If this is truly a bait set up by Kirigakure and Konoha in tacit agreement...
Those who take the bait will surely suffer the consequences.
No matter how strong their Kumogakure is, it cannot withstand such a heavy blow, so they must not take that first step.
"I agree with Dodai's view; it's best to observe the situation further here!"
On the left, an elderly man in a white robe with short red and black hair, one of only three people present who were qualified to sit, also spoke at this moment.
This old man is Zasai, one of the only two remaining 'elders' of Kumogakure!
He is a rare, steady and reliable person in the Kumogakure.
After all, the Cloud Ninja's style has always been to 'rush in'!
This elder is a rather rare figure in Kumogakure.
"It is precisely because this opportunity is so rare that we cannot miss it, Third Hokage. My suggestion is that we take the initiative to contact Kirigakure. If something truly sordid has occurred between Konoha and Kirigakure, this would be a golden opportunity. At the very least, we could advance into the Land of Land of Hot Water and bring the entire Land of Hot Water under our sphere of influence!"
In stark contrast to Zasai was another elder on the opposite side, the one with the most orthodox Cloud Ninja style— Sekito.
The strength of Konoha and the wealth of the Land of Fire are well-known facts. Barring any unforeseen circumstances or other factors, Konohagakure most eager to invade among the four great ninja villages!
The First Shinobi World War broke out because of this!
It's fair to say that the final result was slightly different from what we expected!
As an elder who participated in the First Shinobi World War, Sekito naturally never forgot his desire to suppress Konohagakure and seize Konoha's interests!
Leaving aside other considerations, as long as it allows us to occupy the entire Land of Hot Water...
This would greatly enhance the strategic maneuvering space for their Kumogakure!
Therefore, this elder of Kumogakure did not want to miss this opportunity!
In the First Shinobi World War, the Kumogakure could have been considered the strongest in terms of combat power. However, due to various reasons, especially the rebellion of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers, both the Hidden Leaf Village and the Konohagakure suffered heavy losses. In the end, the Kumogakure paid a heavier price!
They directly became the losers in the First Shinobi World War!
The Second Shinobi World War was originally intended to take advantage of the conflict between Konohagakure and Amegakure to gain a foothold in Konohagakure, but it failed due to the entanglement between Kirigakure and Iwagakure.
Now, another golden opportunity is laid out before us.
Elder Sekito's attitude was quite obvious.
The Third Raikage A was in the head seat, had a general idea of how the people below him would react.
Not surprising at all.
Strictly speaking, this Third Raikage had already made a decision in his heart, but he still needed to brainstorm some ideas.
Even as a shadow.
It can't be too 'dictatorial' either.
He also wanted to train his son, the next generation of the A–B Combination in his own ninja village!
" Burui, what do you think?"
The Third Raikage A, looked at the young Yotsuki Burui and asked.
To cultivate a qualified successor, one must let him experience various things so that he can accumulate governing experience. As his son, Burui's talent as a ninja is self-evident. The Third Raikage A has reason to believe that Burui will become a powerful Lightning Release ninja comparable to himself in the future. However, to become a Kage, strength alone is not enough. A ninja village has hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of ninjas. To lead these people, one's political talent must at least be above average!
Not to mention, the Third Raikage A, had extremely high expectations for his son!
"Yes, Third Hokage, I think Sekito's opinion is worth considering. Our Cloud Ninja's space is something we fought our way through. If an opportunity is presented to us and we don't seize it, we would be unworthy of the Cloud Ninja's name. We can be cautious, but when the time comes to act, we must not hesitate. I agree with strengthening ties with Kirigakure. If possible, we Cloud Ninja should take the initiative and seize the Land of Hot Water. Once we create a fait accompli, I believe Konohagakure will definitely not act rashly!"
A truly mature politician, or even a political figure, even if you are just pretending, must have your own set of mature political ideas. Lower-level leaders can waver or even lack their own stance.
However, the higher one climbs in a position, the more they emphasize having a clear and unequivocal ideology!
A person with no income, no job, and no support will not gain the approval or support of others!
Yotsuki Burui is a pure Cloud Ninja. Judging from his later actions in the original work, it can be concluded that this future Fourth Raikage is someone who absolutely cannot suffer a loss, and he doesn't care who his opponent is!
In short, the Kumogakure must be the one that benefits!
Elder Sekito nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Burui's words.
This is the kind of leadership style that the Raikage of Kumogakure needs!
Fourteen-year-old Killer B stared at his older brother with shining eyes!
"By what do you think?"
The Third Raikage neither agreed nor disagreed with his son's opinion, but turned to look at Blue B had a middle-part hairstyle, and asked.
"Yes, we definitely need to seize the opportunity, but we still don't have enough intelligence, so we can't make any big moves. However, a little probing should be fine!"
After pondering for a moment, Blue B looked up and spoke in a very serious tone.
If we really miss the best opportunity to make a move...
This is something no Cloud Ninja can accept.
However, if one were to achieve the desired result in one step, the risk would be too high. Blue B not that kind of person, and he personally leans more towards Elder Zasai's opinion.
Everyone expressed their opinions, but ultimately the decision rested with the Third Raikage, who held the highest position. To be precise, in the current Shinobi World, the only Kage who could truly rule a ninja village were the Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage. This was because they had held power in the ninja village for many years, and their prestige had penetrated into every corner of the entire village. It was also because of the sheer size of the ninja village.
No one could possibly match the prestige and power of these two, let alone exert even the slightest influence!
The Third Hokage could have been a good candidate, but some of his questionable actions prevented him from fully integrating the power of the entire ninja village. Danzo aside, the Uchiha Clan was also a major problem!
Of course, this is definitely not just Hiruzen Sarutobi's problem.
But as the Shadow, he definitely bears the primary responsibility!