"What happened?" Koharu asked, eyeing Danzō warily. Seeing Danzō's dark expression, Hiruzen sighed and answered.
"Hanzō refused to negotiate. He believes Konoha is trying to bully the smaller nations, specifically him and the Land of Rain."
Hiruzen gave a brief account of what had happened.
Whether it was entirely true, only they knew. After all, this was what Danzō had told him.
"Hanzō has some nerve, not even putting Konoha in his eyes. Hiruzen, we can't let this go, or else the other small nations won't take Konoha seriously anymore," Koharu snapped.
They couldn't just let this slide. They had to put Hanzō in his place, or Konoha's reputation would be damaged.
If they didn't act, what would stop other small nations from following Amegakure's example?
"I know," Hiruzen muttered, equally frustrated. "But the question is, what can we do about it?"
The best way to punish a village was through war.
But could Konoha afford another war?
No.
After the recent war with Amegakure, Konoha was now locked in conflict with Sunagakure.
Suna was already on the verge of defeat, with victory in sight. There was no way Konoha could afford to start another war with Amegakure.
Especially since they had just signed a peace treaty.
Starting a war immediately after would be an embarrassment to Konoha.
The Third Hokage had another concern. What if they pushed Hanzo too far? Would he resort to something desperate, like joining forces with Sunagakure to stand against Konoha? That was a scenario he couldn't afford to let happen.
When people are backed into a corner, they tend to do crazy things.
Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado fell silent.
Starting a new war was out of the question. The current situation didn't allow for it, and Konoha wasn't about to engage in another conflict with Amegakure over this.
But if war wasn't an option, what else could they do to resolve this?
"We'll likely need to send someone to meet with Hanzo directly," Homura suggested after a long pause.
"Who?" Third Hokage looked up.
"Well..." Homura hesitated.
That was indeed the question. Whoever they sent would have to be strong enough. Sending someone weak would only anger Hanzo further, and the consequences could be worse than what Danzō had faced.
At least Danzō had his Root operatives to shield him, buying time to escape. But most other candidates wouldn't have such loyal, fearless subordinates.
Konoha couldn't afford such a loss.
"How about recalling Sakumo Hatake?" Koharu suggested after some thought.
When it came to strength among the new generation, no one could surpass Sakumo, also known as Konoha's White Fang. The ongoing success in the Land of Rivers was largely thanks to Sakumo, who had slain many enemies and kept the Third Kazekage at bay.
"Sakumo can't leave," Hiruzen responded.
The war was at a critical point. With just a bit more effort, they might force Sunagakure into surrendering. Pulling Sakumo out now would only give the enemy time to recover.
The Third Hokage wasn't about to accept that.
...
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