Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in his spacious chair, lost in thought.
Hatake Sakumo had already taken the map and headed to the Land of Waterfalls to investigate the chakra metal mine.
For the moment, Hiruzen could not make up his mind.
If a chakra metal lode with substantial reserves really existed, what should he do?
As Yamanaka Makoto had said, mining chakra metal could not be kept entirely secret. Takigakure probably had not discovered the mine yet.
But the same reasoning applied to Konoha.
Mining required specialized personnel and equipment. Once Konoha started, it would cause too much of a stir to hide from Takigakure.
"Takigakure, Hero Water, tailed beast..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi wavered.
The chakra metal mine was astonishingly valuable, but Takigakure was a problem he could not sidestep.
Bang!
The office door was shoved open hard, and Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.
"Danzo, what is it?"
Danzo stood across from Hiruzen Sarutobi, his voice brimming with excitement. "Hiruzen, you agreed to my suggestion after all!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Kumogakure's delegation is already on its way to Konoha, and you chose this moment to send Hatake Sakumo on a mission, heading toward the Land of Lightning, no less... Hiruzen, are you worried that the dozen or so Kumogakure jonin we have won't give Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags enough killing power?"
"What did you say?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind froze for a few seconds before he caught on. In disbelief, he said, "Wait, you think I sent Sakumo to intercept and kill Kumogakure's envoys?"
"Didn't you?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes, looking as though he had seen right through him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his fists.
"Sakumo has another mission. He just needs to take a roundabout route to avoid drawing attention. It's not what you think!"