Only the Fourth Raikage Could Make the Final Decision

Unbeknownst to them, the topic of this high-level meeting in Kumogakure had begun to veer off course.

They were originally discussing how to resolve the escalating border friction, but as they discussed and argued, someone suggested that they simply resolve the issue through war, and the entire meeting became increasingly heated.

That's basically the nature of the Kumogakure; they're quick to threaten violence at the slightest provocation. So, the atmosphere at the meeting became quite tense upon hearing that war was on the horizon.

Immediately, some of the more radical and militant high-ranking members of the Kumogakure slammed their fists on the table, excitedly expressing their agreement:

"Yes! I agree! We should go to war! Let's teach Konoha a lesson! Let them see how powerful our Kumogakure is!"

"I agree! After resting for so long, my body is a bit rusty; it's time to get moving."

"Hmm, I guess the ninjas are getting impatient. It's about time they made their move!"

For every group that agrees to go to war, there may be those that oppose it; such antagonism exists everywhere.

Sure enough, some of the more conservative high-ranking members of the Kumogakure immediately expressed their concern and voiced their opposition:

"Are you kidding me? You just blurted out the word 'war' without even opening your mouth? Is starting a war that easy?"

"That's right, this isn't child's play, this is war!"

Moreover, it involves a war between two countries and two large ninja villages; this is not something that can be started casually."

"Yes, if you want to start a war, have you considered the logistics and supplies needed?"

Don't talk about war without calculating the costs and benefits!

You bunch of crude fools, all excitedly yelling about wanting to start a war, but it'll be us logistics guys who suffer in the end!

"If war breaks out, not only will logistics be a major problem, but diplomacy will be even more complicated."

Don't forget, Konoha isn't the only large ninja village with a bad relationship with our Kumogakure; there's also Iwagakure, which is eyeing us covetously.

If we go to war with Konoha, Iwagakure, especially that old Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, will definitely not stand idly by.

"What if this old guy launches a surprise attack at a crucial moment, when our Kumogakure is relatively weak, and suddenly stabs us in the back?"

"That makes sense. These are things that need to be considered in advance. Going to war is not something to be taken lightly!"

You bunch of brutes, wake up!

These relatively conservative high-ranking members of the Kumogakure spoke with reason and evidence, but as the conversation progressed, they inevitably began to get angry, and their words became increasingly sarcastic and pointed.

The opposing group, whose personalities were already aggressive and prone to fighting, couldn't handle this kind of provocation. Upon hearing what sounded like mockery, their anger flared immediately, and they began shouting at the opposing side:

"What? You dare call me a brute!"

"Ha! If I were a brute, you'd all be a bunch of cowards! You don't respect the reputation of Kumogakure at all!"

"I don't care about the reputation of Kumogakure? I think it's you who don't care about the safety of Kumogakure!"

All you know is fighting and killing, you don't care about the big picture at all. What right do people like you have to sit here?

"What right do you have to sit here? Come on, let's go to the training ground and see what you're made of. If I don't beat you to a pulp, I'll change my name. I'll show you soon enough what right I have to sit here."

"Hmph, you think we're afraid of you? Do you really think we office workers are lazy and don't train? Do you really think I'm weak if we don't take action?"

"Great! Very spirited! In that case, it's settled. See you on the training field after the meeting!"

"Alright! See you on the training field!"

Yes, that's basically what the content and atmosphere of this high-level meeting in Kumogakure were like.

The first and middle parts of the meeting were relatively serious. Although everyone was noisy and their emotions were quite intense at times, they were at least talking about serious matters.

However, once the argument escalated into a real fight, the situation became somewhat unmanageable.

Some high-ranking members of the Kumogakure who genuinely disliked each other even made plans to fight each other right there at the meeting table, like street thugs.

They argued quite fiercely and loudly, but to be honest, it wasn't very effective.

Unlike Konoha, where some of the Hokage's authority was delegated to the elders, in Konoha, the Raikage Kumogakure highly centralized power, with the Fourth Raikage A, possessing immense authority and absolute dominance.

Once the Fourth Raikage makes a decision, he is essentially the one who has the final say; no one can refute him, and very few can outwardly comply while inwardly defying him.

However, being the Kage of a village, even with his somewhat explosive personality, the Fourth Raikage A, wouldn't make a decision lightly.

During this meeting of the high-ranking officials of Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage A, sat silently in his Raikage seat, observing the various arguments taking place.

At this moment, the Fourth Raikage A, truly exuded an aura of absolute power, remaining calm and collected, implying that no matter how much they argued, the final decision rested with him.

He first calmly glanced at the conservatives on his right, then narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Then he glanced at the radical group on the left, as if recalling that he had once been one of them.

Yes, the Fourth Raikage A, had quite a temper when he was young, even though his temper has improved slightly now.

Back when he was young, he was definitely a leading figure among the radical militant faction.

Now that he has become the Raikage, he has become relatively moderate, never taking sides or supporting any faction.

Just as the Fourth Raikage A, was deep in thought, the various arguments at the meeting gradually and strangely subsided.

Because regardless of their personalities, whether they had conflicts or not, and no matter how intense or prolonged the argument, they all discovered a problem.

That is, no matter how much they argue, the final decision still rests with their Fourth Raikage.

As the argument subsided, all the high-ranking members of Kumogakure looked at the Fourth Raikage sitting in the middle of them.

The situation is quite bad now, and Kumogakure must respond promptly. Therefore, at this time, only the Fourth Raikage can make the decision personally, and they will follow whatever decision he makes.

As the arguing subsided, the Fourth Raikage A, raised his eyes and looked at the high-ranking officials of Kumogakure in front of him. He noticed that his subordinates were all looking at him, their faces showing expectation and caution.

Yes, the Fourth Raikage A has seen this situation many times. It's obvious that they can't reach a conclusion by arguing, and in the end, they have to make the decision themselves.

Since that's the case, then the Fourth Raikage A, should take the position without hesitation, especially since he already had some plans in mind.

After looking around, the Fourth Raikage A, spoke with relative composure:

"Our Kumogakure suffered a great loss this time, and we certainly cannot let this go unpunished. We must take action."

However, it's not enough to start a war just because of such personnel losses.

The reason is simple: our Kumogakure can't withstand it.

Admittedly, Konoha is currently in a relatively weak period, but how much better off is our Kumogakure? Those in charge of logistics and resources will surely agree with this.

Our supplies and logistics are not as abundant as we imagine. If a large-scale war breaks out, our ninjas might go hungry on the battlefield, which is absolutely unacceptable.

The Third Shinobi World War left deep wounds, and our Kumogakure has yet to fully recover. We and Konoha are evenly matched, so neither of us should laugh at the other.

The Fourth Raikage A, explained the current predicament of their Kumogakure in just a few words.

Even the Lord Raikage said so, and he was speaking the truth, about factors that couldn't be changed. The radical and martial arts factions were all deflated, helpless and powerless.

But they were still unwilling to accept it. And so, some of the martial arts faction's high-ranking members of Kumogakure couldn't stand it anymore and directly asked the Fourth Raikage A:

"Then Lord Raikage, what should we do? This matter cannot be left unresolved."

The Fourth Raikage raised his head and said seriously:

"This matter cannot be left unresolved; we must make Konoha pay the price."

I plan to send a diplomatic mission directly to Konoha to question them about this matter. Ideally, we should use diplomatic means and a strong stance to force Konoha, especially the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, to submit."

Upon hearing this, and the Fourth Raikage's decision, the high-ranking members of Kumogakure present couldn't help but nod in agreement.

If we can subdue the enemy without fighting, that would be the best outcome.

Moreover, they were aware of Konoha's situation; it was internally weak, and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was getting older and more decayed and weak.

If they adopt a tough enough stance and use various methods to coerce Hiruzen Sarutobi, he might actually submit.

By then, obtaining sufficient compensation and benefits from Konoha would be a relatively perfect solution to this conflict.

The violent party was quite satisfied with the outcome, and the conservative party was certainly content with the compensation offered.