Absolute Justice in Naruto Chapter 328: New Mechanism

On the other side.

The window of the Hokage building was half open. The evening breeze poured in from outside, rustling the intelligence papers on the desk.

Tsunade's fingers pressed down on the newly delivered secret report. Her knuckles tightened little by little, her nails nearly creasing the paper.

Shizune stood beside her and said quietly, "The news has been verified three tis. Border outposts, our hidden lines in the Land of Earth, and the testimony from a rchant convoy intercepted north of the Land of Fire all match."

Tsunade didn't answer imdiately. She simply read the words on the page again.

One month.

In one month, the allied forces of the daimyo from the Lands of Earth, Wind, and Lightning would officially advance toward the Land of Fire.

This wasn't a probe, nor a small-scale clash, nor a border skirmish. They were openly using the na of "subjugating Uchiha Chizumi" as their banner, intending to push the flas of war deep into the Land of Fire.

Homura Mitokado stood on the other side of the Hokage's office, his voice low. "They're not even hiding it anymore. There are even rumors inside the allied army about dividing up the Land of Fire's territory. The daimyo of the smaller countries were originally still wavering, but now that they've seen the three nations truly beginning to unite, they've also started sending people over."

Koharu Utatane frowned, her voice sharper than usual. "Their target is no longer Chizumi alone. It's all of Konoha, all of the Land of Fire!"

Tsunade let out a cold laugh and tossed the intelligence report back onto the desk.

"I can see that."

The office fell silent for a mont.

Shizune looked up at Tsunade. "Should we convene a jōnin eting imdiately?"

Tsunade didn't answer. Instead, she looked directly out the window. After a mont, she said, "Go call Chizumi here."

Shizune paused, then nodded. "I'll go right away."

She turned to leave. But just as she pulled the door open, a steady set of footsteps sounded from the hallway.

"No need."

Outside the door, Uchiha Chizumi stood in the glow of the setting sun, his expression calm, as if he had already known soone here would be waiting for him.

Shizune instinctively stepped aside. "Chizumi, you already know?"

"The atmosphere at the border is different from a few days ago. When I returned to the village, I glanced through a few leaked ssages."

Chizumi stepped into the office, his gaze falling on the report on Tsunade's desk. "Looks like it's been officially confird."

Tsunade leaned against the desk, arms crossed over her chest, and stared at him for several seconds.

"You don't look surprised at all."

"Surprise is aningless."

Chizumi walked to the desk, picked up the report, skimd it, and put it back down. "They were going to act sooner or later. They're just more coordinated than I expected."

Homura frowned. "This isn't sothing you can brush off with 'more coordinated.' An allied army of over thirty thousand, and still expanding. Even if most of them are only genin, wandering ninja, and miscellaneous samurai, that is not a small number."

Chizumi glanced at him. "I know."

"You know?" Koharu's voice carried barely suppressed agitation. "You know, and you're still this calm? They're going to invade the Land of Fire in a month!"

Chizumi didn't argue with her. He turned his gaze back to Tsunade.

"So, you called here to discuss how Konoha should respond?"

Tsunade looked at him. "What else?"

"It's simple."

There was not the slightest ripple in Chizumi's tone.

"Have Konoha's ninja continue their regular training."

The office fell silent for an instant.

Shizune sounded as if she hadn't heard him clearly. "…Continue training?"

"That's right."

"Chizumi!" Tsunade's brows drew together. "Do you know what kind of situation we're in right now?"

"I do."

"Then you still want them to train as usual? Do you think Konoha doesn't need to prepare for war?"

"Preparing for war does not an stopping everything people should already be doing, then gathering everyone together to create anxiety."

Chizumi looked at Tsunade, his voice still even. "The more tense the situation, the more we cannot let the village fall into disorder. The Academy continues classes as usual. Chūnin and the Special Mobile Unit continue combat training. The dical corps maintains shifts. The sensory division expands patrol range. Send more Anbu and reconnaissance teams to the border. But inside the village, there is no need to create the appearance that a great war is imminent and everyone must panic."

Homura couldn't help saying, "But that is an allied army—"

"So what if it is?"

Chizumi interrupted him. His tone was not heavy, but it left people unable to respond for a mont.

"Will they stop coming just because Konoha holds one more eting today and skips one round of taijutsu practice tomorrow?"

The office fell silent again.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Go on."

Chizumi nodded.

"The most important thing right now is not public mobilization, but stability. Order inside the Land of Fire cannot break down. Konoha's internal rhythm cannot break down. The border must be guarded and intelligence must be gathered, but daily life in the village must continue. Only then will the allied army be unable to judge our real arrangents."

Koharu frowned. "You want to deliberately show weakness?"

"Not show weakness. Make them unable to understand."

Chizumi looked out the window. The twilight fell little by little across the side of his face.

"If Konoha starts large-scale troop movents now, seals off districts, suspends Academy classes, and piles every jōnin onto the border, the allied army will only beco more cautious. They'll know Konoha is fully on guard, and that will force those daimyo to consolidate their forces even faster."

Tsunade lightly tapped the desk with her finger. "You an we let them slowly gather according to their original plan?"

"Yes."

"And then?"

"Then wait until they enter the place I want them to enter."

Tsunade stared at him for several seconds before suddenly snorting. "You're talking like you already have a plan."

Chizumi neither denied nor admitted it.

"For now, nothing needs to change."

"For now?" Tsunade caught the wording.

"Yes. For now."

Chizumi said calmly, "For now, let the village keep running. When it's ti to move, I'll co to you."

Tsunade frowned. "You're that sure?"

"Sure of what?"

"That you can stop them alone."

Chizumi looked at her. There was no trace of boastfulness in his eyes. He sounded only as if he were stating a very ordinary fact.

"Not stop them. Crush them."

Standing nearby, Shizune unconsciously tightened her grip on the clipboard in her arms.

She realized that every ti she heard Chizumi speak in this tone, she felt sothing strange. It wasn't arrogance, nor underestimating the enemy, nor simple confidence. It was a calmness close to inevitability.

As if, in his eyes, that allied army of tens of thousands was no different from the endless evildoers in the Grass Country.

Tsunade was silent for a long ti. Finally, she reached out and picked up the intelligence report from the desk again.

"Fine."

Homura and Koharu both looked at her at the sa ti.

"Tsunade, you—"

"I said fine."

Tsunade ignored them and looked only at Chizumi. "The village will maintain normal order. Training continues as usual. Border security will be strengthened, and every intelligence line will be pushed to its limit. I'll give you the stability you want."

Chizumi nodded. "That works."

Tsunade added, "But one thing. If the situation changes again within half a month, you co see imdiately."

"That's fine."

"And don't go off and do anything on your own."

Chizumi glanced at her and didn't answer right away.

Tsunade imdiately sensed sothing off, her voice sinking. "What was that look?"

"Nothing."

"Chizumi."

"I said, nothing."

Chizumi turned toward the door. "If there's nothing else, I'll go check the training ground."

"…You're really going to the training ground?"

"Didn't you agree that training continues as usual?"

The door closed softly behind him.

The office was quiet for a while. Shizune said in a small voice, "Lady Tsunade, I feel like he's already thinking about sothing else."

Tsunade's face was cold. "I know."

Koharu said unhappily, "If you know, then why did you agree?"

Tsunade slapped the report onto the desk.

"Because he's right. Konoha cannot fall into disorder right now."

She walked back behind the desk and sat down, interlacing her fingers in front of her chin, though her gaze had darkened slightly.

"But I also know that when that brat says 'nothing changes for now,' he's probably already calculating when to make his move."

Night gradually settled over the village.

Yet Konoha's streets did not descend into the panic one might have imagined.

Lights ca on one by one as usual. Steam still rose from the noodle shops on the roadside. The dango vendor called out to passing ninja. Children coming ho late from the Academy ran across the street with schoolbags on their backs, shouting about whose kunai throws were more accurate.

But if one looked closely, differences from usual could still be seen.

There were more Police Force mbers on patrol.

Anbu swept across the rooftops more frequently.

At so usually inconspicuous alley entrances, ninja wearing forehead protectors leaned against walls, looking as if they were chatting casually, yet also as if they were watching sothing.

At the Third Training Ground on the village's western side, the night had only just fallen, but lights were already lit in the field.

"Again!"

"Move faster! Are you throwing kunai or tossing leaves?"

"Anyone with unstable chakra adhesion, redo it from the start!"

At the edge of the training ground, several jōnin leading the Special Mobile Unit barked orders loudly.

More than a dozen ninja of varying ages moved through the field. Beneath their feet was a training net made of crossed wooden stakes and iron wires. So threw kunai from midair, so ford seals and released low-level Wind Release to cut wooden targets, and so ran laps around the edge of the field with weights on their backs. The sounds of panting and clashing weapons mixed together, rising hot into the air.

Neji stood on a high stake on the northern side, his Byakugan active, veins faintly bulging at his temples.

A chūnin below shouted, "Target, left rear!"

Almost the instant the voice rang out, three kunai wrapped in red cords flew diagonally out of the darkness.

Neji didn't lower his head to look. He simply shifted his foot, his body sliding half an inch along the surface of the stake. The three kunai brushed past his sleeve. He struck the tail of one kunai with a reverse palm, and the weapon abruptly changed direction midair, flying straight into the center of a moving wooden target more than ten ters away.

"Hit!"

Soone at the side of the field shouted.

Another chūnin responsible for recording lowered his head and wrote, "Reaction ti shortened by twelve percent. Sensory range stable. Chakra consumption lower than three days ago."

Neji landed from the high stake. His breathing was slightly quick, but it soon steadied.

"Continue."

The jōnin in charge of training looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You've already trained nearly four hours today."

"It's not enough."

"Who are you competing with?"

Neji paused, then said calmly, "Myself."

A soft laugh suddenly ca from the side of the field.

"Stubborn."

Neji turned and saw Tenten standing outside the fence holding a large bundle of sealing scrolls. Beside her, Lee was doing a one-handed handstand, his face full of passion as he hopped along the outer stone path.

"Neji! This is youth!"

Lee shouted while advancing upside down. "Tempering yourself desperately before war arrives, this burning feeling—"

Tenten kicked him in the calf.

"Shut up. You're embarrassing."

Lee tilted, nearly losing his handstand. He hurriedly flipped upright and clutched his calf while sucking in air. "Tenten, you hit too hard!"

"Then don't be so noisy here."

Tenten walked into the training ground, dropped the scrolls onto the ground, and looked at Neji. "I adjusted a few new rapid-fire chanisms in the equipnt area. Want to try them?"

Neji nodded. "Sure."

As the three walked to the other side, they happened to see soone leaning against a tree at the edge of the field.

Lee imdiately stood straight. "Lord Chizumi!"

Tenten also instinctively composed herself.

Neji simply stopped and looked over quietly.

Uchiha Chizumi stood under the tree's shadow, as if he had already been watching for a while.

"Continue. Don't mind ."

Lee imdiately puffed out his chest. "Yes!"

Tenten didn't leave right away. She couldn't help asking, "Lord Chizumi, about the allied army… is it true?"

For so reason, the previously noisy training ground quieted slightly.

Several gazes drifted in their direction.

Chizumi looked at Tenten and did not avoid the question.

"It's true."

The air seed to pause.

Lee clenched his fists. "Then are we going to the battlefield soon?"

"You want to go to the battlefield?"

"Of course!"

Lee answered without hesitation. "As long as I can protect Konoha, I—"

"You're not ready."

Chizumi cut off his passion with one sentence.

Lee's face reddened. "I—"

"Your taijutsu is decent, and your will is enough. But your current speed, explosiveness, and endurance are all insufficient."

Chizumi's tone remained calm. "Wars are not won by shouting a few pretty words. What you should be doing now is finishing today's training, finishing tomorrow's training, and finishing everything you're supposed to do every day after that."

Lee opened his mouth. In the end, he nodded heavily. "Yes!"

Tenten quietly glanced at Neji.

Neji's expression didn't change much. He only asked, "Then we continue training according to the original plan?"

"Yes."

"The village isn't preparing to mobilize early?"

"There will be mobilization, but not now."

Chizumi's gaze swept across the people in the field. "You only need to rember one thing. Konoha has not fallen into chaos, so training must not fall into chaos either."

Neji was silent for a mont, then nodded. "Understood."

Chizumi said nothing more and turned to leave.

Only after he left the training ground did the suppressed breathing and weapon sounds gradually grow heated again.

Tenten let out a long breath and muttered quietly, "I don't know why, but when he showed up, I actually felt less nervous."

Lee nodded hard. "Exactly! This is the reassurance that cos from a strong person!"

Neji looked in the direction Chizumi had left, his eyes moving slightly.

"That isn't reassurance."

"Huh?"

"It's because he doesn't consider it a threat at all."

Tenten froze.

Neji had already turned and walked toward the equipnt area. "Let's go. We'll practice with the new chanisms."