This time Suna's waiting room was much larger.
Anko exhaled heavily and patted her chest, the fright still on her face. "That advisor's presence was terrifying. How did you keep a straight face, Shuji. My knees would have gone soft."
"And all those concessions. Is that all right. Captain, you killed an Iwa envoy on the spot as well."
Shuji rubbed his temples. "It is fine. Before we set out, my authority was confirmed."
Even if it had not been, this was no time to show weakness. Talk when needed. Answer when needed. Wait for permission, and nothing gets done.
"As for that Iwa envoy, if Ebizō had not called him in, I would have found a way to kill him afterward."
Anko flopped onto the table. "How did our mission end up here. We were just supposed to brief an ally, and then…"
First Iwa's ambush. Then Suna seeming to turn. Then not turning. Then halfway to turning. Then not turning.
Suna's face changed faster than a desert wind.
The young jōnin was tired as well. He closed his eyes to rest.
So it goes with alliances in wartime.
Envoy work in such times goes one of two ways. You succeed, return crowned with honors. Or you die without leaving a name.
So with Cloud's envoy. So with Iwa's envoy. If he failed to handle this right, he would be no different.
Suna's matter was not settled. With Ebizō he had an outline only. The final word would wait for the Kazekage's return from the northern fortress.
As for Ebizō handing over the Iwa envoy to be killed, that only meant his personal stance leaned toward Konoha.
If the Kazekage came back and chose to flip the table, he still could. It was a Konoha shinobi who delivered the blow, after all.
—
Konoha's skies were already dark.
Genma's squad had brought back a catastrophic report. Suna shinobi had taken part in ambushing a Konoha team.
It was only a suspicion of Suna's change of heart, but for a leadership already reeling from the Cloud envoy incident, it was another blow.
In the Hokage Building sat Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Shimura Danzō, and Jōnin Commander Nara Shikaku.
Bad news kept coming.
A formal letter of censure from the Raikage had arrived. The wording was harsh.
On the eastern line inside Hot Water Country, Cloud's border force had resumed its standoff with Konoha. Several skirmishes broke out in a single day. The air was taut.
Worse was Kiri. Several Mist squads had slipped ashore along Fire Country's eastern coast to probe.
Uchiha Fugaku volunteered the Police. They were willing to send men.
After urgent discussion, Uchiha Shisui was assigned to lead. For now he had pushed the Mist back.
But the signal was dangerous. If Kiri chose to stir the pot, even supplying Cloud with a trickle of grain, it could cause Konoha endless trouble.
"Cloud side. Kitamura's latest," Homura said, pushing up his glasses. "They are active, but the fighting stays below chūnin intensity. Their troop movements are confined to their original sectors."
Koharu looked to the head of Root. "Danzō. Any further word from Iwa."
"Not yet."
It had been too short a time. Even the best agents needed space to work.
Pressure gathered like a weight on Nara Shikaku. Four pairs of eyes waited for Konoha's strategist to judge.
He kneaded his brow and forced his mind on. "Kiri's involvement is mostly testing and opportunism."
"Unlike the other three, they lack the strategic motive and depth to secure lasting gains inland."
"Their threat level can be rated secondary for now."
He turned to the core problem. "Suna's side. We still have no firm word from Team Five."
"Together with Genma's report, that silence is interesting."
"The greater likelihood is that Suna is still wavering. They have not chosen."
"For Team Five, the best support we can give from here is momentum."
"At the jōnin council we set a 'strike west, hold east' strategy. With Suna unclear, we can no longer execute. Two paths remain."
He lifted one finger. "First. Take the initiative on the eastern line. Seek a win with enough weight to break Cloud's frontline. Force them to face reality and drop their war aim. That is the most direct and effective way."
The room went quiet.
All knew. If a decisive victory on the east were simple, peace would already be here. The risk was great. If it failed, the cost would be ruinous.
Shikaku raised a second finger. "Second. Do both. Keep hard pressure on the east so Cloud does not dare move rashly. At the same time, and more important, send an envoy to Cloud and formally reopen talks."
His gaze sharpened. "Cloud's restraint on the east is a signal."
"They still want to negotiate. They just want a higher price to save face and offset the loss of Akai."
"Even if talks fail, as long as we make it plain to the outside, especially to Suna and Iwa, that Cloud leans toward negotiation rather than a fight to the death, their hunger for war will be checked."
"When Suna weighs, they will tilt toward Konoha rather than chaining themselves to Iwa's chariot."
"Cloud's posture does lean toward continued talks," Homura said. "But the price they ask this time will be far beyond before. A mere jōnin does not carry enough weight."
Sarutobi could not leave the village. Danzō had to manage intelligence and Root against Iwa.
The choice fell to the two advisors.
"I will lead to Cloud," said Mitokado Homura. "I will stop by the sealing unit."
As an advisor he knew too much. To enter a village that still held an adversarial stance, he had to put his own affairs in order.
Hiruzen lit his pipe and, in the curling smoke, nodded.
Koharu's expression was solemn. She did not object.
They had rehearsed it already. Against Cloud's possible extremes, Homura's response and judgment were the stronger.
"The mission's rank and show must be large," Shikaku added. "This is to lend weight to Jōnin Shuji far away in Suna."
"I will ensure security," Hiruzen said, setting down the pipe. "From departure to the border of Hot Water Country, I will personally lead the escort."
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild