Time flows like water, trickling quietly.
Before he realized it, a week had passed.
That morning, as Qing Ming stepped out of his room, he heard two voices chatting in the distance. Judging from their slightly immature tones, it was clear they weren't very old.
One of them spoke first, "Hey, have you heard?"
"Heard what?" the other replied.
"You know, about the village negotiating with the Hidden Mist."
The first person lowered his voice as he continued.
"Oh, that. I just heard from Da Chun and the others that the negotiations haven't even started yet."
The other person responded casually.
Hearing this, the first speaker shook his head and said mysteriously, "Who told you that? I overheard a Jonin saying the negotiations started long ago; we're just not aware of it."
"Is that so?"
The second person muttered in slight disbelief. "Well, I wouldn't know much about it anyway."
"Besides, it's not really our concern. Big decisions like this are for the Jonin to handle. Us Genin don't need to worry about it."
"That's true."
The first person agreed, and the two of them left, mentioning something about getting food before heading out on a patrol mission.
Their voices faded into the distance, and Qing Ming could no longer hear them.
However, the conversation revealed some valuable information about the progress of the negotiations.
As the first person mentioned, it seemed the talks with the Hidden Mist had begun long ago, but the details were kept from the general public. Now that even Genin were hearing rumors, it meant the negotiations were progressing smoothly, perhaps even nearing their conclusion.
After all, the village wouldn't deliberately leak such information unless they wanted the lower ranks to start mentally preparing themselves.
Qing Ming believed this news leak was intentional.
Jonin knew better than to casually share classified information. If the higher-ups wanted to keep something a secret, they could do so without fail—just as they had in the past few days when everything had been eerily quiet.
The fact that rumors were now spreading meant the village and the Hidden Mist were likely reaching an agreement.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Qing Ming went to the mess hall, grabbed a meal, and then headed to the conference room.
As he entered, Qing Ming immediately sensed something was off about the atmosphere.
Based on his earlier deductions, the mood should have been more relaxed if negotiations were going well. Yet, there was a palpable tension in the room, almost like a suppressed killing intent.
Rather than questioning others, he quietly took his seat and opened the document on the table in front of him.
Each Jonin in the room had a similar file, and the suppressed anger radiating from them clearly stemmed from its contents.
Curious, Qing Ming began to read.
The document wasn't some rage-inducing news but rather a battle plan. It clearly outlined an order to reclaim the last two enemy outposts within the day.
During this invasion, the Hidden Mist had established four strongholds inside the Fire Country as footholds for their offensive.
Previously, at Blackstone Stronghold, Qing Ming and Sano Nobuhisa had joined forces to recapture Flying Fish Town. Ten days ago, they and other Jonin worked together to reclaim Yuzuhama Port.
Now, the Hidden Mist only had two outposts left, located at opposite ends of the central defense line.
While the distance between these two locations wasn't immense, it was far from negligible. Reclaiming both in a single day would require the forces to split up.
This division of troops would undoubtedly increase the risks for everyone involved, including the lower-ranking ninja under their command.
Qing Ming couldn't understand why Nara Keiko had crafted such an aggressive battle plan.
With the current situation, the two remaining outposts could easily be starved out if the village took its time. There was no need to rush and sacrifice lives unnecessarily.
Glancing around the room, Qing Ming noticed that many others seemed to share his doubts.
Clearly, everyone was waiting for Nara Keiko to provide an explanation.
The sound of deliberate footsteps interrupted the room's tense silence.
Nara Keiko entered, flanked by two bodyguards, and the quiet conference room immediately became restless.
Her sharp gaze swept across the faces of everyone present. Before anyone could voice their concerns, she spoke up.
"I understand that many of you have questions. Please allow me to explain first, and then you may ask."
The murmurs died down as everyone waited for her to continue.
"First, as many of you have likely deduced, the negotiations between the village and the Hidden Mist are proceeding smoothly."
Her announcement drew no visible reaction from the crowd.
After all, Qing Ming and most others had already reached the same conclusion based on the rumors circulating in Yuzuhama Port. It wasn't surprising news.
However, if the negotiations were progressing well, why was there such urgency to attack these two outposts? Wouldn't it be better to wait until a peace treaty was signed and then let the Hidden Mist forces withdraw on their own? That would save countless lives.
As Qing Ming mulled over this, he caught Nara Keiko's next words.
"Despite the progress in negotiations, the Hidden Mist seems to harbor unrealistic fantasies about the current situation. They're attempting to bring the Land of Waves under the Water Country's control."
The bombshell landed, and the room erupted into chaos.
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
"We can't allow that!"
The Jonin were visibly agitated, and even those less versed in politics knew the significance of this development.
The Land of Waves was far too close to Konoha. Allowing it to fall under the Water Country's sphere of influence would be like planting a landmine right outside their doorstep—a scenario Konoha absolutely couldn't tolerate.
The crowd's reactions ranged from disbelief to outright fury.
Raising her hand, Nara Keiko signaled for everyone to quiet down.
After some time, the room grew silent again, though the tension in the air was palpable.
Ignoring the oppressive atmosphere, she continued, "The Third Hokage shares this sentiment. That's why we need to send a clear message to the Hidden Mist—to shatter their illusions and bring them back to reality."
Hearing this, Qing Ming's earlier suspicions were confirmed.
When he saw the sudden emphasis on attacking these two outposts, he suspected it was a show of strength to intimidate the Hidden Mist.
And now, it was clear: this was exactly the case.
The tight deadline was intended to prevent the Hidden Mist from preparing any countermeasures while also serving as a demonstration of Konoha's military power.
The implicit message was simple: We can take down two of your outposts in a single day. What leverage do you think you have left at the negotiating table?
This strategy of using force to strengthen their bargaining position was a classic example of negotiation through strength.
As Nara Keiko elaborated on the finer details of the plan, Qing Ming tuned out.
He had already grasped the key points, and the rest was merely procedural.
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