"Kumogakure sent envoys?"
At those words, Uchiha Yorin's guard snapped to maximum.
He'd once joked about tanning himself up and defecting to the thunder-country bruisers, but that was then.
Now a single "composite Susanoo-of-the-Sea" he'd learned off Old Man Genji could wipe a petty nation off the map like stepping on an ant. In that reality, what was the point of "joining" Kumo?
Better to smash A-B Combo to their knees, demand Samui and Nii Yugito as tribute to stock the Emperor of Shinobi's harem, and fold Kumo into the union.
He hadn't come to this world to join the Habsburgs—he'd come to found them.
Which made Kumogakure, by definition, the enemy.
And enemies showing up on your doorstep never bring good news.
Ignore whatever sweet talk about "seeking alliance." In the shinobi world, even the Five Great Nations treat alliances and betrayals like drinking water—casual, frequent, and shameless. Today you clasp hands, tomorrow divergent interests produce a cold stab in the back. Yesterday's foe is today's partner because it pencils out.
"Diplomatic credibility"? Might as well be a fairy tale—shinobi don't believe in it. They're beasts in that domain.
And the very worst of the lot are Kumogakure—a rap sheet as long as history.
Their language of diplomacy is fists; their morality, non-existent; their sense of responsibility, absent.
They've faked embassies to ambush Konoha delegations—costing the Second his life.
They've sent "envoys" whose real mission was to kidnap the Hyūga princess.
…
"By the timeline, Kumo should've already declared on Konoha," Yorin mused. "And Iwa and Suna piled in later. How that wasn't called a Fourth War is beyond me."
This time, instead of attacking outright, Kumo had sent envoys.
"Because Nine-Tails Night became Three-Tails Night," he reasoned. "The Fourth didn't die, and Nine-Tails never ran loose. Konoha isn't gutted—just rattled. So Kumo's sniffing around, probing with emissaries before they settle on a strategic line. That tracks."
He looked to the Third. "So—what do you recommend?"
"Exactly because I'm uneasy, I want you back," Hiruzen said, looking surprisingly clear-eyed. "Not sitting in the chair seems to have improved your judgment," Yorin thought.
Back in canon, the Third had credulously trusted Kumo's "peace" overture and trooped out, clans in tow, to greet them—never mind he'd once survived Kumo's treachery, never mind his own teacher had died covering the retreat from Gold and Silver. You'd think that would sear itself into a man's bones. But no—he trusted again and the result was disaster. Eating, forgetting the beating—classic senile drift.
"I understand."
The sequence had changed, but a Kumo–Konoha war could still happen.
Unlike in canon, Konoha was now terrifyingly strong. It might be time to hit Kumo hard—set conditions for folding them later.
"If Kumo strikes, I can take Mist's army and smash their flank," Yorin added. "But the details—yes, I ought to go home and talk with Minato."
"Mm. Yes." Hiruzen exhaled, relieved Yorin would return.
But at the mention of war, worry creased his face again. From his point of view, Konoha had people, money, and prospects. New shoes made the mud look worse. If the village could avoid a fight…
He wanted Yorin home partly to keep him from entrenching in Mist, but also to scare Kumo straight. "We've got another Kage now—an Uchiha Kage. You scared? Then behave like it. Be like the First days, easy, no?"
"The world is a pressure cooker," Yorin replied. "Hatred, rage, jealousy—they build like steam. The right course is controlled release while the gauge is still in the green. In other words: a preventive war."
A "preventive war" is a modern European perversion—attack your neighbor before he gets too strong. In older times the instinct existed, but turning shameless opportunism into a theory required "civilization."
And in the shinobi world, nobody fights for "morals" anyway. So the concept fits neatly.
…
"Plenty of people think they can start wars at will then ride them like pets," said Hiruzen, voice earnest. "Maybe your theory holds water—but if we can avoid a fight, we should."
"Maybe. In any case, it depends on Kumo."
With that, Yorin turned toward Mei.
"I'll say my goodbyes—then we head back to Konoha," he told Hiruzen.
Across the room, sensing him approach, Mei turned with a bright, shy smile—the look only ever seen on girls in love.
~~~
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