Chapter 100: Pain, You'll Regret This
"This isn't the time for sentiment."
"The immediate priority is securing Grass Country as fast as possible."
"The Fire-Earth alliance cannot afford a single gap in its formation."
Sakura reached under the coffee table, pulled out a shinobi world map she apparently knew was stored there, and pushed the tea set on the table to one side with her other hand. One cup went over the edge and shattered on the floor.
Neither Sakura nor Shikaku gave it a second glance.
Hiruzen's eye twitched.
Another antique...
He walked around to stand beside her and looked at the map.
"As I said — Grass Country is the thorn stuck between Fire and Earth right now." Sakura's finger landed on the symbol marking the small nation. "Unremarkable on its own. But it sits directly on the artery connecting our two countries."
"Geographic position this obvious, anyone with functioning eyes can see why it matters."
"And it borders the Land of Rain and the Land of Waterfalls. Neither of those minor powers is negligible."
"Move jointly with Iwa — take Grass Country at maximum speed. Then both sides station five hundred shinobi there and hold. No further escalation. No new enemies."
A thousand total. Not a crushing force — not meant to be. It was a message to Rain and Waterfalls: this territory is claimed, taking it back will cost you, but we're not here for you.
Rain Country in particular required no elaboration. Akatsuki's base of operations. Sakura had neither the interest nor the capability to poke that nest right now.
Waterfall Country was the other significant minor-nation power — home to the Seven-Tails' jinchūriki, Fū. The country's leadership had purchased custody of the Seven-Tails from Konoha in an earlier era, at considerable cost, and the investment had paid off: not once across three world wars had the fighting reached their borders.
"Sand will never allow us to take Grass Country unopposed."
Shikaku spoke for the first time.
"Correct. And Rasa has exactly two ways to stop us."
Sakura's finger slid to the Rain Country marker.
"Option one: ally with Rain, push troops through to reinforce Grass."
A small smile.
"But if they want to transit Rain Country — who in that room agrees to that?"
Land of Rain. Village Hidden in Rain.
A fortress built under permanent cloud cover, in a country that seemed to exist in a state of perpetual grief. And yet this sorrowful nation housed some of the most dangerous shinobi alive.
"No. This topic is closed."
At the top of the tallest iron tower, light fell through the windows into the rainy night outside. The air in the room was heavy.
Four figures in black cloaks with red clouds stood around a table. A map of the shinobi world lay spread between them.
The one who had spoken: orange hair, ringed purple eyes, face marked with black metal piercings. His bearing carried something that didn't belong entirely to the human world.
"Pain — if Fire and Earth are allied, do you understand what kind of combined force that represents?"
The man addressed as Pain sat across from a figure wearing an orange spiral mask.
"Whatever force they represent — before a god, they are insects. The category does not change."
Pain's expression was perfectly still.
"Sand will not be permitted to transit Rain Country. That is not a negotiating position."
A woman with short blue hair, a paper flower in her hair, a lip piercing — cold-faced, precise — looked at the masked figure without warmth.
The masked man went quiet for a moment.
"If Fire and Earth split their forces and attack Wind from multiple directions, Sand cannot hold. When Wind falls — Rain gets enclosed on all sides by a combined power that has never existed before. Surrounded. No exits."
He had barely finished when the last person in the room raised a hand.
To call this person a person was, admittedly, a stretch. From the neck down he was encased in an enormous carnivorous plant. His face was split down the middle — one half white, one half black.
"Latest update — Cloud just moved on the Land of Fire~~~"
"The fighting around Frost Country should start any time now~~~"
The white half of the face spoke with light, almost playful delivery.
The masked man looked at the plant creature. Behind the spiral of orange, something red flickered — brief dissatisfaction.
"If that's the situation, Konoha won't want to open more fronts. They certainly won't move on Rain."
"If anything, fighting on two sides might push them to try courting us."
The blue-haired woman spoke quietly. The masked man heard something in her tone that landed as mockery, whatever she'd intended.
A long silence.
The masked man looked at the ringed purple eyes across the table.
"Pain. You will regret this."
"'Tobi.' I lead Amegakure."
The man called Pain held the masked man's gaze without any change of expression.
The one called Tobi looked at him for a long moment. Then he turned and walked out.
SLAM.
The door shut behind him with unnecessary force.
The blue-haired woman's brow drew together at the rudeness of it.
"Ahehe — right, Pain, I'll go back to gathering intelligence then~~~"
The plant creature, belatedly sensing that the room's atmosphere had reached a certain tension, offered a sheepish smile and sank into the floor, gone.
"Konan."
Pain looked at the rain falling past the window.
"I will not let Rain Country be consumed by this war."
"I know, Nagato."
The woman called Konan looked out the same window and answered softly.
Whatever happened — this was the country Yahiko had given everything to protect. The country he had dreamed of changing. They had been working toward that dream since before his death.
They were still working toward it.
"Konan. Contact Kisame and Kakuzu. Have them ready to enter the Fire-Earth versus Sand theater as independent contractors."
"We won't give Wind a transit corridor. But Sand cannot be allowed to collapse this quickly."
"Whatever Tobi said — he was right about one thing. Wind Country cannot fall yet."
"Not to the Fire-Earth alliance. Not like this."
Those ringed purple eyes stared into the rainy dark outside the window, still as something long dead.
(End of Chapter)