Shikaku was now far calmer than before. All of this was due to his misunderstanding with Aoba during the Chunin Exams, as well as the experience he gained after being educated by Aoba, who was disguised as a ninja from the Uzumaki Clan.
At this moment.
Compared to the previous him.
Everything he did, every word he was about to say, had to be carefully reviewed in his head before he was willing to say it out.
"Huh?!"
When Hiruzen and Danzo heard Shikaku's words, they widened their eyes at the same time. They had almost the same thought in their minds.
"It turned out to be like this!"
Hiruzen and Danzo looked at each other. They could see deep horror in each other's eyes. They had not thought of this before and naturally thought that the two ninja villages were on the same side.
This was a habitual thought.
They didn't bother to think of this place at all.
However.
Now that they heard what Shikaku said, they suddenly felt that it made a lot of sense.
"I'm not saying that this is the case. I'm just suggesting this possibility. After all, the two ninja villages are acting exactly the same. If they want to attack us, Konohagakure, or if they are restrained by something, then this is the only reason I can think of."
Shikaku spoke again. He made some additions to what he said just now, and now his words were far more rigorous than before.
"I think it is very likely that the two sides are restraining each other."
Shikaku's voice echoed in the quiet office, clearly transmitted into the ears of Hiruzen and Danzo and making the two of them feel an indescribable feeling.
"That makes sense."
Danzo slowly nodded. He expressed his approval of Shikaku's judgment. This was the angle he had overlooked just now. He had never thought of this matter.
"We have been watching the collaboration between Iwagakure and Sunagakure, but we did not notice the suspicion between them!"
"They are two completely different villages."
"It's impossible to be completely united."
"I think what Shikaku is talking about is the core of this matter!"
"Something must have gone wrong between Iwagakure and Sunagakure!"
Danzo said in a low voice. After he had gone through Shikaku's judgment, he began to discover the things here one after another, and his grasp of the situation became even clearer.
"Very reasonable!"
Hiruzen's eyes suddenly lit up. This kind of discovery made him feel that the originally desperate situation suddenly became clear.
If there was any conflict between Iwagakure and Sunagakure...
Then, this situation changed from a two-on-one situation to a three-legged tripod. Any side had great worries.
Finally, he was no longer worried about being pincered by the two villages.
Hiruzen slowly let out a breath. At this moment, his mood was greatly relieved.
"Now is not the time to relax." Danzo glanced coldly at Hiruzen. After that, he said, "This mutually restrictive situation can only maintain temporary stability. The war is still going on. We can't sit still. We must break the deadlock first before the situation breaks down, otherwise, we will still be defeated in the end!"
"This..." The expression on Hiruzen's face, which had just relaxed, instantly became gloomy again.
"Shikaku, what do you think?" Danzo turned to look at Shikaku. Now, he was more concerned about Shikaku's opinion. The series of analyses that Shikaku had just said had won his approval.
"I think we need to wait for the information sent back from the frontline. After confirming what is going on, we will make the corresponding thought. If we act rashly now, it is very likely to lead to a disaster." Shikaku said cautiously. In fact, he believed in his own judgment in his heart, but after what had happened before, he had become less radical.
"You are wrong!"
However.
Right at this moment.
Danzo rejected Shikaku's idea almost without hesitation.
He stared at Shikaku with his exposed eyes and spoke slowly in a relatively low tone.
"Your point of view has been recognized by us. The next step is to discuss how to break the situation instead of continuing to hide."
"You must know that every minute and second in a war is precious!"
"Now that we have discovered such a thing, it means that we have already obtained the initiative. Such opportunities are rare, and once we don't grasp it, it will be fleeting."
"Your hesitation will result in missing such an opportunity!"
Although Danzo's tone was cold, there was no intention of reprimanding him. Instead, it was more like he was teaching Shikaku. By relying on his powerful insight ability, he had already discovered that Shikaku was deeply trapped in an overly cautious situation.
"But..." A faint fluctuation appeared in Shikaku's eyes. He said, "We did not obtain any definite information. If my speculation is wrong, then it might cause the village to fall into a passive situation!"
"No!"
Danzo shook his head again and stared at Shikaku.
"If we just wait for the information to be sent back, then we will truly fall into a passive state!"
"Your deduction is reasonable and convincing, but for some reason, you are lacking in confidence!"
"It is impossible for every judgment in a war to be correct. In special times, special treatment is necessary. Even if it's almost fleeting, we must get this chance of survival!"
"Otherwise..."
"What are we speculating about when the result is still to wait for information to be sent back?"
Every word of Danzo was like a nail that was directly nailed into Shikaku's heart, making his eyes wide open, and there was a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Tap!
All of a sudden.
A hand patted him on the shoulder.
It pulled him back from this confused state.
"Shikaku."
Hiruzen said slowly. His voice was not very loud, but there was a hint of gentleness. The image of him standing in front of the sun quietly appeared. He looked like a kind elder who was staring at the younger generation.
"Let's have a chat."
A smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. He might not be good at other things, but no one was better than him when it came to pass on the will of fire.
"Danzo."
"I'll leave the war to you."
"I'll talk to Shikaku."
"Make the arrangements according to your current plan."
"We can't miss such an opportunity!"
Hiruzen explained to Danzo. When Danzo and Shikaku were discussing, he did not speak but focused on listening.
After listening.
He felt that it made sense.
Therefore, he directly made the decision.
"Understood."
Danzo did not say anything else. He stood up and walked out. Before leaving, he did not forget to glance at Shikaku.
This young man was still very young!
There was still a long way to go in the future!
However...
He was indeed a good seedling!
It's just that this person was very hesitant when doing things...
This thought flashed through Danzo's mind, and after that, he no longer thought about it. After all, he still had many things to do, and these were just a small part of it.
...
After Danzo left.
Only Hiruzen and Shikaku were left in the office.
"Sandaime-sama..."
Shikaku looked at Hiruzen. He had already realized what Hiruzen wanted to say. He understood the confusion he was facing right now, but he did not know what to do at the moment.
Shikaku was in a period of confusion!
This was a moment that comes up in almost everyone's life!
No matter how smart a person was...
There would be times when he couldn't figure it out.
"Shikaku, the current you is very hesitant when doing things. Is it related to Uzumaki Nagato?"
Hiruzen was keenly aware of Shikaku's abnormality. At first, he thought that Shikaku had grown up and become more stable than before. He was not so decisive when doing things.
"I..."
Shikaku hesitated. He wanted to say something, but he did not know where to start. He was like a person who had been bitten by a snake. Now, he was extremely cautious when he saw a rope.
"I understand."
Hiruzen nodded, then patted Shikaku on the shoulder again and said gently, "Sit down."
After that.
Hiruzen took the lead and sat on the chair behind the desk.
Shikaku nodded and sat down. He faced Hiruzen head-on, which made his eyes dodge. He did not know how to respond.
"Cautious is a good thing!"
"But being overly cautious is not necessarily a good thing!"
"The same..."
"Impulses are often not good."
"But it is also wrong to completely restrain impulse!"
Hiruzen's voice slowly sounded. He had already discovered the problem of Shikaku's illness and had now begun to speak.
"Just like you did before."
"You are very confident."
"You are even confident to the point of being conceited."
"This is too much."
"And now, you are too overcautious."
"This will make you very hesitant."
"Can you understand what I mean?"
Hiruzen said one sentence at a time. He stared at Shikaku kindly. It was like a father looking at a child. It immediately made Shikaku feel extremely warm.
"I understand." Shikaku immediately nodded. After that, he stared at Hiruzen and continued, "But I don't know what to do!"
"It's a matter of degree."
Hiruzen picked up his smoking pipe and put it in his mouth. He was very good at psychological counseling.
"Everything can't be too much, and can't be less, it must be within a just-right range!"
"We can't be blindly confident!"
"We can't be lacking confidence!"
"This is the principle of everything I do."
"I can't tell you exactly what is right!"
"This requires you to slowly explore it in your future life, but what I can tell you is that you need to try to find a middle point!"
"Shikaku."
"You are a smart person!"
"I believe that you will find a solution soon!"
Hiruzen nodded at Shikaku. The corners of his eyes and eyebrows were filled with joy. He belongs to the kind of character who likes to understand others. This also allowed him to gain the hearts of many people in Konohagakure, treating him as the light in the village.