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Kazuki could laugh, but Tsunade couldn't.
She was worried about certain issues.
For instance, if the war between the five great ninja villages escalated too far, causing heavy losses to each village's strength, wouldn't it indirectly help the Akatsuki complete their Infinite Tsukuyomi plan?
Kazuki didn't entertain such convoluted thoughts. After all, the likelihood of the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan succeeding was too high—almost impossible to stop.
Truth be told, Nagato and Obito weren't the real threats here. The true danger was Uchiha Madara.
If things went south, Black Zetsu would immediately manipulate Nagato to revive Madara.
Even if revival wasn't possible, they'd bring Madara back via the Edo Tensei.
Nagato, with his Six Paths of Pain, already had the power to crush an entire village.
Now imagine an Edo Tensei Madara with infinite chakra, immune to injury, and wielding the Rinnegan.
Even Kazuki would be stumped facing such an opponent.
So he wasn't too concerned about the progress of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. His focus was on preserving as much of Konoha's strength as possible under his influence.
Minimize casualties as much as possible.
Even if the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan succeeded, he wanted to buy more time—time for him to grow stronger.
"Don't look so glum. Ambition isn't something the Akatsuki's lurking threat can suppress. Once an opportunity arises, ambitious players will push for war even harder than the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki might just be the spark. Some things are beyond you or me. Honestly, I even suspect Rasa's hoping for war to break out, to use it to break Sunagakure's stalemate."
"Sunagakure's development has been too stifled."
With Sunagakure's current trajectory, without breaking the status quo, they'd only watch themselves decline day by day.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about."
Tsunade's brows furrowed tightly as she glanced toward Kumogakure and Iwagakure:
"You know Onoki and A aren't the type to sit still. Iwagakure and Kumogakure's military forces have developed a bit too aggressively. With strong military power, ambition grows. Once tempting profits emerge, even if they don't want to, they'll have to join the war for their villages' sake."
People said Sunagakure was tightening its belt to get by, but Iwagakure wasn't much better.
With a modest population and a struggling economy, they'd still managed to push their military strength to nearly match Kumogakure's.
They poured almost all their earnings into military development.
That model might work short-term, but long-term, it was unsustainable. War became the best solution.
Kumogakure, with its vast resources, could afford it. Iwagakure? Not so much.
"Worrying won't help."
Tucking the scroll away, Kazuki kept reviewing documents, saying without looking up:
"We just need to ensure Konoha doesn't get dragged in too deep. Preserve the village's strength as much as possible. For the rest, we'll play it by ear."
"Even if you and I don't want war, others might not feel the same. If the enemy comes knocking, we can't just sit there and take it, right?"
"Everyone knows the Akatsuki's threat. Everyone knows the dangers of war. But when ambition overshadows everything and the scramble for profits begins, the Akatsuki's schemes are just an excuse."
After a moment's thought, Tsunade nodded slightly: "You're right. Obsessing over it won't change anything. We'll deal with it when it happens. By the way, what's for dinner?"
"…"
'Good grief, I just talked you out of your funk, and now you're planning to fleece me?'
Kazuki set down his documents.
"Where's your paycheck?"
"Uh…"
Tsunade gave an awkward laugh, gesturing sheepishly:
"The gaming machine had some issues yesterday, so my luck took a hit, and…"
Got it.
She lost it all.
Compared to the undercurrents stirring in the shinobi world and the restless Sunagakure and Kirigakure, Konoha remained calm. The threat of war didn't affect them much.
Only commerce felt a slight impact, with rising prices for various goods.
That was the war's ripple effect—something even Konoha couldn't avoid.
When prices rose externally, you couldn't expect sellers to keep losing money at original prices, could you?
As long as it wasn't profiteering off war supplies, moderate price hikes were generally acceptable.
Conversely, if Konoha was affected, so were other nations and villages. No one escaped.
If Konoha's days got tough, other nations and villages—especially poorer ones struggling to meet basic food needs—would face even graver situations.
Tensions were rising. Kirigakure kept accusing Sunagakure.
Sunagakure offered explanations, but they had little effect.
Upon waking, the Land of Water's daimyo's first reaction was to demand the village wage war on Sunagakure, insisting they defeat them and, ideally, kill Rasa, the Kazekage.
Terrified and missing an arm, he couldn't swallow his anger or listen to explanations. He wanted revenge.
The daimyo's calls for war, combined with the manipulated Yagura's subtle push, were enough to stoke the war's flames, even if the effort wasn't overt.
With Yagura's order, Kirigakure entered a state of war—not preparation, but active war.
Massive supplies were mobilized, numerous ninjas were recalled, and warships and transport ships were requisitioned en masse.
Clearly, Kirigakure planned to sail straight to the Land of Wind, setting the battlefield there.
In response, Sunagakure shifted from preparation to a state of war.
At this point, the shinobi world realized the war between the two major villages was unavoidable.
The moment Kirigakure's ninjas set foot on the Land of Wind, the war would ignite.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, practically crackling with hostility. And at this moment, Sunagakure's delegation arrived in Konoha.
Tsunade and Kazuki personally received Chiyo, who'd come from afar.
This time, Tsunade didn't dump everything on Kazuki.
Chiyo was her old rival, after all. When an old rival showed up, Tsunade had to step up.
"It's rare to see you, old hag, coming to Konoha at a time like this."
The moment they met, the air turned sharp with Tsunade's opening jab.
Chiyo, unfazed by the jab, smiled:
"Though this old hag's getting on in years, I can still drag these old bones to do something for the village."
"Come on, don't laugh like that—it's as grating as ever, hasn't changed in decades.
Spit it out. What brings you to Konoha? Let's be clear—the daimyo's business has nothing to do with us. He came to our border camp asking for help, so the village sent people to escort him to Land of Fire territory."