Ōnoki's words were sound, and once again they stirred the emotions of a large number of jōnin, strengthening their sense of belonging to the village and their identity as shinobi of Iwagakure.
His face was flushed with enthusiasm, as if he could hardly wait to throw himself into the commission from Nadeshiko Village and start taking action.
Only Roshi remained silent after hearing all this, an uneasy feeling lingering in his heart.
Could it be that Konoha was truly being this generous, without any hidden agenda?
At that moment, a long-familiar voice echoed within Roshi's mind.
"Roshi, what are you worrying about?"
"You're hesitating far too much. This doesn't seem like you at all."
"If you've got something to say, then say it outright. What good does it do to keep it bottled up?"
The Four-Tails, Son Gokū, spoke with a teasing tone.
Roshi stayed silent. He glanced around at the other shinobi before finally letting his gaze settle on Ōnoki.
The overall situation had already been decided. Almost everyone present accepted Ōnoki's reasoning, believing that this commission—and the benefits attached to it—were something Iwagakure had fought for with its own strength. Under these circumstances, even if Roshi could identify a loophole, it would be difficult to overturn the general direction.
Not to mention that his unease was based purely on instinct. He couldn't find any concrete flaw at all.
This was the tide of events. Even as the village's jinchūriki, even with the power of the Four-Tails within him, he could not reverse the current situation.
Han, who was seated beside Roshi, said nothing. He kept his eyes closed, quietly listening to everything unfolding around him. Unlike Roshi, he didn't concern himself with what others thought. He only needed to follow the orders of the Tsuchikage.
This was his resolve and belief as a jinchūriki.
Ōnoki glanced toward Roshi, and when he saw that the other man offered no further rebuttal, he nodded slightly in satisfaction.
It seemed that this stubborn fellow had finally realized that he was in the wrong this time, and had understood the momentum of the situation. Keeping him appropriately restrained was necessary. If Roshi's temperament were allowed to run unchecked, he would become an extremely unstable factor for the village.
Ōnoki then raised his hand in a signaling gesture, and the hall gradually fell silent once more.
"After the Third Shinobi World War," Ōnoki said slowly, "a powerful and mysterious shinobi appeared in the region between the Land of Iron and the Land of Hot Water, north of the Land of Fire, and claimed that territory alone."
"But three years ago, that mysterious leader vanished as if he had evaporated from the shinobi world. Since then, there has been no news of him. That land has turned into a haven for rogue ninja and missing-nin, occupied by various wandering groups and local thugs."
"Nadeshiko Village wishes to take control of that territory, and for that purpose, they issued a large-scale war commission to Konoha."
"This is the mission that our Iwagakure will be undertaking. I ask everyone to share your opinions."
After Ōnoki finished speaking, Captain #1, an elite jōnin of Iwagakure and the leader of the village's Sealing Unit, who was seated in the same row as Ōnoki, third from the left, raised his hand to speak.
"If I remember correctly," he said, "there was once a ninja village called Otogakure in that area, though it existed only briefly. Its leader's identity was kept extremely secret, but according to intelligence from multiple sources, there were quite a few shinobi with kekkei genkai there. They all wielded unusual forms of ninjutsu, and their strength shouldn't be underestimated."
"I'm concerned that Konoha pushed this commission onto us because they want to use Iwagakure as a test—using our shinobi to probe the strength of that region."
"We would be sent in as the vanguard, while they reap the benefits afterward."
Captain #1's words caused many in the room to see a new possibility, and it was indeed plausible.
However, Kitsuchi spoke up at that moment, voicing a different opinion.
"If this were during wartime, that would certainly be possible—and the likelihood would be high," he said calmly.
"But right now, the Hokage of Konoha is Tsunade. Given her personality, and that of Uchiha Hikaru, it's impossible for them to do something so shortsighted."
"According to the current philosophy of the Ninja Association, peaceful coexistence and shared development are their core principles. Once that principle is violated, the Ninja Association—something Konoha has invested immense effort into—would lose all meaning."
"And once its reputation and credibility collapse, the association will naturally fall apart. For Konoha, that would only further damage its standing, causing other nations and villages to regard it with fear and suspicion."
As the head of Iwagakure's branch within the Ninja Association, Kitsuchi dealt daily with shinobi from many different villages. From firsthand experience, he could clearly sense the difference between those who had joined the association and those who had not.
They no longer clung so tightly to old grudges. Most of them were younger shinobi who had never experienced the brutality of war, and who yearned for a peaceful, stable shinobi world.
Kitsuchi didn't believe that Konoha would choose to break its word and do something so foolish at such a critical time.
His words caused Captain #1 to fall into deep thought. As a shinobi who had lived through two Shinobi World Wars, he instinctively distrusted other villages. Yet Kitsuchi 's reasoning was difficult to refute.
Since the founding of the Ninja Association, Iwagakure's development had indeed accelerated significantly. Still, the hatred buried deep in his heart made it hard for him to face everything with calm rationality.
After all, his former teammates had all died at the hands of Minato Namikaze during the Third Shinobi World War. Though Minato himself was long dead, that hatred had not disappeared—it had merely been transferred onto Konoha.
A Jonin, who stood nearby, noticed Captain #1's furrowed brow and didn't know what to say. He wasn't good with words, nor did he know how to comfort others. In the end, he simply reached out and gave Captain #1's shoulder a firm pat.
The jōnin present all fell into silence together.
Brothers, lovers, children, parents, friends—every one of them, as shinobi, had lived through tragic pasts. They had lost far too much.
Some believed that hatred could never be forgotten, that blood debts must be repaid with blood.
Others wished to let go of their hatred, because they had formed new bonds: the children at the Ninja Academy, the lovers who waited for them, the comrades who were still alive. These were their most precious treasures.
The hall sank into quiet. Though everyone's eyes were still red, this time it was not from anger or excitement.
It was remembrance for those who had passed, and longing for those they cherished.
Seeing this, Roshi no longer wished to argue.
Although he didn't want the village to be drawn into another war commission, reality was often cruel.
To stay by the side of those they cared about, to avoid needless sacrifice, they didn't want to accept such a mission.
But for the sake of building the village, and to give the next generation a better future, they had no choice. Without accepting such commissions, the village would have no funds to continue growing and developing.
"Now," Ōnoki said, breaking the silence, "everyone, write down your choice on the paper in front of you."
"If you agree to accept this commission, write 'yes'. If you oppose it, write 'no'."
"Once you're finished, place it into the box at the front of the hall. This vote will be anonymous."