Retto said calmly, "So what if they're arrogant?"
"Heh. I thought if we just held out until Senju Hashirama died, Sunagakure would have a chance to seize the Land of Fire's fertile lands. But I never expected Konoha to have so many talented people—even a few children are this powerful."
Retto watched the figures gradually disappear into the distance. He raised a hand and pointed in the direction they had gone, then continued:
"Did you see that? I went all out, yet I couldn't even hurt that Hyuga brat. The Hokage's son beside him is unfathomable, too. I even suspect that the Uchiha girl has the potential of Uchiha Madara. How are we supposed to fight them?"
"Given the circumstances, speaking ill of them serves no purpose."
The Sunagakure elder stammered, trying to argue. "But... Shamon, Itadori... A lot of the village's strong shinobi didn't even fight."
"Enough. There's no 'but.' What would we gain by keeping them here? Do you think all of Sunagakure together could take on Senju Hashirama alone?"
"Withdraw the previous order. Sunagakure still needs to lie low. When the time comes, Shamon can accompany me to Konoha. I want to see what kind of place can produce one monster after another."
Another elder beside him sounded reluctant. "Sunagakure has plenty of talented people, too. Especially Chiyo and Ebizo, who recently became Chunin, as well as the Scorch Release, Magnet Release, and Sand Secret Technique users."
Retto fell silent for a moment. He didn't deny it, then continued, "By the way, send someone to contact the Daimyo Palace and see..."
"Never mind. I'll take a squad of elite shinobi to the Daimyo Palace myself."
The elder hesitated. "At a time like this, you should reassure the village's shinobi. Though the battle just now caused no casualties,