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Not long ago, you people of Kirigakure were mocking Konoha for its inaction, hopping around and causing a ruckus. Now you want our help?
You have some serious nerve.
"Hmph, refuse them." I have a temper too, you know. Now you come begging? Not a chance.
"Refuse? Why should we refuse?"
For a moment, Kazuki was taken aback. He quickly realized Tsunade was letting her personal feelings get the better of her!
Having been thoroughly disgusted by Kirigakure's earlier antics, now that they were knocking on their door for help, she wanted to reject them outright without a second thought.
Beyond her personal disgust, Tsunade's main stance was simply to stay out of it. Let Kirigakure and Sunagakure fight their own war. It had nothing to do with Konoha.
"Do you have some other idea?" Tsunade asked, eyeing Kazuki suspiciously. This was not a good situation to meddle in; she hoped he wasn't being reckless.
Tsunade would rather Kazuki lead an army to stab Iwagakure in the back than have Konoha get entangled in the war between the Mist and Sand.
Not only was there no proper justification, but there was also genuinely no need to get involved. There were no benefits to be gained, only more headaches.
"An idea? I suppose I have a small one." Kazuki chuckled and shook his head. Seeing Tsunade growing agitated, he quickly raised a hand to soothe her and explained, "Having a small idea doesn't mean I'll act on it. In fact, the reason I intend to go to the border camp is precisely to dash any hopes Kirigakure might harbor. Participating in this war holds no meaning for us."
While analyzing poison components and developing antidotes wasn't exactly the same as declaring war, from Sunagakure's perspective, Konoha's actions would be indistinguishable from joining the fray.
If Kirigakure wanted to purchase supplies, Konoha could probably sell them some—after all, they sold to Sunagakure. But developing specialized antidotes for them? Impossible.
That was Sunagakure's bread and butter. Helping with that would be tantamount to entering the war.
"Good." Relieved that Kazuki had no intention of getting involved, Tsunade let out a sigh. She had been afraid he might act impulsively and charge in, which would leave Konoha in an untenable position, alienating everyone.
"So, what is this idea of yours?"
"Ask them if they're lacking supplies. If they need them, we could sell them a bit."
"..."
You've got to be kidding me! Tsunade rolled her eyes dramatically.
Kazuki waved his hand. "Alright, just joking. We need to maintain our strategic reserves; we can't just sell them off willy-nilly. Regarding Kirigakure, I will refuse them directly. The previous incident is the perfect justification."
Your Kirigakure sent envoys to insult us. After that, you still expect our help? Get lost! And if you dare complain? Don't be surprised if we intercept your supply ships and cripple your war effort.
"Then you go ahead and handle it. I can't be bothered to see anyone from Kirigakure. It's a good thing Jiraiya stopped them at the border," Tsunade remarked, offering Jiraiya a rare bit of praise.
That fool finally did something right for once!
He had stopped them right at the border, not letting them set foot inside. If he had allowed Kirigakure personnel into Konoha, and they started making all sorts of grand pronouncements, Konoha wouldn't be able to explain itself even with a hundred mouths.
Stopping them and immediately reporting to the village was the correct procedure. What the village decided afterward was not Jiraiya's concern. His duty was to guard the border, ensure its security, and, of course, continue mentoring his young apprentice.
Among his three students, Jiraiya was most satisfied with Mizunami. The boy had decent talent, quite good for a civilian-born ninja. While he couldn't compare to Orochimaru or Minato, the potential he had shown so far was enough to please Jiraiya.
Compared to the diligent, obedient, and hardworking Mizunami, the other two, Sakura and Naruto, were giving Jiraiya a headache.
His original thought was that since Naruto was so infatuated with Sakura, putting her on the team might give him a chance. But how did it turn out? Naruto got his wish and became teammates with Sakura, only to pour all his attention and energy into her. And Sakura? She paid him no mind whatsoever.
Their relationship was strictly that of classmates and teammates—friends at most. Anything more? Not happening. No matter how Naruto tried to win her over, Sakura's heart remained set on Sasuke.
After finalizing matters with Tsunade, Kazuki gathered his team and departed the village immediately, heading straight for the border camp.
Outside the border camp, Terumi Mei, who had arrived with two squads, had not expected her plea for help to be met with such a cold shoulder. She hadn't even been allowed to enter the Land of Fire.
Jiraiya had personally received her but frankly stated that with Kirigakure and Sunagakure at war, he could not permit personnel from either side to enter the Land of Fire or Konoha during this sensitive period, as it would cause misunderstandings. He could only relay the message to the village and await instructions; he could not grant them entry.
Terumi Mei was frustrated. She knew this was retribution for her village's earlier attempt to provoke Konoha. Given the circumstances, Konoha's caution was understandable. Though helpless, she had no choice but to wait patiently.
"What is Konoha's problem? As a party to the war, we're forbidden from entering the Land of Fire?" one of the Kirigakure ninja accompanying her muttered.
"This is a blatant insult! First, they sell large quantities of war supplies to Sunagakure, then they humiliate our envoy delegation, and now they block us at the border. They have no respect for our village!"
"Konoha is going too far!!"
While Terumi Mei could maintain her composure, the Kirigakure ninja with her could not hold back their complaints.
"That's enough," Terumi Mei cut in. "We are here to ask for a favor. It's best not to say such things. If Konoha personnel overhear, it will only create new misunderstandings."
The root cause of the envoy delegation's expulsion was that the whole operation had been utterly foolish—so foolish that Terumi Mei herself was at a loss for words. Sadly, her influence within the village was too limited; no one heeded her advice.
Question Konoha? What right did Kirigakure have to question Konoha? Even if they were to question them, couldn't they have at least maintained a facade of diplomacy? Couldn't the envoy delegation have gone under the guise of an official visit? Moreover, couldn't they have sent someone of actual stature? Sending a few insignificant foot soldiers to question Konoha—when Terumi Mei heard about this, she was both furious and bitterly amused.
The result, as everyone could have predicted, was that the envoy delegation was unceremoniously sent packing by Konoha, with no face spared.
Kazuki reached the border around 10 p.m. that night. He could have arrived even sooner if not for the slower pace of the ANBU squad accompanying him. For this trip, he traveled light; his personal guard consisted only of Itachi.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!"
Figures were approaching through the poor visibility. The ninja in the sentry post immediately grew tense.