In Konoha's Hokage's Office, a group of people was dealing with a thorny problem: Kumogakure's offensive. The enemy seemed to have gone mad, fixated on Konoha and disregarding everything else. The trouble was that these brainless opponents were incredibly strong, capable of confronting Tailed Beasts head-on. The Third Hokage had no particularly good solution and could only place the pressure on Orochimaru.
Before Orochimaru ran into any trouble, Hatake Sakumo on the Land of Wind front had raised an issue first. Looking at the envelope on the table, he said with a troubled expression:
"I never expected Kumogakure to be so arrogant that they would dare split up their forces. This is an opportunity, but how to swallow them is the problem. Then there is Hatake Sakumo's proposal to pass through Amegakure. Both are extremely troublesome matters."
The Hokage advisors had not been summoned to sigh and lament. They needed to come up with a reasonable solution.
Mitokado Homura held the envelope, read its contents, and offered his view:
"During the Third Shinobi World War, Amegakure chose not to join the battlefield. According to the information I received, they have strictly forbidden their ninjas from leaving the village. It seems they do not want to participate in this war. We can use benefits to persuade them to open a route for us. At worst, we can promise to bear the pressure from Kumogakure on Amegakure's behalf."
Hearing his companion's reasonable suggestion, the Third Hokage did not immediately agree. Hanzo of the Salamander was very likely to refuse. His refusal to enter the war was precisely because he wanted to avoid the Third Shinobi World War. Konoha's actions now amounted to dragging him into the abyss. Hanzo was no fool; a little benefit and a verbal promise would be difficult to