This ninja in Naruto is unscientific

Chapter 195 The Concerns of the Higher-ups

The Land of Grass, the frontline base of Konoha.

The cold wind howled through the camp in the dead of night, and the lights inside the medical tents flickered on and off.

Nishikawa Tetsu lifted the curtain and strode in, his trench coat still damp with the night dew.

The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy.

Jiraiya didn't greet her as cheerfully as usual; his face was now clouded with gloom.

Opposite him, Minato Namikaze sat on the edge of a makeshift hospital bed, his golden bangs obscuring his eyes, his hands gripping the fabric of his trousers tightly on his knees, his knuckles white from the force.

On the hospital bed, Nohara Rin was in a coma, and the complex black sculpted pattern on her abdomen faintly emitted a chilling chakra fluctuation with each breath.

Kakashi and Obito stood guard to the side, both of them wrapped in bandages, their eyes filled with worry and lingering fear. Obito, in particular, had swollen eyes, whether from the aftereffects of the Mangekyou Sharingan or from crying again, it was hard to tell.

"You're back?" Jiraiya looked up, his voice a little hoarse.

"How is she?" Nishikawa Tetsu took off his coat, walked to the bedside, and glanced at Rin.

"It's relatively stable."

Shuimen raised his head, his voice weary.

Nishikawa Tetsu nodded and checked it.

"The seal is very secure. As long as Lin doesn't lose control of her emotions, there won't be any problems in the short term."

"But the trouble is yet to come."

Jiraiya sighed and pushed an urgent mail roll on the table toward Nishikawa Tetsu.

"This is urgent news that just came from the village. The higher-ups reacted strongly after learning that Rin had become the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails."

Nishikawa Tetsu picked up the scroll, glanced at it, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Are they worried that Kirigakure will use this as an opportunity to launch an attack? Are they worried that Konoha will get bogged down in a three-front war?"

"That's right."

Jiraiya rubbed his temples.

"The higher-ups mean that the Three-Tails is, after all, a strategic asset of Kirigakure. If we forcibly detain it, Kirigakure might use it as an excuse to gather forces and attack the eastern coast of the Land of Fire. Although they didn't explicitly say they wanted to hand it over, their words were all implying that we should 'handle' this hot potato properly and avoid excessively provoking Kirigakure."

"Handle it properly?"

Obito, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but jump up and roar angrily, "What do you mean by 'properly handle'? Are you suggesting we return Rin to those bastards? They wanted to kill Rin!"

"Calm down, Obito." Kakashi pulled him back. Although the mask covered Kakashi's face, you could tell from his eyes that Kakashi was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.

"Of course we won't hand them over."

Fugaku Uchiha stood before the map with his arms crossed, and said coldly, "The current Konoha doesn't need to be subservient to others. We defeated Kumogakure in the Land of Rice Fields, Sakumo-senpai repelled Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, and we've just resolved the threat from Iwagakure here."

"If we're going to bow down to Kirigakure now, what's the point of all these battles?"

Jiraiya nodded: "That's what the old man thinks too, but of course, he can't suppress the voices from the higher-ups."

After all, when it comes to things like tailed beasts, even the Hokage can't completely reach a consensus.

Fugaku looked at Nishikawa Tetsu: "Tetsu, what do you think?"

Nishikawa Tetsu casually tossed the reel onto the table, making a soft "thud" sound.

"The higher-ups are worried that continuing the war will deplete Konoha's foundation built up over the years."

Nishikawa Tetsu walked to the map and pointed to the location of Kirigakure Village.

"But they got one thing wrong."

"Does Kirigakure currently possess the capability to wage a full-scale war?"

Nishikawa Tetsu didn't reveal the secret of the Mizukage being controlled; instead, he phrased it differently:

"According to my intelligence, Kirigakure is not a monolithic entity either."

"A village embroiled in internal strife, where even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were half-crippled by Might Guy, what makes them think they can fight us?"

"and……"

Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes sharpened, and his voice rose a few decibels:

"The three tails inside Lin's body were not stolen or robbed by us."

"It was Kirigakure that not only kidnapped our ninjas, but also attempted to attack Konoha with a tailed beast. Our valiant Jonin Minato Namikaze saw through their plan and retaliated, seizing it as spoils of war!"

"Spoils of war?"

Jiraiya and Minato were both stunned for a moment.

"That's right, it's spoils of war."

Nishikawa Tetsu stated matter-of-factly, "According to the wartime regulations of the ninja world, this property belongs to us. Kirigakure wants it back? Sorry, no!"

"If we don't hurt them badly, if we don't pin the blame on them, they'll think we're guilty."

"But what about the higher-ups..." Minato said with some worry, "they might put pressure on us."

"Then shut them up."

Nishikawa Tetsu pulled out a notebook from his pocket and started writing something.

"The higher-ups are afraid of public opinion and afraid of taking responsibility, so let's give them a hand."

Nishikawa Tetsu tore off that page and handed it to Fugaku.

"Senior, please send a message back to the village to the editor-in-chief of the Konoha Weekly."

Fugaku took the note, looked at the title, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

The title boldly proclaims:

[A shocking conspiracy! Kirigakure attempts to destroy Konoha using human bombs! A brave young girl is forced to bear the pain of a tailed beast!]

Subtitle: [If they don't even have the courage to protect their comrades, what becomes of Konoha's Will of Fire? The Police Department declares: We will not yield an inch!]

"First, create public opinion."

Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes gleamed.

"Let the whole village know that Rin is the victim. Anyone who dares to suggest handing Rin over is a sinner who wants to destroy Konoha, and a spineless coward who will be condemned by all the villagers."

"I simply don't believe that under such public pressure, the so-called high-level officials would dare to utter the words 'properly handle'."

Jiraiya looked at the title and, although he thought it was a bit exaggerated, he had to admit that it was indeed the most effective method.

"Then it's settled."

Minato stood up, walked to Rin's bedside, and looked at his sleeping disciple with a determined gaze.

"Once Rin's situation stabilizes, I will take her back to the village. After we get back, I will ask Kushina for help."

"Yes, Kushina is now the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so she should be able to teach Rin how to coexist with a tailed beast." Nishikawa Tetsu nodded.

"Then you should evacuate first."

Nishikawa Tetsu looked out at the night outside the tent.

"The rats that have infiltrated the Land of Grass and the Hidden Mist Village will be dealt with by me and my senior, Fugaku."

"Leave the finishing touches to us!"