In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Konoha, inside conference room.

Tsunade sat at the head of a long conference table. Several key higher-ups of Konoha were lined up and sat down in a row with intervals between them.

On the other side, Temari and Sunagakure's higher-ups sat silently in their chairs.

The meeting dragged on, and Tsunade, resting her head on her hand, looked visibly bored. She had not wanted to attend this meeting in the first place, as she despised pointless meetings the most.

Even if the meeting had a formal structure, if the content was irrelevant or the outcome predetermined, it felt utterly meaningless for her.

Just like this meeting, Sunagakure was indeed Konoha's ally, but their relationship is not unbreakable. Now that Kyubi has disappeared, Konoha was left without a tailed beast, which weakened their standing.

It was akin to having an ally without a deterrent weapon, while the treaty was signed with the assumption that both sides possessed such power Now that the truth had surfaced, it made sense for Sunagakure to send a delegation.

Given the gravity of the situation, it wouldn't be surprising if Sunagakure suggested altering the terms of their alliance or even canceling it.

However, given the similar predicaments both villages faced, it is highly unlikely that Sunagakure would directly cancel the alliance.

With all that in mind, Tsunade had little interest in attending such meeting. It was nothing more than Sunagakure's side using Kyubi as an excuse to propose some harsh terms to amend the treaty, then Konoha would refuse, and eventually, both sides would reach some compromise.

It's so boring. There were professionals for this kind of thing. So there is no point for her to sit here except being a target for Danzo's ridicule.

The negotiation was still dragging on, and the emotionless voice of Shikaku, the military strategist of Konoha, made Tsunade drowsy. Suddenly, she heard Sunagakure's side, who had been silent for a while, bring up the matter of the Kyubi's disappearance.

"Is the news true?" Someone from Sunagakure asked.

"As of now…" Shikaku coughed lightly, "There is no concrete evidenceyet. All we can say is that there is no way to directly prove that the Kyubi is still sealed in the body of the Kyubi's Jinchuriki."

"Konoha has always been dedicated to promoting peace in the Shinobi World. We've been working towards the elimination of Kyubi's Jinchuriki and creating a peaceful image for our village."

Shikaku's calm, evasive response left Sunagakure's people speechless for a moment.

"So, what's the conclusion?"

"Konoha doesn't deny the reports, but we also have no evidence that Konoha does not have a Biju. We won't engage in any self-incriminating behavior either."

Shikaku said, then took a strategic sip of water.

"Whether the Kyubi is still with us or not, well... believe it if you wish, doubt it if you must."

Tsunade, supporting her head on her hand, stifled a yawn, her face showing signs of fatigue. She thought to herself, 'How long is this going to drag on? These Sunagakure's diplomats are no good, they keep digging into trivial matters.'

She wished they would just get to the point… lay out the new terms, negotiate, and be done with it. But this was Shikaku's plan, and she wasn't going to interfere.

The discussion continued in circles for a while longer, with Shikaku repeating the same ambiguous rhetoric. He didn't deny the truth, nor did he confirm it. The message was clear: Figure it out for yourselves. Yes or no… Anyway, this is the current situation. Konoha is not in good shape, and Sunagakure is not much better. You know the consequences, and it's up to you to weigh your options.

The Sunagakure's diplomats were utterly dumbfounded, and couldn't help but complained in their hearts, 'What kind of thing you Konoha people are doing?'

After some consideration, one of the representatives from Sunagakure finally spoke.

"In that case, there's no need to continue discussing this particular issue."

Danzo opened his eye, glanced at the person speaking, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Tsunade curled her lips, still looking listless.

'The result has already been determined. If nothing unexpected happens, the other party will start proposing to amend the details of the alliance treaty.'

Shikaku also sighed in his heart, 'There was no avoiding this situation. Managing to stall the conversation this far was already the best-case scenario. Although the truth would come out sooner or later, the immediate crisis had to be dealt with first.'

He supported Tsunade's decision.

He also knew that the matter of the Kyubi's Jinchuriki had always been a ticking time bomb. Naruto couldn't be treated like a minor just because he hadn't reached adulthood yet.

Years ago, the Third Hokage was always influenced by his old colleagues, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura. Therefore, in the process of guiding Naruto's growth, he chose a not-so-correct way, which also laid hidden dangers for Konoha.

Danzo's stubbornness and the two advisors' mistrust of Naruto hadn't escaped Shikaku's notice.

'Times were changing, if things continued this way, it would lead to serious issues.'

Shikaku's thoughts drifted momentarily before he snapped back to the present.

"We have decided to further strengthen cooperation with Konoha and reach a consensus to deepen the relationship between the two villages." The Sunagakure's diplomat said, "What's your stance on that?"

"Huh?" Shikaku was confused for a moment, "What?"

So, the Sunagakure's diplomat repeated what he had just said with a complicated look.

This time, it was Danzo's turn to be dumbfounded. Even Tsunade, who found the meeting extremely boring, was confused. Her eyes kept darting back and forth among the Sunagakure's representatives.

'This is not right. Shouldn't they threaten Konoha with the fact that we have no Biju, and then propose changes to the distribution of benefits and the amendment of the alliance treaty?'

'When did the Sand Village become so… righteous? Something is not right.' Tsunade frowned subconsciously and looked over there again and again, but couldn't figure out what was going on.

Danzo's eye changed instantly, and the original plan in his heart fell through. He had been eager to see Sunagakure put pressure on Konoha, which would force Tsunade to bear the full brunt of the blame.

After all, it was she who insisted on announcing that Konoha would no longer have a Kyubi's Jinchuriki. Naturally, she should be held accountable for any consequences that followed.

Even if these mistakes and dissatisfactions could not force Tsunade to resign directly like Sandaime did, they were enough to make her suffer.

Danzo had been hoping to use this to slowly erode Tsunade's position, eventually forcing her to hand over the Hokage's position to him.

And he could no longer tolerate Tsunade helping Naruto reach that position step by step. Kakashi was enough to give him a headache, and now there is another Naruto. When will it be his turn to be the Hokage?

But now! Sunagakure wasn't using this opportunity to demand treaty revisions or changes in the balance of power. Instead, they wanted to strengthen the alliance.

'Are they crazy?' Danzo thought so in his heart, and so did the two Advisors. Koharu and Homura looked at each other with unusually grave expressions.

"Why? Why did Sunagakure suddenly propose to deepen cooperation at a time like this?"

At this moment, Danzo couldn't help but ask. He hadn't intended to speak, but based on his understanding of Shikaku, although Shikaku wouldn't ask directly, he would just find an excuse to stop the meeting temporarily and then send someone to ask discreetly.

Danzo couldn't wait for that.

"Because…" Sunagakure's diplomat was about to respond when another clear voice interrupted.

"Because our Sunagakure is optimistic about the future development of our ally, Konoha. More precisely, we're here for that news." Temari said.

"But regardless of whether that news is true or not, we are always optimistic about Konoha's future, especially in your Genin, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Does that make things clearer?" Temari smiled and asked politely.

"Cough… yes." Shikaku coughed, and then added, "It's getting late. Let's take a break for lunch and resume this discussion in the afternoon."

As the meeting was adjourned, Tsunade glanced at Temari on her way out and muttered under her breath, "Another princess... Uzumaki Naruto, what in the world have you been up to?"

…

At the outskirts of Kumogakure.

Naruto teleported using Flying Thunder God Technique, and his body is covered by a massive, red, indistinct Chakra Cloak. In an instant, he punched a weaker Kumogakure Jonin straight through the chest!

Although the strength of that Kumogakure's Jonin was not very strong, he was still a jonin after all. And yet, after just a few clashes, Naruto's unpredictable speed had landed several blows on him, leaving him heavily injured.

As he turned his head, a molten fist pierced into his chest, killing him instantly.

Darui couldn't stand it any longer. If the battle continued like this, Kumogakure's forces would suffer catastrophic losses. He unleashed the black lightning with one hand and directly bombarded the reincarnated Blue B, shattering his arm.

Blue B was the former Hachibi's Jinchuriki, and he died because Hachibi lost control. Now, as a resurrected zombie, his movements were somewhat sluggish, far from his peak abilities.

The same is true for the other five who were summoned with the Impure World Reincarnation. Their strength is less than one tenth of their peak period, but the disgusting thing is that this group of people is extremely difficult to deal with, and there is no way to defeat them in a short time.

And Naruto was playing the ultimate opportunist, using his Flying Thunder God Technique to constantly harass the five Shinobi on Kumogakure's side with ambush attacks.

In less than five minutes, another Kumogakure's Jonin had let his guard down and lost his life at Naruto's hands. This sight filled both Darui and C with an overwhelming sense of dread.

They knew it would be disadvantageous for them to continue to fight.

Yondaime Raikage was still fighting against his father, Sandaime Raikage, but he was visibly struggling.