The atmosphere was as cold as the waters of a frozen pond.
Inside the Raikage's office—the heart of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—everyone present stared in silence at the invitation to the Chunin Exams sent by Konoha. They felt as though they were facing an impossible dilemma.
"As expected, Konoha has begun to move. What was bound to come has arrived at last..."
Nine years had passed, and the wrinkles on Dodai's weathered face had deepened significantly. He looked at the invitation and sighed inwardly.
"So, Lord Dodai, what should we do?"
A clear, elegant voice broke the silence. The speaker was a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with short silver hair and dark skin. Her name was Mabui, a talent Dodai had discovered among the administrative ninja two years prior. She was the successor he was grooming to take over his position, though she was still quite young.
Seated in the high chair, the Fourth Raikage stared silently at the invitation before him. The memory of nine years ago, when he was driven away by Konoha shinobi like a stray dog, felt as if it had happened only yesterday.
Now, two choices lay before him: participate, or refuse.
If they participated in the Chunin Exams, they would likely face... no, they would certainly be held accountable for the fact that the number of ninja within the Hidden Cloud Village had exceeded the treaty-locked limit of 10,000.
If they didn't participate...
The Raikage's thoughts churned. Unable to contain himself, he slammed his palm onto the desk and stood up abruptly.
The defeat in that war years ago had been a painful wake-up call. Under his deliberate self-control, his volatile temper had gradually become more stable, but at this moment, the fire in his heart was proving difficult to suppress.
Since when?
Since when exactly had he become so indecisive and hesitant?!
"Send out the order! Immediately select ten Genin teams from the village to prepare for Konoha's Chunin Exams!"
The Raikage's words finalized the decision. They would attend the exams in Konoha.
"Lord Raikage!"
Dodai was startled and spoke up quickly. If they attended the exams, the Raikage himself would inevitably have to face Konoha's humiliation and interrogation. How could the habitually proud Raikage endure such an insult?
The consequences! If handled poorly, it could lead to hostilities again—perhaps even escalating into the worst-case scenario: war.
And the Hidden Cloud of today could not withstand the devastation of another war. Although the village's strength had improved, no exceptionally outstanding geniuses had emerged. Furthermore, restricted by the treaty from years ago, they had been forced to avoid conflict with Konoha, making their development cautious and timid. It was only recently that they had barely managed to surpass the 10,000-ninja mark.
If the current Five Great Shinobi Villages were divided into the "Upper Two" and the "Lower Three," the Hidden Cloud was undoubtedly one of the Lower Three!
"Say no more. My mind is made up."
"Mabui, you will accompany me."
"Dodai, after I leave, the village affairs will be temporarily entrusted to you."
The Raikage's voice carried an iron will that brook no refusal, leaving Dodai with no choice but to nod with a sigh. Simultaneously, a sense of indignation surged in Dodai's heart.
Since when did the Hidden Cloud, one of the majestic Five Great Shinobi Villages, have to endure such treatment? The Raikage himself had to go to Konoha just to be insulted.
His clenched fist trembled; Dodai hated his own powerlessness. No matter how clever he was, in the face of Konoha's overwhelming strength, it all felt like the posturing of a clown!
The Raikage seemed to sense Dodai's distress. As he walked past him, he reached out and lightly patted Dodai's shoulder, signaling him not to take it to heart. But the more the Raikage trusted him, the more Dodai loathed his own inability to help. He could only seethe inwardly, unable to offer any real resistance.
The Konoha of today was different from the past. The entire high-ranking leadership was a young faction under the age of thirty, led by the Fifth Hokage. People in this age group were at the peak of their resolve, energy, and ambition.
The current Konoha feared no foreign enemy. Or rather, they were waiting for one. Even though the Uchiha clan had been significantly weakened six years ago, as time passed, Konoha had long since caught its breath.
If only...
A spark of inspiration suddenly flashed through Dodai's mind.
"Wait!" Dodai suddenly shouted.
"What is it?" The Raikage looked back, puzzled by Dodai's sudden excitement.
"The Hidden Sand Village!"
Dodai grabbed the Raikage's hand, mentioning a village that seemingly had nothing to do with the Cloud.
"Although the Hidden Sand signed an alliance treaty with Konoha ten years ago, how can they sit still while Konoha grows stronger by the day? Allies are only equals when their strength is comparable. If one is weak and the other is strong, the weaker side will eventually become a mere vassal of the stronger!"
"The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, cannot possibly fail to understand this!"
"To avoid the Sand becoming a vassal of the Leaf, there are only two choices! One is to completely sever the alliance with Konoha, and the other is to directly weaken Konoha!"
"If you can secure the support of the Hidden Sand, Lord Raikage, then under the combined pressure of the Cloud and the Sand, Konoha will be forced to act as if our violation of the ninja population limit never happened—even despite the treaty!"
Looking at Dodai, the Raikage didn't immediately agree, nor did he refuse. Instead, he frowned slightly. "The Sand... wouldn't they be..."
Too weak.
Weakness was synonymous with the Hidden Sand. During the Third Shinobi World War, the Sand couldn't even compare to the Hidden Mist. The Mist at least had numerous Kekkei Genkai clans and the world-renowned Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. What did the Sand have? Puppeteers? Was there anything else?
However, the Mist was currently mired in the "Blood Mist" policy. The Kaguya clan and the Yuki clan had been wiped out, the Hōzuki clan had been pushed out of the village's center of power, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had deserted one after another. The Mist's strength had plummeted so drastically that they were now at the same table as the Sand—perhaps even inferior to them.
"The Sand is certainly not strong, but these Chunin Exams were announced by Konoha to all four major villages simultaneously. We don't know if the Mist or the Stone will accept, but the Kazekage will definitely arrive in Konoha. While you strive for the Sand's support, Lord Raikage, if the Mist and Stone also agree to participate, you can seek strength from them as well."
Dodai spoke with conviction. In that brief moment, he had already devised a plan to face Konoha's humiliation and reprimands.
"I understand," the Raikage replied calmly. He didn't ask what would happen if the Stone and Mist didn't show up. If they could win over the Sand alone, it would greatly alleviate the current pressure on the Hidden Cloud.
The Hidden Cloud accepts the invitation.
When this piece of news appeared on the conference table in the Hokage's office, Kakashi, sitting at the head of the table, revealed a gentle smile.
Perhaps because he now had a wife and children, the current Kakashi had restrained much of the sharp edge he once displayed, presenting a warmer persona to the world. But only those who truly knew him understood that his edge hadn't dulled in the slightest. His inner ambition and toughness had never diminished; in fact, as Konoha grew more powerful step by step, those ambitions burned like a prairie fire.
If the current Kakashi were placed in a crowd, anyone who didn't know him would think he was just a harmless, friendly, and gentle man. The warmth on his face was merely an illusion he gave to others.
"Everyone, what do you think?"
Kakashi pushed the acceptance letter forward. Aside from Kakashi, the room was filled with Konoha's high-ranking officials: Jonin Commander Might Guy, Anbu Captain Tenzo, Medical Department Head Shizune, Police Force Captain Itachi Uchiha, and the hardworking Intelligence Department Head Inoichi Yamanaka.
In addition, there were the members of the Elder Council: Shikaku Nara, Hiashi Hyūga, and Shibi Aburame. Aside from them, Hayama Shirakumo stood silently behind Kakashi, saying nothing.
"Since the Raikage dares to come, he must pay the price for their actions," Hiashi Hyūga spoke first.
Before Kakashi took office years ago, Hiashi had been a staunch supporter of Kakashi's pro-war stance, partly due to the Byakugan incident. Today, while the Uchiha clan had yet to fully recover from their past losses, the Hyūga clan sat firmly as Konoha's number one noble clan. This was largely thanks to Hiashi choosing the right side. It was only natural for him to speak this way; after all, he had no love for the Hidden Cloud.
"The Raikage's arrival naturally requires an explanation regarding the Cloud's ninja numbers," Shibi Aburame added. "However, our allies haven't exactly been peaceful in recent years. Lately, our people have had frequent friction with the Sand's shinobi in the surrounding smaller nations."
As a member of the Elder Council, Shibi was well-versed in Konoha's internal and external affairs, which naturally included the Hidden Sand—their ally in name.
"Furthermore... scouts have recently discovered that the Kazekage has had contact with Orochimaru." Shibi's expression tightened slightly.
At this juncture, with the Kazekage and Raikage confirmed to be arriving in Konoha, the fact that Rasa had been in contact with a S-rank rogue ninja like Orochimaru was cause for suspicion. If the Kazekage and Raikage arrived at the same time, the situation could very well spiral in a direction they didn't want to see.
"Ah, I already knew about that. But there's no need to worry; we just need to have the proper defenses in place when the time comes."
Kakashi smiled and nodded, causing Shibi's brow to twitch slightly beneath his sunglasses. He felt that Kakashi was being a bit too overconfident.
"In that case, I'll leave this matter to Hayama," Kakashi said softly.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Hayama Shirakumo replied from behind him, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
Seeing this, the dissatisfaction Shibi had felt just a moment ago dissipated. Others might not know the extent of Hayama Shirakumo's power, but everyone in this room knew it clearly. In the current Konoha, Hayama's strength could easily rank in the top seven! And that was including Kakashi and the Jonin Commander, Might Guy.
The moment he saw Hayama Shirakumo, Shibi had a sudden realization. He understood Kakashi's mindset.
Rather than being worried about what the Kazekage might do, it was more accurate to say that Kakashi was looking forward to Rasa doing something. If he did, it would provide the Fifth Hokage with a justification.
An excuse to start a war with the Hidden Sand!
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