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And Kumogakure was a village that loved stirring trouble and relished war.
This major incident was a golden opportunity for them.
The village could leverage the war to gain more benefits.
Why had Kumogakure been frantically developing its military strength?
Wasn't it to amass enough power to seize greater profits?
It was just that the shinobi world had entered a relatively stable period, leaving them with few opportunities.
But now, the opportunity had arrived.
The looming war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure was the perfect chance.
A nodded slightly, agreeing with the sentiment.
If Kirigakure and Sunagakure really went at it, it would indeed be an opportunity for Kumogakure.
Setting aside far-fetched ideas, Kumogakure could take advantage of the situation to make moves at sea, annexing some of Kirigakure's commercial shipping routes.
In the past, Kumogakure and Kirigakure had clashed plenty over those routes.
Now that the opportunity was here, once Kirigakure got bogged down in war, their control over the shipping routes would weaken.
This was Kumogakure's chance—they could even strike at Kirigakure's naval forces.
Fortunately, while A agreed, he didn't lose his head.
He might have a hot temper, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
Taking advantage of the situation to gain some benefits was tempting.
But compared to the looming threat of the Akatsuki, those benefits didn't seem worth it.
Unless the rewards were big enough to truly sway him.
"Let's observe the situation for now."
A didn't commit to a stance.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure was in a similar position, holding high-level meetings.
Iwagakure remained as it always had—showing no signs of joining the war but not easing their surveillance of the two villages.
Neither Onoki nor A would be swayed by small war profits.
Unless the benefits were so massive they couldn't refuse, only then would Iwagakure and Kumogakure consider getting involved.
Kirigakure's accusatory announcement was released.
They made the incident public, and the news spread rapidly across the shinobi world through various channels.
The nations and villages that learned of it were stunned.
No one could believe such a massive event had occurred in the Land of Wind.
Was this a prelude to war?
Had Sunagakure lost its mind?
Rumors swirled outside, and after the news spread, Konoha also chose to make it public.
As expected, it was like a depth charge, shocking countless people.
Villagers buzzed with discussion, some even spreading rumors of an imminent war.
But those people usually ended up being invited for "tea" by the Police Force to cool off.
In more serious cases, the Anbu would pay them a personal visit for a chat.
The atmosphere at the border camp had shifted dramatically.
Fortunately, Jiraiya wasn't the type to pile on unnecessary pressure. Aside from stricter defenses and intensified patrols, he didn't demand much.
Bringing Naruto to the camp, Jiraiya smirked mischievously and tossed him to the patrol team, letting them take Naruto along to experience the tension of a war-like atmosphere.
Though war hadn't broken out, the state of preparation made the camp's vibe incredibly tense.
The patrol team took their duties seriously, hyper-vigilant to any movement along the border.
Dumping Naruto into the patrol team was a way to temper his discipline and help him grow quickly.
This was something Jiraiya had planned long ago—why else would he personally head to the border and request to bring Naruto?
Naruto, used to his carefree ways, felt his heart sink when tossed to the patrol team.
The strict demands—down to how many steps he could take—were hard for him to adjust to.
"Jiraiya-grandpa, how about you just train me harder? I really don't want to patrol—it's so annoying. I take a few extra steps, I get scolded. I peek into the bushes, I get scolded. It's driving me nuts!"
Naruto's team leader was a rigid, by-the-book special jonin who had strict expectations for his every word and action.
Such harsh conditions left Naruto miserable.
His naturally boisterous, curious personality made him a headache for anyone before he matured. Getting thrown straight into the strictest, most disciplined patrol team? It'd be a miracle if he could adapt.
Forget Naruto—even if Sasuke were tossed in, he'd struggle to adjust quickly.
"No way."
Jiraiya firmly rejected Naruto's plea and reminded him:
"Naruto, if you want to grow, you need to feel the atmosphere of war. I put you in the patrol team to train you. Your captain's strict and rigid, but that strictness and rigidity will teach you skills to survive on the battlefield."
On this, Jiraiya wasn't budging.
No matter how much Naruto begged or threw tantrums, it was useless.
Jiraiya was terrified of going soft and letting Naruto become a second Nawaki.
Orochimaru had cherished Nawaki as a student but was too lenient with him, never enforcing strict discipline. The result? Nawaki got himself killed on the battlefield by an exploding tag, caught off guard.
If Nawaki hadn't been so curious, if he'd stayed put and followed Orochimaru closely instead of wandering off, he wouldn't have been blown up.
Nawaki's death broke Tsunade's heart and left Orochimaru riddled with guilt.
Naruto's personality was strikingly similar to Nawaki's, so Jiraiya was constantly worried he'd end up the same way.
Strict discipline was non-negotiable.
"But that old geezer's clearly targeting me! Everything I do, he lectures me!"
Naruto was getting desperate.
Who isn't curious?
Look around a bit, get scolded. Take a few extra steps, get scolded. All day long, it's rules, survival skills, don't touch this, don't mess with that—it's maddening!
"Jiraiya-grandpa, I—"
Naruto, not ready to give up, tried to keep persuading Jiraiya to change his mind.
But when he looked up, he saw Jiraiya staring at him with a sternness he'd never shown before, his face unusually grim.
"You just called Captain Mizuro an old geezer? Said he's targeting you?"
Uh… this doesn't feel good.
It was the first time Naruto had seen Jiraiya look at him with such an expression.
Back in the village, no matter what trouble he got into, Jiraiya would laugh it off, give him a light scolding afterward, tell him not to do it again, and that was that.
But now, Jiraiya looked kind of scary.
Naruto nervously swallowed, shrinking back cautiously:
"Jiraiya-grandpa, you okay?"