The next morning!
Danzo walked into the Jonin meeting room, grimacing with one arm in a sling. Beside him, Bing San shuffled along with dark circles under his eyes, his face pale as he yawned nonstop.
Bing San pushed open the meeting room doors and immediately perked up. More than seventy pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Jiraiya also had one arm in a sling. He glared at Bing San and Danzo with bloodshot eyes.
The Third Hokage sat in his seat, smoking. Asuma stood at the front with his head bowed. His body trembled slightly, and he stared blankly at the floor.
The Third Hokage coughed lightly twice. "Ahem. Danzo, you're late." It seemed the Third Hokage was injured too.
Danzo merely gave a quiet snort and said nothing. The Third Hokage continued, "Everyone should have heard about the fight that took place in the civilian district on the edge of the village yesterday afternoon.
"Ahem. Today, we'll discuss what happened. Let's start with the cause."
The Third Hokage finished speaking and looked at the two children in the middle of the room.
Danzo looked at the two children standing there, sat back in his chair with an air of confidence, and said smugly, "Bing San, you tell them."
Bing San collected his thoughts and took a deep breath. "Lord Third Hokage, esteemed elders and seniors, greetings.
"I'm Shimura Bing San, a student in the graduating class at the Ninja Academy. Here's what happened. Yesterday, Asuma... That's all." Bing San recounted the events truthfully.
Everyone looked toward Asuma. His body trembled slightly, but he said nothing.
Shin'nosuke Sarutobi looked at his younger brother's vacant expression and sighed softly.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances and gave a slight shake of their heads.
The Jonin Commanders below looked at Bing San with curiosity. Some whispered among themselves. "Could a child this young really have used a technique on that scale?"
The Third Hokage frowned slightly as he looked at his youngest son, then tapped the table. "All right, Zixiao. Give your report."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. At approximately 1:45 p.m. yesterday, we received distress calls from Shimura Bing San's clones, sent separately to the Anbu, Root, and the Konoha Military Police Force.
"At approximately 1:50 p.m., Root leader and elder Lord Shimura Danzō arrived at the scene. According to Elders Danzo and Jiraiya, Danzo took over the fight upon his arrival.
"Lord Hokage and the Anbu arrived at approximately 1:53 p.m. Lord Hokage personally joined the battle, and the Konoha Military Police Force arrived at 2:00 p.m.
"During the fight, six enemy Ninja were killed, four spies within the village were killed, and one was captured.
"Three Root Ninja and one Anbu Ninja were lost. Thirteen were lightly injured, and two were seriously injured. Several residences were damaged, and casualties among the civilians in the district are still being counted. That concludes my report."
After finishing, Zixiao saluted and sat down.
The Jonin began murmuring among themselves. After about three or four minutes, the Third Hokage coughed twice. "All right, quiet down. Uchiha Captain, tell us what intelligence you've obtained."
The Third Hokage turned to Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha rose with a serious expression. "The enemy leader was Tachibana Muneshige, a former general of the Land of Wind.
"Tachibana Muneshige, male, sixty-eight years old, is the current Daimyo of the Land of Wind's paternal uncle. He was once a general of the Land of Wind, commanding all its samurai. After his nephew succeeded to the position, the Daimyo pushed him aside, forcing him to step down.
"He is exceptionally strong and deeply respected by the people. On one occasion, he single-handedly killed seven enemy Jonin and more than ten Chunin, then escaped unharmed.
"He specializes in Nintaijutsu, swordsmanship, dual-wielding, and spearmanship.
"Tachibana Muneshige and the Second Kazekage were once known as the twin pillars of the Land of Wind. His title was Peerless of the West."
After Fugaku Uchiha finished his introduction, the room erupted in an uproar. The end of a legendary general left everyone sighing.
After a pause, he glanced at the documents in his hand and continued, "The other five were all retainers of Tachibana Muneshige. Among them was his adopted son, Koma Sadanori. Koma Sadanori, male, twenty-nine years old. His strength is unknown.
"He was adopted by Tachibana Muneshige as a child. There are no records of him fighting. The other four were also retainers, and we have no information on them."
"According to the information we've obtained and the clues uncovered through interrogation by the Yamanaka Clan's Ninja, it seems they were searching for someone. A high-ranking official from Sunagakure may have gone missing. That's all." Fugaku Uchiha saluted and sat down.
"Yukiya, what do you think?" The Third Hokage looked toward the front row. "Hm?"
A Ninja from the Akimichi Clan stood up and answered loudly:
"My deepest apologies, Lord Hokage. Jonin Yukiya Nara is ill and was unable to attend the meeting."
"I see. Then let's hear everyone's thoughts. Tachibana Muneshige held a very high standing in the Land of Wind. Although the Daimyo was wary of him, he was deeply respected by the people.
"Now he has been killed in Konoha. Even if the Daimyo of the Land of Wind dislikes him, he'll have to go to war with us, if only for appearances." The Third Hokage finished speaking and coughed softly a few times.
"Lord Hokage, the Land of Wind invaded us first, and we only killed their man afterward. We're clearly in the right. The Land of Wind should give us an explanation," one Jonin said heatedly.
"Kurama Jonin, we're discussing whether to go to war with the Land of Wind. Who was right or wrong no longer matters. That Peerless of the West was the Land of Wind Daimyo's own uncle," another Jonin replied.
Another Jonin immediately cut in. "Exactly. Moonlight Jonin makes a good point. If the Land of Wind's Daimyo doesn't avenge his own uncle's death, what face will he have left to sit on that throne?
"Lord Hokage, I believe we should immediately reinforce the Land of Wind front. We should also ask Lord Orochimaru to return to the western front and lead us in battle."
The Third Hokage coughed several times. "Ahem, ahem. Elder Utatane Koharu, Elder Mitokado Homura, how are things on the logistics front?"
Utatane Koharu said sternly, "After years of peace and development, Konoha's supplies are currently ample enough to support a large-scale conflict for six to eight months."
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses. "Because of the frequent clashes along the fronts over the past two years, the number of Ninja available for missions has already been greatly reduced.
"There are currently about eighteen hundred Ninja in Konoha. The rest can be recalled within about ten days. We can mobilize a maximum force of thirteen hundred."
The Third Hokage looked at Danzo. Danzo snorted, looking rather pleased with himself. "The joint investigation by the Anbu and Root into spies is nearly complete. Most of the spies in the village have been eliminated.
"However, it's impossible to get rid of all of them."
The Third Hokage coughed again, then took a sip of water before speaking. "That's the situation for now."
The others began discussing the Land of Wind front, each adding their own opinions.
Bing San and Asuma stood in the middle, seeming to have been forgotten by everyone.
In fact, if not for Bing San and Asuma's special status, the Third Hokage would have been very reluctant to kill Tachibana Muneshige.
The reason was simple: killing a powerful warrior who posed little threat to Konoha but could restrain the enemy was not in Konoha's interest.
But Bing San had dragged too many people into the fight. Even if Tachibana Muneshige hadn't been intent on dying, Konoha couldn't have let him escape.
If word got out, it would deal a tremendous blow to Konoha's reputation—and to the Third Hokage's personal authority. Everyone was preparing for the Third Shinobi World War, and any damage to morale would have enormous consequences.
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