Book One: The Rise of the Blue-Haired Devil.

      - You're kidding me! They came to our doorstep and made a mess! Do you want me to leave it all just like that?! – the albino spoke in a quiet voice. However, there was so much anger and hatred in his voice that it would be enough for several dozen ninjas. Mito, sitting next to me on the chair, winced at every word the Hokage said. She didn't like the fact that the village leader couldn't control himself. The only thing stopping her from burying poor Senju was having her hands full. A fox lay on them, demanding attention and purring sweetly every time Uzumaki's hand passed over his back with a gentle movement. Kyuubi, and that's what he was, calmly listened to all of Tobirama's screams. He didn't show an iota of aggression. One might think that he didn’t care at all about everything the Senju said, but that was not the case. He could say a lot to Tobirama's face, but he was stopped by my request, which was that he should not burn himself in front of Tobirama. I explained to Kurama that the younger brother of the Shinobi God was not aware of our agreement with him and that it was unlikely that he would react adequately to the fact that a mutually beneficial contract could be concluded between a person and a bijuu.       - Tobirama-san, calm down. It is not profitable for us to start a war. At least right now. – I said coldly, looking at the heated albino. It was necessary to somehow cool down the ardor of the strongest ninja of Konoha, so I poured imported sake, which I found in his house, into a glass. The albino knocked back his glass without even thinking about the consequences. He winced slightly at the sharp burning sensation in his throat, but this stuff was very calming in small doses. You definitely shouldn't overdrink. This can ruin your health and cause addiction. Yes, ninjas are more resilient people. Thanks to the chakra, alcohol has a weaker effect on them, and they are not afraid of weak poisons, but everything has a norm. But that's my personal opinion. Tobirama, while I was thinking about this, had already downed his second glass. – Firstly, the main weapon of the Fog is not ready yet. And strong ninjas still have to get used to it. This will also take some time. – I clarified the first reason why you shouldn’t start a war right now.       - And how long will it take? – Senju immediately clarified, looking into my eyes. I read fatigue in his gaze. He's already tired of being Hokage. It is possible to understand him. Too many responsibilities fell on him. When Hashirama was Hokage, everything was much simpler...       - It’s hard to say exactly... - I hesitated, fully aware of the complexity of the seals that Ashina would have to apply to the swords. – Maybe a month, maybe more. This needs to be clarified with the Uzukage. – I added, trying to remain calm.       - Okay, I'll send him a message. – Tobirama responded, wincing.       - That's not all. If you start a war, we will ultimately be seen as the aggressors. This could be a reason to unite the other three great ninja villages. Then the war will be very difficult for us. - I put forward a second reason why it was not worth starting the war first.       - It’s a good idea, but there is one thing, but... All kages are afraid of being stabbed in the back. This is an obvious fact. Clearing a front with one country in order to attack another is a very good tactic only if you are sure that an allied army will not come to you from an empty front to destroy all life in your village. The army will remain, but it will not be for long. If the people have no one to follow, they will scatter throughout the world. Getting people to work together for a common good goal is not something every leader can do. So they are unlikely to take that much risk. A stab in the back is the most dangerous thing, especially if you don't expect it. – Tobirama dispelled all my arguments.       - It is possible to secure an alliance with treaties. – I tried to break his logic of thinking.       - Agreements are just pieces of paper. They are forgotten at the first opportunity. Yes, a blood pact is a thing that cannot be deceived, but I very much doubt that other countries generally know about such ninja techniques, and even if they do, only Uzumaki or you can use such a seal. – the albino said, sitting down on a chair. He clearly had a better understanding of this whole world politics thing than either I or Mito, although I'm not sure about the latter.              - Then I don’t understand how you can trust the Fog? – Uzumaki suddenly spoke. Her voice was calm and confident, but there was a bit of doubt in it.       - Eh... - Senju breathed out without any joy. He didn't enjoy having to explain himself to others, but right now they were the only people he could trust. - It's about Michiko. – the Hokage suddenly began, turning his gaze to me. I just raised my eyebrows in surprise, not understanding what it had to do with me. -You are in Konoha and helping her. You have concluded one of the greatest alliances of modern times, uniting three powerful clans. Thanks to you, we managed to avoid a huge number of losses. It’s unlikely that you are the last person in the Mist, so we can say that you are the official representative of Kiri here in Konoha.       Besides, the Mizukage has never refuted your words and judgments. I’m already starting to think that the head of the village hidden in the Fog is you, Mi. – Tobirama suddenly said. There was absolute calm and even... confidence in his gaze? Hmm, this man has a better opinion of me. I will, of course, try not to let him down, but it will be difficult in the upcoming events. After such words, even Kurama's gaze changed. He looked at me with interest, trying to ask a silent question.       - No, no, I'm not a mizukage. – I blurted out with an awkward smile.       - However, you are clearly stronger than him. Madara is stronger than Byakuren. This is simply an irrefutable fact. There is, of course, a possibility that he would have defeated you in that battle, but something tells me that then the chances were fifty-fifty. - Tobirama stated, continuing to stare at me. I hesitated, fully aware that there was no right answer in such a situation. If I say that I am stronger than Byakuren, then I will undermine Hozuki's reputation, because a kage is the strongest ninja in the village. And if I refute the albino’s words, then I simply won’t be able to prove to him that Byakuren is stronger than me.       - Yes, if you look at my achievements, then I am clearly a more outstanding ninja now, but do not forget that Mr. Byakuren went through hundreds of battles. He has a lot of experience, so I don't know who will emerge victorious from our battle. – I answered this question quite neutrally, breaking the awkward silence that followed Tobirama’s words. - Hmm... - the albino chuckled somehow like an Uchiha, expressing his opinion in such an extravagant way. - Okay, I think I'll call the meeting of the five kage again. On it I will present the village of Oblaka for attacking us. As proof, I will show the bodies of two of their strongest ninjas. The Raikage is a very emotional person. This is due to his main element. It's just hard for him to contain his emotions. This should work to our advantage. I may be able to claim monetary compensation for the damage caused. – the Hokage shared his plan of action, waiting for our reaction. I thought seriously for several minutes, trying to sort the situation out. Mito did the same.       - The idea is not bad, but the chance that it will work is minimal. Personally, I have not heard of ninjas from the village hidden in the Clouds who can use the chakra of the Ku... Kyuubi. And their protectors mean nothing in this situation. We can easily make them ourselves, so it will be unrealistic to demand something from Kum. They will simply refute everything with the fact that these two ninja used the chakra of the nine-tails, and this bijuu is now at the disposal of Konoha. – I said in a calm voice, after several minutes of thought. Now Senju was plunged into serious thought, while starting to massage his temples with his index and middle fingers, thus trying to concentrate his thoughts.       - This is not the most important thing, Tobirama. The main problem is in other villages. It is simply not profitable for them to put pressure on the village hidden in the Clouds now. This village does not have the resources that its neighbors need. More precisely, they exist, but giving any ground outpost to the Fog is simply an instant admission of losing the war. And Iva (a village hidden in stone) simply doesn’t care about anyone from a high bell tower. They only want to destroy the Senju clan, which for a long time, under the leadership of Hashirama, broke all the plans of the head of the Kamizura clan, who stood at the head of this village. Sand is deprived of everything from the very beginning, so they will only support the start of the war, but the war is not with Cloud, because they simply cannot attack it quickly, but with Iwa or Konoha. So most likely you will achieve nothing with your demands at the meeting, you will only provoke the other kage. – Mito said with an annoyed face. Apparently she also did not want to believe that an agreement would not be possible. The time has come for reflection, in which we plunged. Even Kurama's face was thoughtful. The room fell into deathly silence, interrupted occasionally by squelching sounds as one of us decided to drink the tea poured into the mugs on the table.       - There is only one option to delay the start of the war. - I decided to put forward my idea. When everyone turned their attention to me, I continued. - We need to hush this case up. - Make it as if it never existed. Then the village hidden in the Sand and the village hidden in the Stone will have no reason to start a war. We won't show them Konoha's weakness. This, of course, will not be for long, because Kuma knows everything, so sooner or later the Raikage will get the idea of ​​spreading rumors, but I think that we will have enough time to prepare. I understand you, Tobirama. This sounds wrong and even unfair to Konoha, but it is the only option that can slightly slow down the start of the war. Understand, now we are not talking about honor and dignity, but about which villages will survive after the upcoming war. – I finished informing my allies about the sad conclusions I had made.       - I'm right. We must make amends for this incident so as not to give our enemies an opportunity for a surprise attack, and the Cloud itself will not dare to do this now. They lost two strong ninja, so it will take them a while to recover from something like this. – Mito supported me. Now Uzumaki and I looked at Tobirama, whose gaze had become unreadable. The man was plunged into complex thoughts.       - Apparently we have no choice. You'll have to swallow your pride. – the albino reluctantly admitted, rising from his chair and heading to his workplace.