Tsunade walked with a regal grace, her hands tucked into her sleeves as she led the Kumogakure envoy through the heart of the village. To any passerby, she was the picture of diplomatic hospitality... pointing out the civilian residential sectors and the steam rising from the legendary Ichiraku Ramen booth.
But beneath her collar, a tiny, translucent fragment of Katsuyu rested against her collarbone, sending her minutes of meeting.
The atmosphere in the Hokage's office was thick with pressure... every major clan head was present.
Notably absent were Inoichi Yamanaka, who was currently controlling Kaien and Tsunade herself, who had been conveniently assigned to babysit the Kumo Envoy or maybe it's Danzo plan to seperate her from this very dicussion
Danzo Shimura broke the silence.
"The hostage, Kaien, is physically healed thanks to Tsunade," Danzo began, his eyes scanning the room for dissent. "However, the boy has become psychologically detached due to trauma. Currently, Inoichi is using the Mind Body Switch Technique to keep the boy's mental state as it used from the data Tsunade gathered. We are essentially puppeteering a trauma victim to maintain the illusion of that the hostage is safe and sound. Luckily, Tsunade intervening Aya from a distance gave us a breathing space."
He paused, letting the grim reality sink in. "This charade won't hold. Kumo is playing for time, and we are losing it. We have two objectives: first, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must remain firmly under Konoha's control before the secret of Kaien is out. Second, we must strong arm ourselves. If the Raikage finds out, which could be immediately after the exchange, and returns to Konoha with the intent to strike, we are currently ill-equipped to stop him."
Orochimaru's tongue flicked out, moistening his lips. "And what do you propose, Hokage-san? Surely you aren't suggesting we simply ask him to be civil?"
Fugaku Uchiha narrowed his eyes. "The Raikage fended off both the First and Second Hokage. He is in his prime now... stronger, faster, and more ruthless. There isn't a man in this room, or perhaps this village, who can contend with a legend of that caliber."
Danzo's gaze shifted to Fugaku, a thin, knowing smile touching his lips. Fugaku saw it a second too late, his face turning a shade of pale that quickly flushed into a deep, angry red.
"No," Fugaku roared, standing so abruptly his chair screeched against the floorboards. "Absolutely not! He is a traitor to the Leaf, a ghost that should have stayed buried. No one can control him. If you wake him from his slumber, you aren't reanimating a protector... you are inviting the end of Konoha!"
Only two other people truly grasped Danzo's implication: Orochimaru, who found the idea delicious, and Tsunade, who listening blocks away, nerrly crushed a stone railing with her bare hand.
"I am aware of the risks, Fugaku," Danzo said, his voice dripping with feigned sorrow. "But look at the board. Without him, Konoha lacks the raw power to deter the Raikage without sacrificing an entire generation of our best shinobi. "
Fugaku gritted his teeth so hard they audibly creaked. "And you think you can leash him? I will be the one to reanimate Madara Uchiha."
Danzo shook his head slowly. "I cannot allow that, Fugaku. Granting the Uchiha clan control over their greatest ancestor would shatter the delicate balance of the clans. It would be a disaster in coming."
Before Danzo could pivot the conversation back to his own need of hour, Shikaku Nara spoke up. His voice was lazy, almost bored.
"Then I propose Lady Tsunade for the task," Shikaku said. "The Senju have naturally contended against the Uchiha since the founding. Her lineage and her chakra control make her the only logical choice to prevent Madara Uchiha from going berserk."
Danzo's expression soured. He had carefully sidelined Tsunade specifically to avoid this. "Tsunade is currently occupied with the Kumo envoy. That is a diplomatic necessity we cannot ignore and is an important task for Konoha."
Fugaku, seeing an opening to spite Danzo, stepped in. "Then Minato and I will replace her. We can handle the 'diplomacy.' Let Tsunade-san handle the Reanimation."
For a brief moment, Danzo's composure cracked. His skin paled. "Damn it," he thought, "it is not going according to plan. If I had Madara Uchiha I will be unstoppable. Damn you, Uchiha and Nara. I will definitely be the one to do the next reanimation."
"Very well," Danzo conceded, his voice tight. "Minato and Fugaku will take over the envoy."
In the corner, Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing Kushina again, he could not seem to get over her.
With the internal power struggle momentarily settled, Danzo moved to the heavy ledger on the desk, the next agenda.
"Kumo's terms are... steep," Danzo announced.
He laid out the ransom as if he were reading a grocery list of the village's soul:
"They want to exchange Kaien, the hostage, for the nine-tails. For kushina to be alive, they want 5 billion ryo and the key for the seal placed on top of the Kushina, they want 3 billion ryo. And to stop the blood curse placed on Minato, they want Reanimation jutsu or 2 billion ryo."
The silence followed as the sum was astronomical.
"The war budget provided by the Land of Fire's Daimyo is exhausted," Danzo continued, his voice regaining its authoritative edge. "In this crisis, the clans must step forward to pull Konoha from the abyss. I will petition the Daimyo for a budget increase and a 10% tax hike on goods, but we need liquidity now. We should be able to recover the money in an year."
The clan heads looked everywhere but at Danzo. The "Will of Fire" was a beautiful sentiment until it asked for your personal bank account. They knew that "loaning" money to the village was a one-way street; they would be thanked with a pat on the back and a lecture on sacrifice while their coffers ran dry.
Shikaku Nara, ever the pragmatist, offered a middle ground. "The money is impossible in the short term. However, we have an abundance of another resource: Knowledge. I suggest we trade forbidden techniques... ones Kumo likely lacks the biological or chakra-based requirements to use effectively. We save our gold and give them 'gifts' they can't even use or kill their best using it.."
The relief in the room was palpable. Without a second to waste in attempt to save their money.
"I agree," Fugaku said instantly.
"Agreed," echoed Hiashi.
Akimichi, Inuzuka, and Sarutobi followed suit like a chorus of falling dominoes.
~~
A/N: Konoha very well knows that the state of the Kaien would be out the moment there is a close contact with his kin. That is why Tsunade immediately stopped Aya from finding out by interjecting her path to her son.
They know that the Raikage would be an unstoppable force once he finds out, so Danzo proposes to reanimate Madara to stop the Raikage.
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