"Yahiko sure moves fast."
Tsunade sat at her desk and tossed a document toward Kawakaze.
"Not bad."
Kawakaze glanced at the battle report on Akatsuki and smirked slightly.
"What's the next step?"
"Are we just letting Yahiko keep fighting?"
Tsunade stretched her neck before continuing to go through her paperwork.
"Relax."
"Someone will step in sooner or later."
Kawakaze spoke with complete confidence, making it hard to doubt him.
"The Land of Wind?"
Shōta chimed in, figuring that if any nation dared to make a move, it would be the Land of Wind.
After all, they were the closest, and Akatsuki's actions were undoubtedly putting immense pressure on Sunagakure.
"Not necessarily."
"But it doesn't really matter who steps in."
"Once that happens, the whole ninja world will be in chaos, and we'll be one step closer to making our move."
Kawakaze spoke vaguely, but in truth, he didn't care who took action first.
As long as Yahiko and the others kept stirring things up, the entire ninja world falling into disorder was inevitable.
"You mean the Land of Water?"
"That's unlikely."
Shōta frowned. He didn't believe Kirigakure would get involved this quickly.
"Anything's possible."
"No rush—we'll just sit back and watch."
Kawakaze grinned, as if everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
"You're really something."
"Here, you handle this mess."
Tsunade tossed another document at him.
"What mess?"
Kawakaze caught it and flipped it open.
It was filled with requests for aid from small nations that had relatively good relations with Konoha.
"Looks like Yahiko scared them."
"This is an easy fix."
Kawakaze shook his head with a smile. The big players hadn't shown themselves yet, but the small fry were already panicking.
"The ninja world is in turmoil, and the forces we sent to support the Land of Earth are already in a difficult situation."
"At the moment, Konoha has no capacity to intervene elsewhere."
"However, we strongly condemn Akatsuki's aggressive actions."
"If Akatsuki does not immediately cease these heinous acts of invasion, Konoha does not rule out the possibility of military intervention."
"Send them this response."
"Then issue a public statement criticizing Yahiko and have the Daimyō sign off on it."
"That way, we'll maintain the image of a great village and uphold our moral high ground in the ninja world."
By the time Kawakaze finished rattling off his plan, both Tsunade and Shōta were looking at him differently.
Had this guy's shamelessness reached new heights?
"You really are something else."
Tsunade didn't even know what to say. Konoha wouldn't lift a finger, but in the end, people would still praise them.
Condemning Yahiko? Seriously?
Wasn't he the one who sent Yahiko on this mission in the first place?
Now, not only was Yahiko getting no credit, but he was also about to be labeled the villain disrupting world peace.
"In the past, I would've scoffed at this. Now, I choose my words carefully."
"Lord Kawakaze, I've written down everything you just said."
Shōta had fully embraced the idea of rolling with it instead of resisting.
He was genuinely impressed by Kawakaze's shamelessness.
This level of maneuvering completely shattered his worldview.
No wonder he was stuck doing all the grunt work—he wasn't cunning or thick-skinned enough.
If he had realized this sooner, he could've conned a few of his "friends" into helping out.
"You're learning."
Kawakaze pointed at Shōta, his grin turning almost sinister.
"Has Yahiko contacted you in the past few days?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Nope. He's probably still busy."
Just as Kawakaze finished speaking, a message request from Yahiko popped up.
"You really have a way with words."
Shaking his head, Kawakaze pulled out a slug clone from who-knows-where.
"Sensei."
Yahiko's voice came through as the image materialized in front of Kawakaze.
"Well done."
"Even your sensei's wife praised you."
Kawakaze stood up and casually sat on the armrest of Tsunade's office chair.
"Our Yahiko looks like he's put on some weight recently."
Tsunade smiled as she spoke, and her words nearly brought tears to Yahiko's eyes.
To the world, he was the leader of Akatsukigakure.
But in Tsunade's eyes, he would always be the same kid who hadn't quite grown up.
"Really?"
"Maybe I've just been living a bit too comfortably."
Yahiko laughed sheepishly, scratching his head—completely lacking the demeanor of a ruler.
"A little weight is good. It means you're healthy."
"You've been working hard."
"By the way, in a few days, an official statement denouncing you will be released."
"You should thank your good sensei for that."
Tsunade suddenly changed the subject, her tone playful, yet her smile remained.
"Haha, it's fine."
"In that case, I, Yahiko, have truly made a name for myself in the ninja world."
Yahiko didn't mind at all. A little bad press wasn't going to hurt him.
"You think that's a good reputation?"
Tsunade chuckled, deciding that infamy was still a kind of fame.
"I don't care what others think of me."
"As long as the people I care about still care about me, that's all that matters."
Yahiko's words were a bit clumsy, but his sincerity was clear.
"Alright, enough with the sentimentality."
"Where are you now?"
"Getting ready to head to the Land of Iron?"
Men didn't bother with emotional talk—Kawakaze got straight to the point, asking about Yahiko's next move.
Since he had already taken the Tailed Beast from the Land of Waterfalls, Kawakaze had lost all interest in the place.
He was confident that wiping out the remaining resistance there wouldn't take Yahiko much time.
"Still in the Land of Grass."
"This place is a total mess."
"It's so poor—it's actually terrifying."
"The people here don't even care that we invaded."
"What kind of life do you have to live to become this indifferent?"
Yahiko sighed in frustration. Conquering a nation was one thing, but ruling it was proving to be the real challenge.
"The Land of Grass has always been impoverished."
"This isn't something that can be fixed overnight."
"I imagine Konan and Kakuzu are facing similar situations."
"But don't worry too much."
"For now, just secure the territory and keep things stable—don't let chaos break out."
"Once things settle, I'll send people to take over, and we can deal with these issues gradually."
Kawakaze had already considered the situation. Trying to govern while still expanding was impractical at this stage.
"Got it. I'll let Konan and Kakuzu know."
Yahiko nodded, relieved.
If Kawakaze had insisted that he govern these territories himself, he would've had a real headache.
"The Land of Iron isn't an urgent target."
"The samurai there still have some strength—don't let yourself fall into any traps."
Kawakaze smirked, teasing Yahiko. Of course, he knew the Land of Iron couldn't stop Akatsuki's advance.
In the entire country, the only real fighter worth mentioning was Mifune.
And one man alone wasn't enough to turn the tide of a war.
"Don't worry, Sensei, I've got this."
Yahiko spoke with confidence. Even Hanzō of the Salamander had already been defeated—how could a bunch of samurai pose any threat?
"Good."
"Finish up in the Land of Grass before heading out. I'll be waiting for your victory."
Kawakaze had complete trust in his disciple.
"Just watch and see."
"Oh, right—I almost forgot to mention something important."
"The Raikage sent someone over, but I sent them packing just like you said."
Only now did Yahiko remember to report the matter.
"Don't worry about them. Kumo can't do much now."
"They still haven't taken the Land of Earth, and the longer this drags on, the more impatient the Raikage will get."
"He won't have the time or energy to send anyone else after you."
From the moment the Raikage decided to attack the Land of Earth, Kawakaze had already written them off.
In the grand stage of the ninja world, Kumo's role was nearing its final act.