"Cough, cough."
Shikaku Nara cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the conference room.
He rose to his feet and walked to the enormous map of the Shinobi World in the center of the room.
"Now that everyone is here, the meeting will begin."
Everyone's gaze immediately focused on Shikaku Nara.
"Under Hokage-sama's instructions, before the official meeting begins, I will first brief you all on the latest situation in the Shinobi World."
Shikaku Nara picked up a long pointer and indicated the corner of the map representing the Land of Wind.
"First, Sunagakure."
"In recent years, the Land of Wind's daimyo has drastically cut Sunagakure's budget, leaving them in severe financial straits and making it difficult for the village to function."
"Nishidai Kazekage Rasa is mediocre in ability. He can only rely on his Kekkei Genkai to sell Gold Dust and barely cover the village's expenses."
"Their only deterrent is the One-Tails Jinchuriki, Gaara. But according to our latest intelligence, Rasa's control over Gaara is extremely unstable—one could even say it has failed."
"In short, Sunagakure is strong on the outside but weak within."
Next, Shikaku Nara's pointer moved east across the map.
"Second, Kirigakure."
"Nishidai Mizukage Yagura's tyranny has completely turned Kirigakure into the Bloody Mist Village."
"They have been slaughtering shinobi with Kekkei Genkai without restraint, causing frequent internal rebellions and severely draining their strength."
"Present-day Hidden Mist Village has adopted a complete isolationist policy, nearly cutting off all contact with the outside world. It has become an island unto itself."
Quite a few jonin in the conference room nodded lightly.
The miserable state of the Bloody Mist Village had long ceased to be a secret.
"Then, Iwagakure."
Shikaku Nara's voice grew more serious.
"Iwagakure is an established military power. Although they suffered grievous losses during the