Konoha Crisis

The night grew deep, yet the Hokage Building in Konoha remained brightly lit.

Outside the office window, the village of Konoha had already drifted into slumber, with only a few scattered lights remaining, like stars that had fallen from the sky.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before the window, clutching a piece of intelligence that had just arrived. His fingers trembled slightly; he could not rest, nor did he dare to.

The report contained only a few lines, but every word pierced his eyes like a nail: Kumogakure and Iwagakure had begun massing troops at the borders.

This was no small-scale probe, but a large-scale mobilization! According to estimates from the Anbu on the front lines, Kumogakure had assembled at least three battalions, and Iwagakure was much the same.

Worse still, the garrison troops stationed toward the directions of Kirigakure and Sunagakure had also sent back warning notices: they had spotted signs of ninja mobilization from both villages. While the scale was not as massive as that of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, it was enough to warrant alarm.

Four great ninja villages were baring their fangs at Konoha all at once!

Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped the intelligence tightly in his right hand, while his left hand rose to rub his temples forcefully—his head throbbed as if someone were striking it with a hammer.

Too many things had happened lately, so many that he, an old man nearing seventy, could barely keep up: the Uchiha clan exterminated, the Hyuga retreating into seclusion, the Jinchuriki missing, Orochimaru escaping, Tsunade returning... one incident after another, following in quick succession, giving him not a moment to catch his breath.

And now, war had come again!

During his tenure, this was the third time he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had seen the arrival of war!

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at the Anbu waiting for orders in the office: "Pass on my command: summon all the Jonin in the village to the Hokage Building for a meeting immediately!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was calm, but his pace was faster than usual: "Even regarding the Hyuga, send someone to tell Hyuga Hiashi that someone must attend this meeting! No matter who it is, the Hyuga must send someone!"

"Yes." The Anbu received the order and vanished from the office using the Body Flicker Technique.

Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to his desk, exhaustedly throwing his aging body into the chair. He picked up the pipe on the desk again, struck a match, and brought it close to the bowl. The flame danced twice, igniting the tobacco.

Smoke rose and dispersed above his head like a tiny cloud. He took a hard drag, choked, and coughed twice, but he did not stop.

The Anbu's efficiency was high; in less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the conference room in the Hokage Building was packed.

The long table was filled with Konoha's Jonin. Some had not even had time to change into their flak jackets, arriving in casual home clothes; others still had the sheen of dinner oil on their faces, clearly having just set down their chopsticks.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied, but one thing was the same—they were grave, even heavy.

Jiraiya was among the first of the Jonin to arrive, sitting listlessly at one end of the long table, staring blankly. He had already learned the reason for the meeting from the Anbu, but he felt that all he could do was follow orders, so he was too lazy to overthink it.

The seat next to Jiraiya, usually empty, was finally occupied today. Tsunade sat there with a scroll laid out before her, her hands resting upon it. Ignoring the many people in the room who wanted to greet her, she was reading the scroll with intense focus.

Not far from Tsunade sat Hyuga Hiashi in the middle of the long table, dressed in a dark kimono, his hair combed meticulously. He had followed Sarutobi Hiruzen's order and come to represent the Hyuga clan.

This was his first public appearance since the Hyuga clan had retreated into seclusion, but judging by the cold expression on his face, while he had come out, he was not here to make amends, nor to stir up trouble—he was simply here to hear news regarding the war.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio habitually sat together.

Nara Shikaku sat opposite Hyuga Hiashi, his hands clasped on the table, head bowed. He had already learned of the border situation on his way over, and he was currently contemplating how to weather this crisis given Konoha's current military strength:

After all, of Konoha's top two clans, one was exterminated and the other was effectively crippled. If the enemy were just one village, it would be manageable, but now that four villages were sharpening their blades at Konoha, the force Konoha could muster while ensuring the village's internal defense was truly stretched thin.

Yamanaka Inoichi sat next to Nara Shikaku, his fingertips constantly twirling a pen as he stared blankly at the blank notebook spread before him. He had received news of Tsunade's return shortly after getting home that morning, followed by a meeting with Shikaku and Choza to discuss matters.

Having finally managed to get some rest in the afternoon, he had barely slept before being notified to come to the Hokage Building. At this moment, Inoichi felt his head buzzing, showing signs of being on the verge of collapse from overwork.

Akimichi Choza had long noticed his friend's exhaustion, but there was nothing he could do to help. He could only take snacks from his sleeve and secretly pass them under the table to Yamanaka Inoichi, hoping to help him replenish some energy so he wouldn't faint in the conference room.

Sitting at the end of the long table, Sarutobi Asuma had an unlit cigarette in his mouth, his legs crossed, eyes half-closed, looking lazy. However, his gaze was secretly fixed on a figure in the room—a person who had been reading a scroll since entering, which struck Sarutobi Asuma as incredibly strange.

Yuhi Kurenai sat next to Sarutobi Asuma, her arms crossed, her expression grim. Her father, Yuhi Shinku, had sacrificed himself as a Konoha Jonin during the Nine-Tails Incident years ago. Although she knew it was an accident, her trust in Konoha's upper echelons had never been high, a sentiment that had only intensified after the Uchiha clan's extermination.

Leaning against the corner wall was Hatake Kakashi, his mask covering most of his face, revealing only one dead-eyed gaze. He held a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, bookmarked halfway through. He wasn't reading it as usual; instead, his gaze drifted over the top of the pages, landing on the empty space in the center of the conference table.

Might Guy stood next to Kakashi in his signature green bodysuit, his hands clenched into fists at his knees, his back straight as a board, accompanying his friend. His bowl cut reflected the light, looking somewhat comical, yet no one laughed.

Besides these people, there were other Jonin—some of civilian origin, others representing minor families. Both sides of the long table were packed, even the extra chairs were full.

Kazamatsuri Saemon stood not far from Might Guy. He was the representative of the Kazamatsuri clan; he usually had no say in such occasions, and some meetings didn't even call for him.

Seeing that the time was right and most of Konoha's available Jonin were present, the door leading from the conference room to the Hokage's office was pushed open.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure entered the room. Everyone's gaze instinctively focused on him, and they also noticed the three people following behind him—Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

Danzō walked in front, his single eye covered by a bandage, his hands hanging at his sides. The sling that had been hanging across his chest was gone, but his arm remained immobile. His expression was as gloomy as the sky before a storm, his mouth pulled downward. He looked at no one, walking straight to his seat to sit down.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu followed behind, their expressions equally grim. They had seen the intelligence in Sarutobi Hiruzen's office while waiting for the Jonin to assemble, and they, too, found the situation extremely thorny.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the head of the table and scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on Tsunade for a moment. Seeing that she did not even look up at him, he shifted his gaze away calmly and spoke: "Everyone is here."

No one spoke.

"The reason I summoned you all today is for a single topic." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was hoarse and weary: "War!"

He waved at the Anbu behind him, signaling them to distribute the intelligence that had been prepared in multiple copies to everyone: "Read through it quickly."

The Anbu obeyed, swiftly distributing the reports to the Jonin present. There were few words on the pages, but each one made those present feel the heavy weight of the situation.

"Kumogakure is massing troops at the border of the Land of Hot Water. Preliminary estimates suggest three battalions, about three hundred men. The force is led by elite Anbu directly under the Raikage; the exact number is still being verified."

"Iwagakure is massing troops at the border of the Land of Grass. The scale is comparable to Kumogakure, about three hundred men. The force is led by the Tsuchikage's son—Kitsuchi."

"There are also movements toward Kirigakure and Sunagakure. Suspicious vessels have been spotted in the waters near the Land of Waves, suspected to be Kirigakure reconnaissance units. Meanwhile, Sunagakure has increased patrols at the border of the Land of Rivers, with numbers three times higher than usual."

Everyone quickly browsed through the intelligence in their hands, and the atmosphere in the conference room grew increasingly heavy.

Yamagami Aoshu, a civilian Jonin in the village, looked at the report in his hand and spoke up in shock: "Four ninja villages mobilizing at the same time? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

"It is not a coincidence." Mitokado Homura spoke up, shattering the illusion in Yamagami Aoshu's heart: "It was planned."

"Coordinated?" Yamagami Aoshu frowned. As a jonin who had only recently rotated back from the border, he had some understanding of the events that had transpired in the village, yet he still chose to believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen had his reasons. "We can understand why Kumogakure and Iwagakure are coming; after all, they suspect we moved against their Jinchuriki. But why are the Mist Village and Sunagakure joining the fray?"

"Fishing in troubled waters." Mitokado Homura's voice was calm. "If Konoha truly goes to war with Kumogakure and Iwagakure, the Mist Village and Sunagakure won't just sit by. They won't help either side, but they will stab us in the back the moment the fighting reaches its peak. After all, they have always coveted everything Konoha possesses."

Aburame Shikuroo's voice drifted from the corner, low and slow: "Can we be certain they will act? Perhaps it is merely a show of force."

"We cannot be certain." Mitokado Homura was in charge of Konoha's diplomatic department and often acted as a semi-official spokesperson for Sarutobi Hiruzen, so everyone knew his answer was Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer. "But we cannot gamble."

As Mitokado Homura's voice faded, silence fell over the long table, and everyone began to seriously contemplate how to respond to the war.

Hyuga Hiashi had not spoken a word. He kept his head lowered, staring at the tabletop as if studying the grain of the wood, but his hands were resting on his knees beneath the table, his fingers curled slightly. He was afraid.

Seeing that no one was volunteering to speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and cleared his throat.

"Today's meeting is not for everyone to pick a side, but to hear your opinions. You all know the current situation in Konoha; I need to know what you think should be done."

The meeting room remained silent.

Everyone knew the state of Konoha now—the Uchiha were wiped out, the Hyuga had retreated into themselves, only Tsunade remained of the Senju, and the other ninja clans were gripped by panic.

Deep down, everyone knew that Konoha's current strength had completely fallen from its position as the head of the Five Great Villages.

With four villages invading at once, no matter how you looked at it, the word "fight" wouldn't solve it, but "not fighting" wasn't an option either! Not fighting meant admitting defeat! And if they admitted defeat, Konoha was finished!

No one dared to speak first; no one dared to shoulder that responsibility.

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew what everyone was thinking. His gaze shifted from one person to the next, finally landing on Jiraiya.

He needed a leader, so he pointed him out directly: "Jiraiya, you speak first."

Hearing his teacher's request, Jiraiya put down his Icha Icha Paradise, sat up straight, and adjusted his posture. His hair was messy and he hadn't shaved; he looked as if he had just been dragged out of bed.

"Teacher, I have nothing to say." Jiraiya's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the meeting room heard him clearly. "Konoha is in trouble, so I'm definitely going! Tell me which team to lead, and I'll lead it. Tell me which side to guard, and I'll guard it. The front lines or the rear—it's all the same to me."

A look of relief appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face. Jiraiya's answer was within his expectations and served as a good start for the others.

Using Jiraiya's words as a springboard, he turned the group's attention to Tsunade, who was sitting beside Jiraiya, never having looked up, her eyes fixed on the intelligence reports in her hands.

"Tsunade, what do you think?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in a gentle, expectant tone.

The meeting room fell into silence once more, and everyone's eyes shifted to Tsunade.

After a day of rumors spreading, everyone knew what had happened since Tsunade returned to the village. Now, everyone was focused on her attitude; everyone wanted to know exactly what Tsunade intended to do...

To everyone's surprise, Tsunade did not look up to answer Sarutobi Hiruzen's question.

She kept her head down, intently reading the scroll in her hands—a scroll she had held since entering the meeting room. She had read it over and over, her fingers creasing the edges of the paper. It was densely packed with writing, though the content was impossible to discern from the outside.

"Tsunade?" Sarutobi Hiruzen called out again, his voice louder than before. Everyone could hear a hint of rising anger in those two words.

But Tsunade acted as if her hearing had failed her; she still did not look up, nor did she acknowledge Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat subtle in this eerie silence.

Beside her, Jiraiya seemed to sense the suppressed emotion beneath Sarutobi Hiruzen's calm exterior. He nudged Tsunade with his elbow and lowered his voice: "Tsunade, the teacher is calling you."

Tsunade lifted her eyelids, shot a sidelong glance at Jiraiya, and suddenly let out a scoff before lowering her head again to continue reading her scroll.

Jiraiya's expression turned incredibly awkward in an instant! He opened his mouth, unsure of what he had done to provoke her or what that scoff meant. He wanted to say something, but seeing her expressionless profile, he swallowed his words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and everyone present had heard that scoff. Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed, but this time he didn't speak; instead, Utatane Koharu, sitting beside him, stood up.

"Tsunade, the Third Hokage is asking you a question. What is the meaning of this? Are you refusing to obey the Hokage's orders!"

"The Third Hokage?" Tsunade finally raised her head...