(Help me think about the Mangekyō Sharingan ability of Shisui. The situation is different now. It cannot be Kotoamatsukami.)
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen is sitting on a chair, the tobacco in the pipe is burning slowly.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sat opposite him. The three of them were silent. Only the hands of the clock on the wall were clicking Earth Flow.
"Sunagakure is making trouble again."
Mitokado Homura spoke first, his voice a little tired.
"Yesterday at the Land of Rivers border, their search team ran into our patrol team. The other party had a tough attitude and almost took action."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't answer immediately. He took a puff of cigarette and slowly exhaled it, and the smoke slowly dispersed in the air.
"How many times?"
"The fifth time this month."
Mitokado Homura paused.
"Two days ago, there was a conflict with the Iwagakure people over there at Land of Grass. The Sunagakure people are like crazy now. They are searching and asking everywhere, and they don't pay attention to other villages at all."
Utatane Koharu snorted coldly.
"It's none of our business if their people are gone. Why should they run wild on our territory?"
"Koharu." Mitokado Homura glanced at her and signaled her not to speak too bluntly.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, indicating that it didn't matter. He looked at Utatane Koharu and his voice was low.
"Why do you think they are acting wild?"
Utatane Koharu was stunned for a moment.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knocked his pipe on the edge of the table.
"If a ferocious beast is injured, it will become more ferocious than usual. Why? Because it is afraid that other ferocious beasts will see that it is injured. It wants to strike first and show its fangs first, so that others will not dare to approach."
He paused.
"Sunagakure That's it now."
Utatane Koharu stopped talking.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Mitokado Homura: "Have you found out what they are looking for?"
Mitokado Homura subconsciously lowered his voice, even though there were only three of them in the office.
"It's not 'something', it's 'who'. The news I got here is that the big shot Sunagakure disappeared is Third Kazekage himself."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand paused.
The pipe stopped in mid-air, and the smoke slowly rose.
"Third Kazekage?" His voice was not high, but it obviously changed its tone, "Missing?"
"The news has not been completely confirmed, but it is almost certain." Mitokado Homura said.
"Sunagakure is covering her up very tightly, but the movement during this period is too big and cannot be concealed. Third Kazekage has not appeared in public for more than a month."
"The ones in charge of the Presbyterian Church are Chiyo and Ebizo. They handle all external affairs. Kazekage's seal has also been transferred to Chiyo. If something big hadn't happened, this kind of thing would never have happened."
Utatane Koharu frowned.
"Kazekage is missing... This is no small matter. One of Five Kage is just gone?"
"It's not yet sure whether it's 'gone' or just missing." Mitokado Homura said.
"But no matter which one it is, it is a fatal blow to Sunagakure."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing.
He put down his pipe and tapped his fingers on the table.
Various possibilities raced through my mind. Who did it? Konoha? Iwagakure? Kumogakure? Or someone inside Sunagakure?
If it was done by an external force, what was the purpose? If it was done by an insider, who had the ability?
No matter who does it, this thing will break the current balance of Shinobi World.
A Sunagakure without Kazekage is like a wounded beast.
They are bumping around and biting everywhere now, not because they are strong, but because they are afraid.
They were afraid that other villages would take advantage of the situation and that they would be discovered to be weak, so they had to assume an aggressive stance first so that others would not dare to act rashly.
But this posture is inherently dangerous.
Friction escalated into conflict, and conflict escalated into war. He had seen this happen many times.
How did Second Shinobi World War start a fight? It was just a little friction, little by little accumulation of gunpowder, and finally a spark detonating it.
"How should we respond?" Mitokado Homura asked.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a long time.
"Give in," he said.
Mitokado Homura was stunned for a moment.
Utatane Koharu also raised his head and looked at him.
"Concession?" Utatane Koharu's voice was a little high.
"This is the fifth time they have caused trouble on our border. If we continue to give in, they will only think that we are easy to bully--"
"Then Koharu, what do you think we should do?" Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted her with a low but deep voice, "Let's fight?"
Utatane Koharu opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at her with a hint of exhaustion in his eyes.
"Koharu, how many years have we known each other?"
Utatane Koharu was stunned for a moment. "... fifty years."
"Fifty years." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
"In the past fifty years, how many times have you seen me give in?"
Utatane Koharu said nothing.
Don't you always give in, especially with Danzo...
But at this time Utatane Koharu didn't dare to tell anyone.
"I haven't counted them, but I know there aren't many."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
"I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, have never bowed my head easily in my life. But now, I must bow my head."
He took a puff of cigarette and exhaled it slowly.
"You both know what our situation is now."
Mitokado Homura lowered his head.
Utatane Koharu also stopped talking.
"Hatake Sakumo is dead."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice is very plain, but there is something underneath it.
"Died in whose hands? Died in our own hands. White Fang of Konoha, powerful Shinobi World, was forced to commit suicide by rumors. How fast his knife is, how soft his heart is. He didn't deserve to die, but he died."
He paused.
"What about Tsunade? Tsunade is suffering from hemophobia. She can't even see her blood, let alone go to the battlefield. She is our top medical ninja at Konoha and the last bloodline of the Senju Clan. She can't even hold the scalpel steadily now. She shuts herself in the room every day and doesn't see anyone."
Mitokado Homura sighed.
"Where is Jiraiya? Jiraiya is not in the village all year round. He likes to run around and travel everywhere, and I don't stop him. But now at this juncture, when I need him, where is he? I don't know."
"Uchiha Where is it?"
"After Danzo happened, how much trust does Uchiha still have in the village?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was very soft.
"Uchiha Setsuna, do you know what that old guy is doing recently? He rarely showed up before, but now he goes to the police station every three days. How long can Fugaku suppress him? How long can he suppress him?"
"If we really want to fight, who will fight?"
"Should I, a sixty-eight-year-old man, go? Or should we let those young kids who have just graduated a few years ago go?"
He put down his pipe and put his hands on the table.
"Give in." He said again, his tone unquestionable.
"Let our patrols avoid the Sunagakure people. If we encounter them at the border, be polite. Let them search whatever they want. As long as they don't enter the core area, let them go."
He looked at Mitokado Homura: "Go and make arrangements."
Mitokado Homura nodded.