[A/N: Thanks for all the wishes guys. Still very sick, but was able to write today. Can''t promise about tomorrow. Enjoy and take care.]

    Shikaku, who finally found a moment of peace, was suddenly disturbed. He glanced at Eagle and muttered, "I thought I said not to entertain any weird ideas from him."

    Eagle replied, "You did, but Renjiro said that Fujin will most likely attack Sunagakure if you don''t get in contact. I thought talking with him now would be less troublesome."

    Shikaku''s eyes twitched as he muttered, "He''ll attack without permission?"

    Eagle replied, "Most likely. However, considering the situation, I won''t blame him. This is indeed quite extraordinary."

    Disbelief appeared on Shikaku''s face as Eagle informed him about Takahiro and his accomplishments. He instinctively muttered, "This..."

    For a moment, even Shikaku was left speechless. Takahiro''s accomplishments were just too good. Shikaku sighed and thought, ''This is a huge change in the situation. No wonder Fujin is insistent on hearing my opinion.

    Takahiro... I recall reading his name but I didn''t think he''d give us such a surprise. Killing a Grandmaster and bringing his body intact... That''s extremely rare, even though Fujin did it not too long ago. Not to mention, he has compromised the positions of over a thousand Sunagakure ninjas and delivered the information to the one ninja who can slaughter every last one of them... Still...''

    A tired expression appeared on Shikaku''s face as he wondered, ''Why do so many strange incidents occur when he is in charge of that damned army? It was supposed to be a simple training mission... How did it turn into a war against Kusagakure rebels, the annihilation of Otogakure and the vanguard against Sunagakure?

    If such incidents keep occurring, the next great war might begin if we let him lead more armies for ''training'' missions. Anyway, what do I do?''

    While Shikaku hated doing the work, as a military strategist, he understood how valuable the information was. In fact, he was tempted to make a move and deal another crippling blow to Sunagakure. A quick successful campaign would break Sunagakure''s will and force them to retreat deeper into the desert.

    It would also force them to doubt the effectiveness of their ambush units, something that was a big headache to Konoha''s strategists. And, as long as Konoha didn''t venture deeper into the Land of Wind, Iwagakure and Kumogakure would be on guard and not attack Konoha prematurely. While there were plenty of risks, the advantages seem to outweigh them considerably at the moment.

    Yet, Shikaku shook his head and thought, ''As tempting as this is, I am not the person who can order the start of a new war. That is something only the Hokage can do. In the absence of the Hokage, the entire council has to agree to it unanimously. Considering that Lord Jiraiya and nearly everyone in the council was against war and the fact that negotiations with Sunagakure are nearing an end, I''ll be crossing too many lines if I give him permission right now.

    Besides, even though we appear strong, we have too many vulnerabilities right now. Lord Third still hasn''t woken up and Kakashi is down as well. I still don''t know whether Lord Jiraiya has found Lady Tsunade or not. Under such circumstances, I can''t send Guy out of the village.

    So, even though our forces are relatively unharmed, Fujin is the only capable commander available right now. On the off chance that Iwagakure and Kumogakure attack us and Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade do not return in time, we''ll be in a terrible situation.''

    Shikaku stayed still, his mind completely focused on the matter. Eagle didn''t disturb him as Shikaku calculated hundreds of possibilities before letting out a sigh. He muttered, "What a waste of such a good opportunity..."

    Thinking quickly, Koharu said, "This can be controversial. What if your ninjas don''t do the missions to the same standard as our ninjas? Our reputation could be dragged through the mud if they mess up!"

    Arisa immediately replied, "Don''t worry. If anyone isn''t satisfied with our job, we''ll reimburse the full amount to them, even though they''re paying Konoha."

    Homura sighed internally, ''Their council has thought about everything... I didn''t think they''d be wise enough to come up with something like this. Where was this wisdom when they decided to ally with Orochimaru?''

    He glanced at the Wind Daimyo and thought, ''Luckily, past differences can''t be settled so quickly. They''ll need several years to prove their sincerity.''

    Realizing the futility of negotiating in this matter, Homura said, "Alright, we will accept it. However, this arrangement will continue for a minimum of 3 years. And, during this time, Sunagakure can''t undercut Konoha''s mission prices."

    Yura immediately said, "Thi..."

    However, Homura interrupted him and said seriously, "This is non-negotiable. If you want to make a move, better commit to it."

    Seeing his strong stance, the Sunagakure side relented.

    Arisa said, "Alright. There is one more matter. It''s regarding the appointment of our 5th Kazekage."

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