Naruto gave Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Kakashi a full accounting of events that transpired to bring him to Suna and the Godaime was furious. At herself for believing Ay would attack Oto first, it was too indirect for him and she'd been too clever by half and put her village at risk. At Ay for both planned attacks. And for her favorite gaki. She saw it in his eyes, the kind of tired that wasn't of the body nor the mind. Just the weight of death and having delivered a great deal of it. Few truly knew what that felt like.
Even fewer knew what it was to be able to kill some of the best of the elemental nations before they could even attempt to fight, surrender, run away or call for help. With all the training they do to perfect being assassins, striking enemies where they are most vulnerable there is still something about the challenge of a fight that gives one a sense of honor, of humanity. When that challenge is gone you can start to feel like a butcher. She'd seen that look on Jiraiya's face before he took in the Ame trio. She'd seen it in her own eyes.
"Are you ok?" she heard Kakashi ask.
Naruto initially shrugged in response but the five eyes on him demanded an actual response. "It is what it is. They were there for a tussle, they got one. I'm not going to sink into the pits of despair over it." Naruto said, pouring himself a glass of water. All watched as a layer of frost enveloped the glass before he took a drink. Tsunade knew that wasn't really the truth; and yet, it wasn't a lie but a resolution to endure. "More importantly, what is to be done about Ay?"
"Kukuku, clearly he doesn't return to Kumo. Nor his escorts." Orochi chimed in. Tsunade didn't immediately respond. Her fellow Sannin wasn't wrong. Ay had to die, it was the removal of a potential reasonable actor, Darui, that bothered her. Well, one of the things.
"That could get messy," Kakashi added but didn't disagree. Ay played his hand and was exposed that didn't go unpunished.
"I can do it clean, and being in two places at once is no problem," Naruto said after taking another drink, savoring the cold liquid.
"No chance for an ambush, Shi is a sensor. He made you before any of us knew you were here," said Kakashi.
"That's fine. Besides, Ay knows. If what I've been told about him is true, he'll want to show it down so the sensor will do half my job for me"
"I could go as additional backup," Orochi offered.
"No," Tsunade said, voice firm indicating there would be no argument. "Orochi, I need you with me as we go back with our participants." The two males in the room could tell that wasn't the whole truth but let it drop when Orochimaru didn't protest.
"So, do I have the all-clear?"
"Let's see how this dinner plays out. If Iwa has sided with Kumo they may reveal it there. If so, Onoki needs to also be dealt with. Could you handle that, Naruto?"
"yes."
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"What's wrong, Old Man?" Kurotsuchi asked. Her grandfather had been pacing since they entered their suite and hadn't stopped. She'd withheld asking until the rooms were thoroughly swept and she was reasonably sure it was safe to speak.
"Ay was angered when the Uzumaki joined us. That by itself means very little, the man has been preparing for war against Konoha and using Minato's boy as a propaganda tool from the start. No, it wasn't the anger that vexes me," Onoki explained as he continued to pace. He thought back to Ay's expression, the slight widening of the eyes, rapid blinking followed thereafter. Then the anger sat in. Of all the sitting Kage, he was the worst at hiding his emotions having always led by strength and strength alone.
"He was surprised. Before anything else, he was surprised the boy was there."
"That's not so shocking, Onoki-sama. You don't expect a jinchuuriki to just show up somewhere," Akatsuchi reasoned.
"No, I don't think that's it. It is well known the Kazekage and the Uzumaki are friends. I think Ay has something planned and the boy being here jeopardizes it. There may be an opportunity here. If Ay's little scheme fails then it is possible he will fall. If he dies that increases our bargaining power and we could cut a great deal with the newest Raikage. If any or all of the Konoha party dies then it's war and we let the two fight it out and potentially pick the scraps. Maybe an alliance with Kiri to target the weakest village. Maybe add Suna as well.
If both Ay and the Namikaze hellspawn were to perish then wouldn't that just be a reason to celebrate? Both villages dropping in power and prestige. A power vacuum would serve us well. Set us up nicely for the future," the old man muttered.
"Yea, but what if the entire Kumo delegation dies?"
"Then the new Raikage would likely be that insufferable Kirabi and he isn't fit for the job but also won't be moved to fight out of vengeance. We need Darui to survive."
"If the Raikage dies?" Kurotuschi asked. Onoki nodded and neither of his companions said anything more but Kurotsuchi thought her grandfather made things needlessly complex with his waffling for an advantage. She held no love for any village but her own and detested the Yellow Flash like all right-thinking Iwa nin, but the benefits of war seemed way to hypothetical and abstract to her. Kumo had already shown itself to be untrustworthy when they tried to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress, regardless of how Ay tried to spin it. She worried her grandfather was moving past aged wisdom to the realm of a relic unable to contend with or absorb new ways of thinking.
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"We really need to get our intelligence network up to par," Mei said in frustration. Like the other Kage, she saw Ay's reaction and knew something was awry. The problem was, what information she had was so sparse she could do little but speculate. And while it wouldn't serve her to be ignorant of the tensions of the other villages, it was of no great value to get involved. Kiri wasn't weak but it was not the time to test its hard-won stability, not unless absolutely necessary. Maybe there would be a play, some advantage to exploit but from where Mei sat doing nothing was the correct course for now.
"Things may come to a head tonight. Stay diligent but do not make unnecessary moves. Let these mainlanders handle their own problems, as of right now none of them are active threats to Kiri."
"The Uzumaki clan head with several of our famed swords suggests otherwise, Mei-sama," Ao remarked.
"Well, he seems like a reasonable, young man. I'm sure he and I could reach a satisfactory agreement given the chance."
"O-or I could challenge him, Mei-sama," Chojuro offered.
"Why use violence when words will suffice, Chojuro-kun? And Ao, I doubt he holds a grudge for actions committed generations before he was ever born. He wasn't raised an Uzumaki so he wasn't taught to hate us I bet."
"If something does happen, Mei-sama, what would you have us do?" Chojuro asked.
"Nothing, stay out of it. And until something does happen we will match the graciousness shown to us by our host."