These four unidentified shinobi were, of course, not mere missing-nin, but individuals specifically dispatched on a mission from their village.
Naturally, four individuals alone couldn't possibly be there to capture a Tailed Beast; that would be overestimating them far too much. While Chomei, the Seven-Tails, might not be as infamous as the Nine-Tails, it was still a Tailed Beast. Attempting to capture it with just four people would be a joke.
Their assigned task was originally that of an advance party, to delay the small hidden village of Takigakure, or to 'deal with' the individuals they dispatched, thereby seizing the initiative.
Once this objective was achieved, the forces behind them would send experts leading a larger contingent to capture Chomei.
However, it seemed there had been a misstep in the intelligence. The mission, originally involving only Takigakure, now unexpectedly included Konohagakure. This made things a bit more difficult. Still, they couldn't simply declare the mission a failure. They had to at least go and investigate Mushiking Valley.
Regardless of what these 'missing-nin' intended to do, Hibari was currently pushing forward relentlessly with Hiruzen towards Mushiking Valley.
"Do you need to stop and rest for a bit, maybe replenish your stamina?" Hiruzen's figure suddenly appeared on a branch of a tree in the dense forest, speaking softly.
The next second, Hibari's figure also appeared on the same tree branch. Hibari took a water canteen from his waist, took a sip, and smiled. "No need. In terms of strength, I might not match you, Hiruzen-nii, but when it comes to stamina, I've never feared anyone..."
"It's Hiruzen-jisan!" Hiruzen said, somewhat annoyed. After a slight pause, he continued, "In that case, I won't go easy on you anymore. Get ready to pick up the pace. The sooner we arrive, the sooner we can begin our investigation..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hibari nodded, putting away his canteen. Immediately after, Hiruzen's figure vanished from the tree branch at an incredible speed.
Hibari's lips curved slightly, and with a push off his feet, he also departed from the spot.
"Hiruzen, I heard that Chomei, the Seven-Tails, is a Tailed Beast that resembles a giant bug and is very powerful. Is that true?" Hibari's voice echoed through the dense forest.
Though his figure was unseen, shortly after, Hiruzen's voice also came from the forest.
"It is indeed a giant bug, but there isn't a single Tailed Beast that isn't powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called 'walking natural disasters.' Since ancient times, wherever a Tailed Beast passes, corpses litter the ground."
"To hand over such a powerful being to Takigakure is truly regrettable. Why would the village do such a thing? If it were me, I'd keep it for myself..." Hibari said after some thought.
"These matters aren't up to your personal whims. These are decisions made after careful consideration by Hokage-sama and the others. The matter of the Tailed Beasts was already discussed and agreed upon during the Five Kage Summit. Chomei, according to the agreement, shouldn't be in the hands of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Therefore, it must naturally be handed over to Takigakure, who has good relations with Konohagakure. At the same time, Takigakure is a 'neutral' village and generally won't get involved in disputes. This is already the best outcome..." Hiruzen explained to Hibari.
"I heard that the Five Kage Summit resolved the distribution of the Tailed Beasts, but thinking about it carefully, now that Hashirama-jiisan has given the previously captured Tailed Beasts to the other villages, Konohagakure doesn't have any at all. Isn't that a huge loss?" Hibari asked again.
"The handing over of the Tailed Beasts contributes to peace among the great hidden villages. With everyone holding such power, they'll naturally be more cautious when it comes to fighting. Therefore, even if there are conflicts, they can largely be restrained to 'friction' and not escalate into war. As for our Konohagakure, I heard from Tobirama-sensei that another condition for handing over the Tailed Beasts was that if there's any news of the Nine-Tails, the other four villages must notify Konohagakure. In other words, the Tailed Beast held by Konohagakure is the strongest, the Nine-Tails; it just hasn't been captured yet," Hiruzen explained again.
"Isn't that just 'Flower-Water-Moon' trickery? If you ask me, we should capture Chomei and bring it back to the village, then, once we capture the Nine-Tails, it would be safest to hand over Chomei to Takigakure," Hibari said, his eyes twinkling, offering a dubious suggestion.
"Hibari, you brat, don't mess around. This isn't a small matter. You think about handing over Chomei after capturing the Nine-Tails, but will the other villages think that way? One careless mistake could plunge Konohagakure into a crisis of credibility, and it could also shatter this hard-won peace..." Hiruzen said very seriously.
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Hibari chuckled and said, "I was just saying..."
He paused slightly, then continued with a hint of lament, "This peace, it's truly a fragile thing... It feels like anything could happen to shatter this seemingly stable peace..."
Hearing Hibari's words, Hiruzen, who was still sprinting forward, also showed a flicker of emotion in his eyes. He then said, "Indeed, peace isn't something that comes easily. There have always been many frictions between the Five Great Shinobi Countries, and wars have erupted frequently. Now, the system has changed, but the Five Great Shinobi Countries are all newly established. Everyone is feeling their way forward, and it's inevitable that there's some nervousness. This nervousness can easily lead to trouble. Moreover, it hasn't been long since the Warring States Period ended, and ambitious individuals will not simply accept this peace..."
"So, Hiruzen, do you think this peace will last long? Is the possibility of war breaking out high?" Hibari asked again.
As soon as Hibari finished speaking, he saw Hiruzen's figure stop on a large tree ahead. Hibari then landed on it as well.
At this point, Hiruzen turned to look at Hibari, a heavy expression in his eyes. He said, "In my opinion, this peace indeed has an expiration date... Hibari, currently, the other four villages are all wary of Hokage-sama's strength. After all, Hokage-sama is known as the 'God of Shinobi,' and even the Tailed Beasts, known as 'natural disasters,' fare poorly against him. The other four villages naturally fear us..."
At this point, Hiruzen's voice grew heavier. He then continued, "But birth, old age, sickness, and death are the unchangeable laws of the world. Even a master as powerful as Hokage-sama will eventually be unable to escape this fate, right? Once Hokage-sama, who can deter the other four countries and four villages, is gone... then, in order to gain more benefits, war is highly likely to break out at any time."
More benefits, what more benefits? Undoubtedly, the benefits currently held by Konohagakure.
Although Senju Hashirama was pure-hearted and cared for the entire shinobi world, ultimately, he was also the First Hokage of Konohagakure.
This meant he had to secure benefits for Konohagakure. And precisely because Konohagakure now had the presence of Senju Hashirama, it became the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Countries. As the strongest, it naturally had to acquire the most benefits, such as the volume of mission requests from other smaller countries outside the Five Great Shinobi Countries, economic exports, territorial divisions, and so on...
Land of Fire and Konohagakure were at the forefront of these things, and the backing for all of this was First Hokage Senju Hashirama.
As Hiruzen said, birth, old age, sickness, and death are human nature. Once Hashirama was gone, the other four countries would inevitably harbor ill intentions. Without the great deity Senju Hashirama protecting Konohagakure, whether everyone would continue to be convinced and follow Konohagakure as the big brother would be hard to say.
Since the establishment of the villages, no one had truly fought with real blades to see whose village was the strongest. Right now, Konohagakure had Hashirama, so they conceded. But later, it wouldn't be like that.
Therefore, in Hiruzen's view, once the Hokage 'retired,' a war would inevitably break out among the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
This war, on one hand, would be for countries to gain benefits, and on the other, it would be a true desire to determine the 'superiority' among the various shinobi villages!
Hibari looked at Hiruzen, filled with emotion.
No wonder Tobirama would later hand over the position of Hokage to Hiruzen. From his words, it was clear that he was not only an incredible genius as a shinobi but also remarkably farsighted in terms of overall strategy.
The Five Kage Summit, which symbolized 'peace,' had only recently concluded, yet the young Hiruzen had already seen through the smoke of war hidden behind this 'peace.'
Hibari knew very well that all of this would naturally progress in the direction Hiruzen currently worried about. Once his Hashirama 'passed away,' this war would quickly erupt. That would be the massive conflict that would later be known as the 'First Great Ninja War,' affecting the entire shinobi world!
"Perhaps. But Hiruzen, although we revere war, if war is inevitable, then we must not fear it, must we?" Hibari said with a smile.
Hearing Hibari's words, Hiruzen, whose expression had been somewhat somber, also smiled. He then said, "You little brat, you're not old, but your words are quite sharp... Well, you're right. While we revere war, we never fear it. If war truly comes... I believe the ultimate victor will definitely be our Konohagakure!"
After speaking, Hiruzen stopped discussing the topic with Hibari. Without even a word of farewell, he moved his feet, and his entire being vanished from the tree branch once more.
Hibari chuckled at this sight, then also moved his feet, following closely, confidently boasting, "Don't worry, Hiruzen! With Senju Hibari here, how could this war possibly be lost?"
"It's Hiruzen-jisan, Hibari! Don't underestimate war, you brat!" Hiruzen's voice reached Hibari's ears from ahead.
"Got it, Hiruzen!"