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I beg you all, can you stop messing with me?
Shikaku felt more stressed than ever before.
The Hokage was messing around irresponsibly, and The Advisor wanted to stir up trouble!
Now he wanted to hand the village over to him to manage—who could handle this?
"How about I go instead?"
Shikaku could also lead troops in battle.
Compared to Kazuki personally leading forces into the Land of Earth, he would prefer to command the troops himself.
Or rather, to command operations from the front-line camp.
Given his position, the village wouldn't let him personally fight on the front lines; at most, he'd be in the camp devising strategies.
"....."
Kazuki was speechless. "Shikaku, do you have so little confidence in me?"
"No, I have no confidence in myself. So, Lord Advisor, don't mention this matter anymore. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to convene the Council of Elders."
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy Shikaku became. He played his trump card.
"Surely the Lord Advisor wouldn't want to see the Council of Elders unanimously oppose your leaving the village, right?"
Damn!!
Have you learned this tactic too?
The Council of Elders usually existed in name only, but at critical moments, they could unite to oppose even the Hokage, let alone The Advisor.
If Shikaku was pushed too far, he could convene the Council of Elders.
Then propose that The Advisor couldn't leave the village for the battlefield and needed to stay in the village.
He was absolutely sure he could convince the others to vote in favor, forcibly keeping Kazuki here.
"Fine, fine."
At this moment, Kazuki really wanted to kick Shikaku out.
Look at you, threatening me with the Council of Elders. If I'm not in the village, Konoha ceases to be Konoha?
Even a child could figure out that convening the Council of Elders would result in most opposing his leaving the village and personally leading troops into the Land of Earth.
The danger was one factor; another was that the Council members didn't want certain people to resurface.
They couldn't allow even a single opportunity, otherwise everyone would suffer together.
Anyway, I won't be persuaded this time.
Shikaku swiftly left.
He had no intention of convening the Council of Elders. Instead, he took a detour straight to the Sarutobi clan compound.
He needed to talk with the Third Hokage.
"Shikaku wants to see me?"
Taking the pipe from his mouth, the Third Hokage looked puzzled.
"Let him in."
Since Shikaku wanted to meet, he'd meet him.
"Lord Third."
Entering the room, Shikaku bowed to the Third Hokage seated on a cushion.
"Sit."
The Third Hokage gestured for Shikaku to sit and speak, no need for formalities.
Shikaku didn't stand on ceremony, sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite the Third Hokage. He got straight to the point.
"I've come today to discuss a matter with you, sir."
"Please, speak."
The words had barely left his mouth when Shikaku suddenly stood up and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
The Third Hokage was taken aback.
What's this all about?
So formal?
"Shikaku, what are you doing?"
Shikaku maintained his ninety-degree bow, speaking earnestly.
"I humbly request that Lord Third save the village."
"??????"
A cascade of question marks filled Hiruzen's mind. He was genuinely bewildered.
The village didn't seem to have any major problems requiring my personal intervention to save it, did it?
Wasn't everything fine?
Had something happened to Tsunade?
Hiruzen was suddenly unsettled. Tsunade couldn't be allowed to encounter trouble; if something happened, the consequences would be severe.
"Shikaku, sit down and speak."
Hiruzen's voice grew heavy.
Shikaku quickly sat properly, hands on his knees, and spoke earnestly.
"Lord Third, the current shinobi world situation is chaotic. The village appears calm on the surface, but beneath it, turmoil brews, like a duck paddling furiously underwater. A slight disturbance could lead to irreparable consequences."
In today's shinobi world, Konoha was genuinely stable. With ample resources, they weren't anxious. The treasury had surplus funds to handle unexpected troubles.
Other villages fought fiercely, creating quite a spectacle, while Konoha sat on the mountain watching the tigers fight, developing comfortably.
Unfortunately, after Tsunade ran off, problems arose.
"So, what is your purpose in coming here?"
Hiruzen wasn't easily fooled.
Shikaku opened his mouth, but ultimately smiled wryly.
"Sir, war is imminent."
"What?"
At this point, Hiruzenwas truly retired, almost completely cut off from outside affairs.
It wasn't that he didn't want to gather information, but the Sarutobi clan members were very cautious and didn't dare speak carelessly.
He couldn't mobilize the Anbu, let alone ask them questions.
So, Hiruzen learned news relatively late. He was completely unaware of such a major event as the village facing war.
Having experienced the brutality of war firsthand, he was startled and jumped up.
"Is it Iwagakure or Kumogakure? Do they plan to attack the Land of Fire?"
Sir, why is your first reaction upon hearing "war" always "who's attacking us"?
Couldn't it be us attacking them?
Shikaku paused briefly, then chose to reveal everything.
Since he'd come this far, there was no point in hiding it further.
"From very early on, the Lord Advisor has been in contact with Kumogakure's Raikage A. They conceived the idea of forming an alliance against Iwagakure. Only last year did they formalize the agreement. Now Kumogakure has sent an envoy, hoping Konoha will prepare as soon as possible. Once Kumogakure fully intervenes in the war, that's when Konoha will deliver the fatal blow to Iwagakure."
"....."
Hearing all these secrets spill from Shikaku's mouth, Hiruzen's jaw dropped.
So there are so many secrets in the village that I didn't know about?
I was worried about other villages attacking us, but the truth is, it's a blessing Konoha isn't attacking them.
The plan is fully set; just waiting for Kumogakure to fully enter the war.
Delivering a fatal blow to Iwagakure...
Sss—this plan is somewhat exciting.
After digesting all this confidential information, Hiruzen understood Shikaku's purpose in seeking him out.
He hoped that he would personally lead the village's ninja forces and deliver that fatal blow to Iwagakure himself.
Thus leaving Kazuki in the village, while also removing the unstable element (himself) from the equation.
"....."
Am I really that untrustworthy?
At this moment, Hiruzen's gaze toward Shikaku held both excitement and deep helplessness.
Excitement, because he could personally take revenge on Iwagakure.
Helplessness, because in the current village, he had become someone everyone guarded against.
Shikaku's intention was too obvious: he was worried about him causing trouble.
It seemed Kazuki wanted to personally lead the army into the Land of Earth, but Shikaku and others weren't comfortable with that.
So he specifically came to him, hoping he would take Kazuki's place, leaving Kazuki in the village to oversee matters.
The front lines were important, but the person holding down the rear was even more crucial.
Without someone capable of stabilizing the situation, all sorts of troublesome issues could emerge.