eyes became even sharper.
Most people would've backed down.
Samui didn't.
"Glaring at me won't change the truth."
The room became even quieter.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then suddenly—
"Hahahaha!"
The Raikage sat back down and started laughing.
The advisors looked confused.
Even Samui raised an eyebrow.
"You think I don't know that?"
He wiped the corner of his eye.
"Do you really think those bastards are going to give Konoha any compensation?"
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"That old bastard Onoki would rather die than hand over a single ryo."
Several people couldn't help but nod.
That sounded exactly like the Tsuchikage.
The Raikage snorted.
"And I'm not any different."
Samui frowned.
If that was true...
Then there was a problem.
A big problem.
"Will Konoha really agree to sign a peace agreement empty-handed?"
The Raikage looked at Samui.
Instead of getting angry, the smile on his face grew wider.
"Write a letter."
Several people looked toward him.
"To all the other villages."
A few advisors blinked in surprise.
The Raikage leaned back on the table as he lost his balance a little, realising it was not the chair.
"No one is going to pay compensation to Konoha."
A mocking snort escaped him.
"It was Konoha that started taking missions away from the other villages."
His eyes flashed.
"If anyone should be paying compensation, it should be them."
"They should compensate us for our losses."
The room became quiet.
Several shinobi exchanged glances.
A few moments ago, the Raikage had looked ready to start another war.
Now he was talking about gathering support from the other villages.
For a moment, some of them wondered if this was really the same reckless man.
A grin appeared on Samui's face.
"I'll do it right away."
For the first time since entering the room, there was a trace of excitement in her voice.
If all the villages stood together on this issue...
Then Konoha would have a very difficult time.
One by one, the shinobi left the office.
Soon, only the Raikage remained.
He stood by the window and looked toward the distant horizon.
For a few moments, he said nothing.
Then a faint smirk appeared on his face.
"It doesn't matter who won the war."
His voice was low.
"You still have to bear the losses, Hokage."
The war was over.
But the aftermath was only beginning.
And sometimes the aftermath was worse than the war itself.
The Raikage crossed his arms.
He knew exactly what kind of man Hiruzen Sarutobi was.
A capable and smart leader,
But not a bold one.
"Hmph."
A snort escaped him.
"What can you expect from a man who doesn't even have the guts to attend a Five Kage Meeting?"
The smirk on his face widened.
Then suddenly he started laughing.
"Haha."
"Hahahaha!"
The sound echoed through the office.
He grabbed his forehead as he remembered something amusing.
Back then, whenever the Five Kage gathered, Kumo had always been one of Konoha's biggest headaches.
A dangerous one.
The thought only made him laugh harder.
'Well...'
The grin on his face widened.
'What can I say?'
'We're the reason for half that fear.'
The Raikage looked back out the window.
The laughter slowly faded.
But the smile remained.
No matter what happened next...
The Hokage wasn't going to have an easy time.
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