"You...!"
Elder Gen was trembling with anger, pointing at Soranosuke, unable to say a word.
"What? Want to spar with me?"
Kaguya Soranosuke clenched his fists, his knuckles making a series of cracking sounds, and a violent chakra rose from his body.
"Enough!"
Mizukage Gengetsu finally spoke, his voice instantly suppressing the tense atmosphere in the conference room.
His face was as still as water, quietly watching the two arguing below.
Kaguya Soranosuke snorted coldly and sat back down, but his eyes still stared deadly at Gen, full of provocation.
Elder Gen also sighed heavily and sat down dejectedly.
The meeting fell into a stalemate again.
Hozuki Umitsuki of the Mizukage's faction remained like a statue from beginning to end, without any reaction. His sister, Hozuki Shio, watched this farce with interest, even secretly taking out a bag of melon seeds from her ninja pouch, ready to watch the show.
"Brother, do you think they'll fight?" she transmitted her voice to Hozuki Umitsuki in an extremely low voice.
"Shut up and watch." Hozuki Umitsuki's answer was as concise as ever.
Just when Kaguya Soranosuke and Elder Gen couldn't convince each other.
A chuckle broke the silence.
That laughter was very light, very soft, like a feather tickling everyone's eardrums.
The head of the Yuki clan, Yuki Yukinijo, who had remained silent as if detached from the matter, elegantly put down the teacup in his hand.
He slowly stood up, his emerald eyes sweeping over Kaguya Soranosuke and Elder Gen, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Clan Head Soranosuke, your courage is indeed commendable."
He paused, then changed his tone, his voice carrying a hint of condescending judgment.
"But, your method... is simply too crude."
Yukinijo's voice instantly silenced the conference room, and everyone's eyes focused on his handsome face.
Kaguya Soranosuke frowned, glaring fiercely at Yukinijo, his violent aura pressing over like a tangible substance: "What did you say?!"
"Yukinijo! You guy who only hides behind ice blocks playing sissy tricks, dare to dictate my decisions?!"
Facing Kaguya Soranosuke's almost murderous gaze and aura, Yukinijo seemed not to feel it at all, remaining elegant and calm.
He put down the teacup and wiped the corner of his mouth slowly with a pristine white silk handkerchief.
"Clan Head Soranosuke, I did not deny your core idea."
Yukinijo's voice remained cold and steady, as if narrating something unrelated to himself. "I also believe that the village must obtain stronger sealing jutsu to solve the Tailed Beast problem."
"On this point, my view is completely consistent with yours."
Kaguya Soranosuke was stunned, not expecting Yukinijo to agree with him.
"However."
Yukinijo's tone shifted, and a cold and cunning light like a venomous snake flashed in his emerald eyes. "Why must we choose to gnaw on the hardest bone, Konoha?"
He slowly stood up and walked to the huge map of the ninja world.
Everyone's gaze followed his figure.
Instead of pointing directly at the Land of Fire like Kaguya Soranosuke, he extended a slender finger and gently tapped on the east of the Land of Fire—the island surrounded by the ocean.
"Everyone, please look."
"The Land of Whirlpools."
"The village established by the Uzumaki clan."
Yukinijo's voice echoed in the conference room with a unique rhythm.
"As far as I know, the thing that allows Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the wife of the First Hokage, Uzumaki Mito, to perfectly suppress the Nine-Tails is the sealing secret technique passed down through generations of the Uzumaki clan."
"And although the Land of Whirlpools is Konoha's staunchest ally, it is not Konoha itself."
"They are aloof from worldly strife, content in a corner, and most of the clansmen are 'scholars' studying sealing jutsu. Their combat power... hehe."
Yukinijo let out a chuckle, the disdain in it self-evident.
"Their country is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and their defenses are lax. For us Kirigakure ninja who excel in Water Release, that place is simply an unguarded treasure trove."
His finger drew a graceful arc from the Land of Water on the map, landing precisely on the coastline of the Land of Whirlpools.
"What we need is just the Uzumaki clan's technology, scrolls, and sealing jutsu, isn't it?"
"In that case, why should we go head-to-head with Konoha and face Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom even the Third Raikage could do nothing about?"
"We only need to send an elite surprise attack unit to flatten the Land of Whirlpools with lightning speed before Konoha can react, and bring back all their sealing jutsu scrolls."
"This is the most efficient and elegant way to solve the problem."
Yukinijo's words, like a cold venomous snake, silently burrowed into the hearts of everyone present.
The conference room fell into silence again.
But this time, it was no longer heavy, but shocked.
Everyone present was rapidly digesting this extremely bold plan.
That's right!
Their goal from beginning to end was just the sealing jutsu.
Instead of fighting Konoha to the death, why not go directly to the base camp of sealing jutsu?
This could achieve their strategic goal while avoiding the risk of direct war with the behemoth Konoha to the greatest extent.
This was no longer a simple military operation; it was a precise surgical strike.
Elder Gen, who had been arguing endlessly, was also silent at this moment.
He looked at the small Land of Whirlpools on the map, and for the first time, a look of temptation flashed in his eyes.
The risk of this plan was far smaller than directly attacking Konoha, and the success rate was extremely high.
Excitement also shone in Hozuki Shio's lively eyes.
She leaned into her brother's ear and whispered, "Brother, this guy is not bad! Good-looking and smart, much better than that gorilla Kaguya."
Hozuki Umitsuki remained expressionless, but the eyes hidden under the mask became more serious.
Yukinijo was far more dangerous than he appeared.
"Haha... hahahahahaha!"
A burst of wild laughter broke the silence.
Kaguya Soranosuke looked at Yukinijo with an appreciative expression.
Although he was simple-minded, he wasn't stupid.
He instantly understood the brilliance of Yukinijo's plan.
"Makes sense! Yukinijo, you guy, although you look like a sissy, your brain works pretty well!"
Kaguya Soranosuke slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "Attack a small country and snatch all their stuff! I like this! The Kaguya clan agrees!"
Gaining the support of Kaguya Soranosuke, the biggest warmonger, an elegant smile appeared on Yukinijo's face.
The situation was decided.
Everyone's gaze finally converged on the man in the main seat who had not expressed his stance from beginning to end.
The Third Mizukage, Gengetsu.
Gengetsu lowered his head, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desk.
Yukinijo's plan was indeed so perfect that even he was tempted.
But...
His gaze passed through the window, looking towards the distant west shrouded in dense fog.
Sarutobi Hiruzen...
That man's face seemed to appear in the mist.
Attack Konoha's ally?
Risk and opportunity coexisted.
And as the Mizukage, he had to make a choice.
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