In other words, there would be at least a month and a half to two months of breathing room, more than enough time for Konoha to free up its hands to deal with the Village Hidden by a Waterfall's Jinchūriki.
Yet no one had expected that Village Hidden by a Waterfall would run into trouble at precisely such a critical moment.
The third Hokage instantly realized that this matter was anything but simple. The enemy had clearly come prepared, accurately seizing the moment when the Shinobi World's attention, and Konoha's focus alike, was fixed upon the International Supervisory Committee's second inspection before launching a sudden strike with lightning speed.
He quietly listened until the communications personnel had finished delivering the intelligence.
After pondering for a moment, he raised his head and ordered the nearby Anbu, "Go and bring Jonin Shinichi Higashino here immediately!"
The village Hidden by a Waterfall definitely had to be rescued.
But how they should be rescued, whom they should send, and above all, what Village Hidden in the Grass's true objective was in attacking Village Hidden by a Waterfall… he wanted to hear the opinion of Shinichi, the man known as one of the Shinobi World's greatest strategists, before making his decision.
A short while later, Shinichi, who had been chatting with Genjo in the reception room, was summoned to the Hokage's office.
It is worth mentioning that when Shinichi excused himself and prepared to leave, Genjo said meaningfully, "Benefactor Shinichi Higashino, go ahead. If you encounter any difficulty, simply say the word."
Although Shinichi still had no idea what had happened, the stirring within Genjo caused by the Fortune Sight talent quietly surfaced once again.
This matter most likely concerned a major opportunity that belonged to Genjo himself.
When the time came, Shinichi would have to think of a way to involve Genjo as well.
"The Village Hidden in the Stones is undoubtedly the force behind this!"
Inside the Hokage's office, after hearing the full intelligence report, Shinichi gave his judgment.
"Even knowing that Village Hidden by a Waterfall has close ties with us and that attacking it would inevitably provoke Konoha's intervention, Village Hidden in the Grass still insisted on going through with it. That means it must have received the backing and instructions of one of the great ninja villages, and that village is almost certainly the Village Hidden in the Stones."
The Village Hidden in the Stones… Hearing Shinichi's conclusion, the third Hokage immediately found himself wanting to speak but hesitated instead; his old indecisiveness had resurfaced.
If Shinichi was right, and Village Hidden in the Grass's attack on Village Hidden by a Waterfall was backed by the Village Hidden in the Stones, then once Konoha sent troops to assist, they would very likely run head-on into the Village Hidden in the Stones' forces.
At that point, if the conflict escalated, it would become the fuse that ignited an official declaration of war between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Stones.
Already fighting simultaneously against the Village Hidden in the Sand, Village Hidden in the Cloud, and Village Hidden in the Mist, Konoha's military strength had been stretched to its absolute limit.
He truly did not want to openly tear relations apart with the Village Hidden in the Stones and open yet another front in the war for the sake of the Village Hidden by a Waterfall alone.
Seeing the third Hokage hesitate so indecisively, Shinichi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Hokage-sama, as the saying goes, throw one punch to prevent a hundred blows."
"Besides, in the eyes of the outside world, the Village Hidden by a Waterfall has always maintained close ties with Konoha. For many years now, whether at various conferences or in response to different initiatives, the Village Hidden by a Waterfall has always been the first hidden village to support Konoha."
"If we stand by and do nothing this time, the Village Hidden by a Waterfall will inevitably grow disheartened. The large and small hidden villages that depend on Konoha, or those still sitting on the fence, will all begin to fear for themselves. When that happens, the prestige and credibility Konoha has spent years cultivating will inevitably suffer a devastating blow."
'Throw one punch to prevent a hundred blows?'
The third Hokage carefully savored those words. Sometimes he felt that compared to a ninja, Shinichi resembled a philosopher more. He often uttered one or two seemingly straightforward phrases that became increasingly profound the more one thought about them.
After pondering for a moment, the third Hokage cautiously asked, "Shinichi, in your opinion, if we decisively send troops to rescue Village Hidden by a Waterfall, is there any chance we can completely avoid a war with the Village Hidden in the Stones?"
"I'm afraid not, Hokage-sama."
Shinichi shook his head and answered bluntly. "Right now, the village is simultaneously fighting Village Hidden in the Mist and the Village Hidden in the Sand, and our war with Village Hidden in the Cloud hasn't officially ended either. We simply don't have the capability to inflict enough damage to make the Village Hidden in the Stones fear us. Expecting a single rescue operation to completely make them abandon their intentions isn't realistic."
Hearing this, the third Hokage immediately felt disappointed and was about to say something more when Shinichi continued.
"However! We can delay the war. We can push back the point at which both sides completely tear off the mask. The third Tsuchikage, Onoki, is an old fox who excels at careful calculation. This attack by Village Hidden in the Grass against Village Hidden by a Waterfall is one of his tests."
"If we back down this time and watch Village Hidden by a Waterfall perish without lifting a finger, Onoki will conclude that Konoha is already stretched thin dealing with its existing battlefronts and doesn't dare confront him. Instead, he'll only push his advantage even further."
"But if we show sufficient resolve this time, decisively rescue Village Hidden by a Waterfall, and even make them suffer a painful setback over this incident, then with a major war against Village Hidden in the Cloud about to begin, the Village Hidden in the Stones will not choose this moment to completely provoke us."
"That's exactly why I said, throw one punch to prevent a hundred blows!"
After hearing this, the third Hokage let out a sigh of relief, yet still hesitantly asked, "What about afterward? Even if we force the Village Hidden in the Stones to withdraw this time, once their war with the Village Hidden in the Cloud comes to an end, they'll eventually turn around and deal with us."
"Afterward?"
A smile curled across Shinichi's lips as he replied, "Hokage-sama, don't you think our war with the Village Hidden in the Sand has already dragged on long enough?"
"Hm?"
The third Hokage looked up at him, signaling for him to continue.
Shinichi explained, "The Land of Wind has always been barren and poor in resources. Among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, its capacity to sustain war is the weakest. After fighting for more than a year, the Village Hidden in the Sand's finances are nearly exhausted, and the burden has become extremely heavy. Moreover, since assuming office, the fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has yet to achieve a single noteworthy military success. He lacks authority both domestically and abroad, which is extremely detrimental to his rule."
"Once spring arrives, a new round of major battles will begin. But this time, the Village Hidden in the Sand shouldn't be the one attacking. It should be our turn to launch the counteroffensive. We should concentrate our superior forces, drive the front lines directly into the Land of Wind in one decisive campaign, push all the way to the Village Hidden in the Sand's doorstep, and force them to negotiate peace with us!"