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"Therefore, the Raikage's purpose in seeking me out is straightforward: to avenge his father, and secondly, to seize the opportunity to plunder."
If Iwagakure wants to sustain war through war, then we seize this chance to give them a solid hit.
Without a proper pretext, even the Raikage cannot simply launch a war against Iwagakure on a whim. Using revenge as a reason is even more far-fetched.
If that justification held water, Iwagakure and Kumogakure would have been at each other's throats long ago, with no need to wait until now. After all, no matter how much authority the Raikage wields, Kumogakure is not his personal dictatorship. If you want to wage war on Iwagakure, you must see if the other high-ranking officials are willing to support you. If no one backs you, even as the Raikage, you can only stand by helplessly.
"It's a highly dangerous notion."
Shikaku acknowledged that the Raikage's idea was perilous, yet it also represented an opportunity. An opportunity for Kumogakure, and also for Konoha.
With such a chance laid out before you, would you dare to place your bet?
Kazuki's perspective was clear: just go for it and hit the bastards.
"Advisor-sama, we must be cautious. The Raikage might intend to borrow our momentum, leaving the village unable to explain itself clearly later."
"I'm aware. Therefore, Konoha can only follow along, not take the lead. Since the Raikage wants to pull us in to deal with Iwagakure together, then Kumogakure needs to demonstrate sufficient sincerity."
"Let's have something to eat first."
Kazuki carved off two generous portions of the roasted beef and handed one to Shikaku.
"Thank you, sir."
Shikaku didn't stand on ceremony. He took the plate, used a freshly cleaned kunai to slice the meat, and began to eat.
The topic of an alliance between the two villages was set aside. Neither Kazuki nor Shikaku broached the subject again, instead conversing about various trivial matters.
"You can rest assured about Kurenai's abilities. Entrusting this generation's Ino-Shika-Chō to her leadership won't pose any problems. Genjutsu-type shinobi are the most fearsome entities to face."
When battling a shinobi skilled in genjutsu, you must remain constantly vigilant, guarding your mind every second to avoid falling prey to their illusions. Compared to specialists in taijutsu, kenjutsu, or ninjutsu, genjutsu users are the rarest and most difficult to cultivate.
One only needed to look at Konoha's few, nearly defunct genjutsu clans to understand the arduous path of training a genjutsu master. Each generation grew weaker than the last, dwindling to just a handful of members, teetering on the brink of being erased from memory.
"Anyone selected by the Advisor-sama is naturally trustworthy. I also believe Kurenai can teach those three rascals well."
Thinking of his own son, who bore such a resemblance to himself and gave his wife so many headaches, a smile inadvertently touched Shikaku's lips. He hoped the boy would grow up quickly.
"Speaking of which..."
A distinctly gossipy expression suddenly bloomed on Kazuki's face. He winked suggestively at Shikaku and said meaningfully, "According to reports from the Anbu, there was quite a commotion at your residence the night before last. It seems someone was heard loudly pleading, 'Honey, I was wrong!' in the middle of the night. Is there any truth to that?"
"....."
The smile on Shikaku's face instantly froze solid. His complexion rapidly flushed crimson. Forgetting the beef entirely, he sprang to his feet, spraying spittle in his agitation.
"Which scoundrel is spreading such nonsense? Since when is Nara Shikaku a man who fears his wife?!"
Regardless of whether he knelt on a washboard at home, he had to maintain his dignity in public.
"Advisor-sama, who made this report? I must have a word with them! Outrageous! Spreading false information like this!"
Shikaku grew more and more animated as he spoke, his gestures wild. Under Kazuki's penetrating gaze that clearly said, Do you really think I believe that? his already red face deepened to an alarming shade of purple.
"Hahahaha..."
After holding it in for a moment, Kazuki could no longer contain himself and burst into uproarious laughter.
Who would have thought that Nara Shikaku, the leader of Konoha's Jōnin Corps, the village's great strategist, was secretly henpecked? This wasn't mere Anbu fabrication. The disturbance at the Shikaku residence the night before last had been rather pronounced, prompting the Anbu on patrol to include it in their report. And now, it had squarely struck Shikaku's sore spot.
No matter the domestic power dynamics, no man was willing to publicly admit to being afraid of his wife.
"....."
Damn it all, I will find out who you are!
Shikaku was fuming, but he dared not direct his rage at Kazuki. His wrath would have to settle on the unfortunate Anbu operative patrolling near his house that night.
Wait a minute...
Suddenly, a horrifying possibility dawned on Shikaku.
What if... the story of him being afraid of his wife, of him yelping in pain from her corrections, had already circulated within the Anbu ranks and was now beginning to leak to the outside world...
"Hissss~~~ This is bad. Very bad."
If this got out, how could he ever show his face again?
"Advisor-sama, I have some urgent matters to attend to. I must take my leave."
Seized by this terrifying thought, Shikaku could no longer remain seated. He had to nip this in the bud immediately. Once the story spread, the humiliation would be immense.
The entire Konoha, perhaps even the whole shinobi world, would know that Nara Shikaku was terrified of his wife, howling in the dead of night from her disciplinary actions. If it reached that point, it would be a social death sentence for Nara Shikaku.
Just imagine: in the middle of a serious discussion, the other party suddenly asks, "Shikaku, is it true you were screaming your head off after your wife beat you in the middle of the night?"
The mere thought of such a scenario was enough to induce mental collapse. Close acquaintances might just have a good laugh, but what if it happened on the battlefield, with enemies mocking him...
Dammit!!!
I'll strangle every last one of you!
Without waiting for Kazuki's formal dismissal, Nara Shikaku vanished from sight, intent on damage control.
From behind him, he could hear Kazuki's laughter, barely contained, echoing. Shikaku nearly stumbled and crashed into a tree in his haste.
In truth, had Shikaku run a little slower, Kazuki would have told him that the information had already been suppressed. No one dared to spread it; he could rest easy. Though this time was handled, next time he'd be on his own.
Unfortunately, Shikaku fled too swiftly. Kazuki didn't get the chance to say it.
Oh well, let him run around a bit.
After a good while, when his laughter finally subsided, Kazuki finished his portion of beef. He packed up some of the remaining meat for later and distributed the rest as a reward to the Anbu personnel.
---
Meanwhile, at the Anbu Headquarters...
"WHO WAS IT? Who reported the incident about me being beaten by my wife and howling in the middle of night to the Advisor-sama?!"
Having stormed into the Anbu headquarters, Nara Shikaku summoned all the operatives present in the main office for interrogation.
To his utter dismay, what he encountered was a room full of Anbu members staring at him in wide-eyed astonishment, as if they had just uncovered some monumental secret.
Oh no.
This reaction made Shikaku realize he had just committed a monumental blunder.
Because Kazuki had likely ordered the matter kept confidential, forbidden from gossip. Mentioning it earlier was just to tease him. But in his panic and anger, Shikaku had rushed straight to the Anbu headquarters.
And now, the very incident that had been successfully kept under wraps was now common knowledge among the entire Anbu contingent present. The secret was out.