One wrong step leads to every step being wrong.
If the Leaf's high command had only felt shame and rage when Menma defected with Orochimaru, things were completely different now. Every new battle report showing Menma's terrifying growth had changed their mindset entirely.
This was simply human nature.
At the beginning, neither Mitokado Homura nor Shimura Danzo had seen Menma as a real threat. Danzo had even believed that, without outside interference, he could send a decent-sized Root squad and drag the boy back whenever he wanted.
A thirteen-year-old kid? What was there to fear?
The Leaf was known as the cradle of geniuses. Their shining example—the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—had only become a legend in his late teens, and most of that power came from the Flying Thunder God Technique.
That wasn't an exaggeration. Without Flying Thunder God, young Minato would have been at best quasi-Kage level, nowhere near the monster who could slaughter jonin by the dozen.
Flying Thunder God had been the game-changer for him.
Even then, Minato only truly made his name during the Third Great Ninja War. Before that, people simply called him "Jiraiya's student."
So even knowing Menma was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, no one had seen him master the beast's power over the past thirteen years. How could they possibly predict he would become this strong?
It was a development none of them could have foreseen.
That was why, right now, even Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu felt genuine dread. Danzo, the ultimate hawk, was also finding the situation extremely troublesome.
No matter how arrogant he was, even he no longer believed Root could simply capture Menma. The fact that he had already ordered the frontline Root operatives to follow Jiraiya's commands was proof enough.
Unless he went personally.
Danzo still had absolute confidence in his own strength.
In the original timeline, he had fought Sasuke while simultaneously holding back Obito in reserve. That alone showed his level.
In his mind, with Wood Style cells and Mangekyo Sharingan, he had stepped into the absolute peak of the current ninja world.
A mere Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Could he not suppress him?
The only problem was that he couldn't leave the village easily.
"Tsunade, what do Jiraiya and Shikaku suggest?" Utatane Koharu asked slowly, opening her eyes and looking at the Fifth Hokage with a grave expression.
Making a decision wasn't easy.
One more wrong move now, and even the Leaf might not survive the consequences. They had to be extremely careful.
"Shikaku's advice is to try and mediate the war between the Stone and Cloud if possible. If that fails, we at least need to bring in the Mist and Sand before launching another attack. If we go alone, victory isn't guaranteed—and even if we win, we'd still have to worry about the other villages taking advantage."
Tsunade shook her head slightly and let out a quiet sigh.
Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Danzo fell silent. They all understood the unspoken meaning behind her words.
In short, it was still about mutual suspicion.
There was no real trust or friendship between ninja villages. Everything came down to interests and raw power.
If the Leaf couldn't offer the Mist and Sand the benefits they wanted—and still expected them to take risks together—it was almost impossible to make it happen.
Shikaku hadn't said much directly, but he had said everything.
Through Tsunade's mouth, the message had been delivered loud and clear.
"Then we pay the price," Danzo said coldly, his single visible eye sharp. "Wasn't our primary goal made clear from the very beginning?"
There was no room for debate.
Unlike Homura and Koharu, who were still hesitating, Danzo had already made up his mind.
"Paying a price sounds easy, but where do we draw the line?" Homura countered immediately. "Neither the Mist nor the Sand will act without seeing real benefits. You know Elder Genji and Chiyo's personalities as well as I do, Danzo. Unless the price is extremely high, how are we supposed to get both villages to join us? I still think we should take more time to consider this."
This was classic conservative thinking.
Homura wasn't blind to the threat Menma posed.
But people like him always ended up choosing the "safe, middle-ground" option after endless weighing of pros and cons.
Was Homura's choice wrong?
Not necessarily.
But it was definitely the most passive one.
This habit of handing the initiative to others was exactly how people like Homura operated. In their younger days, they had followed the Second Hokage's lead and charged forward. But after Sarutobi Hiruzen grew old and became increasingly cautious—almost timid—the Leaf had turned into a giant whose every part had rusted solid. Every step forward felt stiff and reluctant.
They never wanted to take risks anymore.
They always tried to end every conflict with the smallest possible loss.
The Hyuga Hinata kidnapping incident was the perfect example. What normal village leader would even consider handing over one of their own to appease another village's anger?
That wasn't caution. That was weakness and stupidity.
And now Homura was suggesting the exact same approach—sticking to the old "play it safe" mindset.
"Take more time to consider!?" Danzo slammed his cane on the floor, his voice sharp with anger. "Homura, has old age finally rotted your brain? How strong has Menma Uzumaki become? How large is his faction now? And you still want to sit and wait? That boy is only thirteen!! Thirteen!! Do you understand what that means!? If one day he grows to the level of the First Hokage, what will the Leaf do? Wait to be destroyed? This is our last chance! We must crush Menma Uzumaki here and now! We must bring the Nine-Tails back, no matter the cost!!"
Homura froze under Danzo's roar.
He opened his mouth to argue, but before he could speak—
"Homura, this time I agree with Danzo," Utatane Koharu cut in first. "Menma Uzumaki cannot be allowed to continue growing. He has already defeated the Fourth Raikage in single combat. Who knows where his limit is? Reaching the First Hokage's level might be an exaggeration, but a thirteen-year-old Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is simply too dangerous. The Waterfall and Grass are already his allies. We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Tsunade, I support Danzo's view. If necessary, we can give away more benefits. I will handle the Daimyo myself. But we must bring the Mist and Sand into this. We need the strength of three villages to destroy Menma!"
Koharu's stance was now completely aligned with Danzo's.
She turned to Tsunade after speaking.
Homura was stunned.
Facing the serious, unified looks from his two old friends, he suddenly began to doubt himself.
He wanted to say something, but before he could—
"Bang! Bang!"
"Lady Hokage! Urgent report!"
A frantic knocking sounded from outside the door.
The urgent voice made everyone's expressions change at once.
"Enter!" Tsunade called sharply.
"Creak!"
The moment the messenger pushed the door open—
"Is there another problem at the front lines!? What did Jiraiya say!?"
Tsunade stood up immediately, her face tense with worry.
Danzo and the others stared at the messenger. They were all terrified that the front lines had collapsed.
If even Jiraiya's forces were defeated, the Leaf would have to consider the absolute worst-case scenario.
"Ah? No, Lady Hokage. It's not from the front lines."
The messenger was momentarily stunned by Tsunade's question. He shook his head quickly.
Hearing that, Tsunade, Danzo, and the others relaxed slightly.
But less than a second later—
"Lady Hokage, it's Young Master Naruto! This morning we discovered he has disappeared! There is no trace of him anywhere in the village!!"
The moment the messenger delivered the news—
"What!?"
"Ah!?"
"This—!"
Tsunade shot to her feet, her face completely changing.
Homura and Koharu frowned deeply. Only Danzo remained relatively calm.
In this timeline, Naruto wasn't the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki like in the original story. He was simply the son of the Fourth Hokage. Danzo naturally didn't care much.
If the boy was gone, he was gone. So what?
Besides, Danzo could already guess exactly where Naruto was heading.
Tsunade knew too.
"Bang!!!"
"That little idiot! I told him not to do anything reckless, and he still went and did it anyway!? What were the ANBU doing!? Two full teams couldn't even watch one person!?"
Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk in fury.
"I'm very sorry, Lady Hokage. We followed Young Master Naruto twenty-four hours a day, but…"
The messenger bowed deeply, his voice shaking with fear.
The truth was, they had never expected Naruto to vanish so cleanly. They had followed Tsunade's orders and kept constant surveillance. But they couldn't follow him inside his own house. They could only guard the perimeter.
Even so, the area outside had been completely covered with no blind spots.
And yet Naruto had still slipped away right under their noses.
What else could they have done?
"Find him immediately! I refuse to believe he left no trace! Also, send orders to all border outposts—seal the country borders and bring that stupid boy back at all costs!!!"
Tsunade's voice was filled with rage.
"Wait—also notify Jiraiya on the front lines. That idiot boy is definitely heading toward the Hidden Waterfall. If the border teams can't catch him, have Jiraiya send people to intercept!"
"Yes, Lady Hokage!!!"
The messenger answered sharply and vanished in a burst of speed to carry out the orders.
"Elder Koharu and Elder Danzo have made their positions clear. Elder Homura, do you have any objections? If not, then we'll proceed with this plan. As Elder Danzo said, this matter is critical for the Leaf. We will pay whatever price is necessary."
Tsunade looked directly at the three elders, her voice leaving no room for argument.