"Then let them fight," She said. "A village's leader gets assassinated, and they want to start a war over it? If that were the case, the world would have been destroyed long ago. Even if a war does break out, Konoha won't fear any enemy."
She spoke as if Konoha's Hokage was never a target for assassination attempts. Even the legendary First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had once been hit by a kunai thrown from 800 miles away.
"No one wants to see war, but if the Mist Village is using this as an excuse to declare war, it means they were already prepared. They were just waiting for a reason,"
Tsunade continued. "Let's wait for Sakumo-senpai to return and clarify everything. As for the Mist Village, we don't need to engage with them right now."
Even if the Third Mizukage had been killed, as long as the Mist Village didn't want to go to war, they would restrain themselves. Conversely, if they did want to start a war, they would have declared it regardless of this incident.
So why bother with them? Let Sakumo return first and then deal with it.
The fact that the Mist Village was making such a big fuss and even threatening war indicated that Sakumo had not been captured and had successfully escaped the village and the Land of Water.
Once Sakumo returned to Konoha, the truth would be revealed.
To put it bluntly, if the Mist Village was serious about war, then let them declare it. Konoha would be ready.
Tsunade had no concept of backing down or negotiating for peace. *War threats over something so small? Dream on.*
"Uh..."
Koharu, who had originally planned to advocate for peace, was left speechless. She had been about to suggest sending envoys to the Mist Village to negotiate a peaceful resolution.
But with Tsunade's words, she was completely shut down. If she kept pushing for negotiations, Tsunade would likely mock her for being cowardly.
After some thought, Koharu decided to remain silent. Homura shared the same sentiment.
Surprisingly, Danzo sided with Tsunade this time.
"Tsunade is right. Konoha won't be threatened by war. If the Mist Village wants to start a war, no matter what explanation we give, it will happen. We should wait for Sakumo's return before making any decisions. If the Mist Village insists on war, then Konoha will fight."
Although Danzo wanted to tarnish Sakumo's reputation, he was still part of Konoha's hawkish faction. He wasn't going to accept threats of war.
"We'll wait for Sakumo's return and discuss this further," Third Hokage finally agreed.
If the Mist Village wanted to cause trouble, Konoha would meet them head-on. He ordered extra troops to be stationed along the coastline, in case the Mist Village attempted a surprise attack.