A didn't waste any time blaming Hiruzen for the incidents. The rest of the room agreed with him. After all, the Mizukage was already embroiled in a war. So why would he waste his energy making such a long trip to attract a new enemy?
However, a clan leader still had doubts. He asked, "But does Konoha still have the capability to unleash such destruction? After all, their sannins are away, their Hokage is old and their Jinchuriki is still a child. Besides, the destruction caused completely matches the destruction caused by three tails past rampages."
However, his point was quickly countered by another, "According to our intel, the Toad Sage Jiraiya manages a spy network throughout the ninja world. Hiruzen contacting him and asking him to make a move so quickly isn't far-fetched. Not to mention, his toads can do similar destruction as mentioned in the report."
The group discussed more and reached the conclusion that this was accomplished by Jiraiya. They began discussing what action they should undertake. A kept pushing for a full-scale war, however, the majority of the people in the room tried opposing such a call. Though Jiraiya's actions enraged them, they also brought back horrible memories of the war. They didn't want to start a new war.
Their discussion soon became heated and A began getting an upper hand when a knock was heard. The group became silent and frowned. A said, "Come in."
The door was opened and a Chunin entered the room. A scolded him, "What is so important that you had to interrupt a council meeting?"
The Chunin was intimidated. However, he steeled himself and said, "Lord Raikage, we have received an emergency message from Lord Daimyo."
The entire room became alert on hearing that. Frowns formed on many faces.
The messenger continued, "He will be visiting our village in the morning and wants to conduct a council meeting as soon as he arrives."
A's face had a very ugly expression. He asked, "Is that all?"
The Chunin nodded. He left the room after A dismissed him.
As soon as the door was closed, A's eyes wandered into the room. He observed everyone's expressions to see if any of them contacted the Daimyo. Unfortunately, he couldn't gauge anything.
Inazuma said, "Since we will be having a meeting tomorrow morning once again, it will be better to plan our actions after it."
A's was upset on hearing that. However, his expression improved as Inazuma looked at everyone in the room and said, "It is obvious that everyone in this room will have different opinions. However, don't forget that we are all a part of the same village. We will show a united front to the Daimyo. If you have any complaints or disagreements, raise them after he leaves."
No one opposed him. The meeting ended. However, all of them would stay up all night to prepare for the meeting that would take place in a few hours.
Around the same time the meeting ended, Darui, Samui and C reached the location of the mine. When they saw the scene, they were shocked!
C muttered, "What the hell happened here?"
Darui had a grim expression. He said, "More importantly, where are Advisor Hari and the rest?"
Suddenly, they looked to their right. A Kumogakure ninja appeared next to them. He was from the negotiating group. He brought Darui and the rest to where they were camped and both sides exchanged information.
They split into two groups. One group stayed to protect the camp while the other group began investigating the mine for any clues and began assessing the damage done to the mine.
After a thorough investigation, C sighed, "There is no clue related to the ninjas that were stationed here. And the mine is so damaged that it might take more than a year to fix it and begin mining once again."
Darui nodded. They sent another report to A while investigating even more.
The next morning, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning showed up in Kumogakure. He wasted no time in entering the council room. The council members gathered immediately and began the meeting.
The Daimyo was an old man. He looked at A and said, "I am guessing that you know why I am here, right?"
A said, "Is it due to the rumors?"
Daimyo nodded and answered, "In Part."
A snorted, "The rumors are nothing but a ploy played by the Hokage to create panic in our country."
Daimyo replied, "I don't doubt that. So can you tell me the truth? Or do you plan to keep me in the dark like the last time?"
A's face became dark. The Daimyo noticed it and didn't push A any further.
A asked, "What do you want to know about?"
The Daimyo said, "About the mine, the clash with the Konoha ninjas and whether the mine was destroyed. Also, tell me about your next plans."
Not seeing any point in keeping the incidents a secret, A informed the Daimyo about the truth of those events. He ended by saying, "As for the plans, we are still deciding. However, I want to invade Konoha and make them regret killing my subordinates!"
The others in the council frowned but didn't oppose him. The Daimyo said, "Right now, every citizen in our country is terrified."
He looked at A and said, "They are terrified about your actions. I guess that most of your ninjas are doubting you too. How do you plan to wage a war under these circumstances?"
Rage appeared on A's face when he heard the Daimyo saying that his ninjas might be doubting him. However, before he could explode, Inazuma said, "Lord Daimyo, it's just the rumors that have created confusion. We can easily quell those rumors by starting new rumors and increase our morale through it."
The Daimyo replied, "True. But which rumors would help you resolve this?"
He placed a few letters on the table. Inazuma frowned.
The Daimyo said, "These are letters that I have received from every other Daimyo. The Daimyo of Hot Water has complained about you mining in his country illegally. The other Daimyos have also condemned your actions."
The Kumo ninjas frowned upon hearing that.
The Daimyo continued, "They will soon be sending their forces to the mine. If they find proof of Kumogakure's illegal mining activities, then a trade embargo will be placed on the Land of Lightning for 6 months.
The Mine itself will be handed over to the Land of Iron for mining. They have already sent their Samurais over to take control of the mine. The Hokage has expressed his support for this and has promised to send his forces to aid the Samurais.
Though there hasn't been any word from the Tsuchikage and Kazekage, their respective Daimyos have promised to send ninjas to the mine as the chakra metal extracted will be divided equally among the ones who contribute forces to defend the mine."
The mood in the room became heavy as the Daimyo kept delivering one bad news after another. The Daimyo observed the mood in the room with satisfaction. Finally, he said, "Raikage, I know I can't force you to not wage a war. However, I want you to know what you will be facing if you start a war. At the very least, you will have to face the combined might of the Land of Iron and the Land of Fire in the Land of Hot Water which supports them.
In the worst-case scenario, you will even have to face the armies of the Land of Wind and the Land of Stone as well. Additionally, if you wage a war, the trade embargo won't be placed for just 6 months."
The Daimyo stood up and said, "I would recommend you to extinguish any proof of your activities there and withdraw back. We could join them and gain our share of the chakra metal and our economy wouldn't have to suffer from the trade embargo. I'll leave the final decision to you."
Having said what he wanted to, the Daimyo left the room. His officials followed him. He was aware of A's short temper and didn't want to be at the receiving end of it. So he didn't antagonize him too much.
The atmosphere in the council room was very gloomy. Though many of them didn't want a war, being forced to stop this way was very humiliating.
Even A was troubled. While he was confident about defeating Konoha's armies, he didn't have any confidence in a victory against the combined forces of Konoha and the Land of Iron.
The council brainstormed on the available options. They came up with a lot of different ideas. Unfortunately, every single idea was deemed too risky to implement. In the end, they had to swallow a bitter pill and quit.
A sent messages to Darui and the negotiating group to get rid of all clues that could point to them and return back to Kumogakure. They followed his instructions.
A couple of days after the Kumogakure ninjas left, an army consisting of one thousand Samurais led by Mifune, two hundred Konoha ninjas led by Kakashi and fifty Yugakure ninjas led by Tokuhei appeared at the site of the mine.
