Even as he said it, Sarutobi harbored deep doubts. He didn't think Mito-sama would know anything about this particular phenomenon.
But still, he had to ask. Better to be safe than sorry when the fate of the entire Konoha might hang in the balance.
....
Meanwhile, in Uzushiogakure, within the village's main meeting hall, a very different kind of crisis management was taking place. All of the elders of the Uzumaki clan, along with Renji, the current clan head, were seated around a massive circular table that had been carved from a single piece of ancient driftwood centuries ago.
As for Elric, he had also been given a seat at the table, but because of his diminutive height, he was now standing, barely matching everyone else's eye level. Despite his small stature, no one questioned his right to be there—not after what he had accomplished just hours ago.
The entire room sat in tense silence, everyone waiting for something. The weight of recent events hung heavy in the air like storm clouds preparing to break.
Their waiting came to an end when an Uzumaki clansman entered the chamber without ceremony. His clothes were still damp from rescue operations, and exhaustion lined his weathered face.
Without waiting for any formal order, he began to brief everyone in the room with precision. "We've finished counting everyone. We will start the treatment procedures now."
Hearing this, everyone became intensely curious. The implications of what had transpired were still sinking in for most of the clan.
One elderly man couldn't help but speak up, his voice urgent with concern. "Tell us the details quickly. We don't have much time now."
The messenger took a deep breath before delivering his comprehensive report. "The three Kage who were seriously injured have been stabilized. There shouldn't be any immediate threat to their lives, but because we sealed their chakra pathways, it will take considerable time for them to regain consciousness."
He paused, consulting the notes in his hand. "The Third Raikage should recover relatively well, but the Second Mizukage and the Second kazekage present different challenges. One has his spine broken, and the other has ruptured lungs. We don't have medical ninja skilled enough to perform the complex procedures required for complete healing."
Elric directly intercepted. "There's no need to bother with extensive treatment for them. As long as they're breathing, that's sufficient. Tell us about the condition of the rest of the ninja."
The messenger nodded, understanding the practical priorities at stake. "We managed to recover nine thousand ninja from the sea, and even then, three thousand of them are seriously injured. They will most likely die without immediate intervention."
His voice dropped to a more cautious tone. "Should we give them the special treatment?"
Renji fell into deep thought at this question. Using their clan's bloodline healing abilities on such a massive scale was a significant decision. There were very few people who could utilize that particular ability effectively, and if they overworked those precious few, it might cause the clan serious problems in the future.
But Elric's voice interrupted their collective contemplation, his tone carrying the authority that his recent actions had earned him. "Treat them as much as you can. Try to keep them alive, but without harming our own clansmen."
He looked around the room, meeting each elder's eyes in turn. "Anyway, when we commit to something, we might as well do our best."
If this had been in the past, the clansmen might have questioned him, even if he was the future clan head. After all, "future" was just that—a possibility, not a certainty.
But now was decidedly not the past. His legendary feat had already spread throughout the entire Uzumaki clan like wildfire. There weren't many people who didn't know what he had accomplished single-handedly just hours before.
So without a second doubt, the messenger accepted his order and departed to relay the instructions. In the shinobi world, a simple truth held absolute sway: if you were strong enough, you were automatically right.
Renji looked at Elric's innocent face and couldn't help but think with dark amusement: This little bastard made them like this in the first place, and now he wants to save them.
It was like stabbing someone hundred time and then personally driving them to the hospital while covering all their medical expenses.
"So now we can start the second step of our plan," Renji announced, dismissing all random thoughts from his mind as he shifted into strategic mode.
One of the senior elders spoke first, his voice carrying decades of political experience. "So how much should we demand as ransom? Ten billion ryo worth of resources should suffice, I think."
"We shouldn't ask for too much," another elder interjected cautiously, clearly worried about potential retaliation.
"FUCK!" The explosive response came from the most hot-tempered elder at the table. "Are you stupid or what? How could we let them go so easily? They almost committed genocide against us! If those bastards don't empty their entire treasuries, then it would be better to just kill them all!"
"No, that's too much. It should be thirty billion ryo each," came another voice.
"Thirty billion? How can it be so cheap? It needs to be at least one hundred billion!"
In the blink of an eye, the solemn council chamber had transformed into what resembled a chaotic fish market. Every elder started shouting over each other, their voices rising in volume and intensity as numbers flew through the air like kunai.
Elric looked on speechlessly as even his father seemed to join the heated debate with full enthusiasm, haggling over the price of their enemies' lives like merchants arguing over the cost of rice.
BOOM!
A loud slap on the ancient wooden table silenced the entire room instantaneously.
"Stop acting like children and behave according to your age!" In the suddenly quiet chamber, Elric's immature voice sounded surprisingly harsh and authoritative.
"How could you all be so short-sighted?" he continued, his young voice carrying a weight that belied his years. "They almost killed us all. How could we be satisfied with a mere hundred billion ryo?"
The boy's eyes swept across the assembled elders with an expression that was somehow both innocent and amused. "You have to be more greedy to survive in this world. How you've managed to live this long with such generosity is beyond me." He almost rolled his eyes in exasperation.
The conference room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Every elder felt slightly embarrassed by his statement.
One hundred billion ryo wasn't greedy enough? Had they heard correctly? That amount of wealth was more than most people could accumulate even if they sold an entire country. And now this little prodigy was telling them they needed to be even more Greedy than that.
"So what should our asking price be, Elric?" one of the elders asked cautiously, genuinely curious about the boy's thoughts.
Renji interjected with practical concerns. "Even if we increase the price dramatically, they might simply be incapable of paying such an enormous sum."
Elric's expression shifted. "Our main goal should be to extract as much value from them as possible. Don't make your thinking too rigid. Consider it from other perspectives. For example, what about demanding a tailed beast?"
Before he could finish his sentence, the entire conference room erupted in excited murmuring. The suggestion hit the assembled elders like a revelation, and suddenly everyone was talking at once.
"How could we not have thought of that?" several voices exclaimed simultaneously.
"But will they be willing to give up a tailed beast?" came the inevitable question of practicality.
After slapping the table again to restore order, Elric continued with the confidence of someone who had already thought through all the angles. "Leave the convincing to me later. Let's just discuss what would be most valuable for us in the long term."
His young voice continue. "I'm thinking about demanding one billion ryo plus one tailed beast, and then two hundred million ryo every year for as long as I remain alive."
The suggestion sparked immediate excited discussion among the elders.
"Yes, why couldn't we think of it that way?" one elder said, his eyes lighting up with understanding. "We can collect tribute money for as long as Elric lives!"
The beauty of the arrangement was becoming clear to everyone. Rather than a single massive payment that might never arrive, they were proposing a sustainable system of wealth extraction that could continue for decades.
"And the most important condition should be that we can trade in their markets without paying any taxes whatsoever," Elric continued.