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"By the way, why haven't we received any messages from the team sent to infiltrate the Land of Rain?"
It had been several days since they left. Normally, this squad would send back a report after entering the Land of Rain and infiltrating Amegakure.
But so far, there had been no response at all.
"I think something's wrong. Send another group to the Land of Rain. They don't all need to enter Amegakure—some should go in while others wait outside for communication. If we still get no intel, it means they've either been captured or killed."
A was speculating whether the team sent to the Land of Rain was still in hiding or if something had already happened to them.
Meanwhile, in Iwagakure, the longtime rival of Kumogakure, Ōnoki was also growing suspicious.
The distance between Iwagakure and the Land of Rain wasn't that far. For an elite jōnin squad, one day was enough to reach it.
After that, infiltrating Amegakure shouldn't have been difficult for Iwa's team.
Yet now, the problem was that they hadn't sent back any intel.
At this time, the teams from Sunagakure and Kirigakure, which were farther away, hadn't even reached the Land of Rain yet.
---
"Advisor, won't us leaving like this cause trouble for the village?"
Kakashi wasn't an Uchiha, so while he followed Kazuki's orders, he still questioned them.
Unlike Shisui, who obeyed without hesitation.
"What trouble could there be?"
Kazuki scoffed.
"We walk away, and the other villages will do the same. Kumogakure won't dare intercept us unless they want to offend all four great villages at once. Besides, Konoha today isn't the kind of village that can be threatened with just the word 'war.' Lady Fifth isn't the Third. You can't force her to back down with empty threats."
Using war as a threat worked on the Third Hokage!
But if someone tried the same trick on Tsunade, she'd teach them the meaning of stubbornness.
Whether it's a war of words or an actual war—bring it on!
Konoha will answer!
"..."
The Third Hokage was unknowingly insulted again. Kakashi couldn't help but recall the incident after the Nine-Tails' attack.
Kumo had come to Konoha under the guise of negotiations but secretly sent people to infiltrate the Hyūga compound to kidnap a member.
When caught, they flipped the blame onto Konoha and threatened war.
In the end, the Third Hokage had no choice but to swallow his pride and visit the Hyūga clan, resulting in Hyūga Hizashi being forced to sacrifice himself as a scapegoat.
Because of this, the Hyūga clan still resented the Third to this day.
It also deeply impacted Hyūga Hiashi, strengthening his desire to change the clan's situation.
Unfortunately, the Hyūga weren't the Uchiha. The Uchiha could change because they weren't bound by as many rigid traditions. The Hyūga, however, couldn't. Reform was nearly impossible.
Unless they carried out a purge.
But Hiashi lacked both the courage and Fugaku's ruthlessness.
"Besides, their focus is now on the Akatsuki and Amegakure. They won't pick a fight with the village over this. Even if they do, Konoha isn't afraid. The Konoha of today isn't the same as the one after the Third Shinobi World War. Like I said earlier, Lady Fifth isn't the Third, so you can take your worries and put them away."
Kumo might be angry, but they wouldn't directly provoke Konoha or threaten war—at most, they'd send someone to complain and engage in a war of words.
Kazuki wasn't boasting. Unless Konoha hit a nerve, Kumo would never want to start a war.
Was that how it was?
Kakashi found it all too complicated. Overthinking just gave him a headache.
As expected, he wasn't suited for these matters. It was better to just follow orders.
Glancing back at Kumogakure's direction, Kazuki sighed.
"As they say, a weak leader makes a weak army. Having a strong, hot-tempered Hokage has its advantages. It's better than cowering like a turtle."
If given the chance, Kazuki wouldn't hesitate to insult the Third Hokage a few more times.
If not for that old fool, Konoha wouldn't have suffered so much between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.
Kakashi remained silent. Closed-off and filled with inner darkness, he didn't care much about these things.
Shisui appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he felt awkward. He used to believe the Third Hokage was a decisive and magnanimous leader.
Now, it was clear that wasn't the case.
Instead, his weaknesses—cowardice, greed for power, nepotism—were exposed and magnified. Thinking about his past self made Shisui feel uneasy.
But when he looked at Kazuki's back, he felt reassured.
He had once taken the wrong path, but not anymore.
From now on, he would follow Kazuki's footsteps.
---
Two days later, the group successfully returned to Konoha. After dismissing the team, Kazuki went alone to the Hokage's office to report.
"You're back?"
They hadn't informed Tsunade in advance about their return.
When Kazuki opened the door and walked in, both Tsunade and Shizune stared at him in shock.
"Wait, shouldn't you still be in Kumogakure right now? Why are you back? Did the results go badly?"
"What nonsense! Can't you think positively for once?"
Kazuki glared at Tsunade, then sprawled on the nearby sofa.
He gestured at Shizune to make him some tea.
"How can you think about tea at a time like this?!"
Tsunade, veins bulging on her forehead, angrily marched over and yanked him up.
Kazuki rolled his eyes.
"I knew you wouldn't stay calm. The results were great—we dominated the second exam so hard that the other villages excluded us and ended it early. So I brought everyone back. The others are probably reaching their villages by now."
"That old hag Chiyo is as shameless as ever."
After hearing Kazuki's brief explanation, Tsunade sneered and cursed.
She and Chiyo were old rivals. In fact, Tsunade was the one person in the shinobi world who countered Chiyo the hardest.
Without her, Konoha would have lost countless lives in the war against Suna.
Every new poison Chiyo developed, Tsunade would counter it, leaving Suna's puppet masters helpless.
"You did well."
Tsunade, now looking pleased, patted Kazuki's shoulder and signaled Shizune to hurry up with the tea.
"Leaving Kumogakure instead of confronting them directly was the right move. Kumo once threatened the old man with war, humiliating the village. That debt hasn't been settled yet! The Leaf doesn't need to care about Kumo's pride."