When it came to the issue of Menma Uzumaki.
The Fourth Raikage was clearly doubling down on his stubbornness. He only trusted his "own people"—his own people in the purest sense of the word.
After exchanging a look with Mabui, Dodai could only helplessly table the discussion for now. There would be opportunities later; no need to rush. Persuasion was all about method, setting, and timing—not to mention, they hadn't even found Menma yet, had they?
"Regarding the Hidden Leaf, they are maintaining their previous stance. Aside from reinforcing their northern border, there have been no other movements," Samui, who was in charge of reconnaissance on the Leaf, reported immediately after the Raikage finished his questions.
"Hmph. Keeping it airtight, are they? Have they still not decided on a candidate for the Fifth Hokage?" the Raikage snorted.
"No, there is no further news on that front. However, we speculate that the Fifth Hokage will likely be Jiraiya."
"Jiraiya, huh?"
They were, technically speaking, from the same generation.
During the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, the Fourth Raikage had crossed paths with Jiraiya on several occasions. He had a decent understanding of the capabilities of the "Toad Sage" of Konoha.
Jiraiya taking the mantle of Fifth Hokage did seem like the most plausible outcome right now.
"The Intelligence and Espionage Squads need to dig deeper. Do not miss a single clue. Also, Darui, you go to the southern border personally. If you see an opening, do not hesitate. I give you full authorization!"
The Raikage fixed his sharp gaze on Darui, who was looking rather lazy on the right side of the room. The Raikage's tone was filled with menacing intent.
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
"Understood."
Mabui and Darui responded in succession.
"Hmph. Konoha... this time, I will not let this opportunity slip away!"
The Fourth Raikage nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to the massive floor-to-ceiling window. Gazing toward the distant south where the Hidden Leaf lay, his expression was fierce.
---
While the Cloud was making moves, the Hidden Stone was active as well.
However, compared to the Raikage's frantic pace, Onoki, now pushing into the latter half of his seventies, was much more composed. Of course, he was monitoring the upheaval in the Leaf, and naturally, he was searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Menma. But he wasn't committing excessive resources to it.
For Onoki, maintaining the current stability of his own village was paramount.
As Onoki himself put it during the high council meeting:
'This old man is in no rush. We must watch what others do first. Striking second is the way of kings!'
It was simply a difference in strategy.
Regardless of their methods, these two major villages still held the initiative.
Unlike the Hidden Sand, which had entered a painful period of weakness.
Their Kage was dead. Their Jinchūriki was captured.
Hundreds of their elite shinobi had been killed.
For the past ten days, every hour felt like a year for the Sand Village. If Baki hadn't hurriedly brought Chiyo and Ebizo out of retirement to manage the situation, the Sand would have likely collapsed.
But even Chiyo and Ebizo could only maintain the status quo.
Until they could end the war with the Leaf and negotiate the return of Gaara and the other captives, the Sand would never truly be stable. They were the most passive party in this entire conflict.
They held zero leverage.
As for the Hidden Mist, they remained silent from start to finish, maintaining radio silence on the entire affair. Those paying attention noticed absolutely no large-scale troop movements from the Mist.
It was as if they had no idea what was happening in the outside world.
This silence, in itself, attracted some attention.
---
Of course, the main focus of everyone's attention was still the Hidden Leaf Village.
And not just from the outside—internally, the village was in turmoil. The news that Menma Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was the biological brother of Naruto Uzumaki and the son of the Fourth Hokage had spread like wildfire.
The outside world watched with popcorn in hand, enjoying the drama.
But within the Land of Fire, and especially inside the Hidden Leaf, public opinion had completely exploded.
The citizens who had once cursed Menma, glared at him with disgust, and treated him like trash were stunned. The lower-ranking ninjas were equally shocked.
Their not-so-bright brains simply couldn't process this development.
To put it bluntly, their mental circuits had overloaded.
The Demon Fox is the Fourth Hokage's son?!
No one wanted to believe it, yet the fact seemed irrefutable.
'How is that possible?'
'That guy is Young Master Naruto's brother?'
'Oh god... what have I done?'
'Lord Fourth... I'm so sorry. I'm truly sorry.'
'The Demon Fox Menma is actually Young Master Menma?'
'No, no, no, no. I don't believe it.'
'Hmph! This must be an enemy plot. A demon fox is a demon fox. How could he be Young Master Naruto's brother? Impossible.'
'Exactly! That monster betrayed the village! How could he be Lord Fourth's son? Lord Fourth's child would never do such a thing. He is a demon fox through and through.'
'But... doesn't Menma look a bit like Lord Fourth? If he had blonde hair...?'
'No! I don't believe it!!!'
Public opinion was polarized.
Some people woke up to reality, feeling immense guilt. They felt they had failed the Fourth Hokage and wronged Menma, finally understanding why he chose to defect.
But there was another group—stubbornly clinging to their bias. They believed Menma was the Demon Fox and refused to accept the "Son of the Fourth" narrative.
This was one of the most fundamental attributes of human nature. In a sense, you could call it the inherent ugliness of humanity.
Then there was the largest group: confused and bewildered. Emotionally, they didn't want to believe it. Logically, they felt it was true. They desperately wanted the village leadership to come out and clarify things.
But on this point...
The Leaf High Council chose silence.
Deny it?
It was the truth. How could they deny it? They could pretend ignorance before, but now that the secret was out, smearing him further would only slap themselves in the face.
The civilians might be clueless. But did the Jonin and the heads of the major clans not know the truth?
That was the Fourth Hokage's child. Not just anybody.
Smear him? Did they not consider the backlash?
Denying it was impossible and unfeasible. But at the same time, the Hidden Leaf couldn't come out and admit it either, as that would shake the very foundation of their governance. Silence wasn't the "correct" choice, but it was truly the only choice they had left.
---