When Seiryu heard Onoki's words, he immediately laughed and reassured him, "Lord Tsuchikage, what are you saying? Since the Land of Fire has already signed a non-aggression pact with you, of course we will follow the rules. As for Takigakure, we mainly want to develop economic cooperation with the Land of Waterfall; stationing troops is a secondary matter."
"No matter what you say, as long as your Konoha shinobi forces appear on our Earth Country's border, we will treat it as an act of war," Onoki said coldly.
Hearing this, Seiryu's expression also turned cold. He replied, "Is the Tsuchikage threatening me?"
"Whether it's a threat, you know in your heart." Onoki didn't push things too far with his words. He understood that in front of Seiryu's Complete Susanoo, unless the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire attacked Konoha at the same time, leaving Seiryu unable to deal with both fronts, just Seiryu alone could block most of Iwagakure's forces.
Seiryu and Onoki stared each other down across the screen, the atmosphere tense.
After a short while, a voice was heard from the other side in the Tsuchikage's office: "Lord Tsuchikage, urgent report!"
Onoki turned abruptly. On Seiryu's end, Uchiha Inoha also appeared in front of his desk, leaning in to whisper a few words in his ear.
"Lord Tsuchikage, I'll excuse myself for now. I have guests to attend to," Seiryu said with a light smile after Inoha stepped back, then hung up the video call.
"Hey! Wait!" Onoki, staring at the disconnected call, slammed the table in anger. The intel he had just received was from their spies who had infiltrated the Land of Waterfall. Those spies spotted Iwata Zeki crossing the border toward Konoha. Judging by the timing, Iwata Zeki should have already arrived at Konoha by now.
"Father, what should we do now?" At this moment, Kitsuchi entered and asked with a frown, "Iwata Zeki is already at Konoha. If the Land of Waterfall really joins that Konoha Pact, are we going to war with them?"
Onoki took a deep breath and said sternly, "Now, order our troops on the border of the Land of Waterfall: attack the Land of Waterfall in half an hour."
"Now?" Kitsuchi was startled by Onoki's order and quickly confirmed.
"Yes, now!" Onoki gritted his teeth. "We must occupy the entire Land of Waterfall before Iwata Zeki can finish his negotiations and sign the pact with Konoha. Let's see how he stations troops then!"
"Shouldn't we declare war on Takigakure first?" Kitsuchi asked. If they attacked without a declaration, Iwagakure would lose any claim to justice.
"We already warned Takigakure in advance. It's their own stubbornness. Besides, this isn't a war," Onoki said in a deep voice. "It's just a special military operation, understand?"
"Understood," Kitsuchi nodded in acceptance.
….
In the Hokage's office, after hanging up the video call, Seiryu took off his Hokage ceremonial robe and changed into a battle-ready robe. He then turned to Uchiha Inoha and asked, "Where is that guy now?"
"After Takigakure's leader entered the Land of Fire, he was stopped by our border shinobi. After explaining his intentions, he's now being escorted by Captain Tsukikage Tetsu of the elite jōnin patrol, and they're rushing toward the village. Estimated arrival in two and a half hours," Inoha reported.
"I see," Seiryu nodded, then instructed, "Have Elder Fugaku come over to cover for me. If Takigakure's leader arrives, make him wait a bit. As for the reason…"
Seiryu thought for a moment and then said, "Tell him there's a minor issue with the village's jinchūriki seal."
"Understood." Inoha nodded.
After making arrangements, Seiryu smiled, picked up his sword, and left the Hokage building, heading toward Kakashi's house.
On the way, Seiryu glanced up at the evening glow and smiled to himself, murmuring, "After all the effort I put into this set-up, that old fox Onoki should be taking the bait. And once he bites, it won't be so easy to shake loose."
While Seiryu made his way across the village, Naruto and Kakashi were having dinner.
Dinner at the Hatake house was lively. Kakashi, holding Naruto's precious limited-edition ramen in one hand and pressing down Naruto's head with the other, watched as Naruto flailed helplessly.
"Big Brother Kakashi! That's too much! Those are my treasured noodles!" Naruto shouted.
"I told you, as long as you finish your green peppers, I won't touch your stash," Kakashi said while keeping Naruto away. "If you don't get back to the table, I'll burn them. My Fire Style is fast!"
"Darn it!" Hearing that, Naruto stopped struggling, slumped to the table, and stuffed the remaining green peppers in his mouth, his face scrunched up in misery. After chewing for ages, he finally swallowed and stuck out his tongue: "I finished! Give it back!"
Once Naruto finished the peppers, Kakashi returned the ramen to him. Naruto clutched his treasure with a look of relief, then glared at Kakashi: "You evil Big Brother Kakashi! If I ever find your book stash, I'll burn it all!"
"With your pitiful skills? You're a long way from finding what an elite jōnin like me hides." Unconcerned by Naruto's threats, Kakashi returned to the sofa with his Make-Out Paradise.
As he read, he sighed to himself, "Jiraiya-sama really is a genius. No matter how many times I read Make-Out Paradise, there's always something new."
The copy in his hands was the rare first edition given to him by Gato. As an adult novel, each reprint had more content censored, so the first edition was highly prized.
"Kakashi, your house is really lively lately. I could hear the ruckus from outside." At that moment, Seiryu opened the door to Kakashi's living room and grinned.
"Sensei?" Naruto turned to see Seiryu walk in, curiosity on his face. "What brings you here?"
"What, not welcoming me?" Seiryu swaggered over to the fridge, grabbed a juice, took a swig, and flopped onto the sofa.
"Of course you're welcome!" Naruto said with a bright smile. "Sensei, I beat Sasuke in class sparring again today!"
"You can brag once you beat Sasuke without getting hurt yourself," Seiryu said, giving Naruto a look. "Class sparring doesn't allow big jutsu, or else Sasuke would be above you now."
"No way!" Naruto protested.
"Naruto, your teacher is right," Kakashi added, putting down his book. "Sasuke has almost mastered the basics of Chidori. If he uses that, you'd be seriously injured at your current level."
Naruto fell silent. When training with Sasuke and Neji, he'd seen Chidori's power—a tree thicker than his waist, pierced instantly. If they fought for real, he'd stand no chance.
"Don't look so glum. Later, Kakashi and I will teach you a new jutsu, one just as strong as Sasuke's Chidori," Seiryu said.
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Really." Seiryu nodded, tossing Naruto a bag of balloons. "First, do some prep. Fill these with water."
"What are these for?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"Just do it. Why so many questions? Do you want to learn or not?" Seiryu said.
"I'll do it!" Naruto nodded vigorously, grabbed the balloons, and headed for the bathroom.
"You're going to let him learn Rasengan? Isn't it a bit early?" Kakashi finally spoke. When Seiryu took out the balloons, he guessed what was coming, but Naruto's chakra control wasn't up to Rasengan's requirements.
"It's a bit early, but the training will help his chakra control," Seiryu said. "Let's build his foundation. Once he can do water and rubber balls, I'll ask Jiraiya to help with the last step. Maybe Naruto can also try Sage Mode from Mount Myoboku."
"Can't you teach your Sage Mode?" Kakashi asked, not wanting Naruto to get involved with the toads.
"My method can't be copied by Naruto," Seiryu replied. "The Mount Myoboku Sage Mode is at least safe to learn."