Chapter 17: It's Over! They're Coming for This Old Man!
"Sigh~ Let's continue the meeting. Let Elder Danzo calm down for a bit. After all... he is doing it for Konoha's sake."
Everyone: "..."
"Everyone, please share your thoughts."
"Actually..."
Utatane Koharu's voice broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Actually... even if Danzo agreed to purchase the Ninja Vests, the Village wouldn't be able to afford them."
Utatane Koharu's helpless voice continued.
"Right now, although Konoha is only at war with Hidden Rain Village and Iwagakure, we have still deployed extra manpower to the other borders. Military expenditures remain significant, and with the decrease in mission volume during wartime, Konoha's finances actually have very little surplus this year."
"Plus, the price of various materials has risen during the war..."
As her voice trailed off.
Everyone in the meeting room fell silent once again.
It was indeed true!
Konoha was situated in a location surrounded by potential enemies on four sides, with many places requiring defense.
Although the main battlefield was in the Land of Rain, the war materials needed elsewhere were not small either.
During wartime, other countries desperately sent scout Ninjas to Konoha just to find out its true current situation.
To prevent infiltration by other nations, Konoha had no choice but to deploy more manpower and set more traps.
So, while it seemed like Konoha was fighting a one-against-two war, if you added the consumption in other regions, it was almost like fighting three, or even more.
After all, in a real war, it was about clashing with real blades and spears.
Rather than the current state of a shuriken trap here and an exploding tag trap there; the consumption of single-use materials was too severe.
Asking to provide a Ninja Vest for every Ninja on the front lines was indeed putting Konoha in a difficult position.
Hearing Utatane Koharu's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow furrowed. He looked at the silent crowd below, seemingly already knowing their answer.
He took a heavy drag of his pipe, burying his face completely in the smoke, and then a sigh drifted out from within.
"Sigh~ Since that's the case, we can only let them suffer..."
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could finish, a hurried knocking at the door interrupted him.
His words were forcibly cut off, and the thick smoke around him made him choke.
"Cough, cough... Enter."
The door opened.
A masked Anbu Ninja walked in hurriedly, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said with hesitation, "Hokage-sama..."
"Just... cough... just say it." Taking another heavy drag of his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally suppressed his cough.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. According to the latest news from the front lines, Hidden Stone Village has purchased a large batch of Ninja Vests from the Hidden Sand Village."
"..."
Hearing the Anbu's words, everyone's eyes twitched.
Is Hidden Stone Village moving that fast?
We were just assuming you might buy them, and before our meeting is even over, you've already bought them?
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard this news, he was silent for a moment, but he quickly snapped out of it.
It's fine, it was expected, but he still needed to confirm.
"Is the information reliable? When was the purchase made?"
"The information is reliable. Our scouts on the front lines personally saw the Ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village pushing the jackets into the Iwa camp. Leading them was none other than Ebizo of the Sand; they even entered while holding up banners."
"What was written on the banners?"
"It said: [Thank you, Hidden Stone Village, for purchasing five thousand sets of Ninja Vests. We wish Hidden Stone Village total victory in the war!]"
"..." x N
Heh, they have no shame at all!
They are even more shameless than the First Kazekage, who shamelessly said he didn't want Tailed Beasts, only money.
I've heard of grandchildren taking after grandparents, but I've never heard of Kages taking after their predecessors like this.
During the first Five Kage Summit, the First Kazekage was willing to give up Tailed Beasts just to get money, causing the Seven-Tails to go unsold.
And now, has the Third Kazekage already resorted to such blatant tactics to make money?
This is openly telling you: your opponent has them now, are you going to follow suit?
Hiruzen Sarutobi took two fierce puffs of smoke and said expressionlessly to the Anbu Ninja, "Alright, you may leave."
After the door closed again, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, crossed his hands, and said with a solemn expression, "Since the Iwa has already arranged for Ninja Vests, then I will also do my best to..."
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The familiar knocking sounded once again.
It was the same Anbu, still just as hurried.
"Hokage-sama..."
"Hidden Sand Village again?"
"Yes!"
"Heh, as expected..."
"What did they do this time?"
"Intelligence from the front says... says Hanzo... bought another batch of jackets."
"???"
"!!!"
Wait, is this right? Is this even logical?
"Is the intelligence reliable!" Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was dazed by this news. What does it mean that Hanzo bought another batch of jackets? Hadn't he already fully equipped his forces?
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, the intelligence is reliable, it's just..."
"Just what!"
"Just that this time, they weren't bought for Ninjas."
Hearing this from the Anbu, not only Hiruzen Sarutobi, but even the head of the Nara clan, who was known for his intelligence, was full of question marks.
"???"
What does that mean? If Ninja Vests aren't bought for Ninjas, who are they for?
Could it really be as the Hokage said earlier?
Bought for the Salamanders?
"This... the banner Hidden Sand Village displayed while transporting to Hidden Rain Village said: [Thank you, Hanzo, for purchasing three thousand custom jackets for the Salamander tribe. Congratulations to the Salamander tribe for following the right master. Unlike a certain'Strongest Summoned Beast' next door, whose master is too stingy to even provide a single jacket! Hypocrite!]"
Hearing the report from the Anbu, no matter how much self-restraint Hiruzen Sarutobi had, his face flushed red with anger.
What kind of talk is this! What kind of talk is this!
They might as well have just called out my Ninja registration number!
I summon Enma specifically so he can turn into a staff. You tell me, how does a staff wear a jacket!
A jacket isn't even as tough as Enma's skin!
What would he need a jacket for!
"Hiruzen! Hiruzen! Calm down!" Seeing Hiruzen turn red in an instant, Utatane Koharu hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him. "Hiruzen! Don't fall for that brat from the Sand's trick. He's trying to make you lose your head! Make you lose your cool! Make you commit a mistake! Hiruzen! You must hold on, Konoha still needs you!"
"Huff! Puff! Huff! Puff!" Heavy breathing came from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth.
"You're right, Konoha still needs me! They want me to lose my composure, but I won't give them that satisfaction!"
"Koharu!" Hiruzen Sarutobi caught his breath and said to Utatane Koharu, "We just need to maintain our own pace. According to the plan..."
"Swoosh——"
Another Anbu Ninja appeared in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, clearly more urgent this time, having used a Body Flicker Technique to arrive.
"Reporting to Hokage-sama... there are unfavorable rumors circulating about you outside..."
"..."
"Are they coming from the Sand?"
"Yes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, followed by two heavy puffs of smoke. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and said with a calm expression.
"Go ahead, I want to see what other tricks the Hidden Sand Village has. Since the day I sat in the Hokage seat, I have been nothing but loyal. I want to hear just how unfavorable these comments are!"
Seeing that his Hokage had spoken so, the newly arrived Anbu grit his teeth and said with a look of determination.
"Outside, they say... Hokage-sama has betrayed... the Will of Fire!"
"Where the leaves dance, the fire shall burn. The fire's light shall continue to illuminate the Village and allow new leaves to sprout."
"Hanzo of Hidden Rain Village, though in a small country, still leads every battle, shielding his Village's Ninjas behind him. To reduce casualties among his subordinates, he did not hesitate to spend all his wealth, to the point where his home doesn't even have a single intact bowl left. All so his Ninjas could wear Ninja Vests. This is the true manifestation of the Will of Fire; even if the aged leaves sacrifice themselves, they will do everything possible to let the new leaves grow strong."
"In contrast, a certain Hidden Village that claims to possess the Will of Fire has the younger generation charging on the battlefield while the older generation huddles at home."
"What's even worse is that while even small country Villages are selling everything to equip their Ninjas with jackets, a certain Hidden Village actually lets its own Ninjas go to the battlefield bare-chested. Even those with jackets are equipped with inferior ones!"
"They talk about the Will of Fire, yet nothing they do reflects it!"
"They also say... they say Hokage-sama is intentionally sending Konoha's new generation to their deaths!"