Chapter 570 - 600.The Storm Has Passed, and You Think You’re Tough Again?

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"Hm" Kazuki was caught so off guard that he nearly choked, unable to stop himself from giving Shikaku a thumbs-up.

Shikaku, when you’re truly scheming, your heart is pitch black. And now you’re even forging imperial edicts?! But honestly, the deed was beautifully done!

Jiraiya simply couldn’t be allowed too much free time. Otherwise, he’d stir up every conceivable kind of trouble. Keeping him busy was absolutely necessary. Kazuki approved of Shikaku’s actions.

However, approval aside, this sort of thing was ultimately improper. If someone with ill intentions caught wind of it, Shikaku would find himself in serious trouble. Giving Shikaku a meaningful glance, Kazuki cleared his throat. "Well done. As it happens, I had the same intention. But don’t let it happen again. If this were discovered, both you and your clan would be in trouble."

Forging the Hokage’s orders was no laughing matter. It wasn’t a small issue. If anyone decided to pursue it, Shikaku would be in deep water. If Kazuki was willing to cover for him and openly claim it was his own intention, then it would be fine. But if Kazuki wasn’t willing... the consequences would be dire.

Besides, no matter how much one trusted a subordinate, nobody liked having them use their name to issue false orders. Once a precedent was set, it became nearly impossible to rein in. For a prime example, one needed only to look at the late Danzo. After testing the waters and finding that the Third Hokage didn’t care – even defending Danzo after exposure – Danzo grew bolder and bolder, completely disregarding consequences. Things escalated further and further. Eventually, Danzo felt emboldened enough to commit all manner of atrocities under the Third Hokage’s name. It was fortunate the position of Hokage couldn’t have both a primary and a deputy, otherwise Danzo would have absolutely become the Deputy Hokage.

"Rest assured, Lord Hokage. This time it was truly out of necessity. After all, Lord Third, ahh..." Shikaku sighed. The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance had served the Third Hokage for decades. They knew his character all too well. When it came to matters of principle, that old man could be even more stubborn than Onoki, the stubborn little fossil of the Stone Village.

"There’s no need to concern yourself with such things," Kazuki said, accepting the tea Mabui had brewed. He set the cup on the desk and looked up. "If Lord Third has objections, let him have them. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the village’s development, if he wants to make a fuss, let him."

Was this for real? Since when had the Hokage become so magnanimous?

"When he returns, just keep an eye on the Sarutobi Clan. Keep an open, public watch."

Forget everything I just thought.

Shikaku’s mouth twitched. He’d briefly wondered if Kazuki had truly changed, only for Kazuki to deliver a vicious counter-thrust that left Shikaku’s heart aching. Openly surveilling the Sarutobi Clan was, in essence, a warning to the Third Hokage:

Behave. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to take certain measures against the Sarutobi Clan.

"You’ve worked hard. Go get some rest."

At that very moment, on the border of the Land of Fire, Shisui handed the sealing scrolls to Onoki.

"You have my thanks." With the scrolls in hand, Onoki finally felt the weight lift from his shoulders. Now he could breathe. As long as the supplies were delivered to the battlefield in the Land of Waterfalls, the Stone Village could hold out and withstand the Cloud Village’s onslaught. Once the battlefield stabilized, he would immediately convene the Five Kage Summit in his capacity as Tsuchikage. With four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages in favor of ending the war, even the Cloud Village would be forced to comply. Unless, of course, they wanted to make enemies of the other four villages.

Transporting the supplies was simple enough for Onoki. He simply flew, delivering them to the battlefield that very day. The village’s ninja had been holding on by a thread. Now, with material support finally arriving, the previously demoralized Stone Village forces were reinvigorated, as if granted a second spring.

The Stone Village’s confidence returned. They no longer feared a war of attrition with the Cloud Village, which meant the Cloud Village’s offensive once again ground to a halt.

"Lord Raikage, this is the combat report from the front-line positions." Raikage A had left the village and personally traveled to the Land of Waterfalls battlefield to oversee the war effort. The moment the report reached his hands, A knew trouble had arrived. The Stone Village had been retreating step by step. Now, suddenly, they had found their courage. They were all rising up. Even a fool could guess that a massive problem was brewing.

"Damn it! What kind of terms did the Tsuchikage offer to persuade the Hokage?!" A had known all along that Onoki would try to win over the Leaf Village. After consulting with the village’s higher-ups, they too had offered generous compensation, hoping to keep the Leaf on their side. Unfortunately, the offer had been rejected. Kazuki wasn’t a man who went back on his word, but the cooperative relationship between the two villages simply wasn’t solid enough.

A couldn’t accuse the Leaf of treachery. He could only accept that his offer hadn’t been enough to move the other party. This infuriated A. He kept wondering what price the Stone Village had paid to convince Kazuki. After numerous dealings and cooperative ventures, A knew Kazuki wasn’t easily persuaded.

Among the younger generation, finding someone more cunning was nearly impossible. And yet Onoki had managed to move him. It was simply absurd. Not only had he failed to win over the Leaf Village a second time, he’d even thrown his secretary into the bargain, and still owed the Leaf Village a favor. Just thinking about it made A’s liver ache with fury.

"Continue pinning down the Stone Village’s main forces. Send word to Killer Bee: launch the assault immediately. Since the war is destined to end, I want the Stone Village to remember the scars this war has left them!!" A had personally come to the front lines not just to oversee the battle, but had also secretly brought Killer Bee along, concealing it from the other higher-ups. A special operations squad had been formed, led by Killer Bee, tasked with striking directly into the heart of the Land of Earth.

A intended to emulate Kazuki’s tactics – attacking from the rear to deliver a devastating blow to the Stone Village. The Cloud Village couldn’t assemble a force of that many elite shinobi on such short notice, but they had Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Under the leadership of this perfect Jinchuriki, an assault into the Land of Earth’s interior would certainly give the Stone Village a nightmarish headache.

"Onoki! If my Cloud Village suffers, you can forget about peace!"

No matter the cost, the price paid to persuade the Leaf Village had been heavy. A was determined to make the Stone Village taste the bitterness of adding frost to snow. If the Stone Village was already indebted to the Leaf Village, and the Land of Earth had already been plundered once by the Leaf, a second raid by the Cloud Village would absolutely cripple the Stone Village’s recovery and development. In the long run, this would benefit the Cloud Village.

If we can’t gain the upper hand on the front lines, I’ll raid your home. Let’s see how you defend against that, Onoki. Pushed to his limits, A had resolved to play a high-stakes game against Onoki.