The loss of Sunagakure's One-Tail jinchuriki did not send any particularly strong shockwaves through the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
After all, even before this, both Uchiha Madara and Yuto had already shown tendencies toward collecting tailed beasts.
This was hardly a secret to anyone.
The only thing that truly rattled the major villages was the death of Elder Chiyo.
A warrior with such a distinguished battle record across multiple Shinobi World Wars, suddenly reported dead — this was a significant blow to Sunagakure.
It also gave every major village the sudden feeling that a storm was brewing on the horizon.
Ever since Uchiha Madara had seized a jinchuriki, the shinobi world had settled back into an uneasy calm.
Of course, this calm was only relative when it came to the smaller villages.
Because Uchiha Madara's whereabouts remained shrouded in secrecy, most of the Shinobi World's attention had shifted to Konoha and Kirigakure instead.
During this period, anyone observant enough would have noticed that diplomatic exchanges between Konoha, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure had suddenly become far more frequent.
Especially on Konoha's end.
While Elder Chiyo was still alive, Sunagakure's policy toward Konoha had been one of open hostility. Now, that stance was shifting rapidly.
The driving force behind this change was none other than Elder Chiyo's brother, Ebizo, who had been working behind the scenes to facilitate the transition.
Compared to the impulsive and straightforward Elder Chiyo, Ebizo was undoubtedly the type who operated through careful deliberation and calculated strategy.
Anyone with eyes could see that Sunagakure was now playing both sides.
What puzzled many, however, was that neither Konoha nor Kirigakure seemed to have noticed. Both carried on exactly as before.
It was precisely this peculiar behavior from both Konoha and Kirigakure that gave the other villages the unmistakable sense of a gathering storm.
Half a month later.
News that Sunagakure's Gaara would officially succeed as the Fifth Kazekage in three days' time spread throughout the Shinobi World.
The announcement came extremely suddenly. Many villages were caught off guard — Gaara had little name recognition outside Sunagakure. Beyond being the son of the Fourth Kazekage, he wielded virtually no influence in the broader Shinobi World.
Such an abrupt ascension to the position of Fifth Kazekage left many villages scratching their heads.
But Konoha and Kirigakure both seemed to have anticipated this. The moment Sunagakure made the announcement, each village dispatched their own representatives to offer congratulations.
Sunagakure had been governed by its elders and upper leadership during this period, but Elder Chiyo's death had introduced a measure of instability within the village.
To restore public confidence, and with the backing of Elder Chiyo's dying wishes plus the strong support of Ebizo and Baki, Gaara assumed the role of Fifth Kazekage with virtually no resistance.
Kirigakure, Mizukage's Office.
"I never expected Sunagakure to actually install a brat as Kazekage."
"I saw it coming, but not this quickly."
Terumi Mei remarked with a note of surprise, her tone laced with amusement.
"Sunagakure desperately needs someone to stabilize the situation right now. Anyone else taking the position would come with certain drawbacks."
"Combined with Elder Chiyo's dying instructions, Gaara is really the only choice. He can maintain the internal balance of Sunagakure without the village consuming itself from within."
Yuto spoke without looking up from the intelligence report in his hand, seated on the nearby sofa.
Terumi Mei nodded slightly. She had been thinking the same thing.
A moment later.
Yuto finished reviewing the report, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Konoha has been funneling this many supplies to Sunagakure lately. They really are flush with resources."
As he spoke, Yuto set the documents aside.
"You can still laugh about this?"
"It's precisely because of Konoha's constant little maneuvers that our cooperation with Sunagakure has slowed down. Some projects have even had to be shelved entirely."
Terumi Mei rolled her eyes, pressing her slender white fingers to her temples as she spoke with exasperation.
The situation with Konoha had been a constant source of frustration for Terumi Mei lately.
But there was nothing she could do about it in the short term. Konoha's deep pockets gave them an overwhelming advantage, and it was not as if Kirigakure could simply give away supplies to Sunagakure for free.
If they did, it would be a case of killing eight hundred enemies but losing a thousand of their own. The people of Konoha would probably be thrilled.
And Sunagakure would reap all the benefits for nothing!
Of course, Sunagakure was not the only issue. Konoha was also quietly obstructing Kirigakure on other economic fronts.
The effects were not yet visible, but Terumi Mei knew that if this dragged on, it would be very bad for Kirigakure.
In terms of economic strength, Konoha's position as number one was not just for show.
"An economic war, huh?"
A strange smile appeared on Yuto's face.
The approach Konoha was taking was crude, but it undeniably bore the hallmarks of an economic war in its infancy.
Yuto, however, was not the least bit concerned. Economic warfare above all else required time — it was a strategy of gradual, silent erosion.
The fact that Konoha was only now employing such methods meant they were already far too late. Moreover, their techniques were extremely crude, relying entirely on brute financial force.
This also proved something else.
Konoha genuinely did not have any truly effective means of dealing with Kirigakure. Otherwise, they would never have stooped to such a slow-acting approach.
After all!
The Naruto world was one where power reigned supreme. A Kage-level combatant could single-handedly steamroll an entire small nation.
Strategies like economic warfare might have some utility, but they could not fundamentally alter the course of a war.
Methods from his previous life like economic warfare might be devastatingly effective in a world where individual combat power was less disproportionate.
But in a world like the Naruto universe, where top-tier power decided everything, their impact would be negligible at best.
This was also why Yuto could not be bothered with such tactics. Why bother with a slow grind when a single punch could solve the problem?
Right now, Konoha was simply operating under the mentality of chipping away at Kirigakure's strength however they could, one piece at a time.
"You really aren't worried at all, are you?"
Terumi Mei murmured, noting the unconcerned expression on Yuto's face.
But.
Yuto's composure actually made Terumi Mei feel somewhat reassured.
"Pay no mind to Konoha. Just proceed according to the original plan."
"Sunagakure's role was to tie up Konoha's resources. That role has already been fulfilled, hasn't it?"
Yuto looked at Terumi Mei and smiled softly.
At this point, his tone shifted, and an intrigued expression crossed his face.
"Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, turns out to be far more interesting than I expected."
Yuto murmured to himself, a hint of genuine surprise in his voice.
The fact that Tsunade could conceive of an economic warfare strategy, however crude, proved that she was significantly shrewder than her canon counterpart.
"I hear Konoha's Tsunade is quite beautiful."
At that moment, a languid voice drifted from Terumi Mei's direction.
"She does have the title of 'Konoha's Blossom,' so naturally she's quite lovely."
Yuto nodded in agreement. He had seen Tsunade in person during the battle against Senju Hashirama.
She was not only stunningly beautiful but possessed a striking presence as well. No wonder she was called "Tsunade-hime" — Princess Tsunade — in Konoha.
The moment those words left Yuto's mouth, he felt a sudden chill creeping from Terumi Mei's direction.
At that moment.
Terumi Mei was wearing a captivating smile, her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Yuto.
"Is that so?"
"I wonder, Lord Yuto — who do you find more beautiful? Konoha's Tsunade, or your very own Mizukage?"
Terumi Mei leaned forward slightly, her voice dripping with curiosity.
Yuto's face registered brief surprise. By now, he had realized his mistake, and he let out a small, controlled cough.
"Terumi Mei, of course you're the more beautiful one!"
Yuto's expression shifted to one of absolute seriousness as he answered with complete sincerity.
Yuto might have been obtuse when it came to romance, but even he knew that praising another woman in front of the one you were with was an exceedingly dangerous thing to do.
Besides, he was telling the truth. Terumi Mei really was beautiful.
"It's nothing."
Hearing Yuto's earnest words, a faint blush crept onto Terumi Mei's cheeks. She raised her slender fingers, painted with blue nail polish, to cover her pink lips as she spoke shyly.
Yuto's mouth twitched, while silently letting out a breath of relief.
Indeed — when in the company of a beautiful woman, it was best never to bring up another.
Right at that moment.
Bang! Bang!
An urgent knocking sound suddenly rang out from beyond the office door.
Yuto and Terumi Mei exchanged a brief glance, both their eyes flashing with confusion.
"Come in."
Terumi Mei straightened her posture, her face settling into a serious expression as she called out evenly toward the door.
No sooner had she spoken.
The office door was thrust open, and Ao strode in, his expression grave and tense.
He shut the door swiftly behind him.
"Lord Yuto! Lady Mizukage!"
Ao bowed deeply to the two figures in the room, speaking with urgent respect.
"What is it? What's happened?"
Terumi Mei asked, her brow furrowing slightly at the look on Ao's face.
Ao's temperament was always measured and composed. For him to appear this serious and heavy-hearted, something significant must have occurred.
Yuto, standing nearby, looked over with equal curiosity. He too wanted to know what had happened.
"We just received intelligence. Uchiha Madara is currently in Iwagakure."
"Furthermore, Uchiha Madara and Iwagakure's Tsuchikage, Onoki, have formed an alliance."
Ao spoke with unmistakable gravity, every word laden with weight.
"What did you just say?!"
Terumi Mei froze for an instant, then slammed her palm against the desk, her voice rising sharply.
Seeing their Mizukage react with such visible shock, Ao was not particularly surprised. When he had first received this intelligence himself, his reaction had been even more extreme.
Uchiha Madara was already an individual of terrifying power. Now, aligning with Iwagakure — one of the Five Great Villages — the implications were clear to every shinobi village.
"Such critical intelligence — where did you obtain it?"
Terumi Mei, realizing she had briefly lost her composure, pulled herself together and looked up at Ao with sharp, serious eyes.
Ao's expression turned slightly peculiar. "Strictly speaking, this information was not gathered by our own people."
"What do you mean?"
Terumi Mei's brows knitted, her confusion deepening as she stared at Ao.
"This intelligence was voluntarily disclosed by Iwagakure itself. If I had to guess, the other major villages have likely received the same information by now."
Ao explained, his voice heavy with both concern and resignation.
Terumi Mei's face first showed astonishment, then returned to its usual unreadable mask, her inner thoughts impossible to discern.
For a moment.
The entire Mizukage's office fell deathly silent.
But the silence was soon broken by a sudden chuckle.
"Interesting. That's very much in character for Uchiha Madara."
Yuto laughed softly, his smile carrying a hint of deeper meaning.
Ao looked mildly bewildered. He had no idea why Lord Yuto was laughing or what his words implied.
"Lord Yuto, have you noticed something?"
Ao asked respectfully, his head slightly bowed, unable to hide his curiosity.
Terumi Mei also turned her gaze toward Yuto. She knew him far better than Ao did.
Lord Yuto must have noticed something!
"The alliance between Uchiha Madara and Onoki — don't you find that inherently fascinating?"
Yuto's lips curled into a faint smile as he spoke.
An alliance between Uchiha Madara and Onoki seemed... unproblematic on the surface. For both parties, it appeared to be a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Terumi Mei and Ao exchanged a glance and then fell silent.
Were they supposed to admit that they had not noticed anything unusual?
Wouldn't that make them look foolish...?
Seeming to sense their discomfort, Yuto shook his head gently and spoke directly.
"What kind of person is Tsuchikage Onoki? Surely you both know him better than I do."
"Would a man like that really allow someone as dangerous as Uchiha Madara to simply walk into his village?"
Yuto's calm voice reached the ears of both Ao and Terumi Mei.
Onoki was the longest-serving Tsuchikage in Iwagakure's history, the man who had led the village to its golden age.
His prestige within Iwagakure was absolute.
It was precisely because of this that Onoki's personality was exceptionally stubborn and hardline — both in domestic and foreign affairs.
And Uchiha Madara, with his overwhelming power, was an absolutely prideful individual.
So the crux of the matter became clear!
One uncompromising hardliner!
One supremely arrogant figure!
If these two were to cooperate, the question of who was in charge would be paramount.
Not to mention, Uchiha Madara's dangerous nature was obvious to anyone who was not a fool.
Onoki was clearly no fool. How could he possibly allow someone as dangerous as Uchiha Madara to set foot inside his own village?
Ao frowned, his face contemplative. He seemed to be grasping at something crucial, yet the full picture eluded him.
A flicker of realization crossed Terumi Mei's eyes, as though a thought had just struck her.
[
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