Takashi wouldn't take such a joke seriously, nor would he foolishly agree to it.
It wasn't that he was stingy; it was just too much trouble to cook for too many people.
Moreover, he couldn't keep using Kushina's little savings to subsidize the village's shinobi, could he?
The New Year arrived, and the shinobi in the camp organized a modest gathering to celebrate the occasion. Takashi, however, chose not to join in the festivities.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
Lying in bed, Takashi quietly felt the pulsing of his Tenseigan.
---
Konoha, Senju Residence
"What's wrong, girl? Are you feeling down?" Uzumaki Mito gently stroked Kushina's long red hair. Kushina forced a smile, saying, "No, I'm very happy, Grandma."
"Sigh…" Mito sighed softly, tightening her embrace around Kushina.
Only then did Kushina speak softly, her voice full of grievance: "Grandma, I'm not happy. I thought I'd be able to spend a lively New Year with Takashi. He's my only friend, but he went straight to the border camp instead. Sister Tsunade told me the weather there is awful. I wonder if he's doing well."
"He must be missing me, right?"
Mito opened her mouth several times but couldn't find the right words to comfort her and instead silently stayed by Kushina's side.
As for Tsunade and Nawaki—
Nawaki had gone to play with his friends, while Tsunade was summoned to a meeting.
A meeting on New Year's Eve wasn't due to the Third Hokage's love for disruption; it was a matter of urgency.
In the first-floor conference room of the Hokage's office, a major meeting was underway.
Aside from the Third Hokage, representatives from the Elder Council, the jonin class, and all other key figures who were eligible to attend were present.
Only those on missions outside the village and Danzo Shimura, the unfortunate one, were absent. Everyone else was there.
The Third Hokage smoked irritably from his pipe, addressing the group, "Tonight is New Year's Eve, and everyone should be at home with their families. I'd like that too, but our enemies clearly won't let us enjoy a peaceful holiday."
"Since last year, shinobi from Sand Village have been entering the Land of Rivers, continuously provoking us. They've blatantly violated the peace treaty signed among the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
The First Shinobi World War had shattered the peaceful shinobi world established by Hashirama Senju, tearing apart the peace accords he had led in signing.
After the war ended, the villages sat down to negotiate once again, signing a new peace agreement.
As time passed, each village regained strength, and the ambitions of some villages resurfaced, showing their teeth to their neighbors and frequently initiating provocations.
The smaller nations wedged between the great shinobi villages existed mainly as buffer zones, reducing friction and conflicts between the major powers and thus lowering the probability of war.
When one side openly sent people into a buffer state, the other side inevitably perceived it as a provocation.
At this moment, Sand Village was actively provoking Konoha.
And it wasn't just Sand Village. Rain Village, under the leadership of Hanzo the Salamander, was also increasingly restless. Hanzo, like Danzo Shimura, was an ambitious man. His goal was to lead Rain Village to become strong enough to stand on equal footing with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, earning the honor of the title 'Kage.'
He wanted to be recognized not just as Rain Village's leader but as the Rain Kage!
Taking a deep draw from his pipe and exhaling a cloud of smoke, the Third Hokage continued, "In addition to Sand Village, Rain Village, under Hanzo's leadership, has also been testing our boundaries. Hanzo is an ambitious leader."
Turning to the matter of Rain Village, Koharu Utatane chimed in, "Though Rain Village has gained strength, it is limited to dominance among the smaller nations. Even with Hanzo the Salamander, it poses no real threat to our village. Thus, our primary focus should be on Sand Village."
Hanzo was indeed powerful—no one without strength would dare call themselves a demigod. However, individual strength is irrelevant unless one is another Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, as it lacks sufficient deterrence.
Under Hanzo, the Rain Village could only threaten other small nations and villages but couldn't challenge the position of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Because, in terms of overall strength, they were not on the same level.
Individual power was not enough. Even in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it wasn't sufficient.
Take the late Senju Tobirama—he was powerful, and Konoha wasn't weak either. Yet, even that couldn't deter those with ambitions.
The Gold and Silver Brothers staged a coup whenever they wanted, starting wars when they felt like it. They didn't care about Tobirama.
If it were Hashirama, they would certainly behave. But Tobirama? Not so much.
Similarly, among the Five Kage, the Third Raikage was known as the most formidable and tenacious. Yet even with the formidable Cloud Village, could they truly suppress the other villages?
No matter how strong Rain Village might become, it would remain a minor player compared to the Five Great Villages. Only Sand Village was a significant concern for Konoha.
This prioritization of Sand Village was strategic, but the question remained—how should they handle it?
Surely, Konoha wouldn't simply send shinobi into the Land of Rivers to provoke them in return, would they?
All eyes turned to the Third Hokage, eager to understand his stance.
"The village cannot remain passive. If our enemy has taken action, so should we. Constant passivity will only embolden them."
With this statement, the Third Hokage indicated Konoha's intent to retaliate.
But how they would retaliate required further discussion.
"Lord Hokage, sending our forces into the Land of Rivers rashly is not the best approach," Nara Shikashin, the strategic mind and head of the jonin, advised. "The enemy is provoking us, and we should retaliate, but we should take a different route rather than mirroring Sand Village's tactics."
Nara's words drew everyone's attention.
The Third Hokage hesitated. "Shikashin, are you referring to the Land of Rain?"
To hold the Hokage title, one needed formidable strength and sharp political instincts, and the Third Hokage had both.
The Sand Village was provoking them, but the Land of Rain wasn't peaceful either. What if Konoha sent forces into the Land of Rain, thus drawing the Sand Village's attention there?
With both Konoha and the Sand Village invading, they could also stifle the growth of the Rain Village and suppress Hanzo's ambitions.
"I find Shikashin's idea quite insightful. Not only does it respond to Sand Village's provocation, but it also hinders Rain Village's growth and ambition."
"As expected from the village's brightest mind, he connected Rain Village and Sand Village with just a few words."
Many in the room murmured in agreement.
Tsunade, however, crossed her arms and frowned.
"Everyone, Senior Shikashin's proposal is indeed clever. It should effectively divert Sand Village's attention to the Land of Rain. With both Konoha and Sand Village entering, Rain Village's development will surely be impacted. But have you all considered how Iwagakure will react?"
"Why is Sand Village provoking Konoha in the Land of Rivers and not in the Land of Rain? It's not because they fear Rain Village or Hanzo the Salamander."
"It's because Sand Village—or, more accurately, the Third Kazekage—doesn't want to provoke two strong enemies at once."
"Provoking in the Land of Rivers only antagonizes Konoha. Provoking in the Land of Rain would alert both Konoha and Iwagakure."
"After all, the Land of Rain borders the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. Any activity there could be perceived as a threat by all three."
"We must be cautious. If we plan to target both Sand Village and Rain Village, we might unintentionally draw Iwagakure into the fray as well."