Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Naruto sat in the seat that symbolized the Hokage, his gaze fixed on the documents on the desk as his fingers lightly tapped against its surface, producing faint sounds.
He seemed to be waiting for the outcome of something.
Suddenly, his tapping paused slightly.
A faint Chakra fluctuation came from the direction of the Land of Bears.
It was a message from Hikari.
It seemed that the matter in Hoshigakure had already been resolved.
That small ninja village had likely fallen under the control of Hikari and Jiraiya by now.
With that, the long-prepared "Daimyo Elimination Plan" only needed its final step before it could officially begin.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
Naruto gathered his thoughts and spoke calmly.
The door opened, and Nara Shikaku entered with a weary expression, though a trace of excitement shone in his eyes.
"Lord Hokage, following your instructions, the relief team sent to Sunagakure has arrived in the Land of Wind."
"With Gaara's arrangements and cooperation, Sunagakure's internal reforms have begun."
"Mm, well done." Naruto nodded, his tone approving. "Sunagakure has just suffered a devastating blow, and its people are anxious and unsettled. This is the best time to carry out internal purges and reforms. At our current pace, we can fully take control of all of Sunagakure before the Daimyo Elimination Plan is launched in full."
"I believe so as well." Shikaku replied, then took another document from his robes. "Also, this is the latest research report just submitted by Katasuke from the research division. It concerns the latest progress in integrating Chakra-conductive metal with kunai launchers."
"The report states that they have achieved a critical breakthrough in the stability of Chakra output. The next batch of prototypes is expected to be