"Rather than slowly being swallowed up and reduced to vassals, we should confront them head-on! Even war would be better than slavery!"
The factions across the Shinobi World split completely.
Some of the higher-ups with vested interests felt that taking orders from Konoha was not necessarily unacceptable, and opposed the Anti-Fire Alliance;
but the overwhelming majority of the middle and lower ranks fully supported Sarada.
Public opinion polarized.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, outside the Hokage office building.
Tsunade and Jiraiya had watched the entire conversation on the Sky Screen, their expressions conflicted.
Jiraiya let out a long sigh. "This kid has taken far too extreme a path in pursuit of permanent peace. But looking at the bigger picture, he really has eliminated large-scale warfare."
"At least for us in Konoha, that's a good thing!"
Tsunade shook her head. "The approach isn't wrong. People's hearts are. Once the class structure becomes rigid, the Shinobi World may well stagnate."
The image on the Sky Screen slowly shifted, cutting straight past the footage of Sarada traveling between the various shinobi villages.
The scene changed, settling on Konoha-the interior of the Hokage Office.
Sunlight streamed through the windows into the spacious, tidy office.
Naruto Uzumaki sat upright in the Hokage's seat, wearing the standard Hokage Robe of the Seventh Hokage.
His expression was calm and composed, and he exuded the steady, oppressive presence unique to those in power.
Sai stood before the desk, holding a thick stack of classified intelligence files as he delivered his report.
Naruto tapped his fingertips lightly against the desktop, a faint smile curling his lips.
"It looks like Sarada really isn't an obedient pawn."
Sai nodded solemnly, his tone certain. "I said it from the beginning. This young woman thinks too deeply, conceals too much, and hides her ambition far