Avengers of the Whirlpool Family.

Chapter 417: Decision-making Dispute among Konoha's Top Leaders

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Almost the same feeling.

It can be said that after the Hidden Mist Village declared war this time.

All the major ninja villages had the illusion that they had returned to the Second Ninja World War, because that war was just like this one. It was very fierce at the beginning, but it only lasted for less than three or four months. The weakest Sand Village at the time could not hold on and was the first to withdraw from the battlefield. The smell of gunpowder from the Ninja World War also faded a lot in an instant.

It seemed that the ninja villages in other countries also temporarily stopped their military operations for their own reasons. Just when other small ninja villages in the ninja world and even Konoha thought that the war was over, the Hidden Rain Village did this again. Then, although the Hidden Iwagakure Village and the Hidden Cloud Village did not officially go to war, they did create large-scale frictions on the border.

The Ninja World War broke out again.

Following from that.

This war was a battle of on-and-off nature.

There were even situations where they fought and negotiated at the same time. It was precisely because of this that the Second Ninja World War lasted for such a long time.

Compared to the First Ninja World War, in which almost all the Second Kages died, and the Third Ninja World War, which had the largest number of participating national ninja villages and the most tragic casualties, the Second Ninja World War was indeed the most "protracted" one.

The current Fourth Ninja World War is showing the same signs.

It's only been a few months since the previous war ended?
Moreover, it was started by the Hidden Mist Village, which was the defeated party. It has to be said that this was a development that most people could not have guessed.

The most important thing in a war, besides exploring the force deployment of the hostile forces, is to figure out the other side's intentions. Otherwise, they won't even know how to deploy their troops correctly. They can't just passively follow the other side's rhythm, right?
That is the most helpless and stupid thing to do.

Aim at the target.

Take the initiative.

The right thing to do is to control the rhythm in your own hands.

What Tsunade wants most now is to find out what the real intentions of the Hidden Mist Village are and what they rely on.

I didn't understand these.

Tsunade couldn't make a judgement.

On this point, everyone in Konoha had a similar view.

After seeing the so-called 'request letter' from the Mist Ninja side, Jiraiya, Shikaku, Mitokado En and others all frowned when they saw the contents of the replica scroll distributed by Shizune.

Not because of anything.

It's because the tone of this "request letter" is a little too tough. Although there are no clear words, it feels like it is blatantly expressing the attitude that if you, the Hidden Leaf Village, dare not agree to my request, then I will definitely turn against you.

It's definitely high pressure and coercion.

This can easily lead to a misjudgment.

Especially for those who were already afraid from the beginning. Among the F4 of Konoha, except Danzo, the other three are all people who are easily threatened. This can be clearly seen from the death of Hizashi Hinata.

The inherent weakness is fully reflected in Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other two. At this moment, Mito Kado En and Utane Koharu also stably display the fixed attributes of their personalities.

"It seems that there must be some basis for this, Tsunade. We should still be cautious. Why don't we lend the passage to the Mist Ninja? As long as we don't directly participate in the war, we can maintain a relatively calm posture and observe more. We can also test the situation of Uzumaki Menma more. It's a way to kill two birds with one stone."

Plus there’s the matter of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Mitomon En felt that they in Konoha could just sit back and watch.

Who knows, there might be some unexpected surprises?
"Borrowing the road is already a clear statement of attitude. It's inappropriate. I think it's inappropriate."

Almost as soon as Mitomon En finished speaking.

Jiraiya frowned and shook his head and said.

After so much difficulty, they finally saw the possibility of a peaceful handshake with Menma, and Jiraiya was definitely the one in the Hidden Leaf Village who was most reluctant to see this possibility go to waste.

Not to mention the child of prophecy mentioned by the big toad sage of Myoboku Mountain. In Jiraiya's view, it is either Naruto or Menma.

Jiraiya always felt that if this trend continued, once they officially reconciled, wouldn't it be possible for him to accept Menma as his disciple?

Just like he taught Naruto.

In this case.

His dream might come true.

The child of prophecy who brought changes to the ninja world.

But this is Jiraiya's lifelong pursuit, and he is almost going crazy because of it.

"Does that mean we should just hold them back and not let the Mist Ninja in? You've seen the attitude of the Mist Ninja and the determination of that Master. If a war is sparked between us and the Mist Ninja, is that what you want to see, Jiraiya?"

Mitomon En's face darkened and he spoke sternly.

Jiraiya's expression also changed slightly.

In the heart of this Konoha hero.

The order of importance has always been clear, that is, the prophecy of Myoboku Mountain is greater than or equal to the safety of Konohagakure Village, followed by close people like Naruto and Tsunade, and then the guilty feeling towards Naruto.

This can actually be seen from the original work where Jiraiya took Naruto to pick up Tsunade.

Jiraiya had clearly said that if Tsunade dared to assist Orochimaru, he would take action against her.

From here we can clearly see what is most important in the heart of this Konoha hero.

In the original novel, he didn't take care of Naruto. In this life, he also ignored Menma.

It's the same principle.

Jiraiya has never been as 'heroic' as his appearance suggests!
"But it's not appropriate to let the Mist Ninja in at will. Elder Mitomon, looking at the trend of the Mist Ninja, it's very likely that they will come out in full force this time, at least six or seven thousand, or even more. Is it really appropriate to let such a large group of Mist Ninja enter the Land of Fire? The safety of our Konoha will be threatened, right? And more importantly, how will the Daimyo view this matter?"

Shikaku, who was sitting on the side, also spoke at this moment.

This time it was Mitomon En's turn to have a slightly changed expression.

The safety of the village cannot be left to the judgment of other ninja villages. Even if Konoha is confident that it can suppress the Mist Ninjas, all the losses caused by fighting on their own land will be borne by them. Even if it does not affect the Hidden Leaf Village itself, as long as it is within the territory of the Land of Fire, it is the responsibility of Konoha.

By that time, when the daimyo is held accountable, it will also be a big problem.

The people of Konoha are not like Menma who basically ignore the Daimyo of Taki Country and Kusanagi Country and do whatever they want. From the selection of Danzo as the acting Hokage in the original work, we can see that they still strictly abide by the so-called "one country, one ninja village rule".

So easily.

This group of people will not cross that line.

In their hearts, their reputation still carries a lot of weight.

this moment.

Mizuto Menen himself was also conflicted.

This Tao.

Should I lend it or not?

It seems that whether to borrow or not, there are big problems.

"Lu Jiu, what do you think?"

Tsunade, who was sitting in the main seat, didn't listen seriously to what Mito Kado En and Jiraiya said at all, but fixed her eyes on Shikaku below. As the think tank of the Hidden Leaf Village, Shikaku was also Tsunade's right-hand man in decision-making.

Ever since Tsunade came to power, all her decisions have relied on Shikaku's wisdom. To put it bluntly, without Shikaku, Tsunade would have no idea about many things and would not know where to start. What's more, Shikaku can not only analyze the situation for Tsunade and provide many suggestions, but he is also the common spokesperson for the Ino, Shikaku, and Chou clans. The combined strength of the three clans can bring great help to Tsunade.

If we simply consider it from the cold and rational perspective of interests and effects,
From Tsunade's point of view, Shikaku is actually more important than Jiraiya. After all, Jiraiya is not the kind of person who can truly sweep the ninja world. No matter how important a person is, how can he be compared with three ninja clans?

"The attitude of the Hidden Mist Village is not the most important. What we should pay attention to is the movements of the Hidden Light Village and the Hidden Rock Village. To be frank, without the two tailed beasts, it will be difficult for the Hidden Mist Village to cause any trouble. Even if we really don't borrow their way, at most we can deploy three to four thousand garrisons in the border area to stop the attack of the Hidden Mist Ninja. I don't think the Hidden Mist Ninja will have the courage to attack us. What's more important is that they don't have a corresponding reason. It is more likely that they will take a detour through the southern sea border, land in the Tea Country and the River Country, and directly attack the Grass Country, which is much better than fighting us head-on."

Shikaku took a deep breath, looked up at Tsunade, Jiraiya, Mito Kado En and others, and spoke in a very calm voice.

When I saw that Mitomon En seemed to be about to say something.

After a slight pause, Shikaku continued, "If the Mist Ninjas launch a massive attack on us just because we refuse to borrow their passage, then we can conclude that the Mist Ninjas' target was not the Hidden Light Village from the beginning, but us. Then, whether we borrow their passage or not will not make much difference, and it can even be considered a reasonable judgment."

The words spoken afterwards.

The words that Mizuto Menyan was about to say were swallowed back by him.

Yes, if the Hidden Mist Village's target is only the Hidden Light Village, there is no reason for them to provoke them. Do they really think that their swords are not sharp? Even if they lost the Nine-Tails, they have not made much progress in recent years. But at least they have a strong family background and are not something that can be provoked by a mere Hidden Mist Village.

If our side rejects the request of the Hidden Mist Village, the most reasonable approach for the other side would be to choose to take a detour. If they force a war, there is only one reason, and that is that their target from the beginning to the end has been Konoha.

"But this doesn't make sense. The Hidden Mist Village has no reason to make things difficult for us. And even if we take a step back, I don't think it's reasonable to provoke the Hidden Mist Village now."

Mizuto Menen shook his head and said, but although it seemed that he was still sticking to his own opinion, his words had actually softened a lot.

"Tsunade, do you have any other information? For example, the Hidden Cloud Village, the Hidden Rock Village, the Hidden Sand Village, or even Menma Uzumaki?"

Utane Koharu looked at Tsunade with a serious expression and asked.

"If I had the information, I would have announced it long ago. Why would I keep it secret? The problem now is that the movements of all parties are completely unclear. It's impossible to know where to start."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, spread her hands and said in a very helpless tone.

The Hokage is really a little powerless to this extent. In any event, Konoha can't even grasp the initiative. Every time, they have to be led by others. How can this be disgraceful! ?

Once a problem occurs, it is often not a small problem, but a big problem that cannot be suppressed!!!
"I suggest sending someone to contact the Hidden Light Village directly, Hokage-sama. This should be the most appropriate decision at the moment."

At the lower position, Shikaku looked at Tsunade with a determined look and said.

In fact, from Shikaku's original intention, this is not a very good choice, but the situation is already like this. What's more important is that Tsunade and Jiraiya, the two high-ranking officials of the ninja village, have already limited themselves to a circle. No matter how talented Shikaku is, he can only be trapped in this box and find a way out.

As for whether it will work, that depends on God.

Shikaku is a human, not a god.

Human power is limited after all, not to mention in such an extraordinary world. It is very likely that Lu Jiu’s efforts will become in vain at any time.

But before that day comes, Shikaku will still have to do his best to assist his own Fifth Hokage.

"What!? Are we going to continue to take the initiative to contact Uzumaki Menma? No, this is absolutely not possible. This is irrational. A temporary ceasefire is fine. For the stability of the village and the next arrangements, a little contact is not a big problem. But if we really want to follow the previous plan, Tsunade, I will be the first to object. Don't forget Uzumaki Menma's identity. It is a fatal flaw for us in Konoha. The Nine-Tails is our Konoha's reverse scale. Jiraiya, don't rush to object. You have seen Uzumaki Menma's attitude. Even if we take a step back and say that we can do without the Nine-Tails, do you really think Uzumaki Menma will coexist peacefully with our Konoha? Wouldn't it be a disaster if we raise a tiger? Do you dare to make such a guarantee?"

Mitokado En suddenly stood up and said to Tsunade and Jiraiya with a very stern expression.

Mito Kado En is not exaggerating. The real facts are right in front of them. Even someone like Jiraiya can't really say such nonsense.

But I just can't get over the hurdle in my heart.

This is also the biggest conflict between them and Mizutomon En.

(End of this chapter)