Konoha was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere internally.

The war that had ended with great difficulty was once again disrupted by a certain event.

The leader of the Hidden Cloud Village's envoy to Konoha unexpectedly died on Konoha territory due to some reasons.

Moreover, the one who acted was none other than the Clan Leader of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi, from Konoha's Kekkeigenkai clan.

This involved significant figures from Konoha as well as the Hidden Cloud Village's envoy, leading to complications.

Now, using this incident as an excuse, the Hidden Cloud Village demands Konoha hand over the body of the Hyuga Clan Leader, Hyuga Hiashi, or else they will attack the Land of Fire at all costs until they see Hiashi's body.

Diplomatic issues between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud have now generated major rifts.

And such rifts are very likely to lead to the outbreak of war once again.

The Land of Earth and the Land of Wind have been keeping a low profile, while the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water is still recovering from a coup several years ago, staying isolated from other Ninja Villages in a severe state of "closing the country." Yet at this moment, the Hidden Cloud from the Land of Lightning is threatening to wage another decisive battle with Konoha.

In order to counter the Hidden Cloud, after the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato sacrificed himself, Konoha painstakingly exchanged numerous ninja lives for the current peace. Upon hearing the news of the impending war, the atmosphere in the village immediately became tense.

Consequently, Konoha has convened multiple Jonin meetings, involving all the Jonin with names and titles, for this occasion.

Intense discussions have been held around this matter.

The conservative Jonin advocate for prioritizing peace, arguing that Konoha cannot afford further turmoil. Since the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage and the prolonged attrition war with the Hidden Cloud lasting more than two years, military strength has significantly declined. Development should be the focus now, rather than continued conflict with the Hidden Cloud.

On the other hand, the militant faction believes it should immediately retaliate.

After more than two years of war, the conflict with the Hidden Cloud has basically been evenly matched, primarily because Konoha's power was overly consumed by the Hidden Rock and Hidden Sand. From this perspective, Konoha still holds a general advantage in terms of overall strength.

Konoha doesn't lack in high-end combat power; if the stance shifts from defense to offense, it's possible to directly strike the Land of Lightning's borders, giving the Hidden Cloud a deeply memorable lesson.

Only after that should development be pursued.

With both sides holding firm opinions, the upper echelons have not expressed their stance in the meetings, while the Hidden Cloud is pressing to see Hyuga Hiashi's body, having again stationed troops at the border of the Land of Hot Water, ready to initiate an attack on the Land of Fire at any time.

After the Jonin meetings concluded, Konoha's top leaders gathered in a private small meeting room to discuss the matter between the Hidden Cloud and the Hyuga.

"Based on the previous Jonin meetings, most Jonin favored resolving this matter peacefully, with fewer choosing to continue the war... However, demanding Hyuga Hiashi's body from Konoha, Hidden Cloud is excessively bullying."

Utatane Koharu furrowed her brow, stating the results from the Jonin meeting statistics while expressing dissatisfaction with the Hidden Cloud's stance.

"That's right, peaceful resolution is best, but if it doesn't work out, initiating war again is not out of the question. The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan must not fall into others' hands."

Mitokado Homura's attitude was equally resolute.

The leader of the Hidden Cloud's envoy died in Konoha; while Konoha was willing to make compensations, it could not use Hyuga Hiashi's body for exchange.

This exceeds the limit of what Konoha can bear.

As top leaders, they naturally understand the power of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan.

Its strategic significance is immense; if such a Kekkeigenkai falls into another village's hands, it would be more terrifying for Konoha than losing a war.

"What does the Hyuga Clan think?"

As Hokage, Hiruzen also understands that the Hyuga's Byakugan cannot fall into Hidden Cloud's hands, but the Hyuga Clan's attitude is equally crucial compared to this.

"They certainly wouldn't agree, and their stance is very firm. Moreover, to speak of this matter, originally it was the Hidden Cloud's wrongdoing. Sneaking into the Hyuga Clan territory to abduct Hiashi's daughter, I suspect their purpose in placing the ceasefire agreement signing venue in Konoha wasn't genuinely for signing the agreement, but to obtain the Hyuga Clan's Kekkeigenkai."

Because the entire event was just too bizarre.

Only a fool would infiltrate the Hyuga Clan territory to abduct the Hyuga Clan's Main Family heir.

Even if they rush in at first, it's virtually impossible to escape.

The leader of the Hidden Cloud's envoy never intended to leave the Hyuga Clan territory alive.

What Hidden Cloud wanted was merely an excuse.

Using the threat of another war against Konoha to seize the Hyuga Clan's Kekkeigenkai Byakugan.

"To pursue the Byakugan, they went so far as to..."

Mitokado Homura shook his head; the tactics of the Hidden Cloud Village still remained as ruthless and reckless as ever.

Subsequently, he glanced at Danzo, who had been silently observing since coming in.

With the help of the previous war, Root had grown unprecedentedly strong over the past two years.

Danzo himself has gained increasingly significant influence in the village, becoming a lingering issue for the Hokage.

"The Fourth Raikage himself has been directly defeated by a Byakugan Ninja, and on the battlefield, the Hidden Cloud forces have also suffered heavy losses due to the Byakugan. Unsurprisingly, Hidden Cloud Village's desire for the Byakugan is unprecedentedly high."

Utatane Koharu was not at all surprised.

Upon understanding Hidden Cloud Village's true intentions, it's indeed peculiar if no measures are taken against the Hyuga Clan.