Sai's blade halted just before it could strike Haku.
It wasn't because he had decided to stop—but because a hand had suddenly reached out from the side, gripping his arm tightly.
"So that's how it is... A clone?"
Seeing who the hand belonged to, Sai's expression turned to one of understanding.
He wasn't the only one fishing for bait—the opponent had also used a clone to lure him in.
"Ice Release: Ice Prison Technique."
...
"Under the guidance of the Konoha ninja, we entered an Ōtsutsuki ruin. Based on the traces left at the scene, it's safe to conclude that this clan truly existed."
In Iwagakure, a ninja was reporting to Ōnoki about the situation regarding the Ōtsutsuki ruins.
Hearing his own men confirm with their own eyes that the Ōtsutsuki were real, Ōnoki's ever-suspicious heart finally settled a little.
It seemed that forming an alliance really had been the right decision after all.
Still, questions remained—just how powerful were these so-called Ōtsutsuki? Were they truly hiding in Amegakure? These matters were still under debate.
At present, the cooperation among the Five Great Hidden Villages was limited to exploration of the ruins. The details of how to share research results were still being negotiated.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
Just as Ōnoki was pondering how to extract more benefits from Konoha, one of his subordinates brought him two earth-shattering pieces of news.
First, their spies had successfully infiltrated Amegakure.
Second, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire had suddenly abdicated after summoning the Fifth Hokage—and there seemed to be signs of battle at the Daimyō's mansion.
"He's got some nerve!"
Ōnoki slammed his hand on the table.
He couldn't understand why, in recent years, the Kage of every village seemed eager to challenge the authority of their respective Daimyō.
First, Kumogakure had announced self-governance and was now effectively an independent state.
Then, that fool Rasa had openly attacked his own Daimyō.
And now even Konoha had joined the fray.
"This isn't good news," said one of the younger Iwagakure elders, hitting the key point. "Once the Daimyō hears of this, he'll surely stop trusting us. The alliance among the Five Great Villages may very well be suspended."
"That's what worries me most."
Ōnoki nodded in agreement.
"Send a letter to Konoha immediately—demand an explanation about the Fire Daimyō's situation. Also, dispatch envoys to the Daimyō's court and tell them that I intend to visit personally."
Grabbing his Tsuchikage hat from the side, Ōnoki placed it on his head and hurried toward the door.
"Tsuchikage-sama, with the example of the Land of Fire before us, are you sure the Daimyō will even agree to meet you?"
Another long-time elder, who had worked with Ōnoki for many years, spoke up to caution him.
Ōnoki stopped in his tracks at the words, sighed, and instinctively rubbed his aching lower back.
"Even if he refuses, we still have to show our stance, don't we?"
"Showing our stance isn't difficult," the elder replied. "If you announce that Iwagakure is severing ties with Konoha and send troops toward the Land of Grass, then follow up with a strongly worded letter to Konoha, the Daimyō will see our sincerity.
Once he does, he'll surely send someone to meet with you."
Ōnoki thought for a moment. The reasoning was sound, and so he nodded in agreement.
...
At the same time, Kumogakure had also received the news.
Unlike Ōnoki, Dodai was far more relaxed about it.
If even Konoha was doing this, what did they have to fear anymore?
No matter the truth of the situation, Kumogakure's leadership now regarded Konoha as a kindred spirit—if not an official ally, then at least a village standing on the same side.
"Send a letter to Konoha immediately. Tell them that Kumogakure is willing to form a military alliance even stronger than the existing Ninja Alliance."
The higher-ups of Kumogakure had always believed that aligning with Konoha could help ease their isolation.
Ever since they'd defied their own Daimyō, Kumogakure had been cut off from all external missions. Their entire economy now depended on the lands they'd seized from local nobles.
...
Yagura publicly took the side of the Daimyō's faction, but secretly, he had sent a coded message to Takeshi.
The only ones feeling awkward in this situation were the people of Sunagakure.
By Pakura's character, she should have stood up fearlessly by now, condemning Konoha's actions.
But Konoha troops were stationed right outside Sunagakure, and all the mineral resources the village depended on for survival were already under Konoha's control.
So even if Pakura wanted to put on a performance, Konoha wasn't going to give her the stage.
Given all these factors, Pakura decided to give up trying altogether. No matter how hard Ōnoki tried to court her, she wouldn't respond.
...
"That old man Ōnoki is ruining my plans."
Takeshi rubbed his temples, veins popping as he handed the sharply worded letter to Nara Shikaku.
If nothing had gone wrong, Takeshi had intended to gather the clan heads of various ninja families in the coming days to test their views on secret techniques.
He had even arranged with Fugaku in advance to act as his supporter during the meeting.
But who could have imagined that such a trivial matter as the Daimyō's abdication would provoke such an overreaction from Ōnoki?
"Iwagakure isn't like us. They still rely on the Daimyō's support," Shikaku said, unsurprised.
"Let's just say... the Daimyō stepped down at a really inconvenient time."
"I didn't even know that my senseir's former colleagues had been swayed by Adviser Danzō! This has nothing to do with me," Takeshi protested, feeling wronged.
He knew the Daimyō wanted to bring him down—but his plan had been to complete the artificial human project first, then quietly place the Daimyō under house arrest so he could rule through him.
"This situation needs to be handled carefully," Shikaku said seriously. "After all, the Chūnin Exams are about to begin. It'll be the first joint event since the formation of the Ninja Alliance. For the sake of the greater picture, we might have to make some sacrifices."
"'Sacrifices,' huh? Sure, fine—so which member of the Advisory Council should I kill and gift to Ōnoki?"
Takeshi was clearly itching for action.
"Fifth Hokage-sama, they're still your elders... And when I say 'sacrifice,' I mean you."
"Me?" Takeshi immediately stepped back, eyeing Shikaku warily.
"What do you mean? I'll have you know—I might be handsome, but I'm definitely a man."
"You misunderstand," Shikaku said, a dark line forming on his forehead. "That's not what I meant at all..."