The reply from the Hot Water Village came quickly. By the time Kakashi had answered on behalf of the Bureau and mobilized Konoha's reinforcements, their leader was already en route.
What arrived in Konoha even earlier than the Hot Water Village's leader was Kumogakure's communication equipment.
After the massive wooden crates were inspected, they were moved straight to the Hokage Building.
Inside was a set of five units, each corresponding to one of the five Kage: Fire, Lightning, Water, Wind, and Earth.
At this moment, the screens marked "Wind" and "Earth" were still completely dark. The distance was too great; the equipment for Iwagakure and Sunagakure would take more time to arrive. But clearly, the Raikage had no intention of waiting even a few days.
Almost as soon as the Konoha unit finished setup and the line connected, the "Lightning" screen lit up with a low hum, flickered with static, and then stabilized. The Fourth Raikage's face filled the display.
Immediately after, the "Water" screen came to life, revealing the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
On Konoha's side, Tsunade sat in the center facing the screens. Roshi stood half a step behind her and to the side, his figure just barely within the edge of the camera's frame.
"So it's finally connected," A's voice was the first to crackle through the speaker. "Roshi, you're there, aren't you?"
The Raikage leaned toward the screen, clearly looking for someone other than Tsunade.
His gaze swept the display, but the old-fashioned camera's angle was narrow, capturing only Tsunade and a sliver of space behind her.
"Still hiding at a time like this?" He clicked his tongue.
Tsunade didn't answer. One elbow rested on the armrest, fingertips lightly touching her chin, the corner of her mouth curving almost imperceptibly. She was content to sit back and watch.
She understood perfectly well where the Raikage's current tone came from. Ever since the Takigakure incident, Konoha's stance had been strikingly proactive.
Yet the person who had long taken the initiative to connect everyone and mediate in such matters had fallen silent.
For Kumogakure—who had been the first to forge deep cooperation with Konoha and who was used to Roshi serving as the go‑between—this change was especially obvious.
"Roshi, you said you were going to retire. Are you really abandoning your responsibilities at such a critical moment?" A's voice surged again. "If you're really tired of staying in Konoha, then come to Kumogakure. We've got hot springs and everything else you could want."
Only then did Tsunade clear her throat and speak in her capacity as Hokage. "Raikage, the meeting is still being prepared. All the intelligence Konoha has has already been reported, and a clear response plan has been proposed."
"I know," A said, his tone stiff. "I've seen the plan. Aside from the intelligence exchange, the rest of it is a pile of useless proposals."
"Sage Mode? Natural energy training?" He unconsciously quickened his pace. "I'll be blunt. Aside from your Konoha, which still has Holy summoning land's connection, every other non-chakra cultivation system either works too slowly or has way too high a barrier to entry. Most of them were lost back in the Warring clans era."
Yagura's voice cut in: "The Hidden Mist's maritime forces began assisting in defending the sea routes toward the Land of Snow yesterday."
The Raikage immediately followed up: "Their airships have started moving again. I requested this from the Hidden Mist—we can't just sit around and wait."
Tsunade's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Leaving Konoha aside, Kumogakure and the Hidden Mist were taking the initiative to link up on their own. That trend itself was more significant than the mere deployment of airships.
It meant a cross-village tactical coordination was starting to form on its own, based on a shared sense of crisis. At the same time, it vaguely hinted that not everyone was willing to patiently accept Konoha's current pace.
None of that showed on her face. Instead, she let a look of approval surface, nodding as she said, "The rapid response of both villages is commendable. Konoha is also willing to provide necessary support."
"Support?" he snorted. "If it's just supplies or intel, then forget it."
"We need a joint mobile force—strong enough and able to deploy quickly to any hotspot. A permanent unit, dedicated specifically to dealing with the Akatsuki Organization."
With that, he finally laid his true aim on the table.
"The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki from Takigakure should be in Konoha right now, correct? Roshi, you personally went to Takigakure. You wouldn't just leave the Jinchuriki there, sitting around waiting for the Akatsuki to come snatch them again, would you?"
Without waiting for an answer, he turned his spearpoint toward another darkened screen.
"Sunagakure has been quite idle lately." A's gaze was razor-sharp, the pressure coming through even over the feed. "So where is Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchuriki… right now?"
Yagura's eyes also shifted in that direction. He said nothing, but his silence was its own kind of question.
Roshi, who had been standing in the shadows, finally took half a step forward, his lower body entering the camera's field of view.
Tsunade rose, set one hand on his shoulder, and gently pushed him into the chair she had just vacated.
She herself moved behind the seat, resting her hands on the top of the backrest, leaning against it.
On the screen, A watched the movement and let out a cold snort.
Roshi sat straight in the chair, his entire face now centered in the frame.
The conference room lights traced the angles of his features, making his dark eyes seem all the more steady.
"Well," he said, voice level and controlled, "what exactly do you mean by that, Lord Raikage?"
Once he finally took his seat at the negotiation table, A stopped circling around the issue and spoke bluntly.
"Since Iwagakure called for this emergency meeting, the four of us—Konoha, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure—will jointly support Iwagakure in forming a rapid-response mobile force."
He paused, then pressed on, his voice firming.
"As for the core combat strength and the nominal supreme commander of this force, I propose Han, Iwagakure's Five-Tails Jinchuriki, for the role."
"He's strong, seasoned, and holds a special status. With him in charge, we can show our shared resolve to protect the Jinchuriki and give this unit enough deterrent power."
"As for the unit's permanent base… I suggest we choose a location in the Land of Forests, near the border, where water routes allow for rapid deployment."
He fixed Roshi with a burning stare. "What do you think of this plan?"
A's gaze never left Roshi, waiting for the man's response.
The underlying meaning of this proposal was clear: under the banner of "joint protection" and "improving cooperative defense efficiency," Konoha, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure would unite to pressure Iwagakure into handing over their strategic-level combatant and placing him within a multi-village command structure, thus spreading out and reducing the heavy burden and risk each village faced in protecting their own Jinchuriki.
Roshi fell silent for a moment and then said, "Lord Tsuchikage probably won't agree to this so easily. Especially not to giving up command authority over their Jinchuriki in this way."
A answered without hesitation: "If Iwagakure insists on opposing it, then we leave them behind. This mobile force will be established regardless."
"We can't let the villages that have actually protected most of the Jinchuriki—and are facing greater threats as a result—shoulder an unfair share of the defensive pressure and risk just because of one village's worries or internal problems."
—
Where was the Land of Forests?
It lay south of the Land of Hot Springs, bordering Konoha's northeastern frontier. Across the sea to the east was the Land of Lightning; to the southeast, also across the sea, was the Land of Water. On the map, it looked like a wedge driven into the gap where the spheres of influence of the Lands of Fire, Lightning, and Water met.
If Sunagakure's Ichibi was also in Konoha's custody—and even without assuming, that much could be inferred from the reactions of the two Konoha representatives—then Konoha was currently sheltering at least three Jinchuriki.
Add to that two from Kumogakure and two from Kirigakure.
Setting the Joint Mobile Force's permanent base in the Land of Forests, then negotiating land-use rights with the former Village of Bamboo—which had already answered Konoha's call, absorbed the Prajna Group, and renamed itself ""Takegakure"—from a purely military standpoint, the choice was impeccable.
The shortest defensive radius, the fastest deployment routes—together they could bring almost all current Jinchuriki under the tightest possible protection net.
As long as Kumogakure and the Hidden Mist aren't planning to hand over their own Jinchūriki, this really is the best option for now.
At least, if you only look at the goals of protecting the Jinchūriki and dealing with Akatsuki's attacks, there's nothing wrong with it.
As long as you ignore the potential fallout.
So he had to sound out the Hidden Mist first. He set a premise in his mind: Konoha is sincerely pushing for this alliance and truly intends to protect each village's tailed beasts.
The next step is to observe Konoha's attitude.
Will they worry about Iwagakure's pride and sense of security, coming up with some nominal, Konoha-centered defense plan that just runs around putting out fires until everyone's worn out? Or will they cast aside sentimentality and choose this cruel but efficient, optimal answer?
Only the low hum of the equipment remained in the conference room.
Roshi was silent for a few seconds, his finger tapping lightly on the armrest.
"After the joint meeting is held, Konoha will first contact Takegakure to carry out preliminary talks about possibly using the base."
He didn't say he agreed. He didn't say he supported Kumogakure's plan.
But this willingness to open talks was, in A's eyes, already a sign of leaning in that direction.
A was somewhat satisfied with that.
"Since Sunagakure and Takigakure have no objections to you protecting the other two Jinchūriki, Kumogakure has no intention of meddling either."
"Roshi, under these circumstances, I can understand if you take a conservative approach in your defense arrangements."
"At the Five Kage Representative Meeting, the detailed proposal on forming this mobile force can be raised by the Hidden Mist."
Yagura nodded. "Mei will give a formal explanation during the meeting."
"That's that," A said before cutting the connection. "That old, stubborn fool Ōnoki should also understand that having Han join the mobile force isn't about stealing Iwagakure's manpower—it's that we don't intend to exclude him."
The "Lightning" screen went dark. A moment later, the "Water" screen faded to black as well.
A soft chuckle sounded from behind the chair. Tsunade slid her hand off the backrest, walked around to the front, and casually dropped an elbow onto Roshi's shoulder.
"The new development you've been waiting for is here."
"It's good that Kumogakure and the Hidden Mist are willing to take the lead." Roshi didn't move, letting her lean against him as his gaze stayed on the now-black screen. "From here on out, we should talk less and act more—just play a supporting role."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
The elbow on his shoulder stayed put, but her other hand lifted, index finger and thumb rubbing together.
"Hey," she said, "that brat A was so fired up about poaching you—there's got to be some actual follow-up in private, right?"
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a playful murmur.
"Give me half. I'm still the current Hokage, after all. If you've accepted benefits without reporting them, I'll have to treat it as a betrayal of the village."
Roshi finally moved.
He didn't bother answering about "bribes." Instead, he dropped his shoulder and slid half a step to the side in one smooth motion, then stood up.
Tsunade's elbow, which had been resting on her shoulder, suddenly lost its support. She pitched forward a little with the momentum.
"Even if I did receive something," Roshi said at last, a hint of disdain in his voice, "it definitely wouldn't be the kind you could take half of."
He turned to face her.
"And that 'that kid A' just now... you slipped. This habit of yours—using casual lines that basically say, "I've lived a long time"—if anyone should be held responsible, it's not me.
Tsunade glared.
Her beautiful brown eyes went wide and round, locking onto him for a full three seconds.
Then she suddenly let out a short "Ha!", folded her arms, and adopted a careless, almost cocky posture.
"Jealous?" She tipped her chin up and lightly tapped her own cheek, where not even a fine wrinkle could be seen. "It's one of the 'side effects' of the Strength of a Hundred Seal."
"In another ten or twenty years, when we're standing side by side, people might even think you're older than me."
She took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
"So you'd better take this chance to call me Lady Tsunade or Hokage-sama a few more times while you still can."
"When that kid Kakashi is finally willing to put on the hat and I retire to enjoy life—" Tsunade drawled, her eyes curving into crescents. "You won't get the chance anymore."
Roshi ignored the provocation.
He turned back to the window and looked outside.
"Another thing Kumogakure mentioned: the Land of Snow has been making moves recently."
Tsunade walked up beside him, arms still folded, and followed his gaze out the window.
"Unless that puppet Dotō Kazahana couldn't stand the boredom and went rogue on his own," she continued, her earlier light tone gone, "it means the Akatsuki Organization has a plan in motion."
"Acting now is… subtle timing," Roshi said. "The joint summit is coming up, and all the major hidden villages are focused on Jinchūriki security and internal coordination."
"Even with the sea blockade still in place, most of the forces are busy cracking down on smuggling and illegal routes."
He paused.
"If I were Akatsuki, I'd use this window to do something else. Test each village's response speed, for example… or stir up chaos in some other direction."
Tsunade turned her head to study him.
"What are you planning?"
Roshi didn't answer right away.
The sunlight outside the window was glaring; he narrowed his eyes against it.
"I don't have any special plans," he said, his voice settling back into its usual flat tone. "But since the other side might be plotting something, Konoha at least has to put on a show of responding."
Tsunade turned to look at him.
"A show?"
"Yes."
"I'll send a wood clone out of the village." Roshi lowered his hand. "Have it wander around the surrounding area and show my face. If Akatsuki is testing us, we should let them see how Konoha reacts."
He turned fully toward Tsunade.
"Splitting off some of my chakra to maintain a Wood Clone while still keeping enough combat strength in reserve for any emergency—"
An innocent look spread across Roshi's face.
"—is actually pretty exhausting."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"So?"
"So during that time," Roshi said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Hokage-sama can handle the paperwork herself."
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