"Come in."
Tsunade didn't even look up when she heard the knock on the door. With the Land of Earth now embroiled in war, her schedule had become overwhelmingly busy.
"Hokage-sama."
Fugaku entered alone, leaving two Konoha ninjas to escort Nakano Daisuke and wait quietly outside.
"Fugaku, what brings you here today?"
Tsunade finally looked up, her tone warming as she smiled.
It was uncommon for Fugaku to visit her office.
"It's this—the Ōnoki from Iwagakure sent someone requesting aid."
Fugaku kept it concise, showing no intention of introducing Nakano Daisuke at all.
To him, whoever came was merely another pawn for Ōnoki.
"Aid? From Iwagakure?"
"Has he completely lost it?"
Tsunade couldn't quite believe what she'd just heard. Did Ōnoki really think she was that generous?
At this point, Shouta also paused his work, looking at Fugaku with interest.
A request for help from the Land of Earth sounded more like a joke.
Even Tsunade found it hard to accept, let alone him.
"Even if his brain was kicked in by a donkey, it's still not my problem."
"If you're not willing to meet him, I can just take him back."
Fugaku added jokingly, still unwilling to give any opinion or comment.
"Well, seeing as they've made the trip all this way, I might as well see them."
Though Tsunade hadn't figured out how to respond yet, nothing stopped her curiosity about how exactly these Iwa ninja would plead their case.
"Bring him in."
At Fugaku's signal, Nakano Daisuke was led inside.
The two Konoha ninjas completed their task, bowed respectfully, then left immediately.
They knew exactly what they should and shouldn't hear.
"Iwagakure Jonin Nakano Daisuke greets Hokage-sama."
Nakano Daisuke wisely showed respect to Tsunade, staying on one knee without rising.
Normally, there would have been no need for such formalities.
"So you're the one requesting aid."
"How did that old thing Ōnoki convince you to speak with me?"
A faint smile tugged at Tsunade's lips as she leaned forward slightly, her elbows resting on the desk.
Her gaze toward Nakano Daisuke was laced with mockery, and she made no move to tell him to rise.
"The Tsuchikage himself wrote you a letter."
Daisuke avoided answering directly—he wasn't sure himself how he could possibly convince her.
If their roles were reversed, he'd consider it fortunate enough if Konoha simply didn't stab them in the back.
As for actually receiving aid? He never held much hope for that outcome.
"Let me see."
Tsunade gestured with her hand, and Daisuke stood up, handing the envelope to her.
She accepted the sealed letter, clearly labeled with the words "For the Hokage's Eyes Only."
Glancing briefly at the lowered head of Daisuke, she slowly tore open the envelope.
Despite Ōnoki's unremarkable appearance, his handwriting was far better than Tsunade's.
Brow furrowed, she silently cursed Kawaki for saying "handwriting reflects personality" was complete nonsense.
Still, one thing Kawaki predicted proved true—reading this letter actually felt satisfying.
Although the letter wasn't long, Tsunade still spent quite some time reading it, her smile widening the longer she read.
The tone Ōnoki used in the letter was surprisingly humble—it was almost impossible to believe this was the same man who once mocked Tsunade as the "slug princess."
He not only apologized for Iwagakure's declaration of war against Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War, but also offered several forbidden techniques as compensation.
Should Konoha agree to help the Land of Earth through this crisis, he wouldn't hesitate to offer territory or pay reparations.
Even stepping down from the Tsuchikage position would be no issue at all.
Tsunade herself couldn't care less about the offers Ōnoki listed, but deep down, she was thoroughly pleased.
The only minor disappointment was that Ōnoki hadn't come in person.
"Hokage-sama?"
Noticing that Tsunade had remained silent for an unusually long time, Nakano Daisuke cautiously raised his head.
Seeing Tsunade's bright smile, he naturally assumed the situation had taken a positive turn.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what tempting terms Ōnoki had laid out in the letter to provoke such a reaction.
"Mmm~"
"You may go and await our response."
Tsunade cleared her throat, quickly wiping away her smile before flipping the letter over on the desk.
Nakano Daisuke tried to say something else, but was already being dragged out by another aide. At that moment, he was entirely powerless.
"What do you two think?"
After Nakano Daisuke disappeared from the office, Tsunade finally asked Fugaku and Shouta.
"We could ignore it. With Nagato involved, whatever happens to the Land of Earth won't threaten Konoha."
Shouta's analysis was relatively narrow-minded. Judging purely from a security standpoint, Konoha could indeed remain passive observers.
"I think we should get involved somehow."
Since Tsunade had asked, Fugaku naturally wouldn't remain silent.
Yet the occasional flash of sharp intent in his eyes made it clear—his idea of involvement didn't involve helping Iwagakure.
"If we choose to fight, we definitely have the strength to take over the Land of Earth."
"However, if we do that, Konoha will become the common enemy of the entire Ninja World."
Right then, Kawaki walked in through the door, strolling in casually after hearing about Iwagakure's plea for help.
"You arrived right on time."
Tsunade had planned to summon Kawaki anyway—she'd long grown accustomed to consulting with her "husband" whenever trouble arose.
"Just kidding—you've already filled this place with your spies."
Kawaki joked, pointing playfully toward Fugaku and Shouta.
"Do you even need spies? The seat's yours if you want it."
Tsunade stood up and gestured invitingly. She was more than happy to resign immediately if Kawaki dared to take over.
"I said it was a joke, alright?"
"This is exactly why you're bad at jokes," Kawaki shot back, pulling a quietly chuckling Fugaku over to sit on the couch.
"Enough messing around. Please continue sharing your thoughts."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and sat back down. All three pairs of eyes locked onto Kawaki.
"Then I won't hold back."
"My suggestion is to accept their request for aid."
"Wait—don't ask questions yet," Kawaki stopped the others, who looked ready to interrupt with inquiries, continuing his explanation on his own terms.
"We basically have three options right now. Let me break them down one by one."
"The first option is to simply watch without intervening."
"Given the current situation, it's only a matter of time before the Land of Earth falls."
"The best possible outcome would be for us to gain the upper hand by exploiting the conflict between Akatsuki Village and the Cloud Ninjas."
"That would significantly increase the chance of Nagato and others being exposed. In the end, we'd still end up fighting an all-out war with the Cloud Ninjas."
"The second option was Fugaku's suggestion: we enter the battle and launch an attack on the Land of Earth."
"This will undoubtedly speed up the collapse of the Land of Earth. After the war, whether openly or covertly, it wouldn't be difficult for us to team up with Akatsuki Village to drive out the Cloud Ninjas."
"As a result, we'd control the entire Land of Earth, sparking resentment and fear across all nations in the ninja world."
"To prevent Konoha's expansionist ambitions, the entire ninja world could unite against us."
"I'm not exaggerating; there's at least a seventy percent chance of that happening."
"And even if we win, what would be the cost to Konoha?"
Seeing Tsunade and the other two grow pensive, Kawaki said with a satisfied smile and continued.
"The third option is for us to support the Land of Earth."
"With our assistance, the war in the Land of Earth will reach a stalemate."
"The Cloud Ninjas won't be able to break through nor retreat."
"Their main forces will be bogged down in the Land of Earth, while we only need to commit a small portion of our forces."
"Afterward, whether we decide to seize control of the entire ninja world or act under Akatsuki's banner, we'll have considerable strategic flexibility."
"Plus, this way we can maximize the preservation of Konoha's strength."
"What do you think?"
As he finished speaking, Kawaki felt a dryness in his throat. He stood up, poured himself a full cup of water, and drained the cup in one gulp.
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