Even if Akira had not yet reached the godlike level of the First Hokage, he was clearly a cut above someone like the Third Raikage.
If he truly wanted to wipe out the current Sunagakure, it honestly would not have been some impossible feat.
The truth was, Sunagakure was at the lowest point in its history, battered almost beyond recognition.
The only Kage-level fighter they could really count on was Chiyo-hime, and she had long since retired.
As for Gaara, in his normal state he could only barely be counted among elite jonin. Only if he lost control and transformed into the full Shukaku could he truly brush against Kage-tier power.
That was exactly why every major hidden village treated tailed beasts like nuclear deterrents. As long as a jinchuriki remained in the village, it was like having a tireless strategic weapon permanently stationed at home.
Gaara's talent was beyond question. Give him a few more years to grow, and becoming a true Kage-level shinobi was practically inevitable.
But just now, what Gaara had read in Akira's eyes was unmistakable: indifference.
Not deliberate contempt, not mockery, but the detached calm of a dragon looking down at ants. All the schemes and anxieties they had twisted themselves into knots over meant absolutely nothing in the face of overwhelming power.
Or, to put it more bluntly, he simply had not taken any of it seriously.
When Akira returned to the inn, the room was dimly lit by the warm yellow glow of lanterns.
Might Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai were already there, seated across from him, all three of them staring as if trying to spot the slightest crack in his expression.
Akira poured himself a cup of water. Looking at how tense they were, he could not help but laugh.
"Relax. They did not call me over with any bad intentions. They just wanted to test the waters and see whether I had any desire to finish off what's left of the Sunagakure."
"Given how weak they are right now, a little paranoia is only natural."
Guy grinned, his signature white teeth flashing as he raised a thumbs-up.
"I knew it. The moment Tsunade-hime named you leader, I had a feeling something like this would happen."
"Your reputation's been exploding across the ninja world lately, especially the part about you being able to suppress a tailed beast. If the Suna could watch you stroll in and out without a second thought, that would be the truly shocking part."
"What happened with Orochimaru may have ended with them surrendering, but there's still history there. Letting you in was unavoidable, but of course they were going to stay on guard."
"Honestly, talking it through like this is probably for the best. At least it means they are not plotting anything behind the scenes."
Guy might act loud and carefree most of the time, but when it mattered, his instincts were razor sharp.
Asuma let out a slow stream of smoke, finally easing back in his chair.
"You're the Fifth Hokage's chosen banner right now. If you lost even a single hair in Sunagakure, none of us would be able to explain it to Tsunade-hime."
Kurenai elegantly refilled Akira's tea, her crimson eyes smiling.
"It also proves your name carries more weight than ever. That kind of deterrence is priceless for Konoha right now. It is exactly what we need to keep the wolves around us from getting any ideas."
Guy nodded, his expression turning more serious.
"She's right. Right now Konoha, a half-crippled Sunagakure, and the shut-in Kirigakure are all struggling."
"Meanwhile, Kumogakure and Iwagakure are thriving. In terms of national strength and military power, we're simply not on the same level as they are at the moment."
The damage done by Orochimaru's Konoha Crush had cut deep.
The massacre of the Uchiha Clan had already been like losing an arm. Then Orochimaru struck again, and over half of Konoha's mid- and low-level manpower disappeared in the aftermath.
A dying camel was still bigger than a horse, sure, but right now Konoha really was putting up a strong front while running on fumes underneath.
Thankfully, foundations like Konoha's were not something that disappeared overnight. Give the village a few years to recover, and catching back up to the other major powers was entirely possible.
Iwagakure might not have any singular monsters standing at the top, but their average level was high and their numbers were ridiculous. Their whole approach was brute-force mass deployment.
The one that really made everyone jealous, though, was Kumogakure. They were filthy rich.
The Land of Lightning's daimyo genuinely spoiled the Kumogakure. Money, grain, materials, whatever the village asked for, as long as it was not outrageous, he provided it.
Compared to the Fire Daimyo, who never seemed to do anything except slash budgets, the difference was night and day.
Of course, that was also because the Land of Lightning itself was blessed with a stronger balance of geography, economy, and military development. It had always been more evenly built than the Land of Fire, which tended to over-rely on certain strengths while neglecting others.
That was why even someone as hot-tempered as the Fourth Raikage stayed respectful toward his daimyo. No one in their right mind picked a fight with the person funding the entire machine.
Because that was the truth of it: a hidden village was a money furnace.
Raising shinobi was wildly expensive.
Without money, you could not even buy kunai, let alone fund jutsu research or maintain missions and training infrastructure.
The reason the Five Great Villages towered over the smaller nations was because they were backed by the economic lifeblood of the major countries behind them.
The moment a daimyo cut funding, even a member of the Five Great Villages could collapse overnight. Sunagakure was the perfect example. The Fourth Kazekage had ended up panning for gold dust just to help keep the village afloat. It was tragic enough to make anyone wince.
Compared to that, Konoha's situation was still better than Suna's. At least the Fire Daimyo still supported Konoha's reconstruction.
A lot of that came down to the legacy of the Senju. After all, Konoha itself had originally been the result of Hashirama Senju negotiating directly with the daimyo to establish a power-sharing arrangement.
Normally, the daimyo of each nation did not interfere in village affairs. The obvious exception was when a village did something suicidal, like the Kirigakure attempting to assassinate its own daimyo.
That was the political equivalent of eating at someone's table, insulting them for the meal, and then trying to kill the cook.
So even now, the Water Daimyo still had no real trust in Kirigakure and had not exactly been generous with them.
In a time as unstable as this, the sudden rise of a strategic-level monster like Akira, someone capable of suppressing a tailed beast with his own strength, was nothing less than a massive injection of confidence for Konoha.
It was just like what Minato had been during the Third Great Ninja War. One man standing in the field like an army unto himself, shifting the entire tide of battle.
Sure, Konoha had not truly profited from that war in the end. They had won and still been forced into humiliating concessions. But at least the village itself had survived intact.
Without that flash of gold on the battlefield, Konoha might well have been carved apart by the surrounding nations.
That was why Akira's existence alone was such a powerful deterrent.
And that was also why Asuma and the others had been so on edge over his safety. At this point, Akira was Konoha's anchor.
Looking at the three jonin who were treating him like a priceless military asset, Akira just waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow's the second exam. I think those kids should all make it through without much trouble. Their improvement lately has been obvious."
At the mention of their respective students, Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy all smiled with unmistakable pride.
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