"Haaaah..."
After listening to Minato's report, Hiruzen let out a long, slow sigh, a thick plume of white smoke accompanying it, partially obscuring his already aged features.
He had a headache.
He had just issued the order yesterday forbidding anyone from troubling the Sunagakure's delegation, and today this had happened. He truly didn't know what to say.
Was he angry?
Absolutely.
As the Hokage, having his direct command ignored so quickly was like having his words treated as worthless.
But he couldn't afford to show his anger.
The situation was delicate.
He feared that if he lost his temper, his subordinates might act rashly in response, making the already precarious situation utterly irreversible.
But while he dared not show anger, others had no such reservations. Koharu was so furious she slammed the table. "Hiruzen! The Uchiha are becoming more and more outrageous! The entire village is preparing for war, and they're causing trouble in the rear! We cannot let them off easily this time!"
"Indeed." Homura chimed in, his expression severe. "Under normal circumstances, perhaps, but Konoha is now in a state of active war preparation. To openly defy the Hokage's order... that is a grave military offense!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen merely puffed harder on his pipe, burning through the freshly packed tobacco in a single, deep draw.
Everything they said, he understood perfectly well. But some matters were not as simple as they seemed.
Due to Madara's legacy, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of Konoha had never been good. The series of policies enacted by the Second Hokage had led many within the clan to believe the village distrusted them, causing them to interpret the village's actions in the worst possible light.
If the village were to take any punitive action against the Uchiha now, it would only worsen the already strained relations.
The Uchiha, who already distrusted the village, might then become completely convinced the village was targeting them, potentially pushing them down the same path Madara had taken.
Even those Uchiha who currently trusted the village would begin to harbor doubts, driving the clan further away, perhaps even to the point of complete rupture.
How could he, Hiruzen, entrusted with the village by his predecessors, allow such a thing to happen?
Yet, Setsuna's actions had seriously compromised the village's interests.
If he pretended nothing happened, the other clans and Shinobi would resent it, deepening their existing grievances and hostility toward the Uchiha.
Just how was he to resolve this...
Merely contemplating it a little deeper made Hiruzen's head throb.
At that moment, Minato spoke up. "Third Hokage-sama, assigning blame is not the priority right now. The most pressing issue is the matter of the duel."
Hearing this, Hiruzen paused.
That was right. He could manipulate the circumstances of the duel to shift the focus of the other clans and Shinobi.
Finding a potential solution eased the pressure in Hiruzen's chest, and his deeply troubled expression softened somewhat.
He looked up at Minato, nodding with approval. "Minato is correct. While both sides agreed to settle their grievance through a duel, if handled improperly, it may not resolve the issue but instead create an even greater grudge."
The two councilors deeply agreed.
After all, such outcomes were common throughout history.
"If Sunagakure loses too badly and feels they've lost their honor, it will likely strain relations even further."
"True. But expecting the Uchiha to go easy is impossible. They are the type who value clan honor more than their own lives."
"The participants for the duel absolutely cannot be from the Uchiha Clan. If they participate, they will only escalate the conflict further."
The two Advisors went back and forth, their discussion leaving Minato inwardly exasperated.
'Why are you assuming Sunagakure will lose as your starting point?'
'Do you think Konoha simply cannot lose? Or that even if Konoha loses, it doesn't matter, as long as Sunagakure is appeased and relations aren't damaged?'
'But that would be a severe blow to Konoha's prestige and morale, especially with a war on the horizon.'
"What is the current situation with the Sunagakure's delegation?"
Hiruzen suddenly asked.
An Anbu instantly appeared in the office to report. "Those interning are interning, those observing classes are observing. Of the accompanying guards, some are scouting and familiarizing themselves with the terrain, while the rest remain quietly at their residence."
"And Senki Ryuji?"
"He is at the Shinobi Academy, observing the progress of his delegation's students."
Hearing this, Hiruzen fell silent again.
The two Advisors and Minato exchanged bewildered looks.
'Despite such a major incident, the Sunagakure's delegation acted as if nothing had happened, going about their business without any special preparations... Did they simply not take the duel seriously, or were they utterly confident of victory?'
After a long pause, Hiruzen said hesitantly, "...Bring me the personnel list for the Sunagakure's delegation. I need to review it again."
"Yes, sir."
Soon, the Anbu returned with two documents.
One was the official roster submitted by Sunagakure. The other was a list compiled secretly by Konoha's intelligence.
Hiruzen placed the two lists side-by-side on his desk, cross-checking for any discrepancies.
Finally, he singled out two particularly suspicious entries.
One was a tall, shapely young woman with striking features and short silver hair.
The other was a black-haired, black-eyed youth with an unremarkable appearance.
Hiruzen tapped the documents. "Look here. The information on everyone else checks out. But these two... there's very little data, especially on this 'Kuro'. There's no useful information at all."
The other three in the room gathered around to look.
The official Sunagakure's list only recorded name, gender, and Shinobi rank. Details like mission history and family background were only on Konoha's intelligence report.
Of course, it wasn't complete, nor entirely accurate, but everyone had at least some relevant records.
Only Gin and Kuro had minimal information.
Kuro's record was practically blank.
"I've seen this 'Gin' before," Minato said, studying the two entries. "During the mission in the Roran, she was part of Ryuji's team that clashed with us. She possesses monstrous strength comparable to Tsunade-sama's and is highly skilled in Earth Release. She is very powerful. As for 'Kuro', I have no knowledge."
"Strength comparable to Tsunade's... skilled in Earth Release..."
Hiruzen's frown deepened. Koharu and Homura looked at each other, realizing the tricky nature of the situation.
"It seems Sunagakure has come prepared, confident in their strength."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, then pulled out the personnel files for Ryuji and Karura from the Sunagakure's list. Looking at their recorded histories, his brows furrowed so tightly they almost met in a single line.
The office fell into a heavy silence.
After what felt like a long time, Hiruzen lifted his head. A sharp glint flashed in his weary eyes. "The participants for this duel cannot be from the Uchiha Clan. They cannot win."
Just as Minato had thought, this duel could not be lost. A loss would be a massive blow to Konoha's prestige and a severe blow to the morale of the frontline forces.
Therefore, Konoha could not lose.
No… not that they couldn't lose. They could not be defeated.
They had to allow Sunagakure to save honor, while also ensuring Konoha's reputation remained unblemished.