Half an hour later, the voting results were in. The final tally had been written on the blackboard behind Ōnoki.
Yes: 103 votes.
No: 54 votes.
Another 27 ballots had been left blank without an answer, counted as abstentions.
Ōnoki took a deep breath. Although the result had been within his expectations, for some reason, despite it aligning with his own thoughts and hopes, he still felt a trace of heaviness in his heart.
"The voting results are out. Everyone, remain ready for war at all times during this period. The village will begin preparing war supplies in advance from this moment onward. Once we have settled the commission fee with Nadeshiko Village, we will act immediately."
"Prepare yourselves, everyone."
With that, Ōnoki rose and left. Kitsuchi followed close behind. Seeing this, the other shinobi departed one after another, and the meeting came to an end.
In the end, only Roshi and Han remained in Noda's conference room—the two Jinchuriki of Iwagakure.
"Han, do you plan to take part in this mission?"
Roshi turned to look at Han beside him. Only then did Han open his orange-red eyes, his voice low yet firm.
"I'll follow the village's arrangements. If the village needs me, I'll go."
"What about you?"
Roshi froze for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh.
"You're still the same. I was overthinking it."
"As for me, I won't be going. I have a feeling something must be hidden behind this commission. It definitely won't be as simple as we understand it to be."
"I'll stay near the village and protect it."
Han considered this for a moment before nodding.
"That works too. With you and Lord Tsuchikage in the village, nothing will go wrong."
"Recently, I finally earned Kokuō's recognition, and my strength has improved considerably. This