The smiles on Homura and Koharu's faces froze.
Without any hesitation, Hiruzen immediately ordered the Anbu to convene a Hidden Leaf High Council Meeting.
The clan heads of the major ninja clans hurried over.
When they pushed open the meeting room doors, confusion was still visible on their faces.
But once they sat down and heard Hiruzen's report, everyone's expressions became subtle.
"Two thousand Hidden Cloud ninja, personally led by the Raikage, with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki accompanying them."
"They are currently moving toward the Land of Fire…"
The expressions of Hidden Leaf's higher-ups varied upon hearing this.
Shikaku Nara leaned back in his chair, fingers interlocked over his stomach, his eyes half-open and half-closed.
His expression did not change at all.
Inoichi Yamanaka lowered his head and drank tea.
Choza Akimichi sat beside him, rolling a bean around in his fingers without putting it into his mouth.
Hiashi sat upright in his chair with both hands tucked into his sleeves, his face completely unreadable.
Tsume Inuzuka held a ninja hound in her arms, absentmindedly stroking its fur.
Hiruzen's gaze swept across everyone present, urgency evident in his voice.
"Everyone, Hidden Cloud has invaded. The Land of Fire is in grave danger."
"Hidden Leaf needs your strength. Who is willing to lead troops to the border and stop the Raikage?"
Silence answered him.
No one spoke.
Shikaku shifted his posture, his gaze drifting toward the ceiling.
Inoichi blew gently at the tea leaves floating in his cup, taking small sips.
Choza finally popped the bean into his mouth and slowly chewed, his cheeks puffing in and out.
Hiashi closed his eyes, his breathing so steady it seemed as though he had fallen asleep.
Hiruzen's brows furrowed, and his voice rose several levels.
"Everyone, Hidden Cloud is pillaging the towns of the Land of Fire, burning, killing, looting, committing every evil imaginable."
"Are we Hidden Leaf ninja really going to sit back and do nothing?"
Tsume raised her head, her voice indifferent.
"Lord Hokage, during the Third Great Shinobi War, our Inuzuka clan lost two Jonin, seventeen Special Jonin, thirty-four Chunin, and several hundred Genin."
"After the war, even the compensation payments kept getting delayed…"
She paused and patted the ninja hound's head.
"It's not that we don't want to contribute. We simply can't afford to anymore."
Hiruzen's expression changed.
The Aburame clan head also spoke.
"The Aburame clan lost one Jonin, six Special Jonin, and twelve Chunin during the Nine-Tails incident…"
"Afterward, the village gave us no compensation whatsoever."
Hiashi opened his eyes, his tone neither warm nor cold.
"The Hyuga clan remembers the incident three years ago when Hidden Cloud's envoy attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyuga."
"Not only did the village not dare reject Hidden Cloud's unreasonable demands, they instead demanded that the Hyuga clan hand over Hizashi Hyuga's corpse to settle the matter."
"In the end, we complied."
"And now that Hidden Cloud has attacked, Lord Hokage still wants the Hyuga clan to send people?"
He did not continue, but everyone understood what he meant.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio exchanged glances.
Shikaku finally spoke.
"After the Third Great Shinobi War, Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage."
"According to convention, once the Third Hokage stepped down, the advisors should have stepped down as well."
"It should have been our generation, the people from the same era as Minato, assisting him and forming the new generation of Hidden Leaf leadership."
"But you and the two advisors kept clinging to power, refusing to let go."
"Not only did you sideline the Fourth Hokage, our Ino-Shika-Cho clans never even received the advisor positions we deserved."
"When war comes, you send us out to fight, but when it's time to distribute the benefits we earned, you give us nothing."
"And now that something has happened, suddenly you remember us again?"
Homura's face turned the color of pig liver as he slammed the table.
"Shikaku, what kind of talk is that?"
"The position of Hokage is not a joke!"
"Do your Ino-Shika-Cho clans even know how to govern a village?"
"We helped govern Hidden Leaf entirely out of good intentions!"
"Hiruzen and the rest of us from this generation of Hidden Leaf leadership have governed for many years and possess abundant experience."
"Not only are you ungrateful, you even dare accuse us?"
"Abundant experience?"
Shikaku interrupted him with a mocking tone.
"Experienced enough to drive the Uchiha away?"
"Experienced enough to make Hidden Leaf lose its strongest military force?"
"Experienced enough that now you can't even find a single ninja clan willing to fight for you?"
Homura was left speechless, his face alternating between red and white.
Koharu immediately stepped in to defend her old partner, her voice shrill.
"Shikaku Nara, mind your place!"
"Who do you think you're speaking to?"
"My place?"
Shikaku stood up and straightened his collar, his voice suddenly rising.
"I am the Hidden Leaf Jonin Commander, a ninja of the Land of Fire."
"I have been wounded and bled for this village!"
"Our Nara clan has already given more than enough for Hidden Leaf."
He stared directly at Koharu, speaking word by word.
"And what about you, Advisor Koharu? Have you shed even a single drop of blood for Hidden Leaf?"
Koharu's face instantly turned ashen. Her lips trembled, yet not a single word came out.
Ever since becoming a Hidden Leaf advisor, she had never carried out another mission.
Shikaku withdrew his gaze.
"Lord Hokage, it's not that we're unwilling to contribute to Hidden Leaf."
"It's that you and the two advisors have already chilled the hearts of Hidden Leaf's ninja clans!"
He stood up directly and walked toward the door.
After taking a few steps, he stopped again and said without turning back:
"The Uchiha leaving Hidden Leaf was not the Uchiha's problem. It was Hidden Leaf's problem."
Then he left without another word.
Inoichi put down his teacup, stood up, bowed slightly toward Hiruzen, and followed him out.
Choza stuffed the last bean into his mouth, brushed the crumbs from his hands, and silently followed behind.
The backs of the three disappeared one after another through the doorway, like some kind of silent declaration.
Hiashi opened his eyes and glanced at Hiruzen.
There was no anger or hatred in that gaze, only deep disappointment.
He shook his head, stood up, and left.
Tsume stood while holding her ninja hound and sighed.
"Lord Hokage, once you've figured out how to compensate us ninja clans, then we can talk about sending troops."
Afterward, the clan heads of Hidden Leaf's ninja clans all stood up and left one after another.
The meeting room was left with only Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, and a few small clan heads staring at each other.
Those small clan heads looked back and forth at one another, their eyes full of panic.
One of them cautiously spoke.
"Lord Hokage, our clan only has a little over a dozen ninja. We truly can't be of much use…"
"Yes, exactly."
Another immediately agreed.
"If we go, we'll just be throwing our lives away and wasting the village's military strength…"
"How about… negotiating peace with Hidden Cloud instead?"
"Don't they just want some benefits? We can just give them what they want…"
Hiruzen sat there without saying a word.
He suddenly recalled scenes from his youth.
Back then, he had only recently become Hokage. He had been spirited and ambitious, believing all of Hidden Leaf rested within his grasp.
What his teacher, Tobirama Senju, had left him was a powerful Hidden Leaf.
The strongest military force among the Five Great Nations, united ninja clans, a thriving village, and citizens filled with hope for the future.
Every ninja village feared Hidden Leaf, and every enemy had to carefully weigh the cost of attacking it.
But what about now?
The Uchiha were gone.
The ninja clans had grown cold-hearted and no longer wished to risk their lives for the village.
He could not even find a single ninja clan willing to stand up and defend the village anymore.
How had Hidden Leaf become like this?
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