"I'll say this, I don't think Konoha is behind these attacks," the blond man said firmly, his voice sharp with irritation. He wore an unmarked robe, free of any clan symbol. "I'm not sure what happened with the Noda incident, but I am certain the Leaf is not trying to start a war with us. This can still be avoided."
Aside from Shin and Ao, Takimura's council also included two more civilian representatives. Because Ao served as Maki's advisor, his position was closer to that of an elder. So it was decided that he would not be taking up the spot of the civilian representatives.
"These are the reports we received just yesterday," Ao said, spreading a pile of scrolls across the table. "Every single one is from our shinobi, each attacked by Konoha forces. These incidents occurred in different regions. And this…" he tapped the stack firmly, "...is just from one day. I've got dozens more going back the last week."
Normally, Ao would've been the last to shut down the civilian council. He had always made an effort to be a bridge between the shinobi clans and civilian voices in Takimura. But right now, his patience had run out.
"I understand your desire to avoid war; we want that too. But not at any cost."
The room fell silent.
Coming from Ao, those words held weight. The two civilian members exchanged glances, their expressions stiff. One of them opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Maki's voice cut in.
"It was Lord Ao who asked that you be included in this meeting," she said evenly. "He personally vouched for your presence, believing that even without battlefield experience, you'd understand the bigger picture. That while war brings suffering, submission to those who've already drawn blood against us will only bring worse."
Since taking the mantle of Suikage, Maki had changed.
She had come to understand what drove the great villages to wage war; how the endless preparation for conflict always resulted in betrayal, sabotage, and preemptive strikes. How the desire for long peace often led to its exact opposite.
Her voice hardened as she continued.
"Let's assume you're right. That Konoha's leadership isn't behind these attacks. That someone is manipulating everything from behind the scenes. That the shinobi who killed our people were tricked into doing it. What would you have us do then?"
She didn't wait for a reply.
"Should we tell the families of our fallen that we'll do nothing? That their loved ones were killed, but we're too afraid to act? Should we explain that the enemy's blades were guided by deceit and that's enough to excuse the blood they spilled?"
The weight in her voice pressed over the room, but the two civilian members didn't flinch.
"We know all that, Lady Suikage," the blond man spoke again. "But it's not just us being attacked. The Leaf is claiming the same. They say we're the aggressors. That Lord Kaoru himself shed Konoha blood."
That struck harder than anything else said that day.
Maki's lips tightened. Her eyes, for just a moment, flicked toward Shegachi Luna.
Luna said nothing in response, but her fan raised just high enough to hide her face. She avoided Maki's glare and everyone in the room knew why.
It was Luna who had let the truth slip, whether by accident or on purpose, and now the entire village was gripped by the rumor:
That Kaoru Takime had eliminated ANBU and possibly started a war with Konoha.
"Because of that… because our side also appears to have attacked Konoha, we didn't declare war. Instead, we demanded an explanation," Maki said, her gaze returning to the blond man.
"The head of the Takime clan made that very clear when he let the four ANBU live. He could have killed them, especially one as high-profile as Kakashi of the Sharingan. But he didn't. It was a message. We showed we didn't want this war. And Konoha, instead of explaining why their shinobi are attacking ours across multiple border points… sent an ultimatum. They demanded a public apology."
Her voice cracked slightly at the end, trembling not from fury.
She had even tried reaching out to Tsunade herself, hoping that their old relationship might serve as a bridge. The sanin had recently asked to meet Kaoru and Maki had assumed that meant she had an interest in maintaining peace. But her request went unanswered.
"If doing so would help us avoid war, save hundreds of our people…"
A loud slam silenced the blond man.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Illumi Noda growled, rising to his feet. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his teeth audibly ground together. His fury was no longer simmering; it was barely contained.
"I knew letting the civilians in on sensitive matters was a mistake. Let them vote on taxes, administration, maybe even village infrastructure, but never on politics. Never on warfare. They don't lead clans. They don't have families full of shinobi putting their lives on the line. All they care about is their own households. So long as their homes are untouched, they're content to watch the rest of us bleed."
He turned, eyes fixed on the blond man now staring at the floor.
"Imagine one of their children killed by Konoha's surprise attacks. Imagine coming home to the mother, explaining not only that her child is gone… but that we refused to avenge them. Worse, we apologized to the very people who swung the blade."
His voice dropped, low and sharp. "And why? Because we're cowards with no honor."
The venom in his words was unmistakable. And though the civilian representatives didn't respond, they understood the message. More importantly, they understood the room.
The clan heads seated around them had lost shinobi in the past week. They were angry and burning with desire for revenge. If pushed too far, no law or decorum would hold them back.
"I apologize," the blond man said at last, rising from his seat and bowing deeply to the room. "I won't push any further. But… can we not wait until Lord Kaoru arrives? So that all the clan heads are present?"
He glanced toward Maki with carefully measured respect.
"We know that Lord Akura acts as your advisor, not as an independent clan head."
"Lady Suikage is also from the Takime clan. I don't think that…" Illumi's words cut off mid-sentence as the entrance door opened.
A tall, lean figure stepped into the chamber, cloaked in black.
"Ru… Lord Kaoru?" Maki's voice faltered slightly, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw her brother. He had grown again. Even after just a few weeks, the change in him was unmistakable.
"Lady Suikage," Kaoru said, offering a respectful nod. "I apologize for the mess I've caused."
He walked past the table, toward the empty seat reserved for the head of the Takime clan.
"Before I explain my side," he said, scanning the room, "have we investigated why our shinobi attacked Konoha? Other than myself, I mean."
All eyes turned to him. The expressions were mixed, but no one spoke. Normally, Ao would've answered first, but he seemed frozen. For some reason, he stared at Kaoru, eyes wide open.
"Very few made it back," Mei answered instead. She turned toward Kaoru as she spoke, her voice calm, though her eyes betrayed emotion. Despite the weight of the meeting, she couldn't stop herself from smiling gently at the boy she considered a younger brother.
"Konoha claims there were more than ten incidents. But we can't confirm any of it. Of the few who returned, only two definitely attacked first. Both said the same thing: that they hate Konoha, and believed Konoha would strike them first if they didn't act."
She paused briefly, glancing at Ao.
"Oddly enough, both were in different regions, yet gave the exact same explanation. We checked them both for genjutsu or memory tampering when they returned, and there was no sign of manipulation. At least… not by the time they got back to Takimura."
Kaoru gave a small nod. "My case is different. I was tricked. The village head told me that bandits, who turned out to be Konoha shinobi, had kidnapped a woman. The same woman I'd saved earlier that day from a group of local thugs. I confirmed she was being held in a cage, so I acted. None of the shinobi were wearing Konoha symbols. That made it even more suspicious. Then Kakashi and the other ANBU arrived… far too quickly, like they'd already been nearby, waiting. And the village head was just waiting for me to come and kill him."
Kaoru briefly repeated what he had already reported.
"I'm convinced that at least in my case, the situation was orchestrated by a third party. And to be honest, I suspect the other attacks were manipulated as well."
"Do you suspect anyone specific?" Mei asked. The smile was gone now, replaced by focus.
"Yes. I have two candidates. "Kaoru responded. "The first one is Kiri. The Mist and Kumo would benefit from our war with the Hidden Leaf the most. But Kumo has long-standing peace treaties with both us and Konoha. Risking that doesn't make sense. Kiri, on the other hand, has been losing ground in the Land of Water. Our influence there is growing steadily. This would be a chance for them to weaken us."
Ao nodded in approval. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I agree," he said at last. "Which brings us to your second theory?"
Kaoru's expression hardened.
"The Uchiha."
He almost whispered it.
"There aren't many clans capable of manipulating memories. But the Uchiha can. In fact, they possess the most powerful genjutsu in the world. It's rare, and requires the Mangekyo Sharingan, but it's possible."
He leaned back slightly, meeting the curious gazes of the others.
"I learned that from the Leviathans."
That was obviously a lie. Since returning, Kaoru had begun using the Leviathans as a convenient excuse for his advanced knowledge. If Takimura ever came face to face with them… Well, that would be awkward for Kaoru.
"I agree with Lord Kaoru," Ao said at last. "We can't ignore the possibility that Konoha is cooperating with Kirigakure and, in the worst-case scenario, with the Uchiha as well. Both leads need to be investigated. Lady Luna and I can use our connections to probe Kiri's involvement."
"And I'll handle the Uchiha," Kaoru said suddenly.
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"You just returned," Maki replied, almost scolding him.
Kaoru didn't flinch. "You know I have… a certain connection with the Uchiha. No one is better suited than me to handle this."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Besides," he added with a short laugh, casting a glance toward the far end of the table, "I asked Akura-san for a year. Not just a month."
Akura sighed, his annoyed expression drawing a chuckle from Ao. In truth, he had never once expected Kaoru to return early.
"Alright," Maki said, gathering the meeting back to order. "We'll reconvene tomorrow and settle our strategy. I'll also request a direct meeting with the Hokage. At the very least, it might buy us some time. We'll continue this tomorrow when Shin returns with word about the mercenaries spotted near the border."
She then turned toward Kaoru.
"Visit me tonight. I have something important we need to discuss."
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