Konoha's forceful response to Kumogakure also drew the attention and discussion of the other Hidden Villages.
The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ōnoki, floated in the air with a deep frown.
"Kumogakure appears to have suffered damage. That is confirmed intelligence from our spies."
"But with that brute acting like this, I can't tell what's real and what's a bluff..."
Much like the Third Raikage, his son, Kitsuchi, stood beside him.
Though Ōnoki was short, Kitsuchi was broad and heavily built, towering over him.
"Father, will war break out?" Kitsuchi asked in a low voice.
"Don't you have your own judgment?" Ōnoki shot Kitsuchi a sidelong glare and said irritably.
When it came to Chakra reserves and mastery of Earth Release, his son was beyond reproach.
But his personality was far too rigid—one could even call him guileless.
That was hardly a good trait for the leader of a village.
Thus, Ōnoki was quietly worried about Iwagakure's future. Although the village held an advantage in numbers among the major Hidden Villages,
it lacked anyone truly outstanding.
Even if Kitsuchi was his son, Ōnoki would not hand the position over to him for that reason alone.
Back then, his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage, "Mū," had taught him Dust Release not because of blood ties...
"I don't know, Father." Kitsuchi was not offended and merely waited quietly for orders.
"Sigh!" Ōnoki shook his head. "There won't be a war..."
He then explained the reasoning to Kitsuchi, and it was more or less the same as what the Third Raikage had told the Fourth Raikage.
As long as the Third Raikage had not gone mad, he would not continue pressing Konoha. Instead, he would give both sides a way to back down.
Kitsuchi nodded in sudden realization.
Ōnoki rolled his eyes. He truly had no idea what to do with his son.
He was suited to be a perfect executor, but he had no talent whatsoever for decision-making.
"But we need to make our position known..."
"We'll give Hiruzen Sarutobi a hand, fiercely condemn Kumogakure, and expose all their schemes to covet Kekkei Genkai."
"The blood feud between us and Kumogakure cannot be reconciled. Taking this chance to ruin Kumogakure's reputation will be useful no matter what."
At the very least, it would reduce the chances of Kumogakure allying with other Hidden Villages if war broke out again.
"Konoha has changed as well."
Ōnoki's gaze darkened. "Has Hiruzen Sarutobi finally come to his senses? I thought he would explain himself..."
"What a nuisance!"
Iwagakure had naturally coveted Konoha's Kekkei Genkai, secret techniques, and the fertile lands of the Land of Fire for a long time.
Or rather, every Hidden Village did...
It was only because the lingering might of the First and Second Hokage remained that, after the Second Shinobi World War, such desires inevitably began to stir again...
Hiruzen Sarutobi's forceful response seemed to be a warning against such thoughts.
"Kitsuchi, how are Roshi and Han doing now?"
"Roshi is still traveling through the Shinobi World. Han is in the village."
Ōnoki said gravely, "Tell Roshi that the village has tolerated him so that he can master the power of the Tailed Beast. If he cannot do that, then he can wait for punishment!"
Roshi and Han were Iwagakure's two great Jinchuriki. One wielded the Four-Tails, while the other wielded the Five-Tails.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's change had also made Ōnoki wary.
When the Hokage became forceful, the consequences came in a chain reaction...
The same was true for Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and Ebizo reached the conclusion that
they should support Konoha's forceful response toward Kumogakure. Their stance needed to be firm; ideally, they should fan the flames and worsen the situation between Konoha and Kumogakure.
As Konoha's opponent in the last Shinobi World War,
Sunagakure did not wish to see Konoha grow stronger and more forceful. But since it had already happened, they could only hope to turn Konoha against multiple powers.
Otherwise, if a forceful Konoha grew powerful and war broke out again...
it likely would not show mercy to Sunagakure, its former enemy.
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure,
the Third Mizukage gave a cold laugh.
He had spent twenty years maneuvering against Kirigakure's various Kekkei Genkai Ninja Clans, yet he had achieved no good result. Instead, their conflict had only escalated further.
The Third Mizukage had already decided to launch a great purge.
Power beyond his control should be crushed by him, the Mizukage!
"Good. We'll use the worsening situation in the Shinobi World as a pretext, claim that we must raise the village's combat strength, and let these Ninja Clans fight one another!"
The Third Mizukage slowly clenched his fist. "Whoever opposes me dies!"
"Kirigakure does not need so many voices!"
"The plan shall be called the Bloody Mist Village..."
On an isolated island in the Shinobi World, the Mizukage sealed off his village and prepared to begin a real-life battle royale.
Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō inspected the village, checking on the results of the Patrol Force's formation.
Even Shimura Danzō, who had wanted to find fault, had to admit that Hatake Sakumo had done well.
The hidden sentry posts changed every day, and the locations of the visible posts were constantly being adjusted.
The combination of Inuzuka Clan, Aburame, and Uchiha—Shimura Danzō had personally tried to approach them, only to have those seasoned veterans detect his presence...
It was not that Shimura Danzō was weak. It was simply that this combined reconnaissance method of scent, insects, and semi-transparent vision...
Unless one possessed an exceptionally special technique, it was simply a dimensionality-reducing advantage.
Shimura Danzō walked shoulder to shoulder with Hiruzen Sarutobi. He felt somewhat emotional; it had been a long time since the two of them had taken a walk through the village and discussed village affairs like this.
"The only shortcoming is that we don't have enough Byakugan users. There's only Hizashi," Hiruzen Sarutobi commented with relative satisfaction.
"Hiruzen, shall I make Hyuga Tenzo submit?"
Shimura Danzō's ears twitched. "Leave it to me. This is what I'm good at."
Wasn't he just a member of the Hyuga Main Branch?
Given the village's current situation, Shimura Danzō could think of nine methods with a slap to the forehead!
"You should rest first..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head with an amused smile. "Danzo, do you think I can't use those methods of yours? Perhaps you think that if you do it, my reputation as Hokage will remain cleaner..."
"But that is not what matters."
Shimura Danzō asked in confusion, "Then what does?"
"Even if you handle it and serve as a buffer, the essence remains unchanged."
Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject. "The Hyuga Main Branch is still part of the village. They have cried out and charged onto the battlefield, and they have bled for the village."
"You may gain temporary benefits by treating them as enemies, but the damage it brings will be even greater."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a bag of rice balls. "Hungry? Eat while you listen. Your sister-in-law made them. They're not bad..."
Shimura Danzō accepted them on instinct, looking rather dazed.
What was this about?
Were they really that close?
Well, actually, they had been. They had been...
"Treat the village's shinobi as people. That is the core advantage we need to put into practice."
"In the Shinobi World, only Konoha possesses the inheritance of the Will of Fire, as well as the organizational structure and resources to truly carry it out."
"High-pressure rule and brutal coercion can naturally bring short-term gains. I do not deny that."
"But we must look further ahead and understand that this is a silent war. We are building Konoha's spontaneous cohesion while also undermining the enemy's unity."
"Of course, I will never show mercy to anyone who poses a substantive threat to the village!"
"With the other Hidden Villages as comparison, even if we are not far ahead, we will still achieve twice the result with half the effort... Besides, this is our duty as the upper ranks."
Hiruzen Sarutobi bumped Shimura Danzō's shoulder, just as he had when they were teenagers decades ago.
"Killing isn't difficult. What we need to do is strike at the heart... Don't you think?"
Shimura Danzō chewed the rice ball in his mouth and silently nodded.
Teaching me these high-level Hokage ways of thinking again?
Hiruzen, you really are impossible to deal with...
At that moment,
the veterans of another Patrol Force spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi from afar.
They excitedly shouted, "Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi responded with a smile, walked forward a few steps, and waved. "Have you eaten breakfast? Come try my family's cooking..."
Shimura Danzō watched Hiruzen Sarutobi's back and took a deep breath.
He would not be left behind.
Nor would he admit defeat!
Yet deep in his heart, Shimura Danzō quietly made a decision...
When he became Hokage one day, he would allow a few extra pages to be added when Hiruzen Sarutobi was included in the textbooks!
So that Konoha's children could understand him a little better...
Some explanations about the setting follow. Readers who do not care can skip them; they will not affect the plot.
Every generation of Raikage was called "A," and neither the Third Raikage nor the Fourth Raikage had a personal name. So one is called the Third Raikage and the other the Fourth Raikage, simply to distinguish them.
The setting also never stated that they belonged to the Yotsuki Clan. In the original work's databook, there was only one member of the Yotsuki Clan: a minor shinobi from the Turtle Island arc.
Next is the Bloody Mist Village.
This is a classic misconception. The origin of this policy had nothing to do with Obito Uchiha; even before he turned evil, Kirigakure already called itself the Bloody Mist Village.
Whether he worsened it is a matter of personal interpretation.
Before you continue