The air in the office seemed to bow down, its mood a reflection of the depressing state of the people.
Two burly men stood there, their faces etched with anger. "This... those bastards, how dare they use Kage-level forces in such a short period!" The voice, hoarse yet young, rang out.
The other burly man, however, didn't speak. His eyes narrowed, looking over a table — the wooden board containing the map of the continent. Small camps and figurines were marked on the world map.
A, the current Raikage, gritted his teeth. 'They defeated our forces... an ambush which by all means should have been a success,' his eyes darkened, 'Unless... that shrewd Hiruzen saw through it.'
He punched the table offhandedly — a large air pocket shot out, almost creaking the wood, which barely held its own. A, the current Raikage, looked at his son. "Times like this will always occur, son... unexpected and unpredictable." He saw his son nod. "The answer to this isn't blind rage, it's about logical counterattack."
His large dark arm lashed out, landing on the shoulder of his son with a protective squeeze. "Now... what do you think we should do?"
A, the son of the Third Raikage, knew the gravity of that question. He clenched his fist. 'I need to give some smart answer... father is watching me.'
Despite his maturity and age, A loved his father in the purest way — inspiration and awe. Whenever asked a question, he couldn't help but subconsciously try to do his best.
His eyes darted across the known camps, tracing the potential enemy posts, before landing on one — near a mine. It wasn't as close to the border of Kumo as he wished, 'but it's possible,' his eyes lighted up.
His hand shot out. "Father, a direct counterattack to that camp — its strategic value would be immense!"
From beside them, their assistant — a busty woman with fair features — spoke up. "Excellent choice, sir. That said mine is owned by a powerful noble of the Land of Fire. If we succeed, that could even strain their relationships."
The Raikage nodded, his eyes flashing with intelligence. Unlike how he looked, he had a fair bit of strategic knowledge. 'War isn't just about immediate profit... it's about long-term loans and resource allocation.'
A soft smile emerged on his face. "Wonderful, son." He relaxed his hand. 'This spot gives us all three.'
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The Hokage's office was lit late at night. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with all three advisors. In front of them lay a similar map — camps and posts marked in ink.
The four figures sat at the corners of the table, eyes determined. "I believe we should continue with our win — launch further into the Land of Hot Springs," Danzo spoke, his voice two octaves lower.
The other two advisors remained silent, yet in agreement with the man of shadows.
Hiruzen sighed. 'What we need right now isn't offense, but defense.' He looked up. "We've already employed Jiraiya... You all know the risk of sending such high firepower so early in the war." His voice grew grave. "Continuing our offense might make them all band together — it could be a catastrophe."
The other two advisors seemed stumped, almost agreeing with the Hokage.
Danzo, meanwhile, couldn't help but stand up. "Hiruzen, we knew the risk before sending that fool into the battlefield — and we won. I did say we should increase our offense!"
Hearing his words, Hiruzen's expression became complex — something behind his calm facade stirred. "You know with the Raikage's personality, a counterattack must be coming. Our job should be preparing for that."
Danzo fell silent at that. Despite his tendency to push aggression, he knew most of all, 'That brute Raikage will definitely launch a counterattack.'
Hiruzen continued, seeing that they remained quiet. "So early in the war, we should first maintain our defenses. Even the Leaf Village won't be able to withstand the might of the other four if they ally."
It took them another hour of discussion before they came to an agreement. Many markers were placed on the map — high-priority areas where the Raikage was most likely to strike.
Among them, a gold marker — shining brighter than the rest — was placed on a certain camp with a mine beside it.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. Something in his intuition whispered, 'Perhaps that is their target.'
And there was only one person they could contact in such a short period —
A certain snake-faced Sannin with a penchant for cruel research.
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Orochimaru slithered whispers to himself, his eyes — akin to a natural predator's — staring at the documents in front of him.
He stood up from his seat, his shinobi vest clinging to him like armor. "Looks like the recruits this time are still too green behind their ears."
Currently, the man stood in a tent situated in the middle of one of the biggest camps of the Leaf — a direct opposition to Kirigakure. Yet, unlike what they had expected, Kiri had yet to launch their offense, and that made Orochimaru suspicious.
He shook his head, focusing on the different defense strategies he could employ.
SWOOSH.
As if by instinct, his eyes darted toward the tent flap — or perhaps beyond it. Orochimaru couldn't see through the fabric, yet he could sense someone behind it.
"Who?" he muttered.
A voice rang out. "Sir, I've been sent by the Hokage to meet you. Name's Kyojiro Uchiha, sir." The voice was young and bold.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Enter..." His thoughts ran rampant. 'It's about time I witness how someone gifted by the world looks like.'
The first thing he recognized was the fiery tuft of hair. His eyes traced down from the shinobi vest to the sword clinging to the young man's waist.
His tongue slipped out, licking his lips. He muttered, "Good... good. I wonder — is the disciple of Jiraiya too tired to spar with me?"