An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth! (Seeking Monthly Votes!)

Hiruzen Sarutobi's killing intent was palpable.

So much so that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were both stunned.

Hadn't they just been discussing reform? How had the topic suddenly turned to war?

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been a traditional member of the Dove Faction, never particularly interested in war...

During the Second Shinobi World War, Sunagakure had clearly been at a disadvantage. Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had chosen equal peace negotiations in order to end the war as soon as possible, rather than demanding reparations or other terms.

At the time, that decision had caused quite a bit of controversy within the village.

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shimura Danzō's eyes immediately lit up.

As Konohagakure's foremost Militant Faction leader in the past, he had always been interested in war.

"Leave it to me!" Shimura Danzō said at once.

"Shouldn't we think it over a little more?" Mitokado Homura said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should carry out this retaliation after the reforms have initially taken hold?"

Utatane Koharu's expression was grave. "What if it provokes a war? Is the village prepared to deal with one?"

Shimura Danzō turned and shouted viciously, "The two of you are always so conservative! Yielding is useless!"

"Danzō, you're being too arbitrary!"

"War is no child's play. We need to consider everything carefully!" Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu shot back at Shimura Danzō.

"Stop arguing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured for them to listen. "Retaliation is imperative. This is not to start a war—on the contrary, it is to prevent one."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked puzzled.

Killing the other side's Jinchuriki would prevent a war?

"Let me use an inappropriate example. Don't read too much into it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at Shimura Danzō. "Suppose Danzō took all authority over the Anbu, and I said nothing. What do you think he would do next?"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu smiled awkwardly.

Did that even need to be said?

He would proceed to hollow out your authority!

Shimura Danzō's expression stiffened.

Was that really an example to use?

"He would come over, lecture me, remind me that as Hokage I need to maintain centralized authority and fulfill my duties as his superior. But he would certainly focus on criticizing my weakness."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and patted Shimura Danzō on the shoulder. "Am I right?"

Shimura Danzō forced out a dry laugh. "Haha, of course."

Was Hiruzen really joking?

"Danzō is my good comrade. Even if I did that, he would still think I was weak..."

"But what if it were an enemy? An enemy would not come and remind me, remind you, or remind Konoha!"

"They would see us as weak and easy to bully, believing that we would yield even over matters concerning Jinchuriki!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "Therefore, we must retaliate as quickly as possible! When dealing with enemies, we must not yield a single inch. We must let them feel the harshness of the Konoha Iron Fist!"

After thinking it over for a while, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura each voiced their opinions.

"If that is the case, I approve."

"Agreed. Do you have a specific plan, Hiruzen...?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured for them to raise any objections they had.

Judging from his past memories and their recent interactions...

There was fundamentally nothing wrong with his two old teammates, now Advisors. They were simply overly conservative in their thinking.

People like that were actually very useful, so long as they were put in the right place.

"How about striking at their infrastructure? A Jinchuriki may not be the best target."

Mitokado Homura continued, "Or perhaps an important shinobi, or a relative of the Raikage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered.

"Judging by Kumogakure's abduction of Uzumaki Kushina, I suspect there is most likely something wrong with their Jinchuriki."

"Danzō, do we have detailed intelligence on the intensity of the conflicts between Kumogakure and Iwagakure in recent years?"

"I've compiled the statistics. Over the past two years, Iwagakure has initiated most of the provocations, while Kumogakure has shown considerable restraint," Shimura Danzō replied swiftly. "Root has the relevant data."

"Very good." Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Shimura Danzō an approving look.

"Kumogakure and Iwagakure have a longstanding blood feud. It is a historical issue determined by the makeup of their Ninja Clans and their geography. Given Kumogakure's style and temperament, the fact that they have been able to restrain themselves most likely means there is a major internal problem."

"Furthermore, with the situation in the shinobi world growing increasingly tense, their willingness to break the unwritten rules and make a move against our Jinchuriki shows that their problem has reached a point where they have no choice but to resolve it!"

In the shinobi world, there were no rules spoken openly.

Yet there were still unspoken rules that limited the intensity of conflicts between parties and prevented meaningless attrition.

Within the borders of various countries and near their borderlines, slaughter between Anbu was tacitly permitted. But when it involved important figures—especially the major concept of a "Tailed Beast"—

—it was essentially no different from a declaration of war.

"Kumogakure's actions do indeed reveal certain problems..."

"If they were truly strong and well-prepared, deliberately seeking to provoke war, then why would they take the initiative to reduce their friction with Iwagakure?"

Utatane Koharu analyzed, "That doesn't make sense. The conflict between Kumogakure and Iwagakure isn't so easily suppressed. It would affect the Raikage's prestige."

"Exactly..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "So, taking all the circumstances together, Kumogakure's Jinchuriki is highly likely to be on the verge of collapse!"

The three people present all brightened.

That logic made sense...

"Danzō, verify this conjecture as soon as possible."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took in the expressions of the three men and continued, "My opinion is that we cannot kill him by force. We must secretly release the Eight-Tails within him and leave no evidence behind."

"Konoha, as it is now, cannot bear the image of actively provoking a war and assassinating another nation's Jinchuriki."

"Internally, it is enough to let the key figures know."

"As for Kumogakure, after suffering such a blow, they will naturally frantically suspect everything. There is no need for us to remind them."

Shimura Danzō nodded in approval.

He was part of the Militant Faction, but he was not brainless.

Nor did he want Konoha to be used as a pretext for an explosive war with the four Great Hidden Villages.

"Once you have confirmed the intelligence, we will hold a meeting as quickly as possible."

"We must make them pay in blood. This is also the little compensation we must offer Lady Mito and the Uzumaki Clan."

"What do you say?"

At the mention of Mito Uzumaki and the Uzumaki Clan, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha had become trapped in the mire of war, overwhelmed on every front.

They had neglected to look after their allies.

Although the tragedy of Uzushio Village had many causes—

—for example, Uzushio Village was located on an island between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and it had been unwilling to relocate inland and join Konoha, greatly limiting the speed of support...

—ultimately, it had still been a grave mistake by Konoha's upper ranks.

Especially after Uzushio Village's destruction, there had also been problems with their care for Uzumaki Kushina...

There was simply no excuse for that.

If they did not show their stance, this matter would always remain a hidden danger!

"We must comprehensively improve Uzumaki Kushina's treatment. As for the surviving orphans of the Uzumaki Clan, we must also seek them out when the time is right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at Utatane Koharu.

"Koharu, carry this out as soon as possible. You must make Uzumaki Kushina understand our apology and let her feel that this place is home, that the village cares about her. Do you understand?"

"The past cannot be changed, but it is never too late to correct our mistakes. We cannot wait any longer."

Utatane Koharu replied, "Understood, Third."

"Alright, go handle your respective duties!" Hiruzen Sarutobi signaled that they could return to their work.

The three of them swiftly sprang into action.

With a Tobacco Pipe clenched between his teeth, Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed down at the village through the office window, narrowing his eyes.

In this village, if there was still one shinobi he could not afford to ignore...

Or rather, someone who had already surpassed the very concept of a shinobi—

—it was the First Hokage's wife, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki!

Whether it was the knowledge she possessed, her combat strength, or her status.

From every perspective...

As the Hokage, he needed to find a way to clean up the old mess and regain the approval of this "Empress Dowager."

That would bring enormous benefits.

Continuing to avoid facing her out of guilt, as he had before...

Was truly far too terrible.

"That child who fused with the First Hokage Cells may be a breakthrough..."

"An old man, and a Jinchuriki too—he must be quite lonely, right?"

"But before that, the preparations must be done properly. We need to present results to show our sincerity and remorse."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, yet he showed no fatigue.

He enjoyed this feeling.

First of all, I'm begging all you dear readers for monthly votes!

A new book desperately needs stats or2!!

There'll be another update tonight, around six o'clock.

PS: Regarding the destruction of Uzushio Village.

As for this part in the original work, Xiaofan searched through all the guidebooks and still couldn't find any clear official setting.

There was only, "The various Hidden Villages feared Sealing Jutsu and joined forces to attack Uzushio Village"...

As for when it was destroyed, I can only make up my own secondary setting. The possible timeframe is between Kushina transferring into the academy and graduating at age twelve.

In my setting, it happened during the Second Shinobi World War.

As for the reason, Xiaofan thinks it was simply incompetence, though not intentional.

But with this kind of secondary setting, any interpretation can make sense. Depending on the protagonist's Persona and the needs of the plot, every author will write it differently.

There is another possible timeline inferred from Karin and Karin's mother, but the timeline derived from that is completely off, so I won't be using it.