Aaron didn't answer right away. Instead, he chuckled softly.
The Grass leader looked puzzled. "Morishita, what exactly are you laughing about?"
He had always held Morishita in high regard strong, capable, and utterly loyal to the Hidden Grass. Talented people like him were rare.
But this was a high-level ANBU meeting. If Morishita couldn't back up his behavior with a solid explanation, the leader would have to remind him of his place. Talent didn't excuse arrogance.
Aaron leaned back slightly and said with a faint smile:
"I'm laughing at how short-sighted Hiruzen is… and how reckless Minato is."
"If I were in their position, I would never have rushed to sign a so-called peace treaty with the Hidden Stone. I would've pushed the war until they surrendered, forced them to the negotiating table on their knees."
The Grass leader frowned. "We're discussing how to deal with Konoha. Why are we suddenly talking about the war between Konoha and the Hidden Stone?"
Aaron smiled calmly.
"I know exactly what we're discussing, Leader. Just hear me out."
Remembering how reliable Morishita usually was, the leader finally nodded.
"Go on."
Aaron began with a simple question.
"Who won the war between Konohagakure and Iwagakure?"
"Konoha did," one ANBU squad captain answered immediately, confused about why such an obvious question needed asking.
The Grass leader's frown deepened.
Aaron continued.
"Then who was the one that pushed for the peace treaty?"
"Konoha," an ANBU commander replied. "They even brought in Sunagakure to pressure the Hidden Stone."
A thoughtful expression slowly appeared on his face.
He felt like he was close to understanding 's point but not quite there yet.
Aaron nodded slowly.
"Exactly. That's why I say the Third and Fourth Hokage lacked strategic vision. They won the war but negotiated like they had lost."
The deputy commander frowned.
"Or maybe there's information we don't have. If the Third Hokage were really incompetent, how did he lead Konoha to become so powerful? And if the Fourth Hokage lacked judgment, why would the Third choose him as successor?"
Aaron didn't seem bothered.
He simply said calmly:
"Konoha is large and powerful that's all. And do you really think Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage purely because of ability?"
"Of course he did," the deputy commander replied seriously. "The 'Yellow Flash' terrified both the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Cloud. He's a legend forged on the battlefield."
Even though Minato was an enemy ninja, the deputy commander still respected him. Any shinobi capable of making enemy villages issue standing orders like 'If you see the Yellow Flash, retreat immediately' deserved recognition.
Aaron let out a quiet, dismissive laugh.
The deputy commander almost slammed the table in anger, but the Grass leader quickly stopped him.
Aaron continued.
"Yes, Minato is powerful. But does strength equal political wisdom? And besides, are you telling me Konoha doesn't have others just as strong?"
"What about the Legendary Sannin?"
The Grass leader nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true. If it's about reputation and strength, the Sannin would be just as qualified."
Aaron leaned forward slightly.
"The reason Minato became Hokage at twenty-three isn't because his abilities were overwhelming…"
"It's because his political influence was far weaker than his combat strength."
The room fell silent.
Everyone present was part of the ANBU leadership. They were intimately familiar with the darker side of politics.
The implication was obvious.
The Fourth Hokage might simply be a political figurehead.
Several people exchanged looks.
The theory actually made disturbing sense.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't particularly old when he stepped down. Why retire so suddenly?
Seeing their reactions, Aaron knew the idea had taken root.
Perfect, he thought.
He decided to push the narrative a little further.
"Don't forget, Sarutobi stepped down before the treaty was signed. That means the responsibility for the treaty falls on Minato."
One ANBU captain sighed.
"Signing a weak treaty after winning a war… history won't judge that kindly. Konoha politics are darker than I thought."
Another nodded grimly.
"Compared to politicians, even ANBU work feels straightforward."
After a moment, the Grass leader waved a hand.
"All right. Interesting analysis, Morishita, but we still need a strategy for dealing with Konoha."
He had no interest in dissecting Konoha's internal politics.
What mattered was surviving the current crisis.
Aaron smiled.
"This is the strategy."
He continued calmly.
"The Hidden Stone invaded Konoha's territory, yet Konoha still agreed to a peace treaty after winning."
"And what did we do?"
"We sent a small team to intercept intelligence about that treaty."
He shrugged lightly.
"Compared to invading their homeland, that's barely even a provocation."
The Grass leader thought about it.
When you framed it like that… the scale really was completely different.
Aaron added another comparison.
"The Hidden Stone marched into Konoha's backyard."
"We just tried to peek at a letter."
Several ANBU quietly nodded.
The leader stroked his chin.
"So… we don't need to prepare anything?"
Aaron shook his head.
"Oh, we definitely need to prepare."
"Prepare compensation."
The Grass leader's eyebrows shot up.
"Compensation? After everything you just said?"
Aaron explained calmly.
"Konoha won't start another war. The Third Hokage won't allow it."
"But we're a small village."
"So, we still have to pay."
The Grass leader sighed heavily.
"Yes… we're a small village."
Aaron added one more thing.
"And when we pay, we should pay generously."
The Grass leader looked at him like he had just said something ridiculous.
"We're the ones paying. Why would we want to give more?"
Aaron replied patiently.
"The Hidden Grass has been developing rapidly. Konoha has surely noticed."
"If we hand over a large payment over something this minor, they'll assume we're weak and harmless."
"And that means they'll stop paying close attention to us."
He leaned back slightly.
"That buys us time to grow."
The room fell silent again.
Finally, the Grass leader nodded slowly.
"…All right. Let's proceed with that plan."
"I'll discuss the compensation with the Fire Country's daimyo."
Then he looked at Aaron approvingly.
"Morishita, you handled this well. If the village gets through this crisis, I'll make sure you're rewarded."
He turned to the other officers.
"You should all learn from him. Pay closer attention to intelligence about other villages."
Later, while walking back toward the office area, one of the squad captains walked beside Aaron and sighed in admiration.
"Morishita… you really surprised us today."
"I had no idea you'd studied Konoha so thoroughly. That must've taken a lot of effort."
Aaron simply smiled politely and nodded.
Effort?
Not really.
After all… no one in the Hidden Grass understood Konoha better than he did.
Because he was a ninja of Konohagakure himself.
---
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
For early access to advanced chapters visit my P@treon:
P@treon/ Dexy3
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!