Konoha's administrative building, war and strategic affairs room.
A heated discussion takes place between the Hokage, the three advisors, and the jounin commander.
"The situation is getting complicated. Reports indicate that Kumogakure will send more ninjas to the war. We can't rule out that A will decide to send a jinchuriki or interfere personally," Shikaku says, looking at the map on the table, which shows all the recent movements and the border situation.
"We must enter the conflict, secure our positions on the border, and prevent Kumogakure from taking advantage of the situation and taking over the entire nation," suggests Homura, acting as advisor.
"The problem is the faction aiding the rebels. We don't know who they are, and I tend to suspect our 'friends' to the south are involved," the Hokage says with a frown, carefully examining the border information. "It's highly suspicious that our Konoe embassy wasn't attacked like the one belonging to Kumogakure and that we suffered so few losses."
"Hiruzen, this is no time for hesitation. Those weapons cannot fall into Kumo's hands. No matter how much the rebels have held out so far, it's only a matter of time before they are defeated. There are rumors that even Mifune is considering sending aid to Chikara," Homura insists.
"What are the results of the analysis of the famous hand cannon?" Danzo asks Shikaku.
"We were able to acquire three examples during the retreat of our agents from Konoe, two of them short-range models and one long-range. At first glance, they appear to be nothing more than metal tubes, and our analysts suspected they operated through some type of fuinjutsu or the use of an explosive compound. However, it's apparently a new type of runic language, very primitive, albeit extremely balanced, and doesn't require the user's chakra to function," Shikaku explains, reading from a document in his hand.
"By using some kind of chakra battery?" Koharu asks.
"No," the jounin commander replies tersely, "We suspect these weapons use natural energy."
The three advisors' faces show obvious surprise, while the Hokage maintains his composure, still carefully studying the map.
"Did you manage to find a way to replicate that language?" Danzo asks in a very serious voice.
"So far, it's been impossible. Fuinjutsu masters can't understand the language, because according to them, it seems to be a product of a natural phenomenon, as if they were looking at the patterns on a tree leaf. It makes no sense, yet it seems perfect. If it weren't for the fact that we know the weapons were made by human hands, we would immediately give up the investigation, but everything humanly possible is being done to try to decipher the language," the jounin commander replies.
"Then we have to capture those weapons from the rebels. If it's true that they use natural energy, then we're looking at a very dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. Perhaps that's why Kumogakure is so keen to get involved in the war," Koharu adds.
"Is it possible to replicate the weapon using other methods?" Danzo asks again, still very serious.
Shikaku searches through his documents for a moment, until he finds a fairly long and detailed report, "It can be done in several ways, but never with the same capacity as the original, the main problem being the energy needed for detonation. The principle of the weapon is very simple, basically using a controlled explosion to propel one or more projectiles through a tube capable of withstanding the generated pressure. The problem is finding a reliable explosive source, be it a chemical compound or a miniaturized version of the explosive tags, with the reloading process being the most complicated to develop, since the original version only requires the introduction of the projectiles."
"Hiruzen, what are you thinking about?" Homura asks the Hokage, noticing that he hasn't taken his eyes off the map.
"All of this is pointless. A war like this has no reason to exist, especially in a nation as small as the Land of Noodles. There's something hidden that I can't see, and now it would be great if Tsunade were here so we could communicate with the divine order… I can't get it out of my head that they have something to do with all of this," the Hokage says.
"What do you know about Tsunade?" Koharu asks.
"Absolutely nothing. She disappeared without a trace, without even taking Shizune… And before you ask, no, I don't think she's in danger. Most likely, she's dealing with something very personal," Hiruzen declares.
"Then we have no choice," Danzo says, looking at Hiruzen, "Even if you don't want it, we must get involved, at least to ensure that Kumogakure doesn't threaten our border."
"It seems so…" the Hokage begins, but is interrupted by the sudden entrance into the room of the eagle ambu commander, who proceeds to hand him a document, then leaves as quickly as he entered.
Everyone remains silent as Hiruzen reads the document, then says, "Now we know why Kumo is having so much trouble in Sakon City. It seems the rebels have a powerful ally, and they've managed to attack the logistics and supply lines of the attacking forces."
"This changes the situation," Shikaku says, realizing something. "We are witnessing a larger conflict than we imagined. If these forces are able to successfully confront the Kumogakure ninja, we will have an out-of-control war on the doorstep of the Land of Fire."
"Hiruzen, there are no more excuses. We must do something," Homura states with great seriousness.
The Hokage approaches the map again and points to one of the cities in the land of noodles, specifically the city of Omiya, located quite close to the border. "We will accept Chikara's request for help, but we will focus on this specific city and will not allow anyone to take it over, no matter who. We will mobilize the newly created military corps, composed of 1,000 ninja, to the front, and then deploy another 2,000 to secure the border and serve as a reserve force."
"New military corps?" Koharu asks, a question that seems to be on the minds of all three advisors.
"It's a small, secretive project, designed to serve as a rapid-action force in case our neighbors to the south don't want to commit to peace. Now, however, they're an already organized force, perfect for deployment in this conflict," Hiruzen clarifies.
"We must do something about the weapons," Danzo insists.
"We will redouble our efforts to replicate the weapons. It is certainly a simple but revolutionary concept for arming civilians and empowering our low-ranking ninja. But regarding the weapons in the Land of Noodles, I don't want to provoke the force behind the rebels too much, so we will use a different approach… We will infiltrate the occupied cities and try to obtain them in a different way, by trading, buying, or stealing," the Hokage says decisively.
Shikaku seems to understand what the Hokage is thinking, adding, "The rebels seem to be quite skilled in the use of explosives. A good supply of explosive tags would be quite useful for them to better hold Sakon City."
The three councilors look at each other and nod at the Hokage's strategy. What follows is a long discussion regarding the deployment of the various ninja formations at the border and the preparation of the mobilization declaration before the Konoha clan assembly.
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