The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

The previous war only lasted a few months until now.

Moreover, the fact that it was Kirigakure, the defeated party, that stirred things up is something that most people could never have predicted.

Besides investigating the enemy's troop deployment, the most important thing in a war is to figure out their intentions. Otherwise, they won't even know how to deploy their troops correctly. They can't just passively follow the enemy's rhythm all the time.

That was the most helpless and foolish thing to do.

Identify your target.

Take the initiative.

The right approach is to keep the pace under your control.

What Tsunade wants most right now is to figure out what Kirigakure's true intentions are and what they are relying on.

I don't understand these things.

Tsunade couldn't make a judgment.

On this point, the people of Konoha below shared a similar view.

Upon seeing the contents of the copied scroll distributed by Shizune, Jiraiya, Shikaku, Mitokado Homura, and the others frowned deeply after seeing the so-called 'request letter' from the Mist Ninja side.

For no reason.

The reason this 'request letter' was so forceful was that, although it didn't contain any explicit words, it felt like it was blatantly showing that if Konoha Village dared to disagree with its demands, it would definitely turn on them.

This is definitely high-pressure coercion.

This can easily lead to a misjudgment.

Especially for those who were initially afraid, among the Konoha F4, excluding Danzo, the other three are all easily threatened, as can be clearly seen from the death of Hyuga Hizashi.

The inherent weakness was fully displayed in the three members of Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane also consistently demonstrated the fixed attributes of their personalities at this moment.

"It seems they must have something to rely on. Tsunade, we should be more cautious. Why don't we let the Mist Ninja pass through? As long as we don't directly participate in the war, we can maintain a relatively calm posture and observe more. It's also a good opportunity to probe the situation at Uzumaki Menma's place. It's a win-win situation."

In addition, there's the Nine-Tails incident.

Mitokado Homura felt that Konoha could simply stand by and watch.

Who knows, there might be some unexpected surprises?

"Borrowing a passage is already a clear statement of attitude, which is inappropriate. I think it's inappropriate."

Almost immediately after Mitokado Enoki finished speaking.

Jiraiya frowned and shook his head as he spoke.

Having finally seen the possibility of a peaceful handshake with Menma, Jiraiya was definitely one of the people in Konoha who least wanted this possibility to fall through.

Not to mention the child of prophecy mentioned by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, which, in Jiraiya's opinion, was either Naruto or Menma.

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

Just like how he taught Naruto.

In that case...

His dream may come true.

That prophesied child who brought about change to the ninja world.

But it was Jiraiya's lifelong pursuit, and he was almost obsessed with it.

"So, does that mean we should just hold them off and not let the Mist Ninja in? You saw the Mist Ninja's attitude, and that Master's resolute decision. If this directly ignites a war between us and the Mist Ninja, is that what you want to see, Jiraiya?"

Mitokado Yan's face darkened, and he said sternly.

Jiraiya's expression also changed slightly.

In the heart of this hero of Konoha.

The order of importance has always been clear: the prophecy of Mount Myōboku is greater than or equal to the safety of Konoha, then it's close friends like Naruto and Tsunade, and only then comes the guilt felt towards Masa.

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

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

This clearly shows what is most important in the heart of this hero of Konoha.

In the original story, Naruto was not taken care of.

In this life, I also ignore the pockmarked face.

It's the same principle.

Jiraiya was never as 'bold' as he appeared outwardly!

"It's not appropriate to just let the Mist Ninja in freely, Elder Mitomon. Judging from the Mist Ninja's trend, this time they are likely to come out in full force, at least six or seven thousand, or even more. Is it really appropriate to let such a large force of Mist Ninja enter the Land of Fire? Wouldn't that threaten the safety of Konoha? And more importantly, how will the Daimyo view this matter?"

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

This time, it was Mitokado Homura's expression that changed slightly.

The safety of the village cannot be entrusted to the judgment of other ninja villages. Even if Konoha is confident that it can suppress the Mist Ninja, the losses caused by fighting on its own territory will all be borne by them. Even if Konoha Village itself is not affected, as long as it is within the territory of the Land of Fire, it is Konoha's responsibility.

When the daimyo comes down to hold them accountable, that will also be a big problem.

Unlike Menma, who basically ignored the daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass and acted entirely on his own, the people of Konoha, judging from the selection of Danzo as the acting Hokage in the original work, showed that they were quite compliant with the so-called "one village, one ninja per country" rule.

In the blink of an eye.

This group of people will not cross that line.

Their names still hold considerable weight in their hearts.

This moment.

Mitokado Ero was also conflicted.

This is the way.

Should we lend it or not?

It seems there are big problems whether we lend it or not.

"Lu Jiu, what do you think?"

Tsunade, seated at the head of the table, didn't pay any attention to Mitokado Homura or Jiraiya's words. Instead, she focused her gaze on Shikaku below. As the strategist of Konoha, Shikaku was also Tsunade's capable assistant in decision-making.

Since taking over, Tsunade has relied on Shikaku's wisdom for all her decisions. To put it bluntly, without Shikaku, Tsunade would be clueless and at a loss for what to do. Moreover, Shikaku not only analyzes situations and provides many suggestions for Tsunade, but he is also the common voice of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The combined power of the three tribes can provide Tsunade with great assistance.

If we consider this purely from a cold and rational perspective of interests and benefits...

From Tsunade's perspective, Shikaku's importance is actually greater than Jiraiya's. After all, Jiraiya is not the kind of person who can truly sweep across the ninja world. No matter how important one person is, how can he be compared to three ninja clans?

"The attitude of Kirigakure is not the most important thing. What we need to pay attention to is the movements of Hidden Light Village and Hidden Stone Village. To put it bluntly, without the two tailed beasts and having lost a large number of elite ninjas in battle, Kirigakure is unlikely to cause any trouble now. Even if we don't ask for passage, we can at most deploy three or four thousand troops in the border area to stop the Kirigakure's attack. I don't think the Kirigakure will have the courage to attack us. More importantly, they don't have a valid reason. It is more likely that they will detour through the southern sea, land from the Land of Tea to the Land of Rivers, and directly attack the Land of Grass. That would be much better than fighting us head-on."

Shikaku took a deep breath, looked up at Tsunade, Jiraiya, Mitokado Homura and the others, and spoke in a very calm voice.

Just as Mitokado Homura seemed about to say something.

After a slight pause, Shikaku continued, "If the Mist Ninja launches a large-scale attack on us simply because we refuse to let them pass, then we can conclude that the Mist Ninja's target was not Hidden Light Village from the beginning, but us. In that case, the difference between letting them pass and not letting them pass is not significant, and it should even be considered a reasonable judgment."

The words that followed.

Mitokado Yan swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Yes, if Kirigakure's target is only Hidden Light Village, there's no reason for them to provoke Konoha. Do they really think Konoha's swords aren't sharp? Even though they lost the Nine-Tails and haven't made much progress in recent years, they still have a solid foundation and are not something that Kirigakure can easily challenge.

If our side refuses Kirigakure's request, the most reasonable course of action for the other side should be to choose to detour. If they insist on starting a war, there is only one reason: that their target from the beginning has always been Konoha.

"But that doesn't make sense either. Kirigakure has no reason to make things difficult for us. And to put it another way, provoking Kirigakure now is not a reasonable thing to do."

Mitokado Yan shook his head and said, but although his words still seemed to be sticking to his own views, they were actually much softer.

"Tsunade, do you have any other information? For example, about Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, or even Uzumaki Menma?"

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

"If I had any information, I would have released it long ago. Why would I deliberately keep it hidden? The problem now is that the movements of all parties are completely unclear, making it impossible to know where to start."

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

The Hokage has become somewhat powerless. In every single incident, Konoha has failed to seize the initiative and is always being led by the nose by others. What kind of system is this?!

If a problem arises, it's rarely a small one; it's a major problem that can't be suppressed!

"I suggest we send people directly to contact the Hidden Village of Light, Hokage. This is probably the most appropriate course of action at the moment."

From the lower seat, Shikaku looked at Tsunade with a determined expression and spoke.

To be honest, from Shikaku's perspective, this wasn't a great choice. But the situation was already like this, and more importantly, Tsunade and Jiraiya, two high-ranking members of the ninja village, had already confined him to a certain circle. No matter how talented Shikaku was, he could only try to find solutions within that framework.

Whether it will work or not, that depends on God.

Shikaku is a human, not a god.

Human strength is ultimately limited, especially in such a supernatural world. Lu Jiu's efforts could very well come to nothing at any time.

But until that day arrives, Shikaku will still do his best to assist his Fifth Hokage.

"What!? We still want to continue actively contacting Uzumaki Menma? No, absolutely not! This is an irrational approach. A temporary ceasefire is acceptable for the sake of the village's stability and future plans. A little contact is fine, but if we really follow the previous plan, Tsunade, I'm the first to object. Don't forget Uzumaki Menma's identity. For Konoha, that's a fatal weakness. The Nine-Tails is Konoha's Achilles' heel. Jiraiya, don't rush to object. You've seen Uzumaki Menma's attitude. Even if we, Konoha, could do without the Nine-Tails, do you really think Uzumaki Menma would coexist peacefully with Konoha? Wouldn't that be like raising a tiger only to cause future trouble?! Can you make such a guarantee?"

Mitokado Homura suddenly stood up, looking at Tsunade and Jiraiya with a very stern expression.

This isn't Mitokado Homura exaggerating; it's a fact that's right in front of us. Even someone like Jiraiya wouldn't make things up.

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

This is also the biggest point of contention between them and Mitokado En.

(End of this chapter)

Please take one day off.

As the title suggests, I had a high fever last night and couldn't go to work today. I had an IV drip and took medicine, and slept all day in a daze, sweating profusely. I'm feeling a bit better now, but I still feel weak all over and can't type at all. Please forgive me, fellow readers. I'm really sorry.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 418 The Inside Story I Guessed

There's no need to say more.