"Hehehe..."
Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh. The sound of his laughter was laced with sarcasm and frustration.
Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, couldn't help but feel a little uneasy hearing that mocking laugh. After all, they knew what they were doing wasn't entirely justifiable, and being called out on it left him feeling uncomfortable.
"Alright, whatever makes you happy," Orochimaru said with a disappointed tone, standing up to leave. But before he went, he warned Hiruzen, "Just don't push him too hard. If you corner him, you'll regret it."
Knock, knock, knock!
Before the Third Hokage could respond, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Lord Hokage!" A member of the intelligence division rushed in, quickly placing a scroll on the desk. "This is a request for aid from the Land of Iron. They're asking Konoha to send help to stop the Hidden Rain Village."
"What?"
The Third Hokage thought he had misheard.
The Land of Iron, a permanently neutral country, was being attacked by another ninja village? And the attackers were from the Hidden Rain Village, the same village that had just suffered a defeat not long ago!
What on earth is Hanzo thinking?
Crossing through the Land of Fire to attack the Land of Iron? Has he lost his mind?
In a hurry, the Third Hokage opened the scroll and began reading.
Orochimaru, who had been on his way out, stopped.
This could be interesting, he thought, deciding to stick around and see how this played out.
"This is outrageous!" Hiruzen roared, slamming the table in anger. "Has Hanzo gone mad?"
The Hidden Rain Village should be recovering, not starting wars. Yet here he is, leading an assault on the neutral Land of Iron!
Hanzo's desire for war was no joke. Originally, his target had been the Land of Grass. It was right next door to the Hidden Rain Village, and its geography was favorable. Conquering it could have greatly boosted the Rain Village's economy, strengthening the country.
But the Land of Grass was a close ally of the Land of Fire, and by extension, Konoha. There was no way Konoha would allow it.
So, after much back and forth, not to mention the schemes of the Hidden Sand Village, the war had escalated.
Just as Konoha had wrapped up their conflict with the Hidden Rain, preparing to focus their efforts on the Hidden Sand, Hanzo went and launched an attack on the Land of Iron.
"Summon the Council of Elders and the Hokage's advisors. Orochimaru, you should come too," Hiruzen said, grabbing the scroll and storming toward the meeting room. Orochimaru smirked and followed leisurely behind. He was curious to see how the village would handle this situation.
The Land of Grass was a close ally, so Konoha couldn't ignore any threats there. But the Land of Iron was a neutral country, one that none of the five great nations could afford to see attacked.
Konoha especially relied on the Land of Iron for its high-quality minerals. Allowing this attack to continue was simply not an option.
"Hanzo, you're certainly bold..."
.....
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