Nangō Kumoi looked over the briefing on the unusual movements among the Four Great Ninja Villages, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk as his brow furrowed slightly.
"Sunagakure has been frequently redeploying its border patrol squads. Kirigakure's Blood Mist Policy appears to be tightening. The Raikage Office in Kumogakure has had intensive dealings with foreign affairs personnel lately. Iwagakure is also accelerating its stockpiling of certain specific supplies..."
He murmured the key points, rapidly calculating the timeline in his mind.
"It hasn't been long since the last great war ended. In theory, none of the nations should have recovered this quickly, much less begun showing such synchronized signs of obvious restlessness.
This is abnormal... unless they discovered some shared 'shortcut,' or felt some shared 'pressure.'"
After pondering for a moment, he looked up and instructed the Anbu "Crow," who stood waiting nearby.
"Keep watching. You may infiltrate deeper. Focus on whether some shared external factor is driving these developments, or... whether there is contact between them that we have yet to detect.
Report any new information to me directly, no matter how minor."
"Yes."
Crow accepted the order, his figure about to vanish.
The intelligence brought by the Anbu darkened Nangō Kumoi's gaze. Undercurrents were stirring outside; there could be no mistakes within.
"Go invite Elder Danzo," he ordered, his tone calm but carrying a decision that allowed no revision.
Before long, Shimura Danzō arrived at the office. He keenly sensed that the atmosphere was different and gave a slight nod after coming to a stop. "Lord Hokage."
"Senior brother, sit."
Nangō Kumoi did not waste time on pleasantries. He went straight to the point, but the word he used was "notification," not "discussion."
"I have made a new decision regarding the development of Root.
Given the complexity of the