"Tobirama, you're right.
"This is exactly what Konoha should do."
Senju Hashirama spoke with a smile.
Every line of Tobirama's proposal pleased him.
As expected of his good brother—always a plan at the crucial moment.
Akatsuki Village and Kumogakure were already at war; Konoha must not pour oil on the fire. It had to mediate and keep the situation from escalating. If the flames spread to other villages, things would spin out of control.
That was the last future Hashirama wanted.
"Since you agree with my mediation plan, Brother, I'll volunteer to serve as overall commander for the operation and lead the force to the front to broker peace.
"You, as Hokage, shouldn't move lightly. Guard Konoha; leave the rest to me.
"And keep an eye on Uchiha Madara. If he comes along… you know his temper. If he acts on impulse, he'll only inflame things, and I won't be able to restrain him. This task is yours.
"For peace—Brother, you can handle it, can't you?"
Now Tobirama bared the dagger.
He meant to use his status and authority to seize command of the expeditionary force.
Send his brother, and he'd ruin everything.
Send Madara—far worse.
Send some other Uchiha, and Uchiha Makoto would play the born-evil brat's tricks on them.
Tobirama looked through all of Konoha and concluded he had to take the field himself. Only he could hold that command. He had a plan to protect Konoha.
Let Cloud and Akatsuki grind each other down; that was step one.
Step two was to be ready at every moment to harvest the fruits of victory.
He could already see it: after a bloody slog between Akatsuki and Cloud, whoever held the advantage would be spent, a bow without force.
His own force would be fresh, waiting at leisure.
If Cloud held the upper hand, Tobirama would lead Konoha to strike the Cloud ninja from on high, seize the fruits as if descending from heaven, then mediate and sign an unequal peace with them. Uchiha Makoto could only watch him feast.
If Akatsuki held the upper hand, it didn't matter. They'd be spent as well. Konoha could still enter strong, split the gains with Akatsuki, then mediate and conciliate, preventing Akatsuki's rise.
Either way,
Konoha won.
Minimal cost, maximal benefit—both substance and face. It was the optimal choice.
Base methods?
Who would complain?
Who would dare?
The ninja world's masses?
Don't make him laugh.
This world is the strong devouring the weak.
Akatsuki?
Tobirama never counted Akatsuki as an ally. A flimsy plastic tie best cut off.
Internal Konoha?
Every clan, Uchiha included, would benefit—gains without bloodshed.
Who would care about the means?
Akatsuki had no interest linkage with Konoha's clans. Perhaps the Uchiha would speak up, but the other clan heads were realists. Fine words about righteousness were for ordinary days; when it mattered, only profit spoke.
Only his brother would be so naïve as to give with no return.
Brother—
don't blame me for playing you this once.
Working with a "bug" like you,
if I don't use some tricks, how can I govern Konoha?
Hashirama saw nothing amiss in his harmless-looking brother. Leaving things to Tobirama seemed fine, and Madara's mood had been unstable; considering Madara's relationship with Tobirama, it was better not to have him accompany Tobirama.
Keeping Madara in Konoha, he could "advise" him at any time.
"Tobirama, all right—so be it.
"I leave it to you."
"Trust me, Brother. When have I let you down?"
With Hashirama's nod, Tobirama smiled in satisfaction, rushed to prepare the force, and sent Anbu to gather news from the Akatsuki–Cloud front so he could react first.
Meanwhile,
in the Uchiha district,
"Well done—as expected of an Uchiha. The army led by Makoto covered a thousand li in a single night and wiped out over a thousand Cloud ninja. Incredible."
Uchiha Setsuna received a secret letter from Uchiha Makoto. It reported Akatsuki's great victory and eased the worry that had weighed on him.
"Akatsuki hopes Konoha will extend a timely hand. If the First Hokage is unwilling, spread the news of Akatsuki's victory through the village. Akatsuki speaks for itself and for Konoha's Chunin. The people of Konoha have the right to know."
In the latter half,
Makoto deliberately raised Konoha's dispatch of aid.
He knew Hashirama's character—surely still trying to smooth things over, unwilling to march with Akatsuki and thrash those Cloud bruisers.
All the better.
On the main front, Makoto was confident he could defeat Cloud whether Konoha moved or not, but he would never let Konoha sit in peace.
Public sentiment had to be stoked.
Tearing Konoha's base apart could not be done overnight. Villagers didn't care for peace in the ninja world or the subtleties of inter-village relations. When their emotions were roused, they only wanted catharsis.
"Akatsuki fought at any cost for its two Chunin. What is Konoha doing? Dithering. Aren't we allies? If the higher-ups keep delaying, do they not care…"
If he could whip up a crowd and spark unrest, all the better.
Once those lines spread through Konoha,
Akatsuki's image as the better men would be set, and later the spiked tonic New Ninja would slip into minds all the easier.
"Mm… reasonable."
Setsuna finished the letter without finding fault. Akatsuki and Konoha were allies, and the war had been launched to seek justice for Chunin of Akatsuki and Konoha.
Konoha should, in sentiment and reason, send aid. Spreading the news of Akatsuki's victory through the village was only natural.
He stepped out of his room.
The Land of Wind,
Sunagakure—
news of Akatsuki's one-night annihilation reached them quickly.
The First Kazekage could only sigh.
Of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire was strongest.
Konoha's power went without saying.
But Akatsuki, once unremarkable, had astonished the world. The strength displayed far outstripped Sunagakure's imagination. Suna might not be Akatsuki's match at all.
"Lord Kazekage, in time we will also…"
A Suna jonin beside him—the future Second Kazekage—hurried to console him.
"I fear that day will not come."
The First Kazekage's face was helpless. Yellow sand filled his vision; gales howled in his ears. It was a season of desert wind. Stand outside, and the sand would sting your face like needles.
The Land of Wind was too barren.
Their forebears left them only wind and sand—nothing else. The land was unfit for human life, but they had no choice and could only huddle here.
"No, Lord Kazekage. Before chakra, samurai stood atop the age and enjoyed the world's resources. Then we shinobi emerged. This world is fair. Fortune does not smile forever on one nation, one clan. What we can do is hold faith and wait for an opportunity."
"Take that as your exhortation."
The First Kazekage's eyes brightened. This young man could be Kazekage. After a few words of encouragement, he returned to village affairs.
Opportunity—
the present war was no opportunity for Suna.
The distance was too great; the supply line too long.
The Land of Wind's national strength was too weak; Suna's ability to regenerate likewise. They had no qualification to join. Whatever Akatsuki's true aim, it had nothing to do with Suna. No one coveted a desert.
The Land of Water,
Kirigakure—
mist curled and rose.
"Akatsuki… Konoha… two monster villages in the Land of Fire."
Soon,
the First Mizukage's wise eyes shifted elsewhere.
Because of geography,
the Land of Water and Kirigakure were across the sea from the continent, a little America, distant from the mainland's strife.
The remoteness kept Kiri from projecting power inland, but it also clipped its worries. Whatever happened on land scarcely touched the Mist.
So the First Mizukage did not care for continental strategy. Better to handle Kiri's business before him.
The Land of Earth,
Iwagakure—
after a hard journey,
a jonin delivered the news of Akatsuki's one-night annihilation to the First Tsuchikage.
"Incredible.
"Akatsuki is stronger than we thought. To wipe out over a thousand Cloud ninja overnight… the situation is graver than I believed. Pass it on—have Mū prepare, assemble the army, and get ready…"
The jonin started, alarmed. Iwa was stable for the moment. Mustering an army so loudly meant…
"Lord Tsuchikage, do you mean to strike at them while Akatsuki and Cloud are at war?"
"No. Iwa isn't strong enough to face both at once."
"Then we are to…"
"Mediate."
So said the First Tsuchikage—an answer the jonin had not expected. The Tsuchikage had little friendship with Cloud, but that was irrelevant now.
Akatsuki had shown strength beyond imagination and seized great advantage against Cloud. If it were only Akatsuki, fine. But the Land of Fire also had Konoha—stronger than Akatsuki.
Konoha had not even moved yet. If it joined, the war would tip at once.
Cloud stood on a knife's edge.
Right or wrong between Akatsuki and Cloud did not matter. Cloud must not be allowed to fall, because the Konoha–Akatsuki alliance would be too strong.
If Cloud fell today,
who would fall to that alliance tomorrow?
Would it be Iwa?
For Iwa—
Cloud must not fall.
The Land of Waterfalls,
Takigakure—
behind the waterfall lay a hidden world, a paradise apart.
"Everyone, you've heard it. Akatsuki, Konoha's ally, annihilated over a thousand Cloud ninja in a night raid. If Konoha joins the war now, Cloud is finished. Today Cloud suffers—tomorrow…"
"We border the Land of Fire. Sooner or later, Konoha and Akatsuki will set their sights on us."
The village chief gathered the elders and relayed the news, voicing his fears for Takigakure's future.
"Chief, I have a plan."
"Speak."
"Since Akatsuki and Konoha are allies and the fight is at a critical moment, why not strike Konoha? They're allies—how could Akatsuki stand by and do nothing for Konoha?"
"You mean…"
"Send ninja to assassinate the First Hokage."
"A fine idea."
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I have published a new novel. You can check it out on my profile. The title is:
Naruto: I'm an Uchiha, But My System Wants Me to Revive the Senju
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