"Why do you all have that 'what is this guy talking about' expression? Is there something hard to understand in what I said?"
Hii Kōri propped his cheek with one hand while tapping the other on the table, using a calm tone to pour cold water on the entire conference room's atmosphere.
Sensing everyone's gazes, detecting among them several long-unseen but familiar looks—specifically, the kind he'd often seen when he first started teaching those guys in the Barrier Team and Sealing Team, clear eyes tinged with stupidity—Hii Kōri's mood instantly plummeted.
PTSD triggered.
Flipping his wrist, he pulled a pen from a scroll and set it spinning on his fingertip. Then he turned his head, using the pen tip to point at the sources of those gazes, and continued explaining in a dry tone.
"Ah, Tobirama Senju died so suddenly, and the next Hokage hasn't been chosen yet. Even if he left a will before dying designing a successor, the words of six guards who failed to complete their mission of protecting the Kage would have difficulty convincing people. At this time, Konoha internally will definitely become unstable—that's what you're all thinking, right?"
"Since you know that, how can you still say that?!"
A man who looked somewhat unfamiliar—seemingly one of the recently promoted jōnin—slammed the table quite theatrically as he stood up and questioned him like this.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"Opportunity? What's so good about it, I'd like to ask? Aren't you considering whether we can even win?"
His eyes had practically become "dead" by now. Hii Kōri couldn't even be bothered to look at him again. "It's just one Kage in his sixties who died—even if he hadn't, he'd have retired in a couple of years anyway. You don't seriously think Konoha has lost all ability to resist, do you?"
"If Konoha were that easy to take, would we still be holed up in this desert that even dogs don't want?"
"Kumogakure's Raikage is dead too. Whether the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers were incited or just acted on impulse, to calm internal emotions and respect the Second Raikage's dying wish to 'sign a peace agreement,' Kumogakure won't be dispatching troops at a time like this."
"Kirigakure... they're too far from the mainland, too many variables. But calculating the seasons and ocean currents, they couldn't land until next spring or summer at the earliest. So they're out too."
"Iwagakure might actually get involved, but given Ōnoki's personality, Iwa definitely won't be the first to move."
Counting off on his fingers one by one, Hii Kōri let out a heavy sigh. "If we really calculate it, just us alone can't beat Konoha. We might even end up getting kicked by Iwa in the end."
"Making the first move, playing the villain, probably still losing to the opponent, with potential reinforcements possibly backstabbing us because of the unfavorable situation, and ultimately helping the other side instead—that kind of deal just sounds like a losing proposition."
"Anyway, my analysis is done. Who agrees, who opposes?"
Having said his piece, Hii Kōri leaned back boringly in his chair, finding it quite uncomfortable to lie in, and immediately started pondering the texture of new upholstery materials.
"I have a question. What you said before, Hii, I can mostly understand, but what do you mean by 'ultimately helping the other side instead'?"
This question came from a member of administrative staff in the Resource Department who was mainly responsible for material dispatch, accounting and statistics. He didn't really know much about the status of other villages.
"Simple. If we actively dispatch troops right now, when the Second Hokage has just died, wouldn't that give Konoha's top brass a perfect opportunity to relieve their internal pressure?"
Since this colleague frequently picked up supplies from him and was a relatively familiar coworker, and since he genuinely lacked knowledge in this area, Hii Kōri's tone was much more peaceful.
"Those guys were hoping Konoha would fall into severe internal strife from losing their leader, but that's absolutely impossible."
"Konoha has more ninja clans than Suna, and they're more independent too. This leads to a rather complex relationship network among Konoha's top brass, basically in a state where pulling one hair affects the whole body. No matter which faction, at a time like this, they can't make any high-profile moves that would leave leverage."
Although he vaguely remembered from the manga that the Uchiha Clan seemed to be annihilated for attempting rebellion, judging from the intelligence gathered so far, while the Uchiha were relatively independent within Konoha, they were still worlds away from rebellion.
There was even an Uchiha among Tobirama Senju's disciples and guards. Expecting them to cause much trouble under these circumstances was unlikely.
Thinking along these lines, Hii Kōri's speculation continued.
"On the other hand, Tobirama Senju had been handling much of Konoha's internal affairs even while Hashirama Senju was alive. The larger a s
system, the more it runs on inertia. Even if he's dead and a new Hokage hasn't been chosen, the systems he built can run stably for quite a while."
"Moreover, Konoha has vast resources. They could easily shift internal conflicts to external war, convert interest disputes into post-war military merit settlements, and simultaneously give Konoha ninja, fired up by their Kage's death, an outlet for their emotions... Ha... just thinking about it makes them hard to beat."
"In summary, I don't see any benefit to making a move on Konoha now. Casualties from war are inevitable, but taking unnecessary losses would be too stupid."
"Rather than that, I think it's better to see how big Konoha's fire burns, take opportunities to add fuel, and make a move once we're prepared."
At this point, his expression suddenly changed. "Wait, I recall that Ebizō-sama should regularly compile intelligence on other villages and distribute it. Didn't you all read it?"
Since this was a meeting convened for multiple jōnin, Hii Kōri didn't use familiar terms of address.
"We read it, but even so, analyzing all this as quickly as you did is too difficult..."
Thus questioned, the other jōnin were somewhat embarrassed.
"And besides, isn't this just your speculation? The specific situation will depend on intelligence from spies later, right?"
"Eh... fine. Then I have another reason."
Completely losing interest in responding to this stubborn argument, Hii Kōri tilted his head toward his acquaintance from the Resource Department. "Come on, tell him how much stuff Suna imports from the Country of Fire each month, and how much cheaper it is than market price."
The latter immediately showed a look of realization, then reported a long string of precise figures.
"Understand? If you don't, that's fine too. What these numbers represent is simple: the Country of Wind and the Country of Fire are currently in a honeymoon period, trade is in full swing."
"If we go to the Daimyō right now and tell him we want to attack Konoha, guess whether he'll allocate funds?"
The red-haired youth's expression was wooden as he struck quite a mercenary gesture and asked meaningfully.
***
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