"Just now, Cloud Village's response regarding this matter has arrived. They firmly deny having sent anyone to kidnap the eldest daughter of Hiashi of the Hyūga clan. Furthermore, they sharply questioned us about killing the leader of their peace delegation. Finally, they stated that unless we deliver Hiashi's intact body, otherwise the Cloud Village will go to war with Konoha!"
Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, wore a grave expression. The Third Great Ninja War had not ended long ago, and all villages were still recovering, especially Konoha. During the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha had fought against multiple opponents at once, sustaining heavy losses among its lower-ranked shinobi. Among the village's elite, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash, had sacrificed himself four years ago during the Nine-Tails incident by using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Of the Sannin, Orochimaru had defected, Tsunade Senju had long since left Konoha and gone wandering, and Jiraiya had also gone chasing after Orochimaru and Tsunade. Sarutobi himself was getting old, and recently there had been some tensions within the village involving the Uchiha clan. If they really went to war with the Cloud Village, winning wouldn't be easy.
"The Cloud Village is being too arrogant! This war must be fought—we must teach them a lesson!"
As the representative of the hardliners, Danzō was the first to speak out, eager to fight the Cloud Village until one side was utterly defeated, showing who the true master was.
Chapter Thirteen: Countermeasures [Part I]
The Third Hokage merely glanced at him without responding. Regarding his old classmate, the Third Hokage knew him well—he felt that if things were handled according to Danzō's methods, Konoha would no longer exist by now. Did he really think Konoha was still as powerful as it was in the days of the First and Second Hokages?
"Sarutobi, what kind of look is that on your face? They've already pushed us to this point—tell me, are you really thinking of backing down again?!" Furious at the Hokage's expression, Danzō almost slammed the table if not for the others present in the room.
"Compromise is naturally impossible!" The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe. What the other side demanded was nothing less than the body of Hiashi. Truly compromising would not only bring shame upon Konoha but would certainly make even the Hyūga clan, which was closely aligned with the Hokage, turn against him.
"If we won't compromise, then we should just go straight into battle against them!" Danzō scoffed coldly. "It's just the Cloud Village after all; we've fought them before."
"The Third Great Ninja War hasn't even been over for several years yet, and our village hasn't recovered its strength fully. Moreover, having barely survived the ninja war combined with the Nine-Tails attack a few years back, most of our shinobi are yearning for rest and recovery. Not to mention the serious shortage of high-level fighters!"
Danzo fell silent after the Third Hokage spoke his final words. In battles between ninja villages, lower-ranked shinobi like genin and chunin were merely cannon fodder—the real combat power lay among the jonin, while the upper echelon consisted of renowned ninja from each village. People like Sakumo Hatake, the legendary White Fang of Konoha, the Sannin of Konoha, or Minato Namikaze, the Golden Flash, belonged to this elite level—they were the ones who could truly decide the outcome of wars. However, at present, Konoha was facing its weakest period in history: the aging Third Hokage was nearing his twilight years; out of the Sannin, none remained in the village, with some leaving and others even defecting; the Fourth Hokage had died prematurely, following his wife in death; the strategic weapon—the Nine-Tails jinchūriki—was still a child; and the Uchiha clan had become estranged from Konoha after the Nine-Tails incident.
"Then… are we just going to back down?"
Danzo felt deeply frustrated but powerless against the current circumstances.
"Sigh… You can go for now. Let me think through how we should respond."
The Third waved his hand, dismissing everyone. With the swirl of smoke around him, the lines on his forehead deepened further.
After Danzo and Hiashi Hyuga exited, Hiashi's face was clouded with fury. Their opponent's intentions were unmistakable—they had come specifically for the Hyuga clan. Based on the Third Hokage's usual approach, it was likely he would eventually compromise by handing over the corpse of a member from the main branch of the Hyuga family.
In the following days, an atmosphere of tension settled upon the village. News spread that Cloud Village had issued an ultimatum to Konoha, and fear of war quickly spread among the people. The once-bustling streets grew eerily quiet, and even Ichiraku Ramen saw a sharp decline in customers.
"Have you all heard what's been happening recently in the village?"
Inside Ichiraku Ramen Shop, which stood unusually empty, several idle individuals sat together chatting about recent developments. Ino looked mysterious as she shared information passed down from her father.
"I heard from my dad that Cloud ninja have already started preparing for war along our borders!"
"That bunch really went too far!" Kiba Inuzuka folded his arms angrily—his clan had close ties with the Hyugas, and he'd already heard all about the incident. "They attempted to kidnap Hinata! When caught by the Hyuga head, they resisted violently until finally killed by him. Now they're turning the tables—it's outrageous!"
"No way! They actually tried to kidnap Hinata?!"
Upon hearing this, the others showed surprise and anger. Everyone liked Hinata—the gentle, adorable little girl. Even Sasuke, who usually kept his distance because of family tensions, couldn't bring himself to dislike Hinata.
"Don't worry," Sakura said confidently, "this conflict won't escalate into a battle."
Foreseeing what would happen next, Sakura sighed. The Third Hokage would end up making another half-hearted compromise, and ultimately, Hizashi Hyuga would be forced to commit suicide by the Hyuga elders for the sake of protecting his older brother.
"Damn it, if the Legendary Sannin and the Fourth Hokage were still around, they would never dare to act like this!"
Shikamaru grumbled. His father, Shikaku, had already explained to him that Cloud Village was acting so aggressively because they smelled weakness in Konoha's current ninja line-up.
As a few people were speaking out against Cloud Village, a silver-haired figure dressed in Anbu attire suddenly appeared.
"Haruno Sakura, the Third wants to see you."
Still feeling confused about why the Third Hokage summoned her at a time like this, Sakura followed Kakashi Hatake—who was also dressed in Anbu attire—to the Hokage Office. Was he going to throw her to the wolves for killing the leader of the Cloud Village delegation?!
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