Since they had only collaborated in battle once, they needed to ensure that this fight was absolutely foolproof. It would be disastrous if an error or mistake occurred and compromised their victory. It was best to be prepared and solve problems as soon as they were found.
"The Kazekage's Ninjutsu is relatively sharp and swift. He can circle the perimeter and fight, harassing Blaze to attract his attention."
"The Tsuchikage and I will attack head-on. If we encounter a skill we cannot dodge, we will use Dust Release to instantly decompose it."
They were all top-tier powerhouses, and with just a brief plan, they understood how to fight. Moreover, the three of them shared a common trait: they were all very flexible and possessed Jutsu that allowed them to fly.
This would allow them to better evade Blaze's Ninjutsu and quickly adjust their positions to find opportunities to break through from other directions.
The three continued to discuss a few more minor details, and after reasonably arranging what each person should do, today's meeting was close to concluding.
"Ah, we aren't particularly familiar with the Mizukage. Otherwise, calling him to join would make things much easier," the Kazekage suddenly interjected.
Torifu and Ōnoki smiled upon hearing this: "That's true, but the Land of Water is far away, with its capital separated by the sea. They probably won't get involved in our matters."
A fight meant potential injury. The matters of the Land of Rain essentially had nothing to do with them, so why would they risk injury to help? If they were told about it, they might wait for the three Kage to fail and then swoop in to exploit the situation. After all, the size of the Land of Water's territory was always a major issue. Originally, they had their eyes on the Land of Lightning's territory.
However, now that the Land of Iron had risen, it had already occupied a portion of the Land of Lightning's land. Although some were left, it was only a matter of time before it was settled, depending on how those two countries negotiated. Torifu would not concern himself with such bothersome matters.
"Alright, gentlemen. If there is nothing else to discuss, shall we end it here for today?"
Ōnoki and the Kazekage both nodded in agreement: "No other matters. This is also our first time coming to Central City, so how about we all grab a meal together?"
"OK. I know a place with good food that combines the flavors of all three countries. You should like it."
Torifu had been managing things here for so many days that he had thoroughly understood Central City. Calling it a city was generous; it wasn't even the size of Konoha's inner circle. It was merely a slightly better-built village, and it was already good that there was one or two restaurants with palatable food.
Ōnoki stroked his beard, feeling a little hungry at the mention of food: "Then let's go. It would be bad if the restaurant closed after the mealtime rush."
The Kazekage and Torifu laughed together, and the three then left the conference room. After they had their fill, they each returned to their apartments to rest.
The Land of Rain was now temporarily calm. The camps had all been completely destroyed, and there weren't many original residents left; Hanzo and Blaze had basically ravaged them all. However, Torifu didn't feel any pity. Torifu had invested a lot of resources into the Land of Rain, helping them build new houses and various convenient facilities. Yet, they had still been easily misled by others, and their hearts were never with the Land of Fire.
But it was understandable. With their country gone and its territory divided up by other nations, who could continue to live a peaceful life? Therefore, Torifu felt no regret for them, nor did he hate them, as it was pointless.
With a large number of the original residents gone, the members of the Lotus Organization immediately felt a great sense of relief. Before, they had to busy themselves with watching over them and regularly visiting homes to provide psychological support. They were a group of people who had lived on the edge of the knife, and being forced to do such work was mentally exhausting.
Now it was better; the population had almost been wiped out, and their workload was immediately cut in half. Moreover, there was no need to worry about a future shortage of people. As long as the root problem of the area—Hanzo and Blaze—was resolved, and then resources were invested for construction after about a year of recovery, the Land of Rain would certainly be able to develop. When more people migrated there, it would naturally become prosperous.
The members of the Lotus Organization also had a lot to look forward to every day, feeling that life was getting better day by day. This also allowed Torifu to relax. After all, he had basically not managed the organization since its establishment, yet he was always issuing various missions, making his comrades travel all over the world. They didn't even have a proper home. Now, once the problem of the Land of Rain was resolved, the Lotus Organization would completely become the de facto administrator here. The personnel would also be immigrants from the Land of Fire, so the situation with the natives wouldn't recur. Slowly, the organization members would settle down in the Land of Rain, marry, and have children, fully integrating to become a part of the Land of Fire.
However, the name 'Lotus' would always remain the same; it would be considered an autonomous province, only accepting deployment from the Hokage. After all, the territory was taken by the Hokage, and the Fire Daimyō wouldn't dare say much. Torifu had such power and still hadn't thought about replacing the Daimyō, so the Daimyō should be secretly happy and dare not voice any complaints.
Just like that, another day passed. The ninja who had left Central City should have all left the Land of Rain's borders by now. Even if they hadn't, Torifu could only apologize to them. He no longer had the patience to wait. In any case, they would just be enveloped by the mist for a while, and nothing serious would happen. Once the cloud vapor dissipated, they could continue their journey.
The people within the city, however, were informed that they could not leave Central City but could move about and live freely within the city limits. Therefore, early this morning, the gates of the city center were sealed, with several ninja squads taking turns to guard them. Everyone knew that today was the day the Hokage-sama planned to use his Ninjutsu to search for the mastermind, so they dared not cause trouble and were afraid their actions would inconvenience the Hokage. So, although it wasn't strictly enforced, a large number of people chose to lock themselves in their homes and not venture out.
There was a tense atmosphere in the city. Even those eating breakfast did so quickly, hurrying through their meals before immediately leaving. Meanwhile, Torifu was unhurriedly brushing his teeth, humming a little tune. He looked very relaxed, seemingly unaware that the people in the city were already in a state of high alert.
"Hurry up. Didn't you say you were going to search the entire Land of Rain today? Don't make the Kazekage and Tsuchikage wait too long," came Naori's urging voice from the living room.
Now, only the two of them were in the apartment. Tsunade had returned to Konoha yesterday to reunite with Dan. Perhaps she was so fed up with watching Torifu and Naori's affectionate behavior these past few days that she rushed back.
"Alright, I'm all done," Torifu said, having neatly tidied himself before leaving the bathroom.
"Quickly eat breakfast and then go. I'll be in the city waiting for your return."