“Konoha is indeed in the awkward position of lacking top-level combat power right now.
But, Lord Third, have you ever considered Kumogakure’s situation?” Sakura reminded him, “The Third Shinobi World War only ended a few years ago.
It’s true that Konoha is currently recovering, but doesn’t Kumogakure need time to recover as well?
Konoha occupies some of the most favorable land in the entire shinobi world, with a mild climate and abundant resources, and we’re still nowhere near fully recovered.
Kumogakure’s territory has a much harsher environment, so shouldn’t they need even longer to recover?” “You mean Kumogakure is merely bluffing?” The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
That was right.
Konoha occupied the best territory in the shinobi world and still hadn’t recovered.
Kumogakure’s environment was far worse by comparison.
How could they possibly have recovered already?
“More or less.” Sakura nodded.
“More precisely, Kumogakure has calculated your personality.
They know that unless something unexpected happens, you absolutely won’t choose to go to war with them.
That’s why they’ve been acting so aggressively.” “Is that so?” The Third Hokage was still somewhat hesitant.
“But what if Kumogakure launches an all-out attack regardless?
The shinobi war that ended only a few years ago could start all over again.” “I once heard a great man say something: If you seek peace through war, peace will survive.
If you seek peace through compromise, peace will perish.” Sakura spoke seriously before analyzing the current situation for the Third Hokage.
“Actually, given the current circumstances, another Shinobi World War is impossible.
At most, Kumogakure will fight us alone.” “Why?” the Third Hokage asked, puzzled.
“During the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure, for one, was already in a difficult position.
The war itself began because the Third Kazekage disappeared.
Then, in order to relieve the pressure on his village, the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage chose to shift the blame onto Konoha, which ultimately triggered the Third Shinobi World War.” Sakura began counting off the points on her fingers.
“Sunagakure was already the weakest of the major villages, and the village itself had a strained relationship with the Land of Wind.
After everything they went through in that war, they simply don’t have the strength to start another one.” “The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Iwagakure, is old now.
On top of that, he’s naturally stubborn and conservative.
He won’t do anything without sufficient confidence.
Even if we go to war with Kumogakure, Iwagakure won’t get involved unless they see a decisive advantage.” “As for Kirigakure…” Sakura couldn’t help sighing when she thought about the Hidden Mist Village.
“They’ve practically been wrecked by a certain man who got involved in some seriously unhealthy obsession.” Thinking about Kirigakure made Sakura feel sorry for them.
Uchiha Madara had manipulated events and caused Rin’s death.
Then the entire village was nearly torn apart by Uchiha Obito.
Its bloodline clans were almost completely wiped out, and four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had already been beaten to death by Might Guy’s father, Might Duy.
The remaining three were severely wounded and fled.
Two of those three later defected, while the last one didn’t live much longer before being killed by Kisame Hoshigaki, who took Samehada and fled.
Compared with the later wielders of the Seven Ninja Swords, their strength was nowhere near the same level.
[Image] “So, in other words, all we have to deal with is Kumogakure?” The Third Hokage pondered this for a moment before asking in confusion, “But Sakura, how do you know all of this?” Information like this was the secret of each individual village.
There was no way it should have leaked out.
More importantly, Sakura was only four years old.
How could she possibly know so much?
“Because I can see it!” Sakura raised her head and looked at the Third Hokage.
Her emerald-green eyes resembled two flawless pieces of jade.
“Time is like a river, and I stand upon the bank, gazing into the flowing stream.” “???” The Third Hokage was left with a head full of question marks.
Why did she suddenly become so “Middle schooler syndrome?
“To put it simply, everything that has happened in the past is recorded by time, and I can clearly see everything that has been recorded.” Sakura quietly looked at the Third Hokage with a faint smile.
“For example, the Nine-Tails’ attack, Naruto’s true identity, the death of the Second Hokage, the battle between the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, and even how Konoha came into existence.
I know all of it.” The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
The Third Hokage stood there in a daze.
What Sakura had just said was simply unbelievable.
If there really were someone capable of manipulating time, just how terrifying would such a person be?
“If Lord Third doesn’t believe me, then… Time…” Snap.
Sakura raised her left hand and snapped her fingers.
The emerald green in her eyes became even deeper as an invisible force spread outward and enveloped the Third Hokage.
“This is…” The Third Hokage’s pupils suddenly contracted.
He knew his own body extremely well.
Due to years of overwork, his physical condition had deteriorated considerably, and his strength had declined along with it.
But immediately after Sakura snapped her fingers, he felt as though his body had returned to the state it had been in several years ago.
At first, he thought it was an illusion.
But when he felt the surging chakra within his body, flowing as powerfully as a great river, he realized that everything was real.
“With my current strength, I can only barely restore your body to the condition it was in five years ago.
It isn’t your physical peak, but it’s still much better than your current state, isn’t it?” Sakura’s voice echoed through the silent office.
The ANBU hidden nearby couldn’t help but react emotionally.
They were the Third Hokage’s personal guards, so none of them had any ill intentions.
Their reactions were purely the result of overwhelming shock.
Five years might not sound like much, but the difference in combat power was enormous.
During the Nine-Tails’ attack, the Third Hokage had been strong enough to knock the Nine-Tails back a considerable distance with his Adamantine Staff.
Yet during the Chūnin Exams, he was barely able to hold out for a short time.
This showed just how much his strength had declined after taking up the position of Hokage again.
It was rather like Naruto in the original story.
Before becoming Hokage, he had boundless energy, like an overexcited puppy.
But after becoming Hokage, a man who had once been practically a god of the shinobi world somehow ended up looking perpetually exhausted.
“Kumogakure, huh?” The Third Hokage’s physical condition had returned to what it had been five years earlier, and his mindset changed along with it.
His entire bearing seemed to return to the days of his youth—to the era when he had been known as the God of Shinobi.
“If they want to fight, then let them come!” [Image] “And Lord Third, you don’t need to be so nervous.
If war really breaks out, at worst I’ll go to Kumogakure and pull a few meteors down from the sky and flatten the whole village!” Sakura’s tone remained completely calm.
She couldn’t defeat Kumogakure head-on with her current abilities.
But destroying Kumogakure didn’t require her to fight them directly.
With the power of the Infinity Stones, she could simply pull a few meteors down from outer space and smash the village flat.
She didn’t possess Thanos’s ability to drag an entire planet around, but ordinary small meteors were still within her capabilities.
The Raikage might be able to stop one or two.
But could he really stop dozens?