"If we don't take this opportunity to crush Konoha, in a few years when Konoha has recovered, I'm afraid Hidden Cloud won't be able to defeat Konoha."
"Why not try to mess with Hidden Mist, they've even had one of their Jinchuriki killed."
The Fourth A looked silently at those Hidden Cloud elites eagerly speaking without saying a word.
He was only called over by the Third Raikage to learn, usually he only listened in such situations without speaking.
After about three hours of discussion, the Third Raikage called the meeting to a halt, "That's it for today, adjourned!"
The entire Ninja Village and even national-level strategic decisions clearly cannot be easily settled, and the Third Raikage currently does not have a clear idea.
Of course, they still have to fight; otherwise, all their power amassed in Hidden Cloud would be for nothing.
But who to fight, and how to fight, is not a small issue.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha.
"It's surprising that the Ninja Sect had such outstanding young ninjas, Might Guy and Kakashi didn't even take first place." Sarutobi Hiruzen flipped through the Youth Martial Arts Tournament intelligence with a hint of regret.
He was quite eager to see the legendary Fire Dragon Dance.
After all, it suppressed Hanzo's Fire Release Ninjutsu with fire against water, and as a Fire Release expert, he couldn't help but be curious.
"However, the overall performance of our Konoha Ninjas was still quite commendable." Sarutobi Hiruzen was relatively satisfied with the tournament results.
Although Konoha didn't take first place, the rewards from second to fourth were swept by Konoha, so it wasn't for nothing.
Yet, the rewards from second to fourth weren't the biggest gain for Konoha in participating in the tournament; an even larger gain was the rise in the number of commissions Konoha received.
Nagato's prowess was certainly astounding, but Konoha demonstrated extraordinary deep roots, with five Konoha Ninjas in the top eight.
"Asuma actually tied with Kakashi in the top eight. Should I give him a nudge to prevent the misconception that he can already stand shoulder to shoulder with Kakashi?" Sarutobi Hiruzen displayed a thoughtful expression.
There's also a gap among the top eight, and Kakashi only ranked in the top eight because he came across Might Guy, rendering him only in the top eight, whereas Asuma's placement clearly had a bit of luck.
Thinking about sharing teaching experiences on disciples with Mokgetsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen eventually shook his head.
Asuma traversed mountains and waters to compete in the Land of Rain, so he should be given some leeway.
Of course, to prevent Asuma from gaining misconceptions, the necessary reminders should still be communicated, but these can be slightly postponed, allowing Asuma to enjoy a bit.
While Sarutobi Hiruzen was in a good mood, Shimura Danzo from Root felt rather discouraged.
He had intended to cause trouble during the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, but Mokgetsu's various measures were too well-prepared, leaving the Root forces in the Land of Rain ineffective.
Shimura Danzo didn't have any good strategies either and could only watch the intelligence helplessly; during wartime, the forces he could deploy were already limited, and the Ninja Sect was no pushover, impossible to strong-arm.
"Repulsive force, gravitational pull, absorbing Ninjutsu, these must be abilities of the Rinnegan!" Looking at Nagato's intelligence, Shimura Danzo's desire for the Rinnegan intensified.
In his view, that brat Nagato's competence for first place entirely hinged on the Rinnegan; otherwise, how could he possibly defeat the Konoha Ninjas?
Shimura Danzo became increasingly convinced that he must acquire the Rinnegan, believing with his prowess teamed with the Rinnegan, even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't be his match.
PS: This chapter is 6k, the author deliberated for a long time on Nagato's Pokemon choice.
Considered an Eevee that can evolve and devolve, also thought about the versatile Greninja, given Nagato's multiple Chakra Attribute types, but ultimately chose a rather playful Gastly.
Because Xiaoju feels that the overall atmosphere on Nagato's side isn't very lighthearted, there's a need for something that brings joy into the mix.
Additionally, there's a personal reason, as the author once loved a Pokemon novel where the protagonist's initial Pokemon was Gastly; unfortunately, that novel ended poorly…