Seeing Hibari once again refuse the invitation to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Tobirama didn't press the issue.
Just as he'd said, the Daimyō's court valued Hibari, but how could their Senju clan not value him?
As the most talented person of the Senju clan's third generation, it was perfectly reasonable for Hibari to want to continue being a shinobi.
With that thought, Tobirama said, "Alright, since you're unwilling to go, I'll recommend someone else to the Daimyō's court."
Sasuke smiled at the scene and said, "I really don't understand what you important people are thinking. If our Sarutobi clan had such a good opportunity, I'd have sent someone long ago."
Hibari chuckled at that and said to Sasuke, "Sarutobi-jiisan, maybe it will actually come true someday? After all, your Sarutobi clan also has a very good relationship with the Daimyō's court."
"Hahahaha, perhaps." Sasuke smiled.
If Hibari remembered correctly, Sasuke's grandson, Asuma Sarutobi, who was Hiruzen's youngest son, would later accept this invitation to the Twelve Guardian Ninja and become one of its members.
After discussing this matter, Tobirama cleared his throat, took a sip of tea, and looked at Hibari again, asking, "Alright, let's stop talking about personal matters here. Hibari, what about the investigation you were asked to conduct for the Anbu?"
"Harano-san's Intelligence Division should have already reported it to you, Tobirama-jiisan. Kumogakure has changed leaders; the Second Raikage should have taken office by now. I'm afraid in a day or two, envoys notifying other hidden villages will arrive, right?" Hibari thought for a moment and replied.
"Harano did indeed report on that matter, but I need news about something else," Tobirama nodded and said.
Hearing this, Hibari's expression slightly darkened. He then said, "The Third Squad is still investigating, but from the current information, we don't need too much conclusive evidence. The people who have recently infiltrated the Land of Fire, mysteriously gathering intelligence, are all spies from the Five Great Nations. Among them, Kumogakure shinobi are the most numerous. Of course, currently, these are all my deductions."
After hearing Hibari's words, Tobirama's expression became slightly grim. Hibari's judgment aligned with his own thoughts. Although there wasn't any conclusive evidence yet, he could confirm which forces were behind this.
"So, what kind of intelligence do you think they're looking for?" Tobirama asked, looking at Hibari.
Hibari grinned, a smile forming on his lips, then said, "What else could they be looking for? It's nothing more than information about Hashirama-jiisan, after all..."
"After all, it's no secret that Hashirama is unwell. He hasn't had any other activities for the past half-year, so it's normal for some to suspect that Hashirama has lost his strength as a shinobi..." Sasuke said softly.
The matter of Hashirama's great battle with Madara and his killing of Madara on the spot certainly couldn't be kept a secret. The major hidden villages would undoubtedly receive this news immediately.
If it were someone else giving Hashirama trouble, these hidden villages would at most just laugh it off and wouldn't take it seriously. But the one who fought Hashirama was Madara, who had been his equal for many years, and Madara was directly killed in battle.
What did this indicate? It indicated that Hashirama and Madara had fought a battle to the death, and since Madara died on the spot, Hashirama definitely could not have emerged unscathed.
Therefore, many suspected that Hashirama was severely injured. And with his swift retirement from the First Hokage position, this possibility became even higher. After half a year of observation, all the major hidden villages discovered that Hashirama's activities were minimal and his actions very low-key. Therefore, recently, many spies were dispatched to confirm this information.
The Five Great Hidden Villages are able to maintain peace largely due to Hashirama's prestige. After all, since the establishment of the Five Great Hidden Villages, although there have always been minor skirmishes, there has been no actual large-scale war.
Previously, Konohagakure had the great deity Hashirama, with Madara assisting him, firmly holding the top position among the hidden villages. Even if other villages didn't say it openly, they acknowledged it in their hearts.
But now, Konohagakure has suffered internal strife. Madara died after a great battle with Hashirama, and Hashirama has also stepped down from the position of First Hokage, and might even have sustained irreversible injuries.
So, whether Konohagakure can maintain its 'leading' position is now debatable.
The various countries are all unwilling to concede, always wanting to establish a new ranking, so as to reallocate the interests they control.
"It truly is a time of many troubles. These Five Great Nations, and the other hidden villages, are all holding back a grudge," Tobirama sighed, speaking with some helplessness.
Sasuke's expression was also a bit grim. He then said, "This kind of thing can't be hidden for too long. Even if they don't get definitive news, with the passage of time and patience, it's highly possible that things will eventually reach that point..."
Hibari, however, spoke very nonchalantly, "Tobirama-jiisan, Sarutobi-jiisan is right. Don't harbor any illusions. The interests and friction between the Five Great Nations will deepen day by day. As the internal affairs of the major hidden villages stabilize and various strategies are finalized, even if Hashirama-jiisan were perfectly fine, the war that's meant to erupt will still erupt. This is the general trend."
Tobirama listened to Sasuke and Hibari's words, and finally nodded in agreement.
Currently, Konohagakure holds the best resources and the largest interests, so Tobirama naturally did not want to start a war, as war was no child's play. But thinking from another perspective, the other villages were all dissatisfied with what they had.
Previously, they hadn't even resolved their own internal issues, coupled with Hashirama's influence, they had held back.
However, even a whale, after holding its breath in the sea for too long, needs to come up for air. Therefore, they absolutely could not place the possibility of avoiding war in others' hands.
Thinking of this, a chilling light flashed in Tobirama's eyes. He said, "Since that's the case, we should also make preparations. We can't be caught off guard when the time comes. We don't like war, but we absolutely don't fear war. If anyone dares to launch a war against the Land of Fire, against Konoha, then we must break their limbs and let them know that we are not to be trifled with!"
Listening to Tobirama's domineering words, Hibari felt a small surge of excitement. He then said, "Hokage-sama, what preparations does the Anbu need to make?"
Tobirama looked at Hibari and said, "You just said that Kumogakure has the most spies?"
"That's right. After all, the people of the Land of Lightning are relatively fierce, and they also have the most friction with our Land of Fire, with the greatest hostility towards us. Secondly, their skin color is quite distinctive; a slight carelessness will expose them. We've also found many such signs, and I think if war breaks out, the possibility of Kumogakure launching an attack on us is the highest..." Hibari nodded without hesitation and said.
"Kumogakure... huh?" Tobirama murmured softly.
Indeed, the people of Kumogakure were, as Hibari said, quite 'wild.' Therefore, they possessed a martial spirit from top to bottom. The more this was the case, the more militant factions existed among them. With the accumulation of conflicts and interests, the possibility of a sudden war breaking out was indeed not small.
In contrast, the other great nations, the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, were very quiet, with no major movements. However, from intelligence and overall perspective, they were also pursuing a path of military strengthening. The Second Kazekage, Shamon, seemed to be focusing on researching the power of Tailed Beasts.
This also indicated that while the Land of Wind might not yet intend to start a war, they were certainly preparing for one.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Water were old rivals. Although Kirigakure had some friction with Konohagakure before, that was nothing. The true animosity was between them and Iwagakure of the Land of Earth. They frequently engaged in mutual assassinations and sabotage, and the two countries also seemed to have territorial disputes, with neither conceding to the other regarding resources and interests.
Considering these points, Tobirama also agreed with Hibari's view, believing that among the other four nations, the Land of Wind temporarily lacked the strength to challenge the Land of Fire. The Land of Water and Land of Earth were mutually restraining each other, and even if war were to break out, the probability of them fighting each other first was higher than them attacking the Land of Fire.
Only the Land of Lightning was the most likely to attack the Land of Fire and initiate war!
"You're right. We must guard against Kumogakure. Hibari, I order you to cooperate with the Intelligence Division and begin investigating Kumogakure's related intelligence!" Tobirama said without hesitation to Hibari after a period of contemplation.
Hibari grinned, a smile appearing on his face. He said, "No problem, Tobirama-jiisan. I guarantee I'll get a clear understanding of Kumogakure, top to bottom!"
Tobirama nodded, then looked at Sasuke and said, "Although we haven't truly reached the brink of war yet, the signs are there. Since they are, we cannot ignore them. Sasuke, effective immediately, begin preparing the village. 'Guide' the various clans, making them understand what they might face. At the same time, strengthen the screening of all suspicious individuals entering and exiting the village to ensure intelligence leakage is kept to a minimum!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Sasuke said in a deep voice.
After a slight pause, Tobirama looked at Hibari and Sasuke, then softly said, "The clouds of war have already begun to gather over the Five Great Nations. This matter is no small thing. I hope you can both complete your missions. Go!"
In fact, before entering the Hokage's office, Hibari truly hadn't expected Tobirama to be so decisive in his actions. Even without concrete evidence from Hibari, he had already begun preparing for and dealing with a potential war that could arrive at any moment.
This somewhat surprised Hibari. After leaving the Hokage's office, Hibari turned and headed towards their Anbu office.
Pushing open the door, he saw Hiruzen sitting inside, organizing some documents. He looked at Hibari's figure and asked with some surprise, "Oh? It's so cold today, yet you actually came here?"
Hibari, however, couldn't be bothered with small talk. He said, "Enough of that. Hokage-sama has orders to issue. Quickly gather the rest of our available personnel..."
"You brat, you're so disrespectful! I'm the Commander, are you the Commander? Shouldn't this be something you, as the 'deputy,' should be doing?" Hiruzen said, somewhat displeased.
However, despite his grumbling, he quickly gathered the Anbu members.
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