Chapter 419: Meeting
Shikaku Nara, the man with two scars on his face, is the Jonin Commander of Konoha and a Senior Advisor to the Hokage. His strength isn't particularly outstanding, but his IQ is over 200, and he excels in strategy and judgment, much like his son Shikamaru... though perhaps that sentence should be reversed.
For ordinary people, it's hard to imagine what people with high IQs are thinking when they use their brains.
Haruno Sakura has an IQ of 154, belonging to the top 0.3% of the population. Usually, when thinking about the same problem, Sasuke and Naruto can't keep up with her speed at all, but compared to Shikamaru and Shikaku, she is instantly crushed into dust.
Shikaku habitually arrived early, sitting down about ten minutes ahead of time, silently observing everyone who came in without batting an eyelid. When Haruno Sakura greeted him, Shikaku also smiled faintly and nodded in response; however, all the information about her flashed through his mind instantly.
Haruno Sakura, female, 15 years old, Ninja Registration Number 012601. Disciple of the Fifth Hokage, proficient in Water Style, Ice Style, and Medical Ninjutsu, strength has reached 'Kage' level, future star of Konoha. Personality is relatively peaceful and gentle, but also has a rough and violent side...
Although both are Jonin, Shikaku usually interacts with people in the Jonin circle and has little interaction with Haruno Sakura who has always been in the Anbu circle. Being able to be familiar with her is mostly thanks to his son who is exactly like him...
"But that kid Shikamaru seems to have a pretty good relationship with her."
Shikaku pondered.
Being able to build a good relationship with a big shot of the future Hokage lineage is certainly good. But Shikaku wouldn't be so low as to eagerly run up to Sakura to get close. According to the analysis of Haruno Sakura's personality, Shikamaru's relationship with her as a friend is very solid, and as a link, it is quite sufficient. After all, the Nara clan is considered a direct line family and dedicated advisors in the Hokage system, with a fairly high status, so there is no need to run and hug the thigh of a fifteen-year-old girl.
But he still felt a little emotional.
Look at her. Look at Shikamaru again.
The Haruno family is considered a red-rooted Konoha family (Note 1), but hasn't produced an outstanding ninja for so many years; it's a small family with no foundation. There are thousands of such ordinary families in Konoha, but a golden phoenix just flew out of this chicken coop.
What about Shikamaru? His IQ is so high, his family inheritance is not weak, and he has taken quite a few deer antler secret medicines. As a result, he happens to be the type who takes one step only when kicked once. His favorite thing to do every day is to slack off and bask in the sun. He's been a little better these past two years, slightly more diligent, but compared to others, he is still too lazy. Haruno Sakura has long been a Jonin, while Shikamaru is still dawdling, not wanting to be promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin because it's troublesome.
Shikaku Nara sighed secretly. A man with an IQ of 216 can't subdue his wife or manage his son; this is fate.
Shortly after Haruno Sakura entered, the big shots also arrived one after another.
Shikaku withdrew his thoughts of emotion, his gaze keenly perceiving the subtle atmosphere of the venue.
"Strange." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's just an ordinary mission briefing meeting. Although it involves important intelligence on the Akatsuki, it shouldn't be like this..."
His gaze swept over the faces of the Hokage Advisors and the Hokages without a trace. The big shots all kept straight faces without expression, only extremely hard-to-control micro-expressions subtly hinting at something.
This meeting... seems to have something going on.
While distractedly listening to Haruno Sakura's mission report, Shikaku floated countless guesses in his mind.
Haruno Sakura's mission report this time was also very interesting. With Shikaku's IQ and experience, he quickly heard the concealed parts in the girl's words.
"There's something fishy." Shikaku didn't know Itachi's identity as a spy, but he could keenly sense that there was a problem with the part about Haruno Sakura fighting Itachi. Associating it with the night of the Uchiha extermination and Itachi's former personality, "One possibility is that Itachi still has contact with Konoha. Is he just pretending to be a rogue ninja? Then... the Uchiha incident back then... forget it, don't think blindly about things without evidence."
Shikaku Nara didn't know that his guess based on some clues was already quite close to the truth.
Shikaku's colleagues were obviously not as sensitive as him and didn't hear the disharmonious parts; they focused their attention on the analysis of Akahoshi's strength, discussing in an orderly manner how to deal with Itachi's genjutsu, and how to scout and deal with those strange and numerous half-plant half-human beings.
The meeting proceeded as usual.
"Byakugan is the Dojutsu with the strongest scouting ability... It can instantly see clearly if other people's chakra is disordered, thereby awakening companions under genjutsu at the first moment. It is quite effective against Sharingan genjutsu. At the same time, it can also search underground efficiently to find those rats hiding underground..." Hotaru Hyuga spoke eloquently, "Tsunade-sama, I have an idea—"
"I understand what you mean." Tsunade waved her hand and interrupted Hotaru Hyuga.
Hotaru Hyuga wanted to pull more branch family members out of the pit of the main family and enter the Anbu directly under the Hokage, making them beyond the reach of the Hyuga family. Tsunade certainly understood her thoughts. But now was not a good time to discuss this issue.
"I will discuss this matter with Hiashi Hyuga again. So, does anyone have anything else to say? If not—"
"—Fifth Hokage-sama," Koharu Utatane suddenly raised her hand and said, "This old woman has a question."
"The main show, as expected, is here." Shikaku Nara thought to himself. He drooped his eyelids and looked at the empty conference table in front of him, sitting upright, reducing his presence to the lowest.
Tsunade looked at the old woman who raised her hand to speak, the smile on her face seemed to become brighter: "Please speak."
"This old woman has an autopsy report here..." The old woman slowly took out a document and put it on the table, "The time of death was three days ago, the place of death was in the Land of Waterfalls, not far from the battlefield at that time. The dead were..."
"—Konoha Ninja. Eight of them. Died due to combat."
Homura Mitokado took off his glasses and rubbed them while taking over Koharu Utatane's words.
There was a slight uproar in the meeting room.
Koharu Utatane knocked on the table forcefully to signal silence, then looked at Haruno Sakura: "We are not suspecting anything. I believe in the loyalty and conviction of every Konoha ninja... It's just that because the time and place of their death happened to coincide with Jonin Haruno Sakura's mission, I want to ask, Jonin Haruno Sakura..."
"Is their death related to your mission at that time? Was the murderer who killed them from the Akatsuki?"
The smile on Tsunade's face gradually disappeared.
If it were just questioning the conflict between Haruno Sakura and Danzo, they wouldn't ask like this. This was obviously a question deliberately setting a trap...
And the fact that the two advisors would say this meant they possessed certain evidence... Yes, since there was an autopsy report, it indicated they possessed the bodies, which meant... to counter Tsunade's growing power, they chose to merge with Danzo!
"I thought you just liked to balance things, didn't expect you to be stupid to this extent. I've found you guys unpleasant for a long time..." Tsunade said coldly in her heart.
At this time, everyone turned their eyes to the pink-haired girl beside Tsunade. The latter, who was serious just now, laughed instead at this time.
A smile devoid of emotion.
Haruno Sakura also reacted.
Heh, politicians.
Actually getting together with the low-life Danzo, worthy of being politicians with less integrity than whores.
Lord Third, the two Hokage advisors are not just questioning, but trying to play tricks!
Haruno Sakura looked at Koharu Utatane, with no trace of respect for Konoha's higher-ups in her eyes, the corners of her mouth slowly curling up.
"Advisor Koharu Utatane-sama," she narrowed her eyes, the fake smile on her face sweetly cloying, but the gleam in her eyes hidden under her eyelids, "I can answer this question."
By now, even the dullest person felt something wrong with the atmosphere.
"It's over, sure enough, it's a fight between gods."
Shikaku Nara was just a senior advisor, with no interest and even less ability to intervene in the struggles of those topmost big shots. He just wanted to play it safe and protect himself...
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