"At present, we have no way to deal with the Yellow Flash. A ceasefire is the best option."
"..." The Fourth Raikage couldn't hold back and asked Dodai directly, "Dodai, just tell me the second path—what is it?"
Dodai, knowing the Fourth Raikage would say this, coughed lightly and continued, "The second path is still to make peace with Konoha."
"?"
The group looked at him in confusion.
Dodai met their gaze calmly, speaking with wet composure: "But it's not real peace—it's to bide our time and prepare."
"But if we miss this opportunity, it'll be even harder to find another one in the future."
A Hidden Cloud Jonin spoke up.
But Dodai disagreed, answering that Jonin, "No, now is when we truly have no chance. I've already confirmed it."
"Confirmed?"
"Konoha is riddled with internal problems. Right now, it's only because we're applying pressure from the outside that their conflicts haven't exploded. This time, when they dealt with us, Konoha didn't send Orochimaru—one of the Sannin. That fact itself is telling enough."
"It is quite strange. Orochimaru finished up on the Land of Rain front, yet when we Hidden Cloud attacked the Land of Fire, Konoha kept Orochimaru idle and sent Akimichi Torifu instead. Normally, you'd expect them to send Orochimaru."
Such an unexpected move by Konoha did make Hidden Cloud suspect some kind of plot at the time.
"Not only that, but when Akimichi Torifu fought us, he basically never won. Konoha was always suppressed by us. It wasn't until the Yellow Flash ended the Hidden Rock threat and was immediately dispatched here by Konoha's top brass that the tide was finally turned. From this, you can see the Third Hokage is already paving the way for the Yellow Flash."
Dodai said this with seriousness.
The Hidden Cloud Jonin whispered amongst themselves.
"If that's the case, then there's even less reason to retreat."
"Right. If the Yellow Flash becomes Hokage, dealing with Konoha will only get harder for us."
"So it really is better to keep fighting."
...
The Fourth Raikage ignored these discussions, turning instead to Dodai, gesturing for him to make things clearer.
Dodai also knew these people had been scared witless by the Yellow Flash, and said nothing. After all, even he was amazed by the Yellow Flash's power.
If force won't work, then only strategy can do.
Dodai handed out the documents he'd prepared—one copy for each person present.
The group fell silent, turning their attention to Dodai's briefing materials.
The contents concerned Konoha.
And the opening analysis started from the moment Orochimaru finished at the Land of Rain, unfolding from there.
Some of this was thanks to spies planted inside Konoha.
Though they couldn't access Konoha's core, with long-term observation and civilian investigations, they'd still obtained plenty of seemingly useless intel that could, in fact, reveal significant advantages upon analysis.
With the Land of Rain war over, Hidden Cloud threatened Konoha, Orochimaru was sidelined, Konoha was on the defensive. Not until the Yellow Flash crushed Hidden Rock did the situation finally reverse.
Dodai had documented and analyzed each step of this chain of events in detail.
"According to my research, most of the Yellow Flash's missions have been solo. While his reputation is huge and his strength overwhelming, he's never acted as a battlefield commander. Do you think it's reasonable for someone like that to become Hokage?"
"..."
The Hidden Cloud Jonin pondered this.
The answer: unreasonable.
If they were Konoha ninja, they'd prefer to promote Orochimaru as Hokage.
The Five Kage are not simply positions for those who are powerful enough.
Ninja are the military might of a nation.
The Kage is the core figure of this army—they must possess supreme command ability.
Yet the Yellow Flash... for all his strength, he's never commanded a battle.
Simply put, having the Yellow Flash as Hokage is a significant flaw.
He's shown no real command ability at all.
The Hidden Cloud Jonin were no fools; especially considering that Konoha's top ranks deliberately sidelined Orochimaru during Cloud's assault, only bringing in the Yellow Flash after the Hidden Rock front ended...
Only one explanation made sense—the Third Hokage wants a puppet.
The Yellow Flash is his chosen candidate.
"So, the plan is to fake a ceasefire now and let Konoha's leadership be consumed by internal conflict?"
One Hidden Cloud Jonin guessed Dodai's plan.
"Exactly. Right now, we can't deal with the Yellow Flash; losing more strength would only harm Hidden Cloud in the long run. Personally, I favor peace, letting the Yellow Flash return to succeed as the Fourth Hokage. As soon as he's elevated, he'll clash with the Third Hokage. That's our opportunity."
"But all of this is just speculation. We can't know for sure if that's really how things are inside Konoha."
A Hidden Cloud Jonin voiced dissent.
"Speculation, yes, but speculation based on solid intelligence," Dodai replied, full of confidence. "Of course, we should prepare a backup plan. If Konoha isn't in the state we think, we can always go back to fighting them then."
"What about a deadline? We can't just keep waiting forever."
"Let's set the deadline as December this year," Dodai answered after some thought. "If we make peace now, Konoha should be able to decide on their Fourth Hokage by December. If by then the Yellow Flash has become Hokage—regardless of whether the Third Hokage really intends for him to be a puppet—as Hokage, the Yellow Flash won't set foot on the battlefield lightly."
As long as it's not the Yellow Flash, any other Konoha ninja—be it even the Third Hokage himself—the Hidden Cloud won't fear them.
"So that's when we should settle things once and for all?"
Some Hidden Cloud Jonin were opposed, but most began to waver toward Dodai's idea.
It's just a few more months; for Hidden Cloud, that's nothing.
Konoha had fought both Hidden Sand and Hidden Rock; their losses must far outweigh Hidden Cloud's.
Plus, Hidden Cloud's military stores are sufficient, logistics are strong, and the only obstacle left is the Yellow Flash.
If the Yellow Flash becomes Fourth Hokage but is stripped of power, he'll certainly clash with the Third Hokage and cause chaos inside Konoha.
Even if the Third Hokage genuinely passes all power to the Yellow Flash as his heir, that's fine too. With the internal affairs of Konoha weighing on him, no matter how strong the Yellow Flash is, he can't possibly split his focus—both stabilizing Konoha and fighting Hidden Cloud personally at the same time.
After all, the complicated web of ninja clans inside Konoha was famous, Hidden Cloud had heard about it for years.
"Exactly. Next, our job is simple: spread the word about the Yellow Flash, make sure he can ascend to Fourth Hokage smoothly. Hype him up as the greatest ninja in the Ninja Realm."
A glint flashed in Dodai's eyes.
Undermining Konoha's prestige from the inside is just as effective as attacking from without.
The Fourth Raikage, after hearing Dodai's plan, nodded slightly.
While it wasn't his favorite sort of tactic, as a Kage, he saw no need to be small-minded and rely only on brute force to solve problems.
"Dodai, can you guarantee success?"
The Fourth Raikage asked only this one question.
Dodai smiled helplessly.
"I can't. It's just a logical deduction based on the intelligence we've gathered. Either way, we can't stop the Yellow Flash right now, can we?"
The Fourth Raikage fell silent.
He had to admit, stopping the Yellow Flash was impossible for now—this was the heart of the matter.
"Hmph, then let's go with this plan."