The moment Senju Haruto spoke, the entire room was thrown into an uproar.
No one had expected that the guard standing behind Sarutobi Hiruzen would utter such words. Even Hiruzen's expression betrayed surprise.
As for Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron, his face darkened instantly. He shot Haruto a glare as if to say, This is not your place to speak.
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, widened his eyes in disbelief.
In truth, Haruto didn't need to remind anyone of what he had just said—everyone present knew exactly what was going on. Hiruzen knew. Mifune knew. And Haruto himself knew all too well who had orchestrated this entire affair.
But…
That's how such negotiations usually went. Everyone pretended not to see what was plainly in front of them.
After all, in high-level talks like this, the cause of events wasn't what really mattered. What truly counted were the trump cards—raw power and leverage.
And from any angle, the current strength of Kumogakure far outweighed that of Konoha.
So Haruto's words, though shocking, served mostly to make Hiruzen's face turn grim.
Within a few breaths, Ay's initial surprise faded.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that Haruto would remain completely unfazed by the tense atmosphere—or by the sharp, hostile stares aimed his way.
Haruto stepped forward, closing the distance to stand beside Hiruzen, locking eyes with the Fourth Raikage, his voice edged with open challenge.
"What's wrong?"
"As the Raikage of Kumogakure, do you not even have the courage to admit to what you've done?"
"Enough!" Mifune's voice was low but heavy. Never in his life had he imagined that a guard brought by Hiruzen would speak so recklessly.
Could it be… Konoha actually wanted to provoke a war?
And Hiruzen—how could he remain silent at a time like this?
Did he not realize that such disrespect could ruin the rare opportunity to renew an alliance?
It wasn't just the Land of Iron and Kumogakure who were baffled. Even Yamanaka Kaze, another of Hiruzen's guards, was staring in confusion.
Was Haruto out of his mind?
Some things couldn't just be thrown on the table like this!
And from his tone, it was clear—Haruto fully intended to force the Fourth Raikage to admit his actions.
Did he actually think he could make the Raikage confess and then smooth everything over?
"Mifune," Hiruzen's silence deepened Mifune's frown. Before they entered this room, Mifune had told the Hokage that if he were willing to yield just a little, Mifune would do everything in his power to reforge an alliance between the two villages—ending years of conflict.
After all, it had been Mifune himself who had arranged this meeting.
But now, everything might be undone because of Haruto's words.
And yet… Hiruzen didn't rebuke him. He didn't even try to stop him.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Haruto pressed on.
"The leader of Kumogakure, under the guise of forging an alliance, infiltrated the Hyūga clan compound in the dead of night and tried to abduct the Hyūga heiress—Hinata Hyūga."
"I find it hard to believe that someone sent for alliance talks would act with so little self-control—unless… he came to Konoha with a covert mission."
Haruto's gaze sharpened.
"Fourth Raikage, this seems to be a signature Kumogakure tactic."
"What did you say?!" Yugito Ni roared at Haruto.
If his earlier remarks had been impulsive, these words were deliberate—an outright attempt to tear apart the renewed alliance.
Even Ay himself looked stunned.
It wasn't that Haruto had spoken the truth—it was that he dared to act this way, and Hiruzen allowed it.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ay growled, leaning forward, one massive arm braced on the table as though ready to flip it over.
From his perspective, Haruto couldn't be acting like this without Hiruzen's approval.
But the truth was, Hiruzen hadn't expected it either. Still… in Haruto's defiance, he saw a familiar shadow.
Senju Tobirama.
When negotiating with other villages, Tobirama had always been unyielding, securing many advantages for Konoha. Even Danzō had been shaped by Tobirama's influence.
Hiruzen knew well—ninja village negotiations weren't about right or wrong. They were about strength.
Yes, Konoha had weakened after the Nine-Tails attack… but Haruto's arrival filled the void left by Namikaze Minato.
More importantly, this whole affair had been Kumogakure's scheme from the start. He was done sacrificing Konoha's dignity for "peace."
Perhaps letting Haruto make Konoha's stance clear… wasn't a bad thing.
"Isn't that right?" Haruto continued, seizing Ay's silence.
"Over a decade ago, Kumogakure tried to kidnap Uzumaki Kushina. Don't tell me you've forgotten."
Ay's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected Haruto to dig up that old wound.
At the time, Konoha's leadership thought Kumogakure wanted the Uzumaki sealing techniques.
But in truth, they had been after the Nine-Tails itself—the strongest of all tailed beasts.
If Kumogakure had gained a perfect Nine-Tails jinchūriki, no one in the ninja world could have stood against them.
"First Kushina, now Hinata Hyūga…" Haruto shook his head.
"In Kumogakure's eyes, what is this so-called alliance? Just a fragile scrap of paper?"
"If you can't even show the most basic sincerity—"
Suddenly, Ay shot to his feet. He'd expected Hiruzen to rein Haruto in, but the Hokage simply sat in silence.
Boom!
Ay's fist slammed into the table, cracks splintering out across its surface.
"Do you want to start a war?!" he roared, his gaze like a predator's.
He had considered the possibility long before this meeting and had thoroughly analyzed the balance of power between the two villages.
And right now, Konoha had no jinchūriki ready for battle.
"Hey!" Mifune's face tightened in alarm. He turned sharply to Hiruzen.
"Sarutobi! Get that man to stand down immediately!"
Boom!
Haruto planted a foot on the table, his presence pressing down over everyone in the room.
"Do not say I didn't warn you."