Jingyi did not take such joking words seriously, nor would he foolishly agree to them.
It was not that he was stingy; cooking for too many people was simply troublesome.
Besides, he could not keep using Kushina's little savings to subsidize the village's shinobi, could he?
The New Year had arrived. The shinobi at the camp used their limited resources to hold a gathering in celebration, but Jingyi did not join in.
Thump!
Thump!
Lying on his bed, Jingyi silently sensed the stirrings of the Tenseigan.
Konoha, the Senju ancestral residence.
"What is it, girl? Are you unhappy?"
Mito Uzumaki stroked Kushina's red hair. Kushina forced a smile. "No, Grandma. I'm very happy."
"Ahh..."
Mito Uzumaki sighed and tightened her embrace around Kushina.
Feeling wronged, Kushina finally spoke in a small voice.
"Grandma, I'm unhappy. I thought I'd be able to spend a lively New Year with Jingyi. He's my only friend, but he went straight to the Border Camp.
"Sister Tsunade said the weather there is terrible. I wonder if he's doing well."
"He must miss me, right?"
"..."
What could she say?
Mito Uzumaki opened her mouth several times but could not find any comforting words. She could only stay quietly by Kushina's side.
As for Tsunade and Nawaki...
Nawaki had gone to play with his classmates, while Tsunade had been called to a meeting.
Holding a meeting on New Year's Eve was not because the Third Hokage enjoyed troubling people, but because an important meeting had to be held.
In the conference room on the first floor of the Hokage Office Building, a major meeting was underway.
Apart from the Third Hokage, the attendees included two representatives from the Elder Council, the representative of the Jonin Corps, and nearly everyone else qualified to take part in the meeting.
Other than those still away on missions and the unlucky Shimura Danzō, pretty much everyone else was present.
The Third Hokage held a pipe between his teeth and smoked irritably.
As Hokage, he addressed the room. "Tonight is New Year's Eve. Everyone should be at home with their families, enjoying the holiday. So should I. But clearly, our enemies have no intention of letting us have a lively and peaceful New Year."
"Since last year, Sunagakure's shinobi have repeatedly entered the Land of Rivers, constantly provoking the village. They have violated the peace treaty signed by the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
The First Shinobi World War had shattered the peaceful Shinobi World created by Hashirama Senju and torn apart the peace agreement he had led everyone in signing.
After the First Shinobi World War ended, the villages began peace talks and signed a new peace agreement.
As time passed, each village gradually recovered its strength. Some began revealing their ambitions, baring their fangs at their neighbors and launching repeated provocations.
The purpose of the small nations wedged between major shinobi villages was to serve as buffer zones between two great powers, reducing friction and conflict between them and lowering the chances of war breaking out.
Once one side brazenly sent people into a small nation serving as a buffer zone, the other side would see it as a provocation.
At this moment, Sunagakure was provoking Konoha.
Sunagakure alone would have been manageable, but Amegakure was also unsettled. Under Hanzō, the demigod, Amegakure's strength was steadily rising.
Like Shimura Danzō, Hanzō was an ambitious man.
His ambition was to lead Amegakure to prosperity and ever-greater strength, until it earned the right to stand on equal footing with the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
He wanted to claim the honored title of Kage for himself!
He did not want people calling him the leader of Amegakure. He wanted to become the Amekage!
Taking a hard drag from his pipe and exhaling a cloud of smoke, the Third Hokage continued, "Besides Sunagakure, Amegakure, under Hanzō's leadership, has also repeatedly tested the village's limits. This demigod is an ambitious leader."
"Compared to Amegakure, the village should place greater importance on Sunagakure." Utatane Koharu picked up where the Third Hokage left off.
"Amegakure may be strong, but it is only strong among the smaller nations. Even with Hanzō, the demigod, it cannot threaten the village. Therefore, our defensive focus should be Sunagakure."
Hanzō was indeed powerful. Without sufficient strength, he would not dare call himself a demigod. But individual strength alone was useless unless one could become a second Hashirama Senju or a second Madara Uchiha. Otherwise, one simply could not intimidate others.
Even with the powerful Hanzō leading it, Amegakure could only threaten other small nations and villages. It could not threaten the status of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Because the two sides were not on the same scale.
Individual strength was useless. Not just for Amegakure—even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it would not be enough.
Tobirama Senju had been strong enough, hadn't he? Konoha had not been weak either. Yet together, they still could not deter those with ambitions.
Gold and Silver launched a coup when they wanted and started a war when they wanted. Who the hell cared about Tobirama Senju?
If Hashirama Senju had been there, Gold and Silver would have obediently stayed down. But Tobirama Senju? Who the hell was he?
By the same reasoning, among the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Third Raikage could be called the most terrifying and troublesome. Kumogakure's overall strength was not weak either. But could Kumogakure suppress the other villages?
Forget suppressing everyone—Ōnoki and Iwagakure alone were enough to give Kumogakure a headache.
So no matter how much Amegakure jumped around, it was nothing more than a clown. Only Sunagakure was worth Konoha's attention.
Focusing on Sunagakure was the right strategy, but the question was how to focus on it.
Surely they would not send people into the Land of Rivers to provoke Sunagakure the moment they received a provocation.
Everyone looked to the Third Hokage, wanting to know how their Hokage viewed the matter.
"The village cannot remain passively defensive. Since the enemy has made a move, we should move as well. Passive restraint will only make them push further."
With that one sentence, the Third Hokage had essentially declared that Konoha would retaliate.
As for how they would retaliate, that still required discussion.
"Lord Hokage, rashly sending people into the Land of Rivers is not the best choice."
As the Hokage's strategist and the head of the Jonin Corps, Shikaku Nara offered his suggestion. "The enemy is provoking us, and we should strike back. But we should start from another angle instead of copying Sunagakure and invading the Land of Rivers."
Shikaku Nara's words drew everyone's attention.
The Third Hokage hesitated. "Shikaku, you mean the Land of Rain?"
The Third Hokage's ability needed no questioning if he could firmly hold the position of Hokage. His political instincts were just as sharp.
Was Sunagakure not provoking them?
Amegakure was unsettled as well. Why not send people into the Land of Rain, agitate Sunagakure's nerves, and make Sunagakure shift its attention to the Land of Rain?
With both Konoha and Sunagakure entering, they could also curb Amegakure's growth and Hanzō's ambitions.
"I think Shikaku's idea is excellent. It would answer Sunagakure's provocation while also suppressing Amegakure's development and ambitions."
"As expected of the man with the sharpest mind. A few words, and he has linked Amegakure and Sunagakure together."
Quite a few people in the conference room murmured among themselves.
Tsunade, her arms crossed, frowned as she listened.
"Everyone, Senior Shikaku's proposal is very good. Without any surprises, it can shift Sunagakure's attention to the Land of Rain. As the village and Sunagakure enter it, Amegakure's development will certainly be affected. But have you considered Iwagakure's response?"
Why was Sunagakure provoking Konoha in the Land of Rivers instead of going to Amegakure? Was Sunagakure afraid of Amegakure and Hanzō?
No. It was simply because Sunagakure—or rather, the Third Kazekage—did not want to provoke two powerful enemies at once.
Provoking Konoha in the Land of Rivers meant provoking only Konoha. But provoking in the Land of Rain would not only put Konoha on edge; it would also agitate Iwagakure.
After all, the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. Once one side began operating there, it was equivalent to provoking two powerful opponents.
Do not devise a strategy aimed at Sunagakure and Amegakure, only to drag Iwagakure into it as well.
Before you continue