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"Kazuki's trip to the border this time, actively revealing his power—besides stirring up trouble for Iwagakure and reducing conflicts for the village—probably also carries the intent to deter the Akatsuki organization."
"Deter the Akatsuki? Hasn't the Akatsuki gone dormant already?" The Third Hokage was momentarily stunned.
Tsunade shook her head in exasperation.
The old man really was getting on in years, and his thinking was too conservative. He couldn't even spot such a straightforward deeper meaning?
No wonder Konoha's situation had been so dire in the past few years.
Before, Tsunade had just thought the Third Hokage had done his best—truly his utmost—even if he'd made some muddled decisions. They were the kind of mistakes anyone might make, and she could understand and accept them.
But now, it seemed she'd been greatly mistaken—wildly off base, even.
How much time had passed? And he'd already forgotten the threat of the Akatsuki?
No wonder Konoha always kept a sharp eye on the other villages, only to let its guard down against these latent enemies after a period of stability.
If the Third Hokage himself was like this, how proactive could you expect the people under him to be?
"No." Jiraiya shook his head, his expression turning grave as he corrected the Third Hokage:
"Old man, in my view, the Akatsuki is a greater threat than any other village. As long as that organization isn't wiped out, the shinobi world will continue to face massive risks. I think Kazuki's intent is clear: since we can't track down the Akatsuki, we'll show off our strength for them to see. Let them know Konoha isn't to be trifled with. If they want to mess with Konoha, if they want to capture Konoha's tailed beasts, they'll have to pay a heavy price. I suspect this serves a dual purpose—forcing the Akatsuki to shift their focus to other villages. It's not the most honorable tactic, but it's for protecting Konoha, for safeguarding the village."
When facing a mad and powerful enemy like the Akatsuki, the best approach was to push them to redirect more of their attention elsewhere.
As long as the Akatsuki set their sights on others, you'd become safer.
Just like how Kazuki had once sold out Kirigakure—revealing strength was another way to force a diversion.
Compelling the Akatsuki to shift targets.
After all, who'd want to tangle with a hedgehog bristling with spikes all over? Better to go after enemies with soft fur or tough hides.
Even if they were a bit hard-shelled, it beat getting pricked all over from one touch.
Was it really like that?
The Third Hokage looked deeply skeptical.
Jiraiya continued to jog his memory:
"Don't forget—Kazuki leaked Kirigakure's secrets... and afterward, Kirigakure suffered an assault from the Akatsuki."
Given Obito's blackened personality, if those details hadn't come out, Konoha would still have been the primary target.
But with Kirigakure taking the hits up front, it was different.
The method might be a bit underhanded, but let's be real—Konoha and Kirigakure weren't family.
"..."
Ahem!!
The Third Hokage felt his old face heating up with embarrassment. Fortunately, in the Hokage's office, aside from Shizune, both Tsunade and Jiraiya were his disciples.
Even if it was awkward in front of his own people, it was fine.
At least the news wouldn't spread. Theoretically speaking, Shizune was Tsunade's disciple too—still one of their own.
With that in mind, the Third Hokage let out a quiet breath of relief.
Good thing Tsunade wasn't privy to his inner thoughts, or she'd have chewed him out: What era is this, still clinging to that "our own people" nonsense? Haven't you played that card long enough over the decades?
"In any case, this whole affair only brings us benefits—no downsides."
Jiraiya kept laying out his analysis, and at the end, he didn't forget to remind the Third Hokage that his thinking aligned pretty closely with Tsunade's:
"Old man, you're getting up in years—don't do anything that'll chill people's hearts anymore. That kid Kazuki isn't like me or Tsunade in temperament. If you provoke him again, he'll hit back. You know how easy it is for someone in his position to get revenge."
"..." The Third Hokage's forehead throbbed with dark lines, a mix of annoyance and embarrassment flaring up:
"Am I really the sort of person who doesn't know when to quit?"
"You are." Tsunade and Jiraiya nodded in perfect sync.
After so many years together, the two knew the Third Hokage inside and out—that's why they were warning him like this.
Be extra careful now—don't go stirring up trouble or doing dumb shit, or it'll put everyone in a tough spot.
"You..." The Third Hokage nearly spat up a mouthful of old blood.
You're slandering me! I'll sue you for defamation—do you know that?
This is character assassination.
The news wasn't hushed up—neither at the border camp nor in the village—which meant it would spread like wildfire. In a short time, it'd reach the ears of the major ninja villages and ripple outward from there.
"He's already grown to this level?"
Onoki stared at the intelligence scroll in his hand, his brows knitted tightly together. In Kazuki, he saw the shadow of Uchiha Madara.
The stronger Kazuki proved himself, the worse the news for Iwagakure.
It looked like they'd need to recalibrate their assessment of Konoha's power level.
Never underestimate how one powerhouse could alter an entire ninja village. A truly formidable one could turn the tide of a war—and that was fatal. If intelligence lagged, and enemy threat levels were miscalculated, any outbreak of war could bring catastrophe to the village.
An ordinary powerhouse was one thing—at most, they'd rack up kills on the battlefield, nothing too scary. But from the Susanoo Kazuki had unleashed, it was clear: a powerhouse like him showing up on the field would be a disaster of the highest order.
Thank goodness they hadn't fully burned bridges with Konoha over past matters. Even if things had gotten ugly, both sides had kept some restraint.
Though face was lost, it was still better than Sunagakure's fate. Rasa had it truly rough—slapped down out of nowhere, chased and stomped like a rat.
Thinking of Rasa's plight eased Onoki's mind a bit. When you'd lost face, you could always compare to a peer—if someone else had it worse, your heart found balance.
"Raise Uchiha Kazuki's threat level by two grades."
"But... that would put Uchiha Kazuki's threat level above even yours, Tsuchikage-sama..."
His secretary was a bit dumbfounded.
Wasn't that evaluation a tad excessive?
"No—if he can wield power like that, then Uchiha Kazuki will be more terrifying than me... far more than the Raikage too."
"Yes."
The Tsuchikage's secretary hurried off to update Kazuki's threat assessment. In Kumogakure, the Raikage was doing much the same.
"This is coercion."
Showing off strength with such a hardline stance—beyond pressuring Sunagakure, it carried the intent to intimidate the other villages.
Especially Iwagakure and Kumogakure—after all, those two had always eyed Konoha covetously.
Of course, there was also the Akatsuki lurking in the shadows.
They were targets of the intimidation too.
Otherwise, for such a minor issue, there'd be no need to escalate to the point of personally stepping in and playing whack-a-mole.