Kurotsuchi’s eyes glittered black as she glared at him. He had clearly jumped in at the very moment she had prepared to strike a critical blow.
I’m not going to stand here and let you pin him down, Shikamaru thought.
“Developing ninja tools is something every village does,” he said. “And it’s also perfectly natural for people to try and make progress, to move forward every day. If we were planning some evil use for this technology as the Tsuchikage is implying, then yes, it would indeed be extremely dangerous. But it an also be used for peaceful purposes. First of all, it’s no easy feat to seal a powerful jutsu in one of these scrolls. And if you’re worried the young ones’ll stop training because of this ninja tool, well, that’s something else altogether. But don’t you think it’s a pretty big leap to simply assume it’ll be used for military reasons?”
“Shikamaru here’s right. We’re talking about a child’s toy. It can’t compete with real jutsu.” Darui smiled as he looked over at Shikamaru. He might have been a ninja from another village, but he was a comrade, and the two of them had spent long years talking passionately about the future of ninja. The bond Shikamaru felt with him was no different than if they had been from the same village.
“Is it really okay, though?” Chojuro said, propping his elbows up on the table and covering the lower half of his face with his clasped hands.
“What are you trying to say?” Gaara asked.
“What if one country gets the jump on the others while we’re all being chummy?” Chojuro continued, looking at the Kazekage out of the corner of his eye. “And which country happens to be closest to getting a hold of such power that none of the others would have a chance against them?”
“What exactly are you getting at, Chojuro?” Naruto asked, perplexed, sweat beading on his forehead.
Chojuro had always taken a friendly position when it came to Konoha. This was the first time he’d ever agreed with anything like what Kurotsuchi was saying now. But Shikamaru could see what was behind this shift.
Kirigakure had remarkably little in the way of the mineral resources essential for ninja—not only the iron and copper they used for a variety of things, but also the saltpeter needed for gunpowder. Soon after the five great nations established friendly relations, economic treaties were established that gave Kirigakure access to Iwagakure minerals in exchange for quality water resources.
Kurotsuchi had to have been making her move now in some kind of secret agreement with Chojuro. It was easy for Shikamaru to accept the other ninja’s change of heart when he thought about it like this. Countries couldn’t run on feelings alone, after all.
Shikamaru also noticed the deep furrow carved into the Mizukage’s brow, which in addition to attempting to shroud the rest of his face with his hands, revealed his inner conflict.
“What exactly is going on with you two? I told you before, I’ll make sure to tell you right away if anything comes up. Trust me. This kinda thing won’t happen again,” Naruto pleaded as he looked back and forth between the two Kages.
Konoha’s military might was by far the greatest of the five hidden villages. The negotiations might go a little more smoothly if they acknowledged that power. But Naruto would never concede to that. He always treated everyone as an equal and despised the idea of using force to makee others yield. It was precisely because of this humble trait that Shikamaru had absolute faith in Naruto. However, this same trait was also what made Naruto a bit unreliable at times like this.
Telling himself that this was also one of Naruto’s charms, Shikamaru kept his eyes focused on the round table.
“Sasuke was working behind the scenes on the whole thing with Otsutsuki, right?” Kurotsuchi asked. “His crimes were so great that no one would’ve batted an eye if he’d been locked up at Hozuki Castle for the rest of his life. And as his good friend, you would also know that his escape was part of what led to the Fourth Great Ninja War.”
“We dealt with all that ages ago.” When it came to Sasuke, Naruto couldn’t keep his cool. Kurotsuchi was indeed correct in saying that Uchiha Sasuke was a major criminal and a trigger for the great war. But that same war would never have ended without Sasuke. This monumental achievement balanced out his crime of desertion, and in the end, he’d been given probation, which is where the Five Kages’ discussion on this topic had ended. Naruto was perfectly correct in noting that now.
Even so, Kurotsuchi pursued it tenaciously. “Konoha still keeps the man who tried to destroy the world. And not only that, you allow him to wander the continent, reporting on countries. A spy like that—”
“One more quick word?” Shikamaru raised a hand. And then without waiting for assent from anyone, he began speaking. “Reconnaissance is a requisite for ninja. Again, this isn’t just about Konoha. All the villages regularly visit the other villages in secret. We don’t reproach each other for that, and if anyone is discovered doing this sort of work, we don’t call for the death penalty. The ninja who’s arrested is made to return any information obtained and then promptly released. That’s one of the principles of this alliance. The other villages agreed that Naruto would take responsibility for Sasuke. Even if, as the Tsuchikage is implying, Konoha were using Sasuke to maneuver in the other countries with the intention of using the scientific ninja tools to carry out an invasion at some point, would this all go exactly according to Konoha’s plan? The answer is no. None of the villages on the continent would forgive Konoha for scrapping the sacred alliance our predecessors worked to build. No matter how strong Konoha might be, we couldn’t win against the other great nations and all the smaller countries. It’s a deterrent against anyone running off on their own. Isn’t that the point of the alliance we have?”
Eyes closed, Darui nodded several times. Gaara was also silent, his arms folded. Chojuro lowered his gaze, brow still furrowed, and looked away from Shikamaru, while Kurotsuchi glared at him, gritting her teeth.
“You will not deceive me with fancy speeches.” She pushed each word out from behind clenched teeth.
Should be nearing the end of the uproar soon…
Shikamaru stared at Kurotsuchi and waited.
Her pale slender arms beat at the table. She raised a hand and turned her index finger toward Naruto. “Konoha has too many secrets. Because you’re a powerful country, you’re going to have to show some good faith at least if you intend to work in harmony with the rest of us. To back up your promise to never let these sorts of things happen again, I demand the disclosure of Konoha’s classified information.”
“Wha—” Naruto stiffened, at a loss for words.
Shikamaru crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.
Disclosure of classified information…
Did she intend to strip Konoha naked?
“If this demand is not met, I cannot say that Iwagakure won’t withdraw from the alliance.”
“I’d like some time to think about this, too.” Chojuro followed Kurotsuchi.
“We’ll hear your answer at the next meeting.” Kurotsuchi shot a glare at Shikamaru before leaving the room, and Chojuro and their aides chased after her.
“H-hey! Hang on a minute…” Naruto said lifelessly, rising up out of his seat.
“What a drag,” Shikamaru grumbled, still leaning against the wall.