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Chapter 128: Shifts in the Ninja World
Chapter 128: Shifts in the Ninja World
Once all the jonin had gathered, Sarutobi Hiruzen began the meeting.
The Third Hokage, along with Mito Men, Danzo Shimura, and Tsunade, the senior leaders of Konoha, sat in the only four chairs available, while the jonin stood before them.
"Not long ago, Iwagakure of the Earth Country declared war on us," Hiruzen said, revealing the reason for this emergency jonin meeting.
"Iwagakure? They are one of the five great ninja villages, just like us," one of the jonin commented.
"Do they covet the abundant resources of our Fire Country?" another jonin speculated, causing a stir in the room.
Iwagakure was not an insignificant force; even if their overall strength paled in comparison to Konoha's, they were still a formidable ninja village.
"Hmph, how dare those Iwagakure ninjas declare war on Konoha, the first among the five great ninja villages! They seem to have forgotten that even among the five, there are differences in strength!" Danzo scoffed.
"We should immediately assemble our forces and declare war on Iwagakure of the Earth Country," Danzo continued. "We must strike swiftly and show them that the first ninja village is not to be trifled with!"
Of course, Danzo had more to say, but these thoughts were best kept for a private conversation with the Third Hokage. He believed that with war looming, they would need to loosen restrictions on their spies and root organizations.
"Declaring war on Iwagakure is necessary," Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
Now that the gauntlet had been thrown down, Konoha had no choice but to respond in kind or risk losing their standing in the ninja world.
Konoha's finances came primarily from two sources: the funding provided by the Feudal Lord and the commissions from various noble and wealthy merchants.
The clients were not fools; they would surely take their business to the strongest and most reliable ninja village. If Konoha showed weakness now, they would lose a significant number of commissions, which would inevitably end up in Iwagakure's hands.
"It may not be prudent to assemble our forces and launch an offensive just yet," Hiruzen said, acknowledging Danzo's suggestion but offering a different approach. "The current situation in the ninja world is unclear, and we recently had a confrontation with Kumogakure. With Iwagakure's declaration of war, they may also be plotting something underhanded."
The Earth Country lay to the northwest of the Fire Country, while the Lightning Country was to the northeast. If Iwagakure and Kumogakure joined forces and attacked Konoha, they would be fighting a two-front war.
Should Konoha amass their ninja forces and march towards the Earth Country, Kumogakure could easily intercept them on their way back or even invade the Fire Country directly.
Mu Yue understood Hiruzen's strategy as she listened to his words.
Hiruzen's plan was straightforward: they had to engage Iwagakure, but they must do so cautiously to avoid any unforeseen complications.
"First, we must notify the Grass Ninja Village to be vigilant and report any signs of Iwagakure ninjas entering the Grass Country," Shikaku Nara suggested after a moment's thought.
The quickest routes for Iwagakure ninjas to enter the Fire Country were through the Rain Country or the Grass Country. While there were alternative longer routes, they were impractical in a wartime scenario. Those routes would require traveling through the Bird Country, then the Wind Country, followed by the River Country, before finally reaching the Fire Country.
Aside from the distance, such a path would also lead them through the Wind Country, one of the five great countries, and risk drawing the attention of Sunagakure, who might mistake the Iwagakure ninjas for invaders.
"We must also reinforce our border forces to prevent surprise attacks from the Iwagakure ninjas and avoid battles on our home soil," Shikaku Nara continued.
The impact of war could be immense, so it was crucial to try and keep the flames of conflict away from the Fire Country's territory.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, agreeing with Shikaku Nara's proposal, which aligned with his own thoughts.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not end the meeting immediately but chose to continue.
After a considerable amount of time had passed without hearing any suggestions better than Shikaku Nara's, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally concluded the Jonin meeting. He assigned several Jonin to lead teams to support the border, and then the familiar Jonin companions departed.
"Namikaze, who is this?" A rather chubby ninja with a hearty smile on his face approached Namikaze for a chat and noticed Mu Yue.
"This is my friend, Mu Yue. They're a newly promoted Jonin," Namikaze smiled and introduced Mu Yue.
"Mu Yue, this is Choza Akimichi, a very dependable senior," Namikaze then introduced Choza Akimichi to Mu Yue.
"Haha, it's true that I'm a few years older than you, but Namikaze, your level of reliability surpasses mine," Choza Akimichi laughed heartily.
He had been on missions with Namikaze, and Namikaze's strength was no ordinary Jonin.
"Senior Choza," Mu Yue greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Hmm," Choza Akimichi looked at Mu Yue's gentle smile and then glanced at Namikaze, noticing the same warm smile and golden hair and blue eyes.
"Namikaze, your friend here resembles you quite a bit. Are they your relative?" Choza Akimichi asked.
"See, Namikaze, I told you they looked like you," Kushina immediately jumped in upon hearing Choza Akimichi's words.
She had always felt that the two of them looked alike, not in physical appearance but in a more spiritual sense.
"No, we're just plain friends," Namikaze smiled wryly and explained.
With Namikaze's assistance, Mu Yue got to know quite a few Jonin.
Mu Yue discovered that Namikaze seemed to be quite familiar with the ninjas from the secret technique clans, such as the Akimichi, Inuzuka, Nara, Aburame, and other similar families.
While the overall strength of these secret technique clans might not match that of top-tier ninja clans like the Uchiha, they were still the backbone of Konoha, and their collective strength formed a formidable force.
After the meeting, Mu Yue quickly headed to the Southern Forest to check on the progress of his disciples' training.
He assessed each of his disciples.
In the end, he found that Obito had progressed from fifteen to sixteen, while Itachi and Might Guy remained unchanged. Itachi was still at fifteen, and Might Guy was stuck at nineteen.
However, Mu Yue couldn't be sure if his cooking had anything to do with Obito's progress, as Might Guy's experience suggested that the extreme level of the previous step could reach a proficiency of nineteen.
This issue could be easily resolved. Tomorrow, he would have Itachi try the fiery cuisine as well, and then he would know if it had any effect.
"Hehe, Itachi, it's not that spicy. The food still tastes delicious," Obito reassured Itachi, unable to contain the smile on his face.
Card text: 7k. I'll make it up to you when I have the time.
(End of Chapter)
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