As more and more people in the room voiced opposition, Gekkō Hoshiyomi instinctively stepped forward, wanting to bring up their situation in the Land of Whirlpools:
"Um, actually—"
He was brusquely interrupted.
"Do you even understand seniority, boy? This isn't your place to speak!"
Mito Uzumaki made no visible reaction—but a thin length of chain slipped silently from her sleeve, coiling unseen beneath the table until it tapped lightly against Hoshiyomi's calf.
Hoshiyomi's heart stirred. He understood—Mito was signaling him. Though he wasn't sure what she intended, he immediately composed himself, put on a sullen expression, and quietly stepped back.
He knew Mito must have a reason for stopping him, perhaps related to the opposition. Since it wasn't his turn to act, he would simply observe and watch Mito's performance.
Sure enough, even without his voice, the tide was already shifting. Someone had stood up to challenge the argument made by that subordinate of Danzō.
"That's wrong. We should absolutely send reinforcements! First of all, Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools have been allies for a hundred years. If we abandon them now, what message does that send to the rest of the shinobi world? That Konoha discards its allies when they're no longer convenient?
And second, the fact that the four great villages dared to unite and attack the Land of Whirlpools makes their intentions clear. If we don't stand with our ally now, it will only embolden them—and make Konoha look weak.
I say we not only send aid—we strike hard. Hurt them so badly they'll think twice about ever coveting Konoha again."
The speaker was Haku, a so-called civilian ninja—but in truth, one of the Senju Clan's scattered branch members. With his clan's ally in crisis, he naturally stood up to defend them.
Haku and Danzo's subordinate's statements completely galvanized the atmosphere. High-ranking officials and clan heads rose to speak in turn, and the room descended into loud, chaotic debate.
Hoshiyomi had been expecting Mito to pull off something unexpected—but then he noticed… she was asleep?
He stared, speechless. Was she really so old and tired that she'd dozed off mid-crisis?
Just as he leaned in to wake her, he noticed something odd: her wide robe sleeve was trembling ever so slightly.
Hoshiyomi paused, then subtly shifted his position, feigning discomfort in his back. From his new angle, he could see the same thin chain from earlier still writhing beneath her sleeve—moving constantly.
No one else could see it—only him, seated directly behind her.
He studied the movement closely. Then it hit him: Mito was using the Adamantine Sealing Chains... to take notes.
That tiny length of chain was her pen, and the wide sleeve? Her scroll.
Unbelievable. That's genius.
On the outside, she looked like an elderly kunoichi quietly dozing off. In reality, she was secretly recording the names of everyone who voiced dissent.
Looking around, Hoshiyomi saw the effect—many of the fence-sitters, seeing Mito seemingly "asleep," relaxed. No longer fearing her rebuke, they began to speak up. Even some who had remained silent out of respect for her name now joined the opposition.
By the time everyone had spoken, over 90% of those present had voiced their stance—including Danzō, Homura, and the other elders.
Around 30% were firmly in favor of sending reinforcements.
About 20% were hesitant but leaned toward support.
The remaining 50% offered various excuses to oppose intervention.
Then, as the meeting reached its peak, the familiar chain tapped gently at Hoshiyomi's ankle once more.
Time for his role.
He leaned toward Mito, gently shook her shoulder, and said:
"Lady Mito, if you're tired, please go rest. The meeting's almost over."
At the same time, he scanned the room, watching carefully.
Sure enough, when they heard he thought Mito had fallen asleep, many of the fence-sitters visibly relaxed. A few of the clan heads who had only just voiced lukewarm support were now visibly regretful.
Hoshiyomi silently committed their faces to memory.
Mito slowly opened her eyes, as if she'd truly just awakened from a brief nap. She glanced around the room, her expression calm.
Then she said, seemingly offhand:
"Oh—Hoshiyomi, did I mention? I sent Tsunade and the others to retrieve the new Jinchūriki. They're all currently trapped in the Land of Whirlpools, unable to return."
The effect was immediate.
Faces across the room paled.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi leapt from his chair in alarm.
"What?! Tsunade and the others are still in the Land of Whirlpools? Hoshiyomi—you're a Shadow Clone right now. Does that mean your real body is there too?!"
Just moments ago, even Hiruzen had wavered—wondering if perhaps Konoha could simply make a token gesture, send a symbolic team, and call it aid.
But now—this news hit like a kunai to the chest.
If Hoshiyomi and the others really died there, Konoha's strength could collapse for the next decade. In the shinobi world, high-level combat power was everything. The Third Raikage fighting ten thousand men alone was proof enough. If Konoha's next generation of elites died in the Land of Whirlpools, it would be no different from losing an army of fifty thousand.
Hoshiyomi kept his innocent expression and replied casually:
"My real body sensed things weren't looking good, so I sent myself back early to report."
Someone nearby grumbled:
"Why didn't you say that earlier? What if something happened because you delayed?"
Hoshiyomi recognized him—he'd been a staunch pro-intervention voice. Same with the man who had scolded him earlier for "not respecting his elders."
Ah. So that was the plan all along. Mito—what a brilliant move.
She'd used this moment to expose the true faces of the village's leadership.
That earlier conflict? It had neatly cleared up the issue of Hoshiyomi's "withheld intel," and even allowed them to see who among the fence-sitters truly had ulterior motives.
Every step was calculated. Layer upon layer.
Flawless.
With that realization, Hoshiyomi looked around, innocent as ever, and said:
"By the way—who was it that said I didn't understand seniority, and that I had no place to speak?"
The room fell into embarrassed silence.
The elder who had spoken earlier looked like he wanted to crawl under the floor.
But the tide had turned completely. This time, the vote to send reinforcements passed almost unanimously.
Infighting was one thing—but no one wanted Konoha to fall. If the village crumbled, everything they were scrambling for now would be meaningless.
Author's Notes:
I made a slight revision to the earlier text, changing it so that even Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know Hoshiyomi and the others were in the Land of Whirlpools. I feel this makes it more comfortable. Additionally, strictly speaking, this chapter is a bit unreasonable, but the plot requires such an opportunity for the protagonist to gain a list (of names). This is crucial for the future power dynamics within Konoha.
Some readers might find it absurd that Mito would still have the leisure to identify traitors while her homeland was being attacked. However, I truly believe that at this point, Mito considered herself more a Konoha person than a Land of Whirlpools person. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taught Kushina that way later, which I will also write about. If you absolutely cannot accept this, just ignore this chapter. The outcome, in any case, is that troops are sent to aid.
Finally, a spoiler: The protagonist of this book will also not become Hokage, but Tsunade will become the Fourth Hokage, not the Fifth.