Chapter 48

"No, have Nagato restrict his actions as much as possible. Rain Village will not be part of the upcoming war. However, if any Shinobi venture into the village, have Nagato kill them all. I am still in need of a large number of corpses for experimentation. Oh, and send some of your clones to keep an eye on the leaf." After Obito passed his commands, he used Kamui and vanished. Zetsu, letting out a light chuckle, merged back into the ground.

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Senju Compound

Naruto had calmed down in the past week since he visited his parents' grave, and Jiraiya had stayed with Naruto to help him recover. Jiraiya, upon Tsunade's request, had agreed to become the Senju clan's guest elder. Currently, little Tenten is pestering Naruto to tell her more about the Slug Sage. Being around someone his own age had helped Naruto mellow down his turbulent emotions a lot.

"Why don't you go ask Tsunade Obachan yourself? She is not going to eat you or anything, you know," Naruto couldn't help but tell Tenten because, when it came to admiring Tsunade, he hadn't seen anyone so crazy.

"Naruto, how dare you speak about Tsunade sama like that? She is the greatest Kunoichi in the whole Ninja world. Someday, I will be as great as her. Big brother Kazuki has promised me." Tenten scolded Naruto and shared her aspirations.

"Heh, what's so great about old Granny Tsunade? My godfather said it's a miracle that she was able to walk properly carrying all that burden when he was drunk. Guess what, I am going to become the greatest Hokage just like my father." Just before Naruto could complete his posturing, a hand quickly grabbed him by the ears.

Naruto turned around only to see Tsunade glaring at him with anger radiating out of her body, and that's when he knew that he had messed up. Tenten couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's condition and admire Tsunade's greatness at the same time.

"What did you just say, you pipsqueak? Care to repeat that one more time?" Tsunade, who heard Naruto's words while she was passing by, couldn't help but want to tear Jiraiya apart for teaching little Naruto such perverted things.

"Grandma Tsunade, it was Ero-sennin who told me this when he was drunk the other night. He has been rambling about things in his sleep." Little Naruto blurted it out in the face of his guardian's anger.

"Wait, why did you call him Ero Sennin? Tell me, Did he teach you other demented things in this short time he was here?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask why Naruto called Jiraiya that.

"Oh, that's what Big Brother calls him. He said that my godfather learned all his perverted habits from Grandpa Hokage, and they both are perverts and like to peep." Naruto shared the details that Kazuki had told him.

Tsunade couldn't help but sigh when she heard Naruto. She was partially happy, though; at least her apprentice was smart enough to see them for who they really were.

"Jiraiya!!!" Tsunade bellowed, wanting to find the toad sage and teach him a lesson for trying to corrupt little Naruto.

"Master, it seems like things are really lively within the Senju clan. I just saw Jiraiya-sama running out of the Senju compound while you were shouting out his name earlier. Did something happen?" Kazuki entered along with Shizune, who was giving an amused look at Tsunade's false anger.

"I am going to break quite a few of his bones when I lay my hands on him later. As for you, Naruto, stay away from that pervert. He is a bad influence," Tsunade said while releasing Naruto's ears from her grip, which he rubbed furiously.

"Big brother, Kazuki!" Tenten couldn't help but scream happily after seeing Kazuki, as he was the second person she admired after Tsunade. He was also teaching her the basics of chakra and fuinjutsu.

"Hey, Tenten. How are you? Have you been studying diligently?" Kazuki asked with delight because the little girl was a genius when it came to fuinjutsu arts, learning at an exceptional pace, making her a delight to teach.

After Tsunade reprimanded the kids, she sent them away with Shizune while she herself accompanied Kazuki towards the Hokage building.

As Tsunade and Kazuki reached the old man's office, there were already people there involved in a deep conversation within the meeting room adjoining the office room. The entire elder council, except for Danzo, was present. Even Elder Kenji from the Uchiha clan was there. In addition, the meeting room was occupied by Jiraiya, the Jonin commander Shikaku, the head of the Konoha medical department, the head of the torture and interrogation department, and also the ANBU commander.

Hiruzen was carefully reviewing the scroll that he held at hand. Kazuki was initially surprised because Shikaku was supposed to leave on a mission to escort the Raikage, yet he was here, part of a high-profile impromptu meeting. When Tsunade entered the meeting hall, Kazuki, who followed her in, was the odd one out among everyone present. However, breaking protocol, Hiruzen allowed Kazuki to observe from the side, and he quickly moved to a corner.

"It's good that you are here, Tsunade. I was about to send someone to find you. Take a seat," Hiruzen said with a grave tone. Whatever information he had received must have been grave to call in such an urgent meeting.

"We just received valuable intelligence from one of our undercover ANBU's. Although the Aburame clan ANBU was not able to make it out alive, he was able to send out the intel using a special method. Thanks to his sacrifice, we may be able to avert an upcoming disaster," Hiruzen stressed the importance of the scroll he was holding. Everyone in the meeting hall maintained silence for the now deceased ANBU as a show of respect.

"So, what is the intel about, Hiruzen? Is it so important to call such a meeting hastily even without the presence of clan elders?" Koharu couldn't help but anxiously ask. However, Hiruzen maintained his grave silence but glanced at Shikaku to share the news with the others.

"Takigakure has fallen. Iwagakure caught them off-guard and completely obliterated them. The Tsuchikage personally led the battle, and they have converted the entire village into a fortified forward base to launch attacks," Shikaku shared the intelligence that they had received earlier. Shikaku was just about to exit the village gates when an ANBU recalled him back to the Hokage's office, and a different team was sent to escort the Raikage's entourage.

"Hokage-sama, is this true? If what Shikaku said is true, then it just means one thing: war. What are we going to do with the incoming Kumo delegation, and are the other villages aware of this attack?" The head of the medical department couldn't help but blurt out her question, as war is not a simple matter, and no matter who wins or loses, everyone is sure to suffer at the end.

However, Kazuki, who heard this, had a different reaction. His mind worked on overdrive, and all the information fell into place. His eyes widened in shock. Hiruzen, who sat across from the corner where Kazuki was standing, noticed this. Kazuki quickly manipulated his shadows to discreetly write a few words on the table so that they were visible only to Hiruzen. Hiruzen's eyes widened when he read the content of the message, and he couldn't help but look to meet Kazuki's eyes, who simply acknowledged the authenticity of the information with a quick nod.

"Well, that is not all. From what I know, Takigakure must have had the Seven Tails hidden amongst them, so it is very much possible that it has fallen into Iwagakure's hands by now." Hiruzen, choosing to believe Kazuki's words, quickly shared the information that the Nara prodigy had provided.

"Hokage-sama, how sure are you about this intel? Because if what you said is true, then the power structure would completely change with Iwa having possession of three bijuu." The head of the information department couldn't help but question the authenticity of the news. The Seven Tails' whereabouts had been unknown since the time of the Shodai Hokage.

It was the only bijuu that was smart enough to escape from Leaf's control before the exchange was made after the first Kage summit. Everyone has believed it to be in hiding ever since. However, now Hiruzen was sharing that a small village like Takigakure had controlled the Seven Tails, which was unbelievable for the others.

"Hiruzen, are you sure? Because if that's the case, without our Jinchuriki, we will have to face three Jinchuriki at the same time if Iwa chooses to attack us head-on." Homura questioned him with worry and unease etched all over his face.

"Not necessarily, Homura-sama. Iwa might not outright take control of a third bijuu because then every major village would target them to curb their power. What I am afraid of is that they might use the bijuu for some underhanded tricks, like how Kirigakure tried it in the last Shinobi war." Shikaku quickly added his insight, sharing the possibility of the enemy trying to sneak the bijuu into the village and then release it.

Everyone, including Hiruzen, started contemplating Shikaku's words. Upon careful consideration, the Jonin commander's words made sense. Iwa might not attempt to take control of the third bijuu unless they were sure they could take on all the major villages simultaneously. However, that didn't mean they couldn't release the bijuu right in the middle of an enemy village.

"Damn that Onoki; you cannot put it past that fence sitter to carry out such an underhanded scheme. If it assures him victory, he is willing to go to any lengths. Now the question is, do the other villages know, and if not, do we tell them, especially Kumo? Because now that Iwa has control of Takigakure, their first attack would be either on Leaf or Kumo. Sharing this information might bring us some benefits." Elder Kenji, who was from the same era as Onoki, couldn't help but curse the Tsuchikage and suggested the option of sharing intel.

"No, I think it would be unwise to do so. The incoming Kumo delegation has nothing but ill intent in coming to our village, and if we inform them of the current situation, there are high chances that the Cloud and Stone will form a coalition and attack Konoha together. So it's better to wait and see what Kumo's true intentions are. If they genuinely come in peace, then we can form an alliance and face Iwa together." It was Tsunade who countered the Uchiha elder's suggestion of sharing intel. From the earlier discussion with Kazuki, she knew that Kumo's intentions were anything but peaceful. If that's the case, then helping Kumo at this stage would be like planting a knife in their own back.

"Sensei, Tsunade's words make sense; although they come in the name of peace, we do not know their true intentions, or if they truly come in peace, then it wouldn't be too late to stand together." Jiraiya voiced his support for Tsunade's words.

"Hokage sama, it's better we start making preparations. Although the war mobilization order from earlier is still active, we are still lacking if it comes to a full-scale war if we have to face all the major villages at the same time, so I humbly ask you to request Tsunade Sama to take over the medical department and lead it like before." The head of the medical department couldn't help but place a request in the face of the upcoming war because the next Shinobi war was all but set in stone after Iwa's actions.

Hiruzen made a gesture, and an ANBU flickered next to him, waiting for his orders.

"Call for a meeting. Don't tell them it's a war council; just say it's a clan heads meeting like last time. I want them all in the meeting by six in the evening."

The ANBU, acknowledging Hiruzen's orders, quickly flickered away to carry out the instructions. The meeting continued, and Tsunade sent the previous medical head to the Konoha hospital to make preparations. Kazuki was given a casual excuse to leave, but the moment he returned, he started preparing for the upcoming war.