Hidden Rain's Plea for Help

"I really can see the future! You have to believe me." Feng Xun's mouth twitched. Even as he labeled the other boy a brat, he kept trying to persuade him to believe what he had just said.

Leaning on a wooden bucket with one hand and clutching his stomach with the other, Nawaki snickered. "Okay, even if what you said was true, can you predict when my big sister will win her next gamble?"

"Uh..."

Who the hell knew when that woman would win next?

Seeing Feng Xun unable to answer, Nawaki became even more brazen. "See? I told you! This fortune-telling stuff is fake."

"Even if fortune-telling is fake, the fact that you'll be in danger is real." Feng Xun still had no intention of giving up.

"Alright, alright! I know you're worried about your little junior uncle, but like I said before, I won't give up on becoming a ninja." As he spoke, Nawaki stretched lazily. Gazing at the drifting clouds overhead, he seemed lost in thought. "If something really happens to me, I'll leave my big sister in your care, little brother Xun."

Hokage Building, conference room

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table, while the heads of the various clans and Konoha's higher-ups sat around the conference table.

"I called everyone here today because there is an important matter I need to discuss with you. I trust you have all seen the documents on the table."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the document before him and continued, "These are copies of a plea for help sent by the Hidden Rain Village. Take a look."

Nearly five minutes passed...

Uchiha Taidao, the current head of the Uchiha Clan, set down the document in his hand. Glancing around the silent conference room, he said gravely, "Since Lord Hokage summoned us here, I presume you've already prepared for war."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said seriously to everyone, "Just as Clan Head Taidao said, the Hidden Stone Village is currently planning to invade the Hidden Cloud Village's border. As allies of the Hidden Rain Village, we truly cannot stand by and do nothing."

"My concern is that the moment we go to help them, those Hidden Rain bastards will stab us in the back. After all, we just taught them a lesson." Orochimaru's chilling voice plunged the entire conference room into silence.

Just as Orochimaru had said, going to help Hidden Rain now could very likely result in betrayal, and the odds of that were not low.

After a while, the head of the Akimichi Clan spoke. "But we cannot simply stand by either. A large part of the reason the Hidden Rain Village has ended up in this situation is because of us. If we do not help the Hidden Rain Village, Konoha will be the next target of the Stone ninja."

"The Akimichi Clan Head is right. The Land of Rain borders our Land of Fire. Once the Hidden Rain Village falls, Konoha will be completely exposed to the enemy's sight." The head of the Nara Clan also chimed in.

Sarutobi nodded to the two clan heads, then looked toward his three advisors. "What do you think we should do?"

"When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. We cannot sit and wait for death!"

"But what if the Hidden Rain Village intends to sit back and reap the rewards while we fight?" Koharu Utatane questioned Homura Mitokado's view.

Before Homura could retort, Danzo, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly said, "I'd say we should be the ones to reap the rewards."

At Danzo's words, everyone turned their eyes toward him, wanting to hear what brilliant insight he had.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Danzo felt smug as he explained, "Although the treaty we signed with the Hidden Rain Village states that if they are attacked by another ninja village, Konoha must provide them with a certain degree of assistance."

"However, the treaty does not specify when exactly we must help them. I say Konoha should simply wait for the two villages to fight, then launch an attack on the Hidden Stone Village after both sides have exhausted significant forces."

"That way, not only would we avoid worrying whether the Hidden Rain Village still has the strength to launch a surprise attack on us, but we could also use this opportunity to seize some of the Land of Earth's resources."

After Danzo finished speaking, he looked toward Sarutobi. He believed that, as the leader of a village, Sarutobi would certainly adopt his proposal.

Unfortunately, before Sarutobi could respond, Tsunade on the other side abruptly rose from her chair in anger.

"I oppose Advisor Danzo's proposal."

"Oh? What different brilliant opinion do you have, Tsunade? Or perhaps you have a better solution?" Danzo narrowed his eyes, a trace of coldness surfacing on his face.

Tsunade shook her head, her voice somewhat low. "I don't have a better proposal! But I don't want more people to die in war over profit and unfounded risks."

As she spoke, Tsunade added, "I believe that was what Grandpa had in mind when he founded the ninja villages."

Tsunade's words made Orochimaru, seated beside her, frown, but he said nothing further.

He actually agreed with Danzo's proposal, but as her friend, he did not oppose her.

Danzo, on the other hand, was deeply disdainful after hearing Tsunade's words. "By your logic, people from other ninja villages cannot die, but Konoha's ninja can be sacrificed whenever they please? Have you considered what Konoha would become if the Hidden Rain Village turned against us?"

"But..."

Tsunade fell silent for a moment. She knew Danzo had a point.

But she also could not just watch as more people died meaninglessly in this war.

"Alright, alright, the two of you should stop arguing." Sarutobi interjected. "Tsunade, you should sit down and speak properly too!"

Seeing her teacher speak, Tsunade reluctantly sat back down.

"Just as Danzo said, while we help the Hidden Rain Village, they may very well stab us in the back. But as their allies, we have no reason to abandon them."

"Therefore, I believe we should first send a ninja squad to investigate the Hidden Rain Village's actual situation.

If the Hidden Rain Village's situation truly is as they described in their letter, then we will immediately dispatch a ninja force to assist them at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth."

After Sarutobi finished, Danzo gave a cold snort from the side and outwardly chose to accept it.

Seeing that no one raised further objections, Sarutobi continued, "Since everyone agrees, let us discuss who exactly should be sent to the Hidden Rain Village to investigate."

"I still need to investigate the Hidden Cloud Village's border, so this mission should be given to someone else." Orochimaru spoke first.

"I think Tsunade should go. She's so compassionate that she might just receive a warm welcome in the Hidden Rain Village." Danzo said with faint sarcasm.

Seeing Danzo seemingly target his disciple, the Third Hokage sighed inwardly before asking Tsunade, "Tsunade, what do you think?"

"I have no objections. But if I'm going, I want to choose the squad members myself."