The white-haired elder's proposal rang out firmly, instantly drawing nods from everyone.
"I agree with Hikashirō."
Dianbingwei immediately stated his position. "We must seal off the site and track the enemy at the same time."
"Also..."
He turned to glance at the other elders, choosing his words carefully. "Should we send someone to notify Konoha and give them a heads-up?"
"Although the Allied Shinobi Forces have disbanded, Shihōin Naraku has not stepped down as their nominal Supreme Commander."
"We need his approval and confirmation to pursue Kabuto Yakushi."
"Hmph, Konoha?"
One elder snorted in displeasure. "When Orochimaru defected, Konoha couldn't do anything to him. In the end, it was another defector, Sasuke Uchiha, who killed Orochimaru for them."
"And now they think they can catch Kabuto Yakushi?"
"If you ask me, rather than count on Konoha to help us, we should catch him ourselves first. Once we've caught him, we can interrogate him however we see fit. It won't be too late to notify Konoha then."
The ninja of Kumogakure had held grievances against Naraku and Konoha for quite some time, so objections like this were hardly surprising.
Dianbingwei had long since grown used to them, too.
But he and Elder Yunshui had visited Konoha once to attend a meeting on the aftermath of the war, and he knew how terrifyingly powerful the other side was.
He truly did not want to strain relations with Shihōin Naraku again over something like this.
But it was difficult for him to speak up now. With no other choice, he secretly shot his allies a look.
"That line of thinking is still too extreme!"
"Exactly. Why go that far?"
Several elders soon offered differing opinions.
"Peace has finally returned to the Shinobi World, and relations between the Five Great Nations are closer than