NOVPUB
Chapter 425 - 425: The Final Verdict
"Enter."
Tsunade didn't even lift her head at the knock on the door. With the war raging in the Land of Earth, her workload had only increased.
"Lady Hokage."
Fugaku entered alone, while two Konoha shinobi stood guard outside with Daisuke.
"Fugaku, what brings you here today?"
Tsunade looked up at the sound of his voice, her tone kind and her expression warm. Fugaku rarely visited her office.
"The situation is this: Iwagakure's Ōnoki has sent someone to ask for help."
Fugaku was concise, making no effort to introduce Daisuke. In his eyes, anyone sent by Ōnoki was merely one of his pawns.
"Asking for help from Konoha?"
"He must be out of his mind."
Tsunade couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Ōnoki really think she was that magnanimous?
Shōta, who had been occupied with his own work, also paused and glanced at Fugaku with interest. The very idea of the Land of Earth requesting aid from Konoha sounded like a joke. Even he had never considered such a possibility.
"Even if he's lost his mind, that's none of my concern."
"If you don't want to see him, I'll take him back."
Fugaku smirked, his tone light, but he still withheld his own opinion on the matter.
"Since he's come all this way, I might as well see him."
Tsunade hadn't decided how to handle the situation yet, but she was curious to see just how an Iwa ninja would plead for help.
"Bring him in."
At Fugaku's command, the two Konoha shinobi immediately escorted Daisuke inside. They bowed before leaving without a word, well aware of what they should and shouldn't overhear.
"Iwagakure Jōnin Daisuke Nakano greets Lady Hokage."
Daisuke knelt on one knee and bowed deeply. Strictly speaking, such a display of respect wasn't necessary, but he knew his place.
"I heard you came here to ask for help."
"Why did that old man Ōnoki send you to talk to me?"
Tsunade leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on her desk, a slight smirk playing at her lips. She had no intention of telling him to rise.
"Lord Tsuchikage personally wrote you a letter."
Daisuke avoided answering her question altogether. Truthfully, he didn't know how he could possibly convince her. If their roles were reversed, Konoha would see helping Iwagakure as nothing short of repaying kindness with betrayal.
As for the outcome of this request, he never had high hopes to begin with.
"Let me see."
Tsunade waved her hand, and Daisuke stood up, stepping forward to hand her the envelope.
Taking it, she immediately noticed that the words "For the Hokage Only (Personal and Confidential)" were still clearly visible. She glanced at Daisuke, who kept his head bowed, then slowly opened the envelope.
Although Ōnoki wasn't much to look at, his handwriting was far neater than hers.
Frowning as she read, Tsunade couldn't help but curse Kawakaze in her heart—he always said that a person's handwriting reflected their character. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
However, she had to admit he was right about one thing: reading the letter was deeply satisfying.
Despite its brevity, Tsunade took her time with it, her smile widening as she went. Ōnoki's humility in the letter was almost unrecognizable. Gone was the grizzled old man who once mocked her as Princess Slug.
Not only did he apologize for declaring war on Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War, but he also expressed willingness to offer several secret techniques in exchange for aid. If Konoha helped the Land of Earth through this crisis, he was prepared to cede territory and pay reparations.
Even more shocking, he stated that if it came to it, he would step down as Tsuchikage without complaint.
Tsunade didn't particularly care about any of these offerings, but the sight of Ōnoki humbling himself like this was enough to bring her immense satisfaction.
Perhaps the only disappointment was that he hadn't come in person.
"Lady Hokage?"
Daisuke finally looked up after a long silence. Seeing Tsunade's beaming expression, he assumed the situation had taken a favorable turn. He could only guess what kind of tempting conditions Ōnoki had laid out to bring about such a reaction.
"Mm-hmm~"
"You go wait for news."
Tsunade cleared her throat, her expression instantly returning to neutrality as she flipped the letter shut and placed it on the table.
Daisuke was about to speak again when he was pulled away, leaving him with no say in the matter.
"What do you two think?"
Tsunade turned to Fugaku and Shōta once Daisuke had disappeared from the room.
"I think we can ignore it. With Nagato there, the situation in the Land of Earth won't be a threat to us."
Shōta's analysis was simple. From a security standpoint, Konoha had no reason to intervene. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"I think getting involved isn't a bad idea."
Tsunade had asked, so Fugaku wouldn't remain silent. But the sharp gleam in his eyes made it clear that his idea of involvement didn't necessarily mean supporting the Iwa ninja.
"If we fight, we can take the Land of Earth without a doubt."
"But then, Konoha will become the public enemy of the entire Ninja World."
At that moment, the door swung open, and Kawakaze wandered in, just in time to hear about Iwagakure's request for aid.
"You're here just in time."
Tsunade had already planned to call him—she was used to consulting her husband when faced with difficult decisions.
"You're joking. You have spies everywhere."
Kawakaze playfully pointed at Fugaku and Shōta.
"I don't need spies. You can have my seat."
Tsunade stood up and made an inviting gesture as if she were ready to abdicate right then and there—if Kawakaze dared to take the job.
"I'm just joking."
"You're so dull."
Kawakaze laughed, pulling the chuckling Fugaku over to the sofa before sitting down beside him.
"Cut the crap and get to the point."
Tsunade rolled her eyes before sitting back down. All three turned their eyes to Kawakaze.
"Alright, I'll get straight to it."
"My opinion? We should agree to support them."
He raised a hand to stop any immediate questions, continuing on his own.
"There are only three options. Let's go through them one by one."
"First, we do nothing."
"From the current situation, the Land of Earth is doomed—it's only a matter of time."
"In the best-case scenario, Akatsuki and Kumo will fight over the spoils."
"If that happens, there's a high chance Nagato and his forces will be exposed, and in the end, we'll still have to fight Kumo."
"Second, we do what Fugaku suggested and go to war against the Land of Earth."
"This will speed up their downfall. Once the war is over, openly or not, it won't be difficult for us to join forces with Akatsuki and drive out Kumo."
"The result? We take over the entire Land of Earth, but that will put us in the crosshairs of the rest of the Ninja World."
"To prevent Konoha's ambitions from growing, every other nation will turn against us."
"I'm not exaggerating—there's at least a 70% chance of this happening."
"And even if we win, what price will Konoha have to pay?"
Kawakaze paused, glancing at Tsunade and the others, who were now deep in thought. Satisfied, he continued.
"The third option is to support the Land of Earth."
"If we back them, they can hold the line."
"Kumo will be trapped, unable to advance or retreat."
"Most of their forces will be occupied there, while we only have to expend a fraction of our own."
"And from there, we have options—whether to take control of the entire Ninja World or act under Akatsuki's banner, we'll have plenty of room to maneuver."
"This will also allow us to preserve Konoha's strength as much as possible."
"What do you think?"
Feeling a bit parched, Kawakaze stood up, poured himself a glass of water, and downed it in one gulp.
