After the meeting ended, Shikaku remained alone in the conference room, staring at the map for a long time.
Inoichi Yamanaka pushed the door open and handed him a cup of hot tea. "Still not going back to rest?"
Shikaku took the tea with a wry smile. "Where would I find the time to rest?
The first troops arrive the day after tomorrow. I need to check every step again."
Inoichi sat down opposite him. "What are you worried about?"
Shikaku fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, "The war is over, and the enemy is gone. But people's hearts still need time to settle."
"So many people, from different shinobi villages and countries, with different languages, different habits, and different grudges. Bringing them together in one village could spark conflict at the slightest misstep."
"You think something will happen?"
"No." Shikaku shook his head. "With Lord Naraku here, no matter how many people there are, nothing will go wrong."
"Besides, Naraku wasn't the only one who brought this war to an end. There were also Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha."
"The three of them now stand at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world in terms of strength."
"So at a time like this, no one has the nerve to cause trouble in Konoha."
Shikaku looked up at Inoichi Yamanaka. "Because that would mean death!"
"But minor friction and disputes of all kinds are inevitable."
"The villages and countries were able to contribute their forces to form the Allied Shinobi Forces because everyone shared a powerful enemy."
"Now that the enemy is gone, many people will remember their old grudges."
At this point, Shikaku sighed. "You don't think one war can erase every dispute and grudge, do you?"
Inoichi Yamanaka was naturally not that naive, but he still