Compared to the uneasy calm in Konoha, the situation in Kumogakure had descended into chaos. The war council room echoed with shouting, accusation, and outrage.
Some elders condemned the decision to send a jinchūriki on an unclear, unverified mission. Others pounded their fists and insisted this was clearly the work of Konoha, demanding swift retribution.
Still others pushed for a full sweep of the Land of Frost, convinced they would find leads or signs of sabotage. A few among them argued the possibility of involvement by Kirigakure or Iwagakure, citing their history of subterfuge.
But the Fourth Raikage, seated at the head of the chamber, listened to none of it. His face was dark, stormy, and unreadable.
He filtered the noise automatically.
That Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, had gone missing in the Land of Frost was something he simply could not accept.
There was more to this than surface facts. He knew it. None of the Five Great Nations had shinobi capable of suppressing a Tailed Beast using only Fire Release. If they had, that kind of talent wouldn't have gone unnoticed during the Third Great Ninja War.
Even Jiraiya, one of the fabled Sannin, couldn't do it—at least, not as far as the Raikage was concerned.
Besides, Kumogakure had agents shadowing Jiraiya's movements. If he'd gone anywhere near the Land of Frost, they would've known.
"Is it true," the Raikage finally spoke, cutting through the noise, "that witnesses claimed to see the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes during the Kyuubi Incident?"
Silence dropped across the room.
"Yes," Mabui answered firmly, placing a folder down in front of the Raikage. "This intelligence was sent by our spies embedded in Konoha."
The Raikage flipped through the familiar report without real interest. He'd read it a dozen times already.
"A shinobi with mastery of Fire Release and the ability to control a Tailed Beast… if such a man exists, then it could explain how Yugito was taken."
He swept the papers aside.
This wasn't just posturing. It was preparation. He needed justification.
"Have Killer Bee lay low for a while. Send a diplomatic ultimatum to Konoha—demand that they hand over the Uchiha responsible for abducting Yugito."
The room lit up instantly.
"Yes, it must have been the Uchiha!"
"It always comes back to them!"
"Make them pay!"
It didn't matter if it was true or not. Yugito was gone. Someone had to take the fall.
And that someone would be the Uchiha Clan.
Mabui hesitated. "They're not likely to comply. Should we—"
"I know." The Raikage cut her off. His eyes flashed cold. "Then we demand reparations. And if they refuse? We'll remind the world that the Land of Lightning isn't the only nation with Tailed Beasts."
Subtext: We'll leak that Konoha is planning to seize other villages' Tailed Beasts.
Let that fire spread.
If the lie traveled far enough, the shinobi world would descend into war again—Fourth Great Ninja War.
The Raikage would love to see whether today's Konoha could still handle four nations at once.
But no need to rush it.
Weaken the Uchiha Clan first.
Make them the scapegoat.
Let Konoha burn from the inside.
That was how Kumogakure would regain its advantage.
"Keep investigating Yugito's disappearance in secret," the Raikage added. "And don't drop that cursed house case, either. I want answers."
Land of Fire.
The Third Hokage sat with a heavy expression, his hands clasped behind his desk.
The room contained more than just Hiruzen Sarutobi—his old rival Shimura Danzō, and advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were also present.
"The Uchiha have already relocated near the Police Force headquarters, as previously arranged," Hiruzen said. "Each major clan has agents monitoring them. Under these circumstances, Kumo's so-called ultimatum is baseless."
His tone was calm, but edged.
"This is no time to spark civil unrest," he added, glancing at each of them.
But Danzō scoffed.
"Hiruzen, you're still hesitating. The Uchiha have never been obedient."
His cane struck the floor with a loud crack.
"Now is the perfect opportunity to crush them. The ANBU, Root, and the clan surveillance units—you know we can erase them from Konoha tonight if you give the order."
He practically salivated at the thought.
"This is our best chance."
"I won't allow it," Hiruzen said sharply, eyes narrowing. "The Uchiha are an essential part of Konoha. We're in a fragile time. Acting on baseless accusations will destroy what little unity remains."
"Then what? Pay Kumo's ransom? The villagers won't tolerate such weakness!" Danzō snapped.
"If you don't have the stomach for it, I will make the call."
He didn't say it—but he may as well have screamed it:
I should be the Fifth Hokage.
He didn't care if the Uchiha were guilty.
If he could wipe them out? Great.
If not, but still gain the Hokage seat? Also great.
He'd already predicted Hiruzen would hesitate.
And if he couldn't manipulate Hiruzen, he'd just find a way to prevent Orochimaru from becoming Hokage instead.
Because right now—on the battlefield and in the village—Orochimaru had more popular support than Danzō ever could.
"No," Hiruzen snapped, voice iron.
He glared across the desk.
He knew Danzō too well.
If he hadn't suppressed the intel Shisui brought back with that severed head, Danzō would already be rotting in a prison cell.
Conspiring with Kumo to frame a hero of Konoha?
Even he couldn't protect Danzō from that.
And Shisui?
That boy's accomplishments during the Third War had already placed him nearly on par with the legendary Sannin. If not for the Nine-Tails incident, he could've been a contender for the Fifth Hokage.
How dare Danzō target someone like that?
Sometimes Hiruzen wanted to crack open Danzō's skull just to see what garbage filled it.
"We'll leak the information that one pair of Sharingan was stolen from the Uchiha," Hiruzen ordered coldly.
"We'll claim the Nine-Tails incident was part of that setup, and suggest that Yugito's abduction was orchestrated by outside forces. If Kumo refuses to believe us—let them expand the battlefield."
"As for the other nations: Iwagakure will stir no matter what.
Sunagakure and Kirigakure have their own problems. Ignore them."
To Hiruzen, neither Danzō nor Orochimaru were fit to become the Fifth Hokage.
Shisui? Already cast aside.
He lowered his gaze. A silent command to leave.
But inside, he sighed.
The old fire was fading.