The next day.
Hokage Building, conference room.
Sunlight slanted in through the window, casting bright patches of light across the floor. From outside came the occasional chirp of birds, making the quiet inside feel even deeper.
"I read the first report for a long time last night."
Koharu was the first to speak, her tone still carrying a trace of lingering shock. "The scope of it is too broad. I never imagined that things like nations, villages, shinobi, war… all the things that have tangled our lives for so long… could be laid out in such a cold yet concise way."
"Economy, politics, resources, geography—this child put everything on the table, peeling it apart layer by layer for you to see. And when you get to the end, you realize that the situations we usually think are complicated, the conflicts that seem chaotic—the underlying logic is just that simple. So simple it makes you…" She shook her head and left the sentence unfinished.
"The second report shows something else." Homura adjusted his glasses and took over. He opened another document, his gaze falling on the date. "This child Shinichi's keen insight. Back then, the matter of the Third Kazekage was nothing more than vague rumors—not even proper rumors. Intelligence agencies across all nations were still observing, none daring to reach a conclusion. Yet this child…"
"Just based on the Third Kazekage's past behavior, and those subtle inconsistencies in Sunagakure's movements at the time, relying only on fragmented, public information, he pieced it together like a puzzle and arrived at the core conclusion—that the Third Kazekage had already met with misfortune."
At this point, he looked up at the Third Hokage.
"This report was written two months ago. And even now, Sunagakure is still being evasive, saying only that the Third Kazekage is missing. The other great villages are still guessing, not daring to confirm whether he's merely missing or already dead. This child was two months ahead of all professional intelligence personnel. However…"
Homura paused, then continued, "This child even directly stated that the one who killed the Third Kazekage was Sasori of the Red Sand. That…"
"Then it must be him!"
Koharu let out a cold snort and cut in. "For the past year, the Third Kazekage frequently brought that boy along to various occasions, even later appointing him to his personal guard. As the child put it, the Kazekage didn't have an incident early or late—he just happened to have one right after Sasori joined his guard. And in the past few months, this so-called genius puppet master of Sunagakure has practically vanished. That alone makes him the prime suspect."
"Besides, once the war starts, Sunagakure will definitely try to pin the Kazekage's death on us, Konohagakure. We can just throw it right back—say their own genius ninja, Sasori of the Red Sand, assassinated him. Hm… we can even say he was acting under Chiyo and Ebizō's orders. Let them fight among themselves for power first."
Homura nodded. "I think that's feasible."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Then both of their gazes landed on the third document.
"On the Inevitability of Sunagakure Launching War Against Konoha and the Analysis of the Time Window."
Koharu picked up the document, her brows knitting slightly.
"From this analysis, Sunagakure going to war against Konoha is indeed inevitable. This child dissected Sunagakure's needs and behavioral logic too clearly—so clearly that if they didn't fight, it would feel strange instead."
She paused and flipped a page.
"Kumogakure following right after is also highly likely. The Third Raikage is not one to pass up an opportunity to press the advantage. Iwagakure will observe at first, waiting for the right moment to act. Kirigakure may initially harass from the sea, tying down our coastline rather than launching a full-scale landing… All of these projections make sense."
She looked up at the Third Hokage, her voice slightly heavy.
"But a three- or even four-sided siege… Hiruzen, in your view, will Konoha really face such danger in this war?"
She didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
In the First Shinobi War, Konoha's main opponent was Kumogakure. In the Second, it was a chaotic four-way struggle between Konoha, Sunagakure, Amegakure, and Iwagakure, with mutual checks and balances. Though the pressure was immense, Konoha had never faced simultaneous, full-force assaults from two major villages on two fronts.
But this report described a situation where, from the very start, they would have to deal with both Sunagakure and Kumogakure at once, while Iwagakure and Kirigakure crouched nearby, ready to pounce at any moment depending on how the war unfolded.
This was no longer just a matter of pressure—it could mean the destruction of the nation and the annihilation of the village.
Homura removed his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a cloth.
"Logically speaking, this child's projections are sound."
He put his glasses back on and looked at the Third Hokage. "Hiruzen, what do you think?"
The Third Hokage was silent for a moment. "I'm inclined to believe his projections are correct. Because they aren't based on what we want to see, but on what the enemy must do."
Koharu took a deep breath.
"So… you're saying everything this child wrote will come true?"
The Third Hokage did not answer directly.
He simply looked out the window, his gaze passing over the peaceful streets of Konoha, over the people who still had no idea war was coming, and settling on the distant horizon.
Homura spoke again. "Then, Hiruzen, what should we do? How should this report be used? Should it remain only for high-level reference, or should we pass it to the advisory division…?"
"My opinion is to circulate it further."
A voice suddenly cut in, interrupting him.
All three turned toward the source.
Shimura Danzō.
He sat there, his expression unchanged, still wearing that cold, unapproachable look. But what he said made the other three freeze.
Koharu blinked, thinking she had misheard. "Danzō, what did you say?"
"I said this report should be circulated further," Danzō repeated calmly, as if stating something entirely ordinary.
"Not just to the advisory division, but to all chūnin, tokubetsu jōnin, and jōnin. Let them all take a good look."
Homura and Koharu exchanged a glance, both seeing the same astonishment in each other's eyes. Even the Third Hokage was slightly stunned.
Koharu was the first to recover, frowning slightly. "Danzō, it's not appropriate to distribute it so directly. What if it leaks and alerts the other villages…?"
"Alerts them?" Danzō snorted coldly, cutting her off. "Who doesn't already know that war is coming? Everyone is suspicious of each other, waiting to see who makes the first move. This is just a strategic analysis report. Every village produces several of these every day. That brute from Kumogakure has already given how many public speeches this year? This isn't some secret military deployment or a concrete operational plan—what is there to hide?"
"What difference does it make if they know? Do you think they don't already know we're on guard against them? We're just making things a bit clearer."
Ignoring their expressions, Danzō continued in the same flat tone: "So my suggestion is to distribute it directly. Let them know war is coming. Let them know what scale this war will be, from which directions it will strike, how long it may last. And let them see for themselves that after decades of living and countless missions, their understanding of this war is still not as clear as that of a ten-year-old boy."
"Let them think about what they've been doing all these years—what they've been thinking—and whether they've truly used their brains at all."
The room fell silent again.
The shock on Koharu and Homura's faces had not yet faded. They looked at Danzō as if he were a stranger.
You weren't like this yesterday.
The thought surfaced in Koharu's mind. Just yesterday, when they first received the report, Danzō had dismissed Shinichi's work as worthless—calling it "grandstanding," "alarmist nonsense," "what does a child know?"
And now, after just one night, his attitude had changed so drastically.
Homura adjusted his glasses and cautiously spoke, "We can discuss distributing the document later, but Danzō, this…?"
"I'm doing this for Konoha! For the village!" Danzō snorted coldly, cutting him off again.
Then he fixed his gaze directly on the Third Hokage.
"Not only should it be distributed, Hiruzen! My point is—after they read it, this boy should personally give them a lesson."
The three of them froze.
"Personally teach them?"
"Exactly." Danzō's tone was firm. "Have him tell those chūnin, tokubetsu jōnin, and jōnin face-to-face what this war is, why it will break out, how it will be fought, and what they will face. Let them hear with their own ears how this boy sees the war."
He paused, then added: "All chūnin team leaders and jōnin who are in the village and not on duty or missions must attend. Not a single one is to be absent."
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