Yakitori Meeting

By the Shule River stood an unremarkable izakaya. It was tucked away in a remote location, far from the Hourglass Group's factory district, but it was exceptionally quiet.

The exterior was plain, no different from any ordinary roadside eatery. Yet once inside, the difference became clear. The little shop was not lavishly decorated, but it carried a rich, lived-in warmth. Its layout was clean and tidy, the lighting soft and gentle, making anyone who sat down feel cozy and at ease.

The restaurant had been completely cleared out. Only six guests remained at one table: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura of the Hidden Leaf Village; and Jing Hang, Rasa, and Yashamaru of Sunagakure. Yashamaru was Rasa's future brother-in-law and a Jonin of Sunagakure. In the nearby kitchen, someone was busily working amid smoke and flames, sending waves of savory fragrance drifting over.

Before long, a chubby chef with an honest-looking face brought over a large platter of grilled yakitori skewers and placed it before them, along with a huge bottle of sake.

"Sir, everything you ordered is here. Please enjoy."

Jing Hang nodded.

"Thanks for your hard work. Go get some rest."

Then he turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Come on, give it a try. The lantern here is absolutely amazing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite relaxed by then. Without hesitation, he picked up a lantern skewer and put it into his mouth. The egg yolk burst across his tongue, its texture hovering wonderfully between raw and cooked. The chicken that followed was charred on the outside and tender within. This chef's control over the heat was truly masterful.

"Not bad! Not bad at all! I really underestimated this place. The storefront may be small, but the food is genuinely excellent. Homura, Danzo, you two should try some too." Hiruzen urged them to dig in, then gulped down a cup of sake and let out a satisfied breath.

Homura Mitokado and Danzo Shimura did not stand on ceremony, immediately joining the feast. Jing Hang and the others were not about to fall behind either, grabbing skewers and digging in.

After several rounds of food and with the wine half gone, everyone had relaxed further, their postures growing casual. Jing Hang felt the time was about right. It was time to discuss business, so he gradually slowed his skewer-eating pace.

"All right, that's enough. How about we get down to business, gentlemen?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged glances with Homura and Danzo. Hiruzen gave a slight nod, and Homura Mitokado spoke first.

"The Hokage's intention is to take advantage of this opportunity and combine the strength of the Hidden Leaf Village and Sunagakure. First, we will issue a joint peace declaration calling on the Lands of Earth and Lightning to cease hostilities and make peace. If that still fails, both sides can form a Shinobi Allied Force of no fewer than twenty thousand men and deploy them in the Land of Rain, using military pressure to force the two nations to yield..."

"Stop, stop, stop... Let's leave it there for now." Jing Hang rudely interrupted Homura Mitokado, still holding an empty bamboo skewer as he pointed it at him.

"Answer one question for me first."

"Please speak, Kazekage-sama." Homura Mitokado did not mind Jing Hang's rudeness at all. Fair enough—when people were eating skewers and drinking sake, why fuss over so many formalities? Say what you wanted, sing if you felt like it; putting on airs would clearly have been inappropriate.

"If—just if—we deploy troops in the Land of Rain, and that fool Third Raikage and that stubborn old Third Tsuchikage still refuse to listen, what then?"

The three Hidden Leaf representatives were all stunned. It seemed none of them had considered that possibility. It simply did not fit the expected logic.

"According to repeated simulations by the Konoha General Staff, that situation will not occur, because..."

"Elder Homura, please answer my question directly. I am not asking for the simulation results of your General Staff. What happens if the situation I described occurs?"

"This..."

Seeing Homura Mitokado at a loss for words, Jing Hang pressed the advantage.

"Heh. Right now, only the Lands of Earth and Lightning are at war. Would it turn into a four-way war between Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lightning by then? Wouldn't the war only grow larger and larger? Wouldn't that go against Brother Hiruzen's original intention of pursuing peace?"

"That... probably will not happen..." Homura Mitokado had been completely pushed into a disadvantageous position. In the end, this was typical staff-officer thinking: he relied too heavily on maps and war-game simulations to predict how events would unfold, and could not withstand questioning from the opposite angle. Jing Hang had no intention of letting him off verbally and immediately spoke sternly.

"Hmph! Probably will not happen? Warfare is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, the path to survival or ruin. It must not be treated lightly! You want me to entrust the lives of Sunagakure's children to the war-game simulations of a few Konoha staff officers? Sorry, but deploying troops is absolutely out of the question!"

His words were righteous and imposing, leaving no room for rebuttal. Whoever argued against him would practically be branded a war criminal. Sunagakure's children were precious lives; Hidden Leaf's children were also born to parents.

Homura Mitokado was choked speechless for a moment and could only take a sip of sake to conceal his embarrassment.

Danzo silently gave Jing Hang a thumbs-up and picked up the thread. "Kazekage-sama need not be angry. We can postpone the matter of sending troops, but surely we can still issue the peace declaration?"

With one sentence, Danzo had reduced a prospective military operation to diplomatic rhetoric. Everyone knew that in this era, where might made right, a peace declaration without military backing was not much different from toilet paper.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shot Danzo a look, clearly dissatisfied with his wording.

"Then its deterrent effect would be greatly diminished."

"Of course we can issue a peace declaration. As for military intimidation, we can use another method."

Hiruzen Sarutobi became interested at once.

"What method?"

Jing Hang unhurriedly took a sip of sake and uttered four words.

"Military exercises."

"Military exercises?" The three Hidden Leaf representatives repeated the unfamiliar term in unison.

"Yes, military exercises. The Hidden Leaf Village and Sunagakure will each send around a thousand elite shinobi to stage an exercise at the Earth-Lightning border, displaying powerful ninjutsu and tactical coordination. It would be like flexing our muscles and showing off our strength. Whether it is the Hidden Cloud Village or the Hidden Stone Village, they will have to consider the meaning behind those exercises. Wouldn't temporary peace naturally follow?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up after hearing this, only to dim again after a while.

"I'm afraid that kind of peace would not last long either."

"Hahahaha!" Jing Hang could not stop himself from laughing. The laughter darkened the faces of the three Hidden Leaf representatives, while Rasa and Yashamaru tugged at Jing Hang's clothes, afraid the atmosphere would turn ugly.

"Brother, do you think your approach would bring lasting peace?" Jing Hang did not push things too far.

The three Hidden Leaf representatives fell silent.

"Have any of you seen bulls fight before?" Everyone was stunned again. The conversation had suddenly veered in an entirely different direction.

"Does Kazekage-sama mean bulls fighting each other?"

Yashamaru was clearly good at setting up a punchline.

"That's right, bulls fighting. When bulls fight, their horns lock together and they exert tremendous force. If you go in to break them up then, not only will you fail to separate them, but both bulls may turn their horns on you. Even if you force them apart with brute strength, as long as they have not exhausted themselves, they will certainly fight even more fiercely the next time they meet."

"Then what should be done?" Yashamaru continued to ask. Jing Hang nodded in satisfaction. This kid has potential.

"What should be done? Let them fight first! Once they have fought until they are exhausted, crack a whip toward their heads to scare them, and they will naturally stop fighting."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others naturally understood.

Hiruzen picked up his cup, tilted back his head, and took another drink.

"If the war drags on, who knows how many living beings will suffer."

At that moment, Danzo spoke up from beside him.

"I think the Kazekage's words make sense. Forcing a lid on things now would only produce a brief truce. It would not end the war, and an even greater war might erupt in a few years. Besides..."

Danzo's expression suddenly darkened.

"I think a Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village ravaged by war would better serve the interests of the Hidden Leaf Village and Sunagakure."

His words shocked everyone at the table. Jing Hang and the other two from Sunagakure merely stared at their noses, then their mouths, silently drinking. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo in surprise, while Homura Mitokado grabbed one of the few remaining skewers of grilled chicken skin and chewed it fiercely.

(This humble Daoist wishes all benefactors a happy New Year!)