Sarutobi Hiruzen sat on the sofa and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato wore a helpless expression. Just moments ago, they had learned about Gekko Chizan's movements in Kumogakure.
Minato had sworn that they could skim a profit from it, but Sarutobi Hiruzen said that Gekko Chizan was a greedy man who would never let money that had already reached his hands leave his wallet.
"Enough, Minato. I already told you—wanting to get money from him isn't realistic."
"But Chizan, kid, that's several hundred million in wealth. You really don't plan to support the village at least a little?"
Compared to Namikaze Minato's straightforward asking, Sarutobi Hiruzen was much more tactful.
He knew that when dealing with Gekko Chizan, you couldn't be hard—you had to be soft.
After all, this brat in front of him was bad to the bone. If you were hard on him, he'd be even harder.
"Heh heh, I know what you mean."
"Depends on my mood. Let's put this matter aside for now. Tell me—what exactly did you call me here for?"
Gekko Chizan was very clear that calling him over definitely meant there was something else.
And he already had an idea in his heart.
"Kakashi, you all go out first."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Seeing that asking for money was a dead end, Namikaze Minato didn't bring it up again. After letting Kakashi and the others leave, the formal meeting began.
"Raido."
Genma Shiranui nodded, then stood up and began explaining the situation:
"News has come from Amegakure."
"A few days ago, the entire village fell into turmoil."
"The Ninja World's demigod, Hanzō of the Salamander, is dead. Amegakure has already undergone a change of regime."
This news struck everyone present like a thunderbolt, their expressions changing instantly.
After all, the news was truly shocking.
"Has the source of the information been verified?"
"This can't be spread recklessly."
Nara Shikaku frowned deeply. Obviously, this news hit him hard.
That was Hanzō of the Salamander—the Ninja World's demigod. That title wasn't something he gave himself; it was earned through real battles.
Someone like that died in his own village?
Genma Shiranui nodded solemnly and continued:
"It has already been confirmed."
"This incident was caused by a sudden attack launched by Takigakure."
"They directly attacked Amegakure. Hanzō of the Salamander died on the spot."
"Amegakure has now replaced its village head and has formed an alliance with Takigakure."
One piece of news caused a massive reshuffling of the northern powers around Konoha.
Amegakure lost its demigod, but gained Takigakure as an allied supporter.
Clearly, after hiding itself for so long, Takigakure had finally begun to reveal its military strength.
"Shikaku, Fugaku, Chizan—what do you think?"
Faced with Namikaze Minato's question, none of the three spoke.
Shikaku was thinking, Fugaku couldn't be bothered to think and stayed aloof, while Gekko Chizan looked completely calm. After all, this action had been his idea—what opinion could he possibly have?
"Takigakure isn't weak, whether in terms of military preparedness or financial resources."
"You could even say it's the strongest ninja village outside the Five Great Ninja Villages. After all, it's the only village besides the Five Great ones that possesses a tailed beast."
"But why? What reason would Takigakure have to attack Amegakure?"
Shikaku was puzzled. Even with his high intelligence, he felt a bit stumped at this moment.
Two villages that had never interacted—why would war break out between them?
"The facts are as they are. The strength Takigakure has displayed can't be underestimated."
"I don't need to say much about Hanzō of the Salamander's strength, right? Chizan, what do you think?"
Gekko Chizan nodded. No matter what, he acknowledged Hanzō of the Salamander's strength—after all, there weren't many who could ambush him.
Hanzō was one of them, and a relatively successful one at that.
Just a little more and he would've succeeded. And it was precisely because of that that Hanzō of the Salamander entered Gekko Chizan's kill list.
"Ahem. What we need to understand now is the attitudes of Amegakure and Takigakure."
"These two villages are definitely on the same side now."
"Takigakure's sudden outbreak—does it mean the ninja world is about to fall into chaos again?"
The one who finally spoke was Mitokado Homura. As soon as he opened his mouth, it was that familiar politician's tone.
But his words directly pointed out the core of the meeting.
"Originally, under Hanzō of the Salamander's leadership, Amegakure wasn't friendly with us, but it also didn't cause any further conflicts."
"Now that Amegakure has undergone a coup, this will trigger many unpredictable events."
"And Takigakure goes without saying. A village that has always stayed away from war actually took the initiative to attack another village—this alone says a lot."
"My suggestion is to immediately send people to communicate with both villages. The sooner, the better."
Next to speak was the darkness of the ninja world—Shimura Danzō. His gloomy tone carried a hint of displeasure.
You had to know, Hanzō had always been cooperating with him. Even the previous matter targeting Gekko Chizan had been planned by the two together.
For such a person to die so suddenly—not only did it surprise Danzō, it also filled him with unease.
In recent years, too many things felt abnormal, far beyond his expectations. This made Danzō very unhappy.
"What Danzō said is right. Given the current situation, we do need to send people to contact Amegakure and Takigakure."
"Minato, what do you think?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen rarely found himself agreeing with Danzō.
Namikaze Minato actually had the same thought—and he already had a suitable candidate in mind.
When his gaze landed on Gekko Chizan, the latter immediately started complaining.
"No, why is it me every single time???"
"I just got back from a mission! Can we torture someone else for a change? I think Fugaku is pretty good—send Fugaku."
There was no way Gekko Chizan was going on this mission.
He was lazy as hell. Making him go on another mission right after he got back? Not a chance.
"Come on, Chizan. The more capable you are, the more work you do. You're the only ninja besides me who can use Flying Thunder God."
"Speed is everything. And only if you go can we show Konoha's sincerity."
Namikaze Minato smiled slightly. His words were very convincing.
But Gekko Chizan was a shameless rogue. Reasoning with him? What a joke.
"I'm not going. No matter what, I'm not leaving the village anytime soon. Let me rest for a while!"
"I think this mission should be handed to ANBU. Let ANBU go."
ANBU going? That wasn't impossible.
In fact, besides ANBU, there was another department that could be dispatched.
"You… fine. Since you just got back, I won't send you again."
"But you need to quickly take over the academy and training duties."
"As for the two villages, I'll have someone else handle the communication. Okay?"
Gekko Chizan nodded in satisfaction. Exactly—stop making him run around all the time. It was exhausting.