In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kōki. He could clearly sense Kōki's growth, not in his body, but in his spirit.
Previously, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Kōki had merely reached the level of a Jonin in strength, without the will to match. He could sense that Kōki's mindset was somewhat relaxed, and even several months of missions had only changed that in part.
But this time was different. Perhaps because of his comrades' deaths, Kōki's entire bearing had changed drastically, though only those who knew him well could notice it.
To describe it, it was like a group of people playing a game, with one person remaining detached the whole time, only to finally join in.
After confirming that Kōki's emotional state was fine, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the intelligence in his hand.
Before long, Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured to himself as he looked at it.
"So that's how it is."
After reading the entire report, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked thoughtful.
"Go summon the council of elders and the heads of every clan. Tell them we have intelligence from the front and need to hold a war council," Hiruzen Sarutobi instructed the Anbu ninja concealed in the shadows.
"You should wait here, too. You'll be attending this meeting as well. That includes you, Kōki." Hiruzen Sarutobi addressed Minato and the others before him, specifically calling out Kōki.
Before long, the council elders-Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura-entered the office, accompanied by the heads of the various shinobi clans and elite Jonin.
After arriving, they first looked around, nodding when they saw Minato's group. But they frowned upon seeing a small, young figure. Since Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no reaction, however, they said nothing. They took their seats and waited for the meeting to begin.
Once everyone had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "We've obtained a piece of intelligence explaining why Sunagakure has only been maintaining a standoff at the front rather than attacking."
"According to the report, the reason Sunagakure didn't invade the Land of Fire outright at the outset was that the Daimyo of the Land of Wind issued a decree forcibly cutting Sunagakure's funding. This decree directly disrupted their plans to attack us."
"That's why we've been locked in a standoff for three months. Of course, Sunagakure has never abandoned its plans to attack, and throughout this time, they've been in talks with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind."
"Just recently, Sunagakure's leadership persuaded the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to rescind the order cutting their funding and increase their military budget instead." At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath.
"In other words, Sunagakure now has no worries holding it back and can launch a direct attack on Konoha."
"Lord Hokage, does the report mention why the Daimyo of the Land of Wind changed his orders?" one of the clan heads in the office asked Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His question was also what everyone else present wanted to ask. If they knew the reason, might there be a chance to persuade the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to stop supporting Sunagakure?
"Unfortunately, our Anbu were discovered by Sunagakure after gathering this intelligence, so the report doesn't explain why the Daimyo of the Land of Wind changed his mind."
At this, Danzo, beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, had something to say.
"Hiruzen, my Root has obtained some intelligence concerning the Daimyo of the Land of Wind." Danzo stepped forward. Situations like this were precisely where his Root came into play.
"All right, Danzo. Go ahead."
Seeing Danzo stand, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, signaling for him to continue the explanation.
"The intelligence our Root ninja brought back from the Land of Wind's capital indicates that the daimyo's reason for cutting Sunagakure's military budget was very simple."
"The daimyo felt that the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest Kazekage in the Land of Wind's history, had actually gone missing within his own country, and they couldn't even determine why he had disappeared."
"The Daimyo of the Land of Wind considered this a sign of Sunagakure's incompetence and felt they didn't deserve the enormous sums spent supporting them every year."
"Then they went so far as to decide to start a war without his authorization. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind considered Sunagakure both incompetent and belligerent. That was why he decided to cut their military budget."
Danzo's intelligence made all the shinobi present understand why Sunagakure had maintained its standoff with Konoha for so long.
They all knew that launching a war required ample supplies.
Most of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' supplies came from the countries backing them. Once a country's daimyo refused to provide support, its shinobi village would have no chance of winning a war.
Unless that village's individual combat strength was powerful enough to disregard factors such as funding and supplies that kept shinobi villages in check.
"Because their military budget was cut, Sunagakure spent these past few months trying to persuade the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, without any success until recently."
"But in the past few days, Root ninja discovered that the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and Sunagakure's envoy were having very cordial discussions. The atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious."
"Root discovered that the daimyo changed his attitude because Sunagakure's leadership made a wager with him. They promised that if they couldn't tear a chunk of flesh from our Land of Fire, they would willingly accept reduced financial support for Sunagakure over the next few years."
"With Sunagakure's troops already mobilized and the situation escalating toward a major war beyond restraint, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind could only change his mind and agree to support Sunagakure in going to war. But if Sunagakure loses, it won't receive financial support afterward."
"In other words, Sunagakure is coming at us with very strong resolve this time."
From Danzo's intelligence, everyone present could see Sunagakure's firm determination.
After a moment of silence, Danzo suddenly spoke, suggesting that Hiruzen Sarutobi strike first.
"Hiruzen, there's no need to hesitate now. We should take the offensive, seize the initiative, and teach Sunagakure a harsh lesson."
"No."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Danzo's suggestion without hesitation. But before he could explain why, Danzo spoke again.
"Hiruzen, with Konoha's current strength, we're perfectly capable of attacking first and committing the bulk of our forces to drive Sunagakure back outright. That would leave us with plenty of energy to guard against the other three shinobi villages."
After speaking, Danzo saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved and gritted his teeth in resentment.
After hearing Danzo out, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally offered an explanation.
"Danzo, have you considered what we'll do if we fail to finish off Sunagakure and get bogged down by them instead?"
"When the other shinobi villages see us tied down by Sunagakure, they'll move straight in to exploit our vulnerability. Are we supposed to take such a huge risk just to deal with Sunagakure?"
"Besides, however weak Sunagakure may be, it's still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Don't underestimate a village with over ten thousand shinobi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's explanation stopped Danzo's next rebuttal in its tracks.
Suddenly, urgent knocking came from the office door.
"Lord Hokage, news from the border! Sunagakure has formally declared war on Konoha. Fighting has already broken out at the front."
Hearing this definite news, everyone present jolted, realizing that the war had truly begun. They couldn't help turning their gazes toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Upon hearing the news, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately addressed the clan heads from the various shinobi villages and the Jonin present. "The war has now officially begun. Everyone, prepare to reinforce the battlefield at any moment."
"Danzo, that goes for your Root as well."
"Hmph. I'd do that without you telling me." With his proposal rejected outright by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo still harbored some resentment.
"Everyone else, go back and make the necessary preparations for war. Minato, Kōki, stay behind."
After Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed them, Danzo, the others, and the heads of the various shinobi clans left the office. Only Minato's group, who had just gone to support Kōki, and Kōki himself were asked to remain by Hiruzen Sarutobi.