Everyone in the room was one of their own, and Sarutobi Hiruzen finally lit his pipe.
But his next words changed the expressions of the Konoha Sannin and Hatake Sakumo.
"We need to prepare for fighting on three fronts."
Tsunade's expression turned grave. "Is it really that serious? Does the Land of Earth truly intend to join the war?"
"What we need to be wary of now is not the Land of Earth, but the Land of Rain." Shimura Danzō said coldly, "Those people had not made their stance clear earlier, which was why I kept it hidden. In truth, it was Amegakure that declared war on Sunagakure."
Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo fell into thought, but their expressions soon darkened.
"What does that mean? What difference is there between Amegakure declaring war on Sunagakure and Sunagakure declaring war on Amegakure?" Jiraiya looked utterly confused.
"Hanzō is picking on the weak." Orochimaru explained, "The Land of Water is not on the Ninja Continent, while the Land of Lightning is too far away. Of the Five Great Nations, only the three neighboring countries are close to the Land of Rain."
"Among those three nations, the Land of Wind is widely recognized as the weakest overall."
"Hanzō wants to use the weakest Sunagakure to gauge the gap in strength between Amegakure and the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If his goal were merely to expand territory, would you choose the resource-rich Land of Fire, or the Land of Wind, which is covered in deserts?"
"Of course, the Land of Fire." Jiraiya answered instinctively, then immediately realized what that meant. His eyes widened. "So Hanzo of the Salamander's next target is very likely our Land of Fire?"
"That depends on how Sunagakure responds." Orochimaru said in the same cold tone. "If Sunagakure displays enough strength