Shikaku's POV (House of Council - Hidden Leaf Village)
The Village Hidden in the Leaves was a longstanding and prideful home. Supported by the Fire Lord and protected by the Hokage and his forces. It had stood for a long time and was likely to continue doing so. Perhaps it was merely the way of the world such a place would experience the occasional tragedy. But shinobi thought differently. Even the relatively peaceful and agreeable Leaf shinobi were shinobi at the end of the day. Assassinations, theft, espionage, blackmail, etc., they dabbled in all jobs. Naturally, such actions made many enemies. From there, it was a matter of time. Those who bring suffering to others will eventually experience dire consequences. Even the Leaf could not escape such a fate. Having enemies when you were the most potent force in the world is no big deal. But it becomes easy to overlook the small details when you become so large. When you ran a village on this side. Often, the world became a statistic, making the world's chaos more digestible.
The entirety of the Leaf Village Council was present at the meeting. This, of course, excluded the recently arrested Danzo and the absent Hokage. The council was the governing body of nearly the same power as the Hokage. They helped make decisions, keep the Hokage in check, and ensure both shinobi and civilians were treated fairly. They often met in the sizeable circular-desk-filled room. It allowed Hiruzen to address them all in an organized and efficient manner. The desk seated various shinobi and surrounded a platform a young man stood on. He was preparing to discuss the casualties from the recent assault.
Perhaps Shikaku was merely already an old man. But he felt the pit of his stomach sink as someone read off the "statistics." The young man was simply an assistant of someone, given the unfortunate task of breaking down the scale of damages. He almost looked like his son.
"Yubin Utura - Chunin: KIA. Roma Utura - Jounin: KIA. Sunama Tremal - Genin: KIA. Suuma Sunit - Chunin: KIA. Tsumik Kinza - Jounin: KIA. Guzuma Fulli - Anbu: MIA. Wazane Enith - Genin: MIA. Nekomaru - Konoha Police Sergeant: KIA. Four Jounin, ten Chunin, six Genin, and One Anbu were in critical condition. Forty more shinobi of various types were injured."
There was a low murmur as people discussed the rap sheet of shinobi casualties. Most knew it was merely two shinobi who had caused such damage. To say it was a blow to morale was laughable. Shinobi was a mix of grieving over loved ones, planning revenge, or shocked to see how many had fallen.
"C-civilian casualties are much worse." The young man continued, his voice cracking as he must've read ahead. Emotions seemed to drip from the struggling man as he soldiered on. "Seventy-four dead civilians. Seventeen missing. Two hundred and twelve were injured, sixty-four of which are in critical condition. The property damage from the attack was roughly forty-three million ryo. This will hurt the economy for the next few years." He finished with a bow as he ran off the stage. There was silence in the room as the people processed this. The experienced shinobi ignored the throwing up of the man charged with reading the report. Shikaku was no better, but despite his racing mind, he walked to the center of the room to address the others.
Truthfully, a dark part of his mind knew they were lucky for the small numbers. Jugo had been stopped relatively early in his rampage. And while Ashira had set off an explosion, there was a shocking lack of people in the area. At the very least, it's comparable to what it could've been. Yet still, the numbers were astonishing. Having that many injured shinobi weakened them considerably. Not to mention the pain it was sure to cause. Civilians were dealt the worst blow yet. Shinobi may die often in their line of work, but their job was to protect civilians. They were usually defenseless and killed heartlessly as they had been there.
"I won't waste any time here with pointless formalities. I consider them a drag when I'm in a good mood. After the events of last night, I'm in anything but a good mood. Here they would simply be a pain in my ass." Shikaku started with a frown on his face. He had accepted he was the Jounin Commander. It was a position with minimal responsibilities most of the time. But when things got serious, as they had been recently, He found he suddenly carried an inevitable position. "As you all know, there was an assault on the Leaf carried out by two high-level shinobi. One seemed to aim to sow chaos, while the other targeted one of our Jounin. A young mother named Kushina Uzumaki. One of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. Both seemed to intentionally cause as much damage as possible in the process. Luckily, various shinobi were mobilized. After considerable effort, we were able to kill one. And drive off the other."
"Lucky?" A bald fat man said. "Lucky would be a bastard like these wouldn't get here in the first place!" The man was Hiro Buzan, Head of Finances of the Council. He was known for his greedy and cowardly nature, countered by his incredible skills in money management.
"Such things cannot be controlled, unfortunately." Inochi, head of the Yamanaka, called with a frown. He is already openly showing his support. "The attack was sudden and unpredictable."
"Unpredictable? We sent out all sorts of men for the exams. Of course, one of our enemies saw this as an opportunity. Only when the bird leaves their nest that the viper strikes at the eggs." A young, preppy woman spoke. She was Usami Yugano, head of the council's Legality section. She was known for her beauty and sharp tongue. She had dark, curly hair with bangs that partially covered her eyes. Her look was a smile, yet obviously was employed to hide her rage. She was known to work tirelessly for the benefit of the village inhabitants.
"Such a thing is expected from us. We have a reputation to uphold, after all. Sending a meager group to the Exams would risk the Genin and give our enemies the wrong idea." Hiashi countered snidely. "Besides, we defeated the trash. Perhaps civilians should not offer opinions on shinobi matters."
"Such closed-off thinking is why the civilian side of this council is necessary." A jolly, smiling man spoke while slurping from a mug. Porume Rumi, Head of Shinobi/Civilian Relations. The man was known for his never-ending smile and patience.
"Not to mention the amount of work my men will have to do to fix things!" A brash and gruff voice called. A scarred, buff, buzz-cut man was Fubuki Fulura, Head of Construction. The man was a genius of construction and led his men passionately. Though was known for his nasty temper.
"Doubtless, tonight was a difficult one. But surely we can all agree this is likely to happen to a militarized village like ours?" Choza Akamichi interrupted nervously.
"Perhaps, but I think the point they are raising is we failed to do our part. As the military, defense is our concern." Shibi informed calmly.
"That's exactly our point!" an older, portly, motherly-looking woman screamed. Our children are not safe with you incompetent lot!" Qurani Ikad, Head of Education, chimed in. Her love of children was unmatched, as was her proclivity for shouting.
"We did the best we could." Tsume countered, looking bored. She was the fiery alpha of the Inuzuka. Known for defending the village and hunting down its foes. "We kicked ass; of course, we'll cover damages. But there is nothing we can do about random attacks."
"Covering damages is good. But we need to consider some kind of response. I think we need to bunker down until Lord Third returns!" Jack Willows, Head of Agriculture, called. He was known for his green thumb and cowardice.
"Bunkering down isn't the best idea against shinobi," Shikaku warned. "We tend to make such strategies fail miserably. It's merely the nature of the job."
"Perhaps, but I hesitate to trust your lot in this regard. We barely managed to defend the village. Is attacking a great idea?" Fubuki asked angrily.
"Offense, especially for our forces, is a much easier task. Not to mention, doing so would surely throw off our enemy." Shibi chimed in.
"Now someone's talking in my language. Let's hunt down these little pussies!" Tsume called excitedly.
"WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Qurani screamed angrily.
"Make me bitch!" Tsume countered with a shit-eating grin.
"Ladies. Please behave according to your status." Usami chided.
Shikaku sighed as the two sides started screaming at each other. Both sides came to the aid of their "allies." Leading to an even split between the civilians and the shinobi. The shinobi couldn't see it. But the cold way they had been trained to cultivate upset the already stirred-up civilian council. Now, the two had formed sides and, no longer caring for a logical debate, had decided to scream at each other. He tried to gain their attention but failed. Right as he went to scream, his eyes widened. The man rubbed his eyes to ensure he had seen correctly. The entire room grew silent as a man silently walked into the room and stood next to Shikaku at the center of the room.
"I see some things never change. You two sides have never truly seen eye to eye, unable to understand each other's perspective," Danzo Shimura stated as he faced the council. "To think Hiruzen would allow this today. Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks, " he joked with a small smile.
Dez's POV (Konoha Hospital - Hidden Leaf Village)
He was an experienced man. Maybe not wise, but he had experienced plenty. Initially, he was a gangster running a casino in a small village. He had nothing but a bad habit of smoking, unique ninjutsu he learned to use, and a drive to rise to the top. And rise he had, he killed, lied, and stole to reach the top. Soon, his village and casino grew tremendously. It made sense since Dez was secretly engaging in criminal behavior on the side with the local mob. Dez, knowing shinobi were commonly sent for thugs like him, had even learned ninjutsu, which was a unique one useful for himself. For a while, he had felt unstoppable but oddly unalive even then.
One day, a golden egg rolled into his turf. The Legendary Sucker Tsunade Senju. She is known for her timeless beauty, furious strength, and gambling addiction. It was easy money. Indeed, for a while, it had been. But Tsunade had always been a shrewd woman. Upon discovering they were a gang she owed money to, she had crushed him. Knowing the local law would only applaud her for doing so. Dez had never seen anything like it. Armed men, samurai, missing ninjas, even he and Nekomaru had not been enough to slow her down. After witnessing her terrifying power, Nekomaru and he had pledged loyalty to the woman on the spot. After all, in the mob, the leader is often decided by a hostile takeover. She initially rejected them and the mob, but as they followed and served her, she warmed up to them. Eventually, tired of owing money, she asked Dez a question that led to his current life. How to take over the mob. Using her, it had been easy. And though Dez never had thought he would reach the top as a lackey, it was good enough. Besides, Dez had never been the leading type.
Maybe he had taken his job too seriously. All he had seen was a man rampaging. He figured he and Nekomaru would take him out quickly. They even launched an intelligent assault just as the Boss had taught them. Yet he had smashed them both. Nekomaru literally… Dez sobbed at this. Nekomaru had been a harsh man in the mob. A heart of gold broken by the criminal world, he had initially gone around killing gang members until Dez had met him. Nekomaru had explained they had killed his family accidentally, and now he would crush the local gangs with his superb biology. Dez saw the opportunity and picked him up for his gang. The two are both in gang culture, and both do not support it fully. They had overcome the gang and even joined Tsunades together. He had been something similar to his own brother. What was Dez to do now? He hoped the Boss would return soon to help. To let him know what to do. Little did he know he was in a coma.
"Dez, you with me?" Shizune asked the injured man as she checked up on him. The man clearly in his world did not answer, and Shizune sighed. She moved on to some of her other patients. Anko Mitirashi and Mikoto Uchiha were the first to encounter the Uzumaki man and clashed hard with him. The two had been defeated with relative ease. She checked their vitals. Both suffered from several cracked ribs as well as a variety of bruises and cuts. Luckily, the man had been distracted, or he surely would've finished them off. She continued to her next patient in the next room. This one was critical due to her petite frame and now unique circumstances. The rampaging man had killed her father on arrival, apparently accidentally crushing him as he leaped over the wall somehow. The mother witnessing her beloved's death and surely fiending for vengeance. She had tossed her daughter away, undoubtedly hoping to keep her safe. But the destructive battle had left her in the crossfire. A large piece from the building had struck her, shattering her ribs and spine. She would be lucky to wake up again, let alone walk. Shizune held back tears as she treated the girl. Shizune knew the cost of a tragedy like this. This was likely not the first nor last heartbreaking thing she would see today. She supposed sometimes it was simply a lot to deal with.
Yahiko's POV (?)
"Much has happened since we last moved," Yahiko said simply.
"Certainly has, but there seem to be a lot of variables for us to consider." Nagito reasoned. "Where should we start?"
"Konan," Yahiko ordered simply.
"Kami." She acknowledged. "I had Sasori and Deidara look into the jinchuriki subtly as you asked. They discovered the identities of the One, Two, Three, Five, Eight, and Nine-Tailed jinchuriki. We have the active locations of One, Two, Five, Eight, and Nine. Most of these are in hidden villages and will be difficult to get. The Five Tails, in particular, is roaming solo and should be easy to capture. Leaving the identity of the Four, Six, and Seven-tailed jinchuriki. The last message received from the duo had them enter the Land of Iron to see if any jinchuriki were present. Of course, they won't engage for now simply to scout."