The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

Iwagakure's sudden shift in position put immense pressure on Konoha.

Although there is no clear evidence at present.

Ohnoki did not make an official announcement.

However, some clues can still be found, especially the fact that the investigators learned that Hozuki Castle, which was originally the 'World Prison', is now under the defense of Iwa ninja, who are also launching a strong attack on Kumogakure.

The answer is as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head.

This is also based on this point.

Tsunade decisively dispatched personnel to strengthen ties with Kirigakure. Since Menma was able to lead the Takigakure ninja in a powerful attack and defeat the Cloud Ninja forces, including the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, personally led by the Fourth Raikage, it was possible that their Konoha ninja forces would also suffer a defeat.

This isn't a matter of confidence or lack thereof.

Rather, it is a real problem that must be objectively considered.

It's important to know that Tsunade was wary of the three Jinchuriki from the beginning, otherwise she wouldn't have insisted on bringing along the Cloud and Mist Ninja. Now, she has proven this point through a real battle.

Tsunade would never allow her own ninja village to fight alone.

Even if Jiraiya was stronger than the Fourth Raikage, he wasn't overwhelmingly superior. His own village didn't have a Jinchuriki yet. Menma Uzumaki might not be able to defeat Jiraiya, but what if they added the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, or even the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki?

Tsunade had to consider the worst-case scenario.

Of course, this is also based on the premise that Tsunade is unaware that there is a monster in her own ninja village who can use his life as a price to unleash his unparalleled power and sweep across the entire field.

Therefore, she had to be fully prepared.

The correct approach is to stabilize Kirigakure, then try to win over Sunagakure, and ideally, find a way to sow discord among Iwagakure.

Neither Kirigakure nor Sunagakure gave a clear answer.

The Mist Ninja forces, under the leadership of Mei Terumi and Ao, have temporarily joined up with the Konoha frontline troops. However, whether they can continue their advance is clearly a big question mark. As for the Sand Ninja, it goes without saying.

As the shadow of the village, Maki must consider all changes in the situation.

It's impossible to act impulsively just because you see the potential benefits.

Unlike Rasa, Maki now consults Ebizo and Chiyo, two elders of Sunagakure, almost whenever he encounters a problem.

These two elders were pillars of Sunagakure in their youth, and they still play a crucial role in stabilizing the village. Maki's ascension to the position of Fifth Kazekage was due to their recognition and support.

And regarding the forces of Takigakure and Kusagakure led by Uzumaki Menma.

Chiyo and Ebizo's opinion could be summed up in one word: "Wait!"

Their Sand Village is too weak and too poor. Countless defeats have made it extremely difficult for them to not only recover to their peak, but even to stop their decline. It should be noted that the number of active ninjas in their Sand Village is only a little over ten thousand. This alone is enough to prove their weakness.

And the current situation in the ninja world is so complicated.

It's true that Takigakure Village is a bit far away.

But Kusagakure is right next door, and Iwagakure is right to the north. Over the years, our village has fought hundreds of major and minor battles at the fortress in the northernmost region, which is the northern gateway to our Sunagakure.

If we really want to take action, we need to consider the realities of the situation.

Who knows if they might launch a two-pronged attack?

Will it be Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) or Konoha (Hidden Leaf Village) that comes to our aid?

Chiyo and Ebizo didn't believe in this, and neither did Maki. In the end, Sunagakure was barely able to protect itself, let alone think about launching an attack.

That's a dream!

In short, unless there is an 80-90% chance of success, and the benefits are tangible and real, then Maki, the Fifth Kazekage, will absolutely follow Chiyo and Ebizo's instructions and not allow a single Sand Ninja to set foot on territory they shouldn't be in.

What Sunagakure needs to do now is to suppress their restless hearts.

Two consecutive defeats in wars and the untimely deaths of two consecutive Kazekage were enough to sound the highest alarm bells for Sunagakure.

They cannot afford to make a single mistake now; the margin for error left for Sunagakure is extremely low.

Therefore, Maki chose to give a perfunctory response to Tsunade's yet another joint request.

Whether to make a move depends on the timing.

The two major ninja villages gave almost identical answers.

This also made Tsunade feel extremely troubled.

The Land of Fire, Konoha Village.

That high-level meeting that was forced to be convened again.

This time, there was no one else besides Tsunade, only Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzo.

After hearing the latest information from Tsunade, the three elders of Konoha fell silent.

At this point, even Danzo wouldn't dare boast that his own ninja village could solve everything. Even if it were possible, wouldn't he be completely wary of other ninja villages? Doing the work for someone else's benefit is the most foolish thing to do.

"What do you three elders think? Should we continue to exert pressure? Or should we wait and see for the time being? Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. I would like to ask for your opinions."

Tsunade crossed her arms on the table and looked at Danzo, Enma, and Koharu with a very serious expression, asking them a question.

This is no longer a simple issue; it concerns the survival of the ninja village. Uzumaki Menma has clearly shown his attitude: he will definitely take revenge on Konoha in the future, and he has proven this with his actions.

At this point, Tsunade naturally wouldn't have any more naive ideas.

To reiterate, preserving Konoha is the top priority.

Menma is now so powerful that even Konoha Village has to be wary of him. Not to mention, Menma's identity is so special. Every day Menma is away, Konoha Village has to bear immense pressure.

"He defeated the Fourth Raikage in a one-on-one battle? Is Uzumaki Menma really that strong!?"

Mitokado Homura spoke softly with an extremely solemn expression.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 308 Choice

One step wrong, step by step wrong.

If when Menma defected with Orochimaru, Mitokado Homura and the others only felt ashamed and extremely angry, without any other emotions, their mentality has changed drastically now, with Menma's terrifying victories coming one after another.

This should be considered a common human trait.

After all, neither Mitokado Homura nor Shimura Danzo initially felt that Menma posed much of a threat. Danzo even believed that as long as there was no interference from external forces, he could easily capture Menma by simply dispatching a relatively large elite Root squad.

What should a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy be afraid of?

In Konoha, a ninja village hailed as a cradle of geniuses, even the most talented representative, Minato Namikaze, only acquired his formidable power in the ninja world when he was nearly 20 years old, and that power was largely due to the Flying Thunder God Technique.

This isn't an exaggeration, because given the power Minato displayed in his youth, if he didn't have the Flying Thunder God Technique, he would at most be at the level of a near-Kage to an ordinary Kage, and it would be impossible for him to easily take down Jonin, let alone fight multiple opponents.

The Flying Thunder God Technique brought about a qualitative change for the young Minato.

Even so, Minato only truly made a name for himself during the Third Shinobi World War. Before that, his only title was "Jiraiya's disciple."

Therefore, even though Menma is the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, in the past ten years or so, we have never seen Menma adapt to or master the Nine-Tails' power. Who could really know that Menma could be this strong!?

This was an unexpected turn of events for Mitokado Homura and the others.

Therefore, now, let alone Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, even Shimura Danzo, this ultimate and powerful old silver coin, is finding it very troublesome.

No matter how arrogant he was, he wouldn't believe that his own Root members could defeat Uzumaki Menma. The best proof of this was that he had previously ordered the Root members on the front lines to temporarily obey Jiraiya's orders.

Unless he does it himself.

Regarding one's own strength.

Danzo was quite confident. In the original story, while dealing with Sasuke, he was still considering holding back to suppress Obito, who was watching from behind. This is enough to show that.

After all, in Danzo's view, he already possessed the ultimate powers of Wood Release cells and Sharingan. Even though he was still far behind those two, he had definitely reached the pinnacle of the current ninja world.

A mere Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

With his Mangekyou Sharingan and Wood Release, how could he not suppress it?!

However, he cannot easily leave the village now.

"Tsunade, do Jiraiya and Shikaku have any objections?"

Koharu, sitting to one side, slowly opened her eyes and looked at Tsunade, who was sitting in the main seat, with a solemn expression.

Making a decision is not easy.

If they take any wrong step now, even Konoha wouldn't be able to withstand the resulting side effects and backlash.

They must treat this matter with utmost care.

"Shikaku's suggestion is to mediate the war between Kumogakure and Iwagakure as much as possible. If that doesn't work, at the very least, we should gather the strength of Kirigakure and Sunagakure to launch another attack. As for Konoha alone, let's not even talk about the outcome. Even if the final result is favorable to our side, we will inevitably have to take other issues into consideration."

Tsunade shook her head slightly, as if letting out a soft sigh.

Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzo fell silent upon hearing this. Although the words were not explicitly stated, all three of them could easily grasp their meaning.

To put it bluntly, it's still a matter of mutual wariness.

There can be no real trust or friendship between ninja villages; everything depends on interests and the actual power they wield.

If Konoha can't offer the benefits that Kirigakure and Sunagakure want, and then tries to drag them into adventures, it's almost certainly impossible.

Shikaku didn't seem to say anything.

But in reality, she said everything.

Through Tsunade's words.

The meaning conveyed was also expressed accurately.

Danzo and the other two could also clearly hear it.

"Then let's pay a price. Wasn't our primary objective clearly defined from the very beginning?"

There is no room for argument.

and so.

Unlike Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who were still struggling and hesitating, Danzo, sitting to the side, snorted softly, raised his eyelids, and spoke in a slightly cold tone.

This also shows the difference between Mitokado Homura and Danzo. In fact, disregarding their foolishness in old age, decades ago, when they were taken in as disciples by Senju Tobirama, Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen were always Tobirama's most prized and valued disciples. No matter how incompetent Danzo was, at least in terms of courage and decisiveness, he was still superior to the other two.

In a sense.

If Danzo hadn't been so extreme in his personality...