"Besides, they won't dare act rashly from here on out."
Uchiha Yao declared.
Tsunade's hand paused slightly.
"You're that certain?"
She was somewhat worried.
"Neither the Hidden Cloud Village nor the Stone Village is easy to deal with. If they join forces, their troops may outnumber ours."
Uchiha Yao gave a disdainful smile.
"Join forces?"
"That's nothing more than the wailing of weaklings huddling together for warmth."
"The fall of Sunagakure has already robbed them of their courage."
"First of all, I, Uchiha Yao, am not the Third Hokage. There will be no compromise under me!"
"So what do Ōnoki and A fear most now?"
Without waiting for Tsunade to answer, Uchiha Yao continued on his own.
"They fear becoming my next primary target."
"If the Hidden Cloud Village makes the first move, I'll gather our main forces and wipe out the Hidden Cloud Village first."
"Conversely, if the Stone Village strikes first, the outcome will be the same."
"There is no trust between them to begin with."
Uchiha Yao's words succinctly laid out the current situation.
"So long as we don't take the initiative to attack, they will never dare act rashly."
"We only need to reinforce the border with some troops. A show of deterrence will be enough."
Tsunade understood.
This was an open scheme.
Uchiha Yao did not care whether they formed an alliance or not, because the initiative had been firmly in Konoha's hands from beginning to end.
"Then... what do we do next...?"
Tsunade asked softly.
Uchiha Yao took Tsunade's hand and pulled her into his arms, letting her sit on his lap.
Tsunade struggled symbolically for a moment before obediently leaning against his broad chest, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Uchiha Yao gently rested his chin against her forehead, inhaling the fragrance of her hair.