“Let’s not try to analyze the future Mizukage combat weaknesses. Are you planning on fighting him?” Shikaku asked half serious.

“It’s always best to be prepared,” Jun replied.

Shikaku tried his best to hide the faint smile on his face. But it wasn’t fast enough for Jun’s eyes. The latter smiled in return. Not many people have seen the Jonin Commander laugh. His responsibility requires him to be serious at all times. Only those close to him could see that side of him. Jun thought himself to be lucky to have built a friendship relationship with Shikaku Nara. 

It was a good friend to have and an even better ally. As clan leaders, they usually see eye-to-eye about most things.  Jun knew that without the Nara’s support, he may not have gained the importance he had now among the other leaders. All the clan leaders knew the Uchiha clan leader and the Nara clan leader were good friends in addition to having a professional relationship. 

Shikaku cleared his throat.

“About how Mangetsu rose to power. Kiri doesn’t have many powerful ninjas anymore, it also paved the way for him. There weren’t many who could oppose him openly. His reputation as one of the seven swordsmen of the mist also played a role. He is considered the elite of the elites. You could say he has what it takes on paper to become the Mizukage.”

“I agree. Most of the powerful Kiri shinobis were either killed or fled the village. But who knows… Maybe Mangetsu will allow them to come back to the village. After all, he can use their power. A village's military power can only increase with the number of powerful ninjas in it.” Jun added.

Shikaku nodded approvingly. 

“If he does that, it would be a good political move. Kiri needs to increase its military forces. The village has been weakened by the civil war, and rival nations may be looking to take advantage of it.”

Jun also thought of the raids and kidnappings that were taking place around Kusa and the mistrust that reigned between the different villages. What Danzo would have done if he had been alive? Jun knew Orochimaru was behind was what happening in Kusa as well. He had a few hideouts and research labs in that village. He pushed that thought aside and focused on Shikaku’s last comment. 

“Some villages already benefitted from the situation in Kiri.” The Uchiha said.

Shikaku tilted his head slightly, conceding the point. In a way, Konoha was the country that had benefited the most from the wave of immigration from Kiri. With its reputation as a peaceful and stable village and a haven for holders of Kekkei Genkai, Konoha welcomed more than its fair share of refugees. Iwa and Kumo, more hostile and cautious of outsiders, had never opened their borders. The other nations were simply too far away. Although a handful of nukenins had gone to Suna and formed an alliance with the local faction that sought to dethrone the current Kazekage. 

Konoha still knew little about the situation in Suna. It was hard to get spies there; therefore, it was difficult to know the identity of the nukenins in question. Jun wondered if they were people he knew from the story. Well, time will tell. He focused back on the topic at hand.

“What will be the consequences for Kiri?” The Uchiha clan leader asked.

The head of the Division raised an eyebrow.

“What do you think the consequences will be?”

Jun sighed. The Nara clan leader often did that… Returning his question to him to encourage him to think deeply about it. Often, he could answer his own questions. Shikaku Nara had been his superior for five years now. In addition to being his boss, he had also taken on a mentor role. Not like his former sensei Shiba or the ever-absent Jiraiya, it was something close to what he had with Shisui at the beginning of their relationship… when Jun was still at the academy, and the late Uchiha was already an accomplished shinobi. Even though they had been friends, the power gap between them was abyssal back then. Their friendship couldn’t be on equal footing. Shisui was more like a teacher than a buddy. 

The connection Jun had with Shikaku was similar in the sense that he was far from the Nara’s analysis ability level. Well… not many could rival the Naras when it comes to thinking and coming up with clever schemes. During these years working together, they had become friends. The professional side of the relationship was diminishing as their friendship grew. Moreover, Shikaku probably felt a tad protective of Jun. After all, he took him under his wings, not only in the Division but also as a clan leader. Shikaku had shown him the ropes, and they formed a tacit alliance.

“I'm not sure,” Jun replied still thinking. “It’s not easy for a village to recover from a civil war. But it has happened to Suna in the past, right? After the death of their Sandaime Kazekage… if I’m not wrong. Suna ended up finding a new Kazekage, and… I’m not sure what happened afterward. It’s hard to find written info on that period.”

Shikaku made an amused noise.

“Stop thinking about what happened in the past. Think about what can happen now. Imagine yourself in his shoes. You just had the responsibility of a devastated village; what are you doing as Mizukage?”

Jun gently stroked his hairless chin. 

“Increase security?” He proposed. “The civilians need to feel safe again. Renew the ranks of active forces or reorganize their whole shinobi system in general? Establish a new program at the Academy to remove the things that led to the war, maybe? Find a way to solve the famine issue.”

Shikaku nodded with approval.

“Not bad. And to do that, you need to use diplomacy. That means creating new trade agreements with the neighboring territories, getting into the good graces of the Daimyo to receive funding… creating new taxes to increase the village’s budget, encouraging international trade…”

“Forming alliances,” Jun concluded. “Mangetsu is a new Kage. The other Kages will want to feel him out, test him. He must show strength, but not show himself to be hostile because he can’t afford to antagonize potential trade partners. He needs to forge alliances with the different nations.”

As Jun followed his train of thought. Something came to his mind.

“Hang on… One way for Kages to meet each other in an informal setting is the Chunin exam… And the next one is right here in Konoha! It’s coming up soon too!”

Shikaku smiled, and Jun understood that it was the conclusion his boss was guiding him to.

“You are correct,” the Jonin Commander said. “If Mangetsu doesn’t come in person, he will surely send representatives and at least two or three genins teams. Probably more. We have a lot of refugees from the Land of Water. He could seek to awaken their loyalty to Kiri.”

“Oh..” It was the only syllable Jun could muster.

He had nothing against Kiri. Well, he had spent a part of his life beating Kiri ninjas during missions. Also, some of his friends were killed by Kiri ninjas, and he killed them in return. But it was just the way things were… life as a shinobi. He bore no particular grudge against their village. 

But managing diplomacy relationships with a new Kage in the middle of a Chunin exam, where Genins were trying to cut themselves to pieces, wasn’t ideal. Especially when they had lots of refugees from the Land Of Water. Most were civilians, but there were children in the Academy, and some were already Genins. The slightest suspicious gesture of the Mizukage in their direction could be taken as an incitement to treason!

Moreover, during this upcoming Chunin exam, Konoha was certain that Suna would suffer from a coup. All their information pointed to that conclusion. But there was something else only Jun knew, Orochimaru. The sneaky serpent would also make his move during this exam. Jun almost had a headache thinking of how things could go wrong. Konoha could end up as a battlefield.

“Can’t we refuse Kiri’s participation?” He asked anyway knowing the answer.

“No. All Kages having Genins eligible to take the exam are invited; this is the tradition. We can’t pick and choose who to receive and who not to invite unless our relationships with a particular party have gone hostile.”

Jun sighed.

“About Suna, their Kazekage is coming?”

Shikaku nodded.

“He has officially accepted the invitation. He will personally be here during the exam.”

“Then the coup… Pakura and her faction will probably make their move during the exam to kill the Kazekage. It’s their best chance if they still want to move forward with the coup.”

Shikaku nodded again.

“Can’t we tip off the Kazekage?” Jun asked.

“He probably knows. Maybe he thinks they wouldn’t go through with it or that Konoha would protect him. I’m not sure.” Shikaku replied.

“Should we help him out?”

Shikaku shook his head.

“We won’t interfere. If Suna wants to get rid of their Kage and risk political instability, it’s their decision.”

Jun took a deep breath. Suna, Kiri, Orochimaru… He can’t believe all these parties full of malicious intent would be in the village. He knew Orochimaru’s plan but was clueless about the others’. He could only make conjectures. Jun was also tired of being on the defensive. He wasn’t a baby or a kid anymore. He could make a difference. The Uchiha decided it was time to shake things up a bit.

“I would like to request a mission outside the village,” he said in a determined tone.

Shikaku looked vaguely surprised. Jun almost smiled at the sight. It was rare to catch the man off guard.

“I wanted to assign you to the security of the organization of the exam, in cooperation with the police. But you have another obligation?

“It’s not really an obligation… rather a project that I must accelerate. Too many things can go wrong during the next Chunin exam. We need all the help we could get.”

Shikaku instantly understood his intention.

“I see. You want to bring the Sanins back to the village.”

Jun nodded.

“Yes, I want to bring them back.”

In the original story, Jiraiya returned by himself, and Tsunade was brought back later after Sandaime’s death when the village needed a Hokage. But things have changed. There were too many threats to consider. Moreover, Jun wasn’t sure if Jiraiya would be back on his own or even make it on time. There were too many variables. Konoha would be in danger. Izumi, Kazuma, Sasuke, Neji, Karin… they would all be in danger. Jun couldn’t afford to sit and wait. So yes, he will try his best to bring Jiraiya and Tsunade back to Konoha.