While Takemi was conquering Kumogakure, a comprehensive meeting was also being held in Konoha.
This meeting had a broad scope and involved three villages, so Hiruzen took it very seriously.
"Gentlemen, Konoha can ensure this defensive mission, but I'm curious about your thoughts on the attack on Kumogakure." Hiruzen said, flipping through a scroll.
Everyone present was a seasoned veteran. After all, they had grown accustomed to various wars throughout their lives.
"My troops have already assembled." Ōnoki replied bluntly.
"Konoha should have already made preparations in the Land of Hot Water, so the rest should be quite simple."
"I think instead of discussing this, we should talk about other things, like the purchase of supplies." Genji also spoke up, his wrinkled face creased with a smile.
"I propose purchasing supplies from the Land of Water again. The quality is absolutely guaranteed, and although it's far, it won't have any impact."
"That's going too far, elder."
Ōnoki raised an eyebrow, speaking disdainfully, "It's well-known that the Land of Earth has the best mineral resources in the Ninja World, and besides, the Land of Earth is closer to Konoha. Why go for something far away when something is close at hand?"
"Alright, let's not discuss this issue for now. We will all have a share of all supplies."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples. Sometimes, meetings like this were just like that.
After all, with three villages allied, besides military matters, the distribution of various interests also needed to be negotiated.
"Let's first consider how to quickly deal with Kumogakure. Only by resolving them will we have a larger share of the pie."
"Kirigakure can land on Genbu and use it as a base to attack their western coast along the way."
Genji didn't waste words, he had also contacted his village these past few days. Therefore, he was prepared.
Ōnoki glanced at Genji and said, "I'm afraid you'll occupy Genbu and never leave, but it doesn't matter. Iwagakure can attack from the eastern sea to form an encirclement."
"No problem, but I hope intelligence can be shared." Hiruzen nodded, and the other two had no objections.
War was no joke. There were many entangled interests between them.
No matter what, they had to be serious. No one wanted their own people to suffer too many casualties.
But just as they were still discussing various details, their door was suddenly knocked on.
"Hmm?"
Hiruzen was a little surprised but still gestured for the person outside to enter.
Soon after, Jiraiya and Tsunade rushed in.
"You… why are you here?"
Hiruzen's face was full of strangeness. Shouldn't Jiraiya be researching Naruto's seal right now?
Shouldn't Tsunade be with her two grandfathers, or dealing with other issues?
Now that these two had rushed over, could it be...
As soon as he thought of this, Hiruzen immediately became nervous.
He asked, "Did something happen?"
"Something did happen, but not to the village."
After Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged glances, they both seemed to see shock on each other's faces.
However, Jiraiya took a deep breath and spoke first, "According to front-line intelligence, a powerful Chakra reaction appeared in Kumogakure, and according to the Anbu's situation, Kumogakure has probably fallen."
"…"
Upon hearing this news, the entire meeting room instantly fell silent.
Everyone present didn't know how to speak. They all felt as if their ears were playing tricks on them.
Kumogakure, fallen?
No, they hadn't even started the war yet, what exactly was going on?!
"You're not joking, are you?"
Hiruzen was the first to recover, his face full of disbelief.
"What exactly happened? Could it be… Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki has arrived?"
That battle outside Konoha involving Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki and the Akatsuki could be described as earth-shattering.
He single-handedly defeated the entire Akatsuki and even summoned a meteor. This was not something a human could do.
The geographical environment outside Konoha had already undergone tremendous changes, making it difficult for them not to imagine what had happened.
"If he launched a sneak attack on Kumogakure and summoned a meteor, Kumogakure probably wouldn't be able to cope…"
Thinking of this, not only Hiruzen but also Genji and Ōnoki's eyes became extremely solemn.
They themselves didn't know how to deal with Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki's attack.
"It's not that guy…"
And just when the three of them looked the worst, Jiraiya scratched his head before speaking, "According to the Anbu report from over there, there were three attackers."
"Three?"
Hiruzen and the others were stunned. They exchanged glances.
Tsunade also spoke at this moment, "Yes, there were three. These three attacked from the sky, bombing a large number of Kumogakure's key facilities and launching a surprise attack on the Raikage Building."
"…"
"One of them launched a solo surprise attack, while the other two continued to attack and used techniques similar to Lava Release and Boil Release."
"…"
At this point, Ōnoki and Genji exchanged glances.
Damn it.
This sense of déjà vu, could it be…
"Then, what about the last person?"
Hiruzen's body also trembled slightly. He looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya in disbelief and said, "It's not easy for Kumogakure to fall. Although their Kage is dead, they are experienced, and they still have two Jinchuriki…"
"Wood Release."
Tsunade knew what Hiruzen was thinking. She sighed and spoke with extreme solemnity, "I have received definitive news, and it has also been confirmed, it is Wood Release."
"Wood Release?!"
This time, even Ōnoki and Genji gasped, especially Ōnoki, who looked at Hiruzen in disbelief.
"Could it be that you… he also learned Wood Release?!"
"Takemi, that child, he never mentioned these things…"
Hiruzen also had a bitter smile on his face, but then his face was full of incredulity.
"Has it really… been confirmed?"
"Yes, it has been confirmed."
Tsunade nodded. In fact, before coming here, she was with her two grandfathers, and they were the first to discover the problem.
She still couldn't forget the expressions on her two grandfathers' faces earlier.
That mixture of horror, shock, and disbelief, she had never seen it before.
"I understand. It seems the one left in the village should be a clone."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples and said, "Let their clones come over, and also notify our troops to make all preparations."
"We understand."
Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded, while Ōnoki and Genji seemed to have not yet recovered.
To say they were angry was true, after all, their 'designated' Kage had quietly run off to do such a dangerous thing.
This was simply outrageous!
But to say they were happy was also true. The matter of Kumogakure was actually resolved so easily?
The word 'fallen' shouldn't be used lightly.
Even if they didn't know what exactly happened to Kumogakure, no matter how they thought about it, it wouldn't be simple.