As the first light of dawn crept in through the window, Ryo tucked the blanket snugly around her and silently got out of bed.
A message from the Anbu had arrived. The Hokage had summoned a high-level meeting.
Though still technically a chūnin, Ryo was known to possess power on par with a Kage. Hiruzen had personally ordered his attendance, but Ryo despised political gatherings. He already knew the outcome, whether he showed up or not.
His gaze lingered on Kushina's peaceful face. Then, with a look of disdain, he tossed the Hokage's order onto the desk. He hated the politics of the village. The false smiles, the posturing, and most of all, being paraded as someone else's pawn.
---
On the top floor of the Hokage Building, the air was heavy, almost suffocating. The smell of old scrolls and tobacco smoke pressed down on everyone who entered.
Behind the large desk, Hiruzen's pipe glowed and dimmed in rhythm, smoke curling around his weary face. His bloodshot eyes showed he hadn't slept in days. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado sat on either side of him. Koharu's face was tight as a drawn bowstring, while Homura's sharp gaze scanned the room from behind his glasses.
One or two hundred figures filled the solemn space. Their murmurs were low and tense. Konoha's core was here.
Akimichi Torifū, student of the Second Hokage and father of Chōza. Yamanaka Inoichi's father. Nara Shikaku's father. The current generation of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio stood tall. Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Hiashi stood at opposite ends with their respective clansmen. The Aburame clan head lingered silently in the shadows.
The Sarutobi, Shimura, and other clan leaders wore heavy expressions. Civilian jōnin like Dan Katō stood at the rear, watching silently, anxious and uncertain.
Tsunade stood alone near the front, separated from the advisory table. Her hands hung at her sides, but her knuckles were taut. Her gaze swept across the room, meeting both familiar and unfamiliar eyes. Nawaki was not eligible to attend. She stood there, alone. As if on an invisible battlefield.
"Everyone," Hiruzen's tired voice finally broke through the whispers, "this emergency assembly concerns the Ame front."
He turned toward Tsunade, his tone laced with expectation.
"Tsunade has just returned from the front lines and has firsthand knowledge of the situation. She also brings forth an important proposal to break the current deadlock. Please, let her speak."
All eyes turned to Tsunade. The room grew still.
She took a deep breath. The scent of blood, medicine, and despair from the battlefield in Ame seemed to flood her lungs again. She stepped forward. Her voice was calm, but each word hit like a hammer.
"The Land of Rain right now... is one enormous graveyard."
Her tone carried the weight of someone who had lived and bled on the battlefield.
"It's been over two years. Konoha, Suna, Ame, how many lives have we lost? Thousands.
The Sand's supply lines are severed. Hanzo's reserves are nearly depleted. And Konoha—"
She raised a hand, pointing toward the window, as if reaching across the land to the frontlines.
"—we're sending children! Barely out of the Academy! Are they fighting? No. They're being fed to the front. They're dying for nothing."
Her chest rose and fell sharply. In her eyes burned the fury and grief of a healer who had watched too many lives vanish without meaning.
"My medical corps sees amputations, fatal wounds, and death every day. The survival rate of the seriously injured keeps falling. This isn't just a collapse of the frontlines. The entire village is suffocating. The economy is strangled. Morale has bottomed out. People are numb. Tired of war. There are no winners in this. Not Suna, not Ame, not Konoha. We're all losing. And among losers, what's left to fight for? Whose blood are we spilling? Whose bones are we piling higher?"
Her voice rose, fierce and unwavering.
"End it! End this madness! There's only one path — cooperation. We must work with Hanzo of Ame. Our sole objective should be to destroy Suna. Hanzo wants the war over more than anyone. If we make the offer, he might accept. Once Suna falls, the stalemate breaks. This is the fastest way to end this nightmare. The only way to save our shinobi from dying pointlessly. Please, think carefully!"
Silence fell over the hall.
Among the civilians, Dan's eyes flickered. Shock, consideration, agreement. The clan heads, however, gave little away. Nara Shikaku's father narrowed his eyes. The Sarutobi and Shimura clan heads exchanged looks. In one corner, Fugaku's expression was unreadable. Hiashi's gaze remained lowered.
"Tsunade-hime!"
Koharu's sharp voice shattered the silence. She stood abruptly, her eyes like needles, her face twisted with fury and contempt.
"You speak too lightly! Naive. Ridiculously naive."
Tsunade met her glare without flinching.
"Cooperation? With those so-called victims, the Rain Village?"
Koharu's voice dripped with mockery.
"This war started because Konoha, for the Land of Fire's interests and strategic gain, invaded. We were the aggressors. Hanzo and his shinobi are the ones we attacked."
She slammed her palm onto the table with a loud bang.
"And now that things aren't going our way, you suggest we toss aside our pride and go crawling to the victims? That's surrender. That's kneeling. That's slapping Konoha in the face!"
Her gaze swept across the room, falling on each clan leader.
"I ask you all — clan heads, comrades who bled in Ame — can you accept this? Can you accept that all the blood our shinobi spilled these past years was just to end up bowing to the enemy? Once that line is crossed, what is Konoha's blood worth?"
Homura adjusted his glasses, his tone sharp and cutting.
"Advisor Koharu speaks the truth. Hiruzen. Tsunade. You both must confront the heart of this issue. Konoha needs more than a battlefield win. We need prestige. Power that makes the other nations fear us."
Behind the lenses, his eyes gleamed.
"If we follow Tsunade's plan, what will the other villages think? They'll laugh. They'll see the so-called First Great Village as a paper tiger. Can't even defeat Suna without begging a minor nation for help. The Daimyō invested heavily in this war. He expects victory, not shameful compromise. The nobles and merchants who fund our missions, will they continue to trust a village that bows its head? Our mission revenue, our reputation, our very foundation, it would all collapse."
Hiruzen let out a deep breath, his face buried in smoke, heavy with fatigue and conflict.
"Koharu. Homura. Tsunade… I understand all your positions."
He gestured for Koharu to sit, then turned toward Tsunade. His voice was soft, but it subtly shifted pressure onto the audience.
"Tsunade's compassion for our shinobi is admirable. But as Homura said, prestige is the foundation of our survival. We must proceed with care."
He paused, letting silence fill the space. Letting the weight of it settle.
"This decision will shape Konoha's next ten, maybe twenty years. It is not a decision for one person. I believe we should hear the opinions of our jōnin."
His eyes, deliberate yet calm, landed on Nara Shikashin.
Shikashin had long since caught the Hokage's cue. He stood slowly. As Konoha's chief strategist, every eye followed him.
He gave a small bow. His voice was measured and calm, like a blade drawn in slow motion.
"Tsunade-sama's intentions are commendable. But her proposal brings more risk than benefit."
He raised a hand, tapping the table lightly.
"First, feasibility. Hanzo of the Salamander, that so-called demi-god, is proud and solitary. Konoha was the aggressor. There's blood between us. For us to offer cooperation would force him to admit weakness. It would be an insult to his pride. The odds of him agreeing are slim. More likely, he'll take it as a sign that Konoha is faltering, and seize the chance to strike back."
"Second, risk. Even if Hanzo agrees temporarily, what guarantees do we have he won't betray us mid-campaign? His shinobi know the terrain. If they turn on us during a critical moment and join with Suna, our entire frontline could collapse. We'd be placing Konoha's fate in the hands of the enemy. It's reckless."
"Third, internal unrest. Danzō and his Root operatives have suffered heavy losses at the front. If the Hokage now adopts a completely different strategy, the backlash from Root and other hardliners could fracture our command. At home, some clans and the pro-war faction will view this as weakness. Konoha would face chaos inside and out."
He glanced slowly around the room.
"Fourth, long-term prestige. As Advisor Homura said, once we set this precedent, Konoha's dominance will vanish. Future negotiations, mission contracts, all of them will suffer. The shinobi world is full of wolves. If we lose our deterrence, the consequences will be unending."
"Fifth," Shikashin looked back at Tsunade, his tone softening, "you value life, Tsunade-sama, and that deserves respect. But war, by nature, is political. What Konoha needs is not a rushed retreat, but a dignified victory. Yes, attrition is painful. But our foundation is stronger than any other. Suna and Ame are both exhausted. If we endure a little longer, we can end this war on our terms, with less risk and more leverage. Seeking cooperation now is equivalent to handing over the initiative. It signals weakness. The cost outweighs the gain."
He bowed again.
"That concludes my analysis."
(To be continued.)
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