Naruto: Starting with Infinite Chakra-Chapter 192: Decision

"Don't be overly optimistic. The chances of a full-scale war breaking out between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire are low—especially now that the Land of Wind has lost its Tailed Beast. They don't have the confidence to engage in an all-out war against the Land of Fire. Right now, the only Kage-level ninja they have is the Kazekage, while the Land of Fire has both Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi. They wouldn't dare to start a full-scale conflict."

"Besides, the other nations won't just stand by and watch as Konoha takes the Land of Wind's Tailed Beast for itself. They'll definitely pressure the Land of Fire into returning it. Of course, the Land of Wind will have to pay a price for that."

Hanzo of the Salamander was far from optimistic. He shook his head as he spoke.

If Amegakure wanted to resolve its crisis, they had to rely on themselves. Expecting mercy from other nations was nothing more than a fool's dream.

Right now, Amegakure was nothing more than a piece of meat sitting between three hungry wolves. Thinking that they would give up such easy prey was pure fantasy.

Unless, of course, this piece of meat grew fangs—sharp enough to make the three great nations think twice before taking a bite. Only then could Amegakure force them to retreat.

Otherwise, trying to make them withdraw was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

What Hanzo didn't know, however, was that Jiraiya hadn't just sealed Shukaku—he had killed it.

...

"Lord Hanzo, should we take this opportunity to ambush Jiraiya? He just finished fighting a Tailed Beast—he must be completely exhausted. If we seize this chance, we might be able to kill him here and now."

"If we eliminate Jiraiya, the dire situation we're facing could collapse in our favor. I refuse to believe that, after his death, the three great nations would be able to send another Kage-level ninja to attack us!" a veteran Amegakure jonin suggested eagerly.

"Jiraiya is still young, yet he already wields Kage-level strength. On top of that, he's the Hokage's disciple. Most importantly, he has gained significant prestige among Konoha's shinobi. If we kill him, it will undoubtedly enrage Konoha. We could end up provoking the Land of Fire into retaliating with overwhelming force. The losses we suffer might be far greater than what we gain," another elite Amegakure jonin countered.

...

Amegakure was now divided into two factions: the pro-war faction and the surrender faction.

The pro-war faction was determined to fight the three great nations to the bitter end, even if it meant annihilation.

The surrender faction, on the other hand, advocated for negotiating with the Land of Fire. They were willing to cede significant resources in exchange for an end to the war. This would allow Amegakure to rebuild its strength before eventually reclaiming what was lost.

At the moment, the pro-war faction held the majority. They believed that surrendering resources in exchange for peace was nothing more than a slow death.

To them, it was like cutting away flesh with a dull knife—painless at first, but fatal in the long run.

If they gave up their resource points, they would lose the ability to cultivate new shinobi. Their nation's power would steadily decline.

Meanwhile, the Land of Fire would only grow stronger with these resources, widening the gap between them even further.

And once the Land of Fire had strengthened itself again, it would undoubtedly come for Amegakure once more. Ambition never disappeared—it only slumbered until the opportunity arose again.

"Do you really think that sparing Jiraiya will make the Land of Fire go easy on us? Negotiating peace is nothing but self-delusion! We would rather die on our feet than live on our knees!" a pro-war shinobi snapped furiously.

"Besides, if we kill Jiraiya now, we can also claim Shukaku. If we manage to control the Tailed Beast, Amegakure will rise to power as a major nation!"

"The Land of Wind deployed its Tailed Beast, only for Jiraiya to capture it. This is practically a gift from the heavens!" another pro-war shinobi said, his excitement barely contained.

... freewebnoveℓ.com

"Hanzo of the Salamander, do you have the courage to take me on?"

Standing atop a distant peak, Jiraiya called out with a smirk.

Killing Shukaku hadn't cost him much chakra, so he wasn't the least bit afraid of fighting Hanzo now.

If anything, he was eager to test the strength of the so-called 'Demi-God of the Shinobi World.'

Frankly, Hanzo's reputation was somewhat exaggerated. His strength relied heavily on his summon, the salamander, and his expertise in poison.

If an opponent could counter those two advantages, Hanzo's strength might not even reach Kage level.

"Arrogant brat! How dare you provoke us?! Lord Hanzo, let's strike now! If we want to break free from this dire situation, eliminating Jiraiya is the first step! And on top of that, we can take Shukaku for ourselves!"

The pro-war Amegakure shinobi continued urging Hanzo to take action.

"Killing Jiraiya now would indeed allow us to claim the Tailed Beast, but we have to consider the consequences. If we kill Jiraiya, we will have permanently severed any chance of reconciliation with the Land of Fire. If we keep Shukaku, we'll also make an enemy of the Land of Wind. More importantly, we currently have no means to control a Tailed Beast. Even if we capture it, we would need significant time to learn how to use its power. The Land of Wind won't give us that luxury."

A surrender faction shinobi voiced his concerns once more.

...

"Things have reached the point of no return. We must push forward—retreat is not an option anymore."

"If we compromise with the great nations again, we will lose our last chance to become a major power. Worse yet, in the future, we may be completely erased by them."

"Now that we have an opportunity to obtain a Tailed Beast, we cannot afford to waste it."

"We have already located many scattered survivors of the Uzumaki Clan. They are under our secret surveillance. Once we obtain Shukaku, we will immediately capture those Uzumaki and force them to reveal their knowledge of sealing techniques. With those techniques, we can create our own Jinchuriki!"

"There's no need to fear the Land of Wind's retaliation. As for the Kazekage, I am confident in my ability to defeat him."

After much hesitation, Hanzo finally made his decision—to kill Jiraiya.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (245 Chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)