Inside the Hokage Tower, in the war council chamber.
Because Shimura Danzō had privately allowed several thousand Kumogakure shinobi to enter the borders of the Land of Fire, war had become unavoidable. As a result, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had no choice but to immediately expand the meeting, summoning department heads of Konoha and several clan leaders to attend the war council.
Mitokado Homura sat at the head of the conference table, briefing everyone on the current situation.
"Everyone, war is now inevitable. This is not the time to assign blame. Our top priority is figuring out how to deal with the several thousand Kumogakure shinobi who have entered the Land of Fire as quickly as possible."
"It has now been basically confirmed that last night's chaos inside the village was caused by the Kumogakure diplomatic delegation. Taking advantage of the confusion, they rescued the Eight-Tails jinchūriki from Kumogakure and fled the village."
"The Uchiha Clan Head has already led the Konoha Military Police Force in pursuit. The outcome remains unknown.."
"As for the several thousand Kumogakure troops that entered the Land of Fire, they came to receive the diplomatic delegation. According to our intelligence, they are led by the Fourth Raikage, A, and number around two thousand."
"We responded immediately after receiving the news."
"First, Jiraiya was ordered to mobilize the border defense forces near the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water, cutting off the Kumogakure army's retreat route."
"At the same time, five hundred shinobi were redeployed from the border forces stationed near the Land of Waterfalls to provide support."
"In addition, about two hours after the Uchiha Clan Head left the village in pursuit, we assembled one thousand shinobi in the village and dispatched them under the command of the Hyūga Clan Head as reinforcements."
"An hour and a half ago, we organized another two thousand shinobi, led by Orochimaru, and sent them out to reinforce the battlefield."
After a brief pause, Mitokado Homura swept his gaze across everyone present and raised his voice.
"This time, Konoha holds the advantage in timing, terrain, and unity!"
"Victory will belong to Konoha!"
"Victory to Konoha!"
The people in the conference room echoed the declaration.
Satisfied, Mitokado Homura nodded and continued,
"The outcome of this battle is essentially decided. What we need to discuss now is what stance we should adopt toward Kumogakure after this war."
"Kumogakure will certainly not let such a major loss go unanswered. We must prepare in advance. Should we expand the war… or stop while we're ahead?"
"Hmph."
Before he finished speaking, Shimura Danzō snorted coldly.
"What is there to think about? Of course we should press the advantage and expand the war."
"Once we wipe out these two thousand Kumogakure troops, their village will suffer massive losses. Their elite forces will be nearly wiped out."
"And if we capture the Fourth Raikage, Kumogakure will be left leaderless—nothing but a few scattered remnants!"
"This is a perfect opportunity. We could settle everything in a single war and completely crush Kumogakure!"
"Although the Land of Lightning is not as prosperous as the Land of Fire, it is rich in mineral resources. There's plenty of profit to be taken."
Danzō spoke passionately, but the response in the conference room was minimal.
Unlike the militant Kumogakure, Konoha had long been dominated by moderates under Hiruzen Sarutobi's leadership.
Moreover, the Third Shinobi World War, which had lasted nearly ten years, had only just ended. The shinobi of Konoha, who had long yearned for peace, were naturally hesitant about immediately starting another war.
More importantly…
Given the behavior of Konoha's leadership, even if they defeated Kumogakure, would the ordinary shinobi truly benefit?
After the Third Shinobi World War, the village had even been reluctant to distribute pensions, disability compensation, and war merit rewards.
That precedent was still fresh in everyone's minds.
Why would anyone welcome another war?
Even if there were spoils after defeating Kumogakure, they would likely go first to the families of the Konoha leadership, then to clans close to the Hokage faction.
By the time anything trickled down from between their teeth, how much would the rest of them actually receive?
There was a saying:
A weak general produces weak soldiers.
Under these circumstances, Konoha might manage a defensive counterattack, but asking them to take the initiative and start a new war was extremely difficult.
Mitokado Homura spoke calmly.
"Danzō, calm down. War affects the entire shinobi world. Eliminating the invading forces is one thing, but if we attempt to crush Kumogakure entirely…"
"The other Three Great Shinobi Villages will never stand by and watch."
Although he didn't state it directly, Homura had clearly expressed his position.
Most of the people in the conference room were obviously on his side.
"Exaggeration," Danzō replied coldly.
"According to the intelligence in my hands, Kirigakure is currently consumed by internal conflict and can barely take care of itself."
"Sunagakure has suffered repeated defeats and is severely weakened. It has no strength to intervene."
"As for Iwagakure…"
"If Ōnoki knows what's good for him, we might allow him to share some of the spoils."
"If not, we can settle old debts while we're at it."
Utatane Koharu frowned.
"Danzō, you must understand that after the Third Shinobi World War, not only the other villages suffered heavy losses. Konoha fought one against four, and we paid a heavy price as well."
"We also need time to recover."
Danzō snorted.
"Isn't that the result of your repeated compromises?"
"As the victor of the war, Konoha should have seized the defeated nations' resources and cultivated more talent."
"We should have used war to sustain war, growing stronger with every conflict!"
Koharu replied sternly,
"Danzō, under those circumstances, compromise was necessary to end the war quickly. Your thinking is too extreme."
Mitokado Homura also shook his head.
"You're being naïve, Danzō. Even a cornered dog will jump the wall. If you push those great nations into desperation, you'll only cause even greater losses for Konoha."
Danzō showed no intention of backing down.
"It would also bring greater rewards."
"In time, Konoha would not only be the strongest village in the shinobi world—it would become the only great village."
The three Hokage advisors continued arguing fiercely.
The others in the conference room watched the spectacle while worrying about how it would end.
Arguments like this had happened before.
But whenever the debate escalated to a certain point, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would step in and end the dispute with a single sentence:
"Danzō. I am the Hokage."
And Danzō would respond with only one line before leaving resentfully:
"Hiruzen… you will regret this."
But now things were different.
Not only did they no longer have a Hokage, but Hiruzen Sarutobi was still missing.
That made the situation extremely awkward.
Just then—
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Several heavy knocks sounded at the door, interrupting the heated argument.
The people in the conference room all breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward the entrance, curious who would knock at such a moment.
"Come in."
Mitokado Homura shot an annoyed glance at the expressionless Danzō before speaking.
After receiving permission, an ANBU shinobi pushed open the door and entered.
Before Homura could even ask a question, the ANBU spoke immediately:
"Honored elders—there is a Uchiha shinobi outside requesting entry."
"He claims to be an apprentice of Jōnin Minato Namikaze and says he has urgent military intelligence to report."
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