"So Hanzo is dead too; the Land of Rain has undergone a massive change in silence," said Mitokado, Honoo as he put down the document and adjusted his glasses.
Compared to Shimura Danzo, whose death news spread rapidly throughout the Ninja World, Hanzo, the Demigod of the Ninja World, died almost quietly, with the news only limited to the Rain Village internally and scarcely spreading within the Land of Rain.
Mitokado Honoo felt that something was fishy. Even if Hanzo's death was overshadowed by the Great Ninja Village's war, the death of a ninja of this level shouldn't have been so quiet.
"It must be an internal problem within the Rain Village," analyzed Utatane Koharu.
"Hanzo's reputation declined after his failure in the Second Ninja World War, and his attempt to surround and kill Sosuke was repelled. Coupled with Sosuke's reputation in the Land of Rain, internal division within the Rain Village is not surprising."
She believed it was a coup, likely orchestrated by Sosuke, since after Hanzo's death, cooperation between the Ninja Sect and the Rain Village had increased.
Utatane Koharu had reason to believe that Sosuke is now the actual controller of the Rain Village.
"Whether the Rain Village underwent a coup is not the main point. The main point is that the Rain Village and the Ninja Sect can now be seen as one," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, steering the conversation back on track.
"If we're going to take action against the Ninja Sect, we must consider the strength of the Rain Village."
He was investigating the Rain Village for the Ninja Sect for Shimura Danzo; the core was still on the Ninja Sect, on Sosuke.
"Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that the person who killed Danzo is Sosuke; there is no doubt about this." Saying this, Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu nodded, confirming Sarutobi Hiruzen's statement as a witness on the scene.
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued:
"Danzo was our Konoha's Hokage Assistant; even if he did something wrong, it should be Konoha's duty to punish him. Sosuke directly killing Danzo is a provocation to Konoha!"
"For such a Ninja Force, we absolutely cannot ignore it; we must take measures for punishment!"
Both Mitokado Honoo and Utatane Koharu showed faces of agreement.
Shimura Danzo was indeed wrong for conducting assassination activities secretly, but they were Konoha, the largest Great Ninja Village; how could a small country's ninja force dare to kill Konoha's high-ranking officials? It's asking for trouble.
Nonetheless, Sosuke's power was indeed strong, having united the ninja forces of the Land of Rain. His individual strength and his force were topping the list below the Five Great Ninja Villages.
If not, they wouldn't even need to discuss it in the high-level meetings; the team to kill Sosuke would have been dispatched long ago.
"However, Konoha is currently in a critical period. The timing of punishment and specific methods need to be carefully considered," Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone shifted, becoming less sharp.
He actually did not want to make a big fuss. If Sosuke were willing to exchange his life for Danzo's, Sarutobi Hiruzen could pretend like nothing happened.
It's not because Sosuke's leadership in the Land of Rain poses a threat to Konoha.
Konoha did not suffer significant losses in this war, and eliminating a small country, even the strongest small country, isn't that difficult for Konoha.
What Sarutobi Hiruzen truly worried about was the other Four Great Ninja Villages.
They were allies by name, friends.
But this so-called alliance is just a worthless piece of paper in the face of interests. If all goes well, fine, but if Konoha exposes any weaknesses while subjugating the Land of Rain, the ally relationships could get shaky.
"Why not first try to solve the issue through negotiation?" suggested Mitokado Honoo.
He understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's intention, which was to stay low and develop, keep actions as minimal as possible.
Ideally, try not to make any big moves before Mokgetsu truly becomes the next God of Ninjas.
"First, we issue a stern condemnation, show our attitude, and then state our demands."
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "If we can solve the issue through negotiation, that would be best."
Negotiation implies not needing to take action, thus not exposing any vulnerabilities.
"Mokgetsu, what do you think?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, attempting to give Mokgetsu more engagement.
He was quite satisfied with Mokgetsu's performance in his first meeting; if unsure, observe more, learn more, talk less.
"Negotiation sounds good," Mokgetsu replied.
He felt that the position of Hokage Assistant was quite worth it; not only did it hold substantial power, but he could also observe discussions on how others planned to deal with him and his force.
After Utatane Koharu nodded, it indicated that the high-level opinion had reached a consensus; Konoha would enter negotiations with the Ninja Sect.
Their demand was simple: Sosuke must die.
After the meeting ended, Mokgetsu returned home in the main district.
Just as he opened the door, a commotion erupted next door at Namikaze Minato's house, with figures swiftly exiting.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, you finished the meeting," Obito first greeted Mokgetsu while rushing into the room.
"Finally, it's over. Shizune, quickly bring in the groceries you bought," Tsunade said unceremoniously as she entered and sat on the sofa.
Originally, after buying groceries, she wanted to enter Mokgetsu's house directly, but Namikaze Minato persuaded her that it wouldn't be appropriate to enter someone's house uninvited.
This led to a gathering of people in Namikaze Minato's home.
"Impressive, Mokgetsu, the twenty-two-year-old Hokage Assistant; we must drink well tonight," Jiraiya remarked with a smile as he entered the room.
Saying this, looking at his disciples and friends at the doorway, Mokgetsu smiled and welcomed everyone inside.
However, what surprised Mokgetsu was that Orochimaru also came, assembling the entire Sannin.
"Mokgetsu-kun, sorry to disturb," Orochimaru said softly as he entered.
Initially, he came to test whether Mokgetsu, who had inherited the Root, had discovered his secret collaboration with Shimura Danzo, but seeing many people around, he was inclined to leave. However, Jiraiya's insistence kept him there.